“Treatments are to be made for diseases, pruning is not a disease". George Panels, one of the most authoritative personalities in olive growing and an indisputable point of reference when it comes to pruning, nips in the bud any debate around any products to be used after this type of intervention. In this regard, theformer director of Crea di Spoleto has its own philosophy that he likes to repeat: "Pruning must be done correctly, cutting the bare minimum and respecting the separation collar between the two branches. We are obviously talking about production pruning, with plants in balance".
What is meant by correctly, Pannelli clearly states: “Select the suckers, groom the tops, thin out the secondary branches. And where there is a greater intervention to be made, the rule is simple: the bigger the cut, the greater the distance of the cut itself from the collar”.
In a recent article dedicated to pruning, Panelli had already had the opportunity to highlight a precise concept in our journal: "The cuts must be made in compliance with the specific methods of cicatrisation of the olive tree: this tree species does not heal wounds by producing a healing callus such as apple, pear or walnut. The olive tree uses a strategy based on the death of the layer of tissue underlying the cut followed by the formation of compartmentalization barriers in all directions using the phenolic and tannic substances which it has widely available (energetically very expensive), forprevent fungi from entering the plant. For this, a small margin must be left between the branch that is cut and the one on which it rested. And above all, no mastic, for heaven's sake".
Returning to the treatments on the olive grove mentioned in the introduction, the former director of Crea di Spoleto concludes: “They should be done regularly throughout the year so that, when pruning, the plant is already protected. In fact, the best possible cure is always to keep the plant in good health. And the state of health of the plant is maintained throughout the year”.
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