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<pre>A long time ago someone commented about their low fruit set. The
following is extracted from
http://www.act.fcic.usda.gov/pilots/...txt/olives.txt (if you can
be bothered); "A cold, wet spring is the most frequently occurring
natural peril in producing olives. Prolonged, abnormally low
temperatures during April and May (note:northern hemisphere) retard bud
development and diminish the proportion of fruit-bearing,
pistil-containing blossoms. A deficiency of pistil-containing flowers
reduces fruit set and subsequent production." 'Cold' can be measured
differently, it can be a nice warm day but if the nights are cold the
soil temperature remains low and can retard development. Bare soil near
the root zone is one method of raising temps. Entrapped air through
increased biological activity reducing the minimum temperature is
another. Take your pick.

Roger Farquhar Hunter Valley

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