Customer Reviews

Olive Tree 25 Seeds - Olea europaea - Great Houseplant

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

None of the olive seeds I bought have come up, and they appear to be dead.
I am an experienced grower, not a first-timer, and would have expected at
least one or two to sprout, but none have. I am showing a one-star rating only
because the review panel will not allow itself to be entered unless I check something. This skews the review. The actual rating should be zero - no stars.

I've used Hirt's Gardens in the past. Their seeds have the same general premise. The product arrives in a tiny plastic baggie with directions stapled to it. I received 25 seeds, directions, and everything appeared to be in order.

Nothing happened. Then again this is a slow germinating plant and I'm not sure if I did everything right. I can tell you that you will get seeds and directions; in good quality and as described. After that its up to you.

Good luck.

1. I took a pair of pliers and placed the top 1/4 of the seed between the jaws and gave a gentle yet firm squeeze in order to crack the as hard as a coconut shell open to get the seed that was inside of it out. (NOTE: If you squeeze them too hard it will crush the shell as well as the seed inside the shell)
2. I soaked the seed overnight in hot water.
3. I placed the seed in a seed tray filled with seed starter soil.
4. Placed the tray in a sunny part of the greenhouse for morning sun.
5. I already have some sprouts coming up.
Not sure yet if they are the Olive or the Japanese red maple.
Only time will tell.

If you did not break the shell open chances are you will not have any sprouts.
I will update further when I know more.

I bought the olive seeds, planted as the instructions said and nothing. this was over a month ago. I also bought other seeds from this same company and nothing has germinated. I don't recommend them

It's an olive so it takes a while. I actually gave up on it and changed out the soil for a new plant. I had accidentally thrown some of the old soil back in, so months later, when I was moving the new pomegranate trees to separate pots, I randomly found an olive growing deep at the bottom of my giant pot. It got its own pot after that, of course, and was doing well. Sadly, bugs and a curious kitten ended its life prematurely. Definitely will try again now that my kitten is out of her curious phase.

I bought a pack of this same kind of olive seeds in October 2009. I still have these seeds in the pots sitting there for at least nine months. Nothing has come up yet. I took some of them to my in-laws thinking that they will have a better luck. No way. I took 5 seeds to my mom in Bulgaria be cause she has a lot of plants at home. No luck again. But I keep transplanting the seeds every 3 months just to keep the soil fresh.
I also had bought other seeds from this company - a pack of 5 palm tree seeds. I got one of them sprouting. So I don't think that the company is bad. Probably just this particular sort of seeds is dead.
I hope that my next purchase from this company will bring me more luck!
Meanwhile, good luck to all of you people!

The seeds were shipped promptly, were as described, and were at a great price. It is not the seller's fault that Olive seeds are next to impossible.


I have a degree in Chemistry and Zoology, and I am now in medical school. I have had research published, so I like a good science experiment. I have read all the peer-reviewed articles I could find online about propagating these seeds, as well as established correspondence with a Dr.Shahsavar at a university in Iran (one of the authors on a paper).

After all my reading/research I have planted a few seeds accordingly:


0) Control
1) Knife: Cut off the ends to reveal white inside, scared the surface with 20 cuts of varying depths. Soaked 2 hours.Planted at 3/4"
2) Acid
a. Sulfuric acid for 6 hours: 2:45pm, stirred occasionally, soaked for 2 hours to remove acid
b. Sulfuric acid for 3 hours: 2:45pm, stirred occasionally, soaked for 2 hours to remove acid
3) Boiling: water brought to a boil and poured over the seeds. Soaked for 2 years (all sunk) until the water was cool, planted at ¾" deep.
4) Boiling and sandpaper: water was brought to a boil and poured over the seeds. Seeds soaked in water until cool (20-25 min and all sunk) then they were sanded until white, smooth, and uniform. Soaked in water for 2 hours and planted at ¾".


I will keep you posted.....