Cultivation

IRRIGATION

The olive tree is durable to drought, the sun and air. When the watering is properly done, it positively affects the flowering and fruitsetting, simultaneously maintaining the oil content at satisfying levels.

The annual stages of the watering procedure are as follows:

January - February when the olive buds are growing
Right before and until the period of blossoming, (March - May)
From fruitsetting until the hardening of the kernel (May - June)
The irrigation of the trees in the summer season reduces the shrinking of the fruit

In our estate, where Ergani oil is produced, watering is done with the use of improved irrigation systems - drip micro-sprinklers - also with the implementation of irrigation schedules.

PRUNING

Generally, olive trees are lightly or moderately pruned every year, or more strictly, every second year. The type of pruning depends on the liveliness of the variety of the olive tree as well as on the combined soil-climate-cultivation conditions.

The main reasons why we prune the olive trees are the following:

• Balancing the weight of the plant

• Eliminating diseased and barren parts of the tree

• Improving air and light circulation, and avoiding any fungus

• Facilitating the cultivation process

At our olive grove where Ergani oil is produced, the pruning is carried out by professional cultivators.

FERTILIZATION

In order to secure the long-term nutritional demands of the olive tree cultivationand aiming at quality improvement, the main strategy at our organic olive grove is fertilizing only with legume and organic materials for the preservation and rejuvenation of the soil.

Fertilization takes place in the month of February. Additionally, foliar fertilization is performed with algae at regular intervals throughout the cultivation period.