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THE
TREE OF LIFE.
If there is a tree that has really earned the name of tree of life
it must be without a doubt the olive tree. Numerous references have
been made as to the value, importance and symbolism of the olive tree
in papyruses from ancient Egypt, in the Bible, the Koran and other
sacred books. Mankind has developed parallel to the cultivation of
the olive tree. Its uses have been many: an olive twig is the symbol
of peace, olive oil was used as a healing and cosmetic ointment, as
a source of light it lit wicks and filled lanterns, providing light
for monasteries and cathedrals in the Middle Ages. The olive tree's
fruits can be found on tables all the world over and olive oil traditionally
stands as one of the pillars of our Mediterranean diet.
OLIVE TREE CULTIVATION.
Olive tree cultivation is limited by cold weather due to the fact
that it hardly resists temperatures lower than -12º C. On the other
hand, it can stoically withstand exceptional droughts and strong winds.
Throughout the entire Mediterranean region the olive tree is a common
feature as it requires a climate characterized by mild winters, rainy
falls or springs and dry and hot, blazing summers. In the Mediterranean
area olive trees are small, with multiple and extensive roots that
penetrate deep down in search of groundwater reserves, thus making
up for the lack of irrigation. They are exceptional trees that can
withstand extremely dry heat in summer. Their fruits only ripen after
the hot months and are gathered in fall or even in winter.
The olive tree produces more in the lowlands, but in hilly soils it
gives finer and fruitier oil. Although soil qualities are variable,
the olive tree adapts well to most of them. It needs an average annual
temperature of between 16 and 22º C. Even then frost does not harm
it as long as it is not lower than -7º C, it is short-lived and the
tree is not wet. It grows up to a height of 400 to 600 m above sea
level, on sheltered terraces and facing the south. There are exceptions,
as in Sierra Nevada where olive trees can be found at 974 m, but generally
they prefer warmer seaside areas.
It is the most common tree in the Mediterranean and its cultivation
area outlines the limits of its climate, hence the fact that it is
sometimes known as the "olive tree climate".
From time immemorial, the olive tree has always had an enormous importance
on the economy and culture of the Mediterranean basin. It is environmentally
useful for land preservation and in some poorer areas it is often
the only possible form of agriculture. It requires quite a large work
force and thus contributes to stabilizing employment in the countryside.
The olive grove welcomes the following growing practices:
>
Digging and hoeing to a depth of 25 cm once or twice in spring and
fall.
> Dressing once in September
and October accompanied by superphosphate.
> Preventive anti-parasite
treatment. .
> A straightening pruning
to ensure a correctly balanced shape.
> A fruit pruning to coordinate
branch shooting and fruiting.
> A renewal pruning, much
more drastic, usually done when the tree has been frostbitten, scorched
or untended for years.
The olive tree
has an important botanical characteristic in that the season when
its branches grow goes from April to the end of October, but note
that from August the growth rate is somewhat slower due to the heat
and lack of rain.
From November onwards the olive tree goes into its winter resting
stage until January. From then its sap is roused and the tree starts
to "transmit" orders for its shoots to start growing and become either
twigs or flowers (later on to become fruits).
For this reason fruits yielded that year will not be from that year's
branches, which always sprout in April, but from the branches that
grew the previous year.
This phenomenon, known as vecería, partly explains the tree's alternate
production whereby some years it yields a good harvest and other years
not so good. As the Spanish saying goes, "Good fortune and olives,
sometimes a lot and sometimes none".
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