lets see the whole plant ...

even evergreen plants .. shed a certain amount of leaves every season ...

a water management issue come to mind.. how big the pot.. how old the media... is it media.. or soil .. etc ...

not much info to go on

ken

I would suspect the roots have formed an unhealthy pancake at the bottom of the pot, out of room to continue to grow, but impossible to say w/o any background info & pic of part of 1 leaf.

iliasred, I agree that it is a leaf scorch condition. The trouble is that the symptom can show up from over watering; as well as under watering. You may have some idea as to which it is - from how you have been treating the plant for the past 3 to 6 weeks. You mention that it is container-grown. If you mean a 'closed system', then it is easy to scorch a plant if the soil moisture gets too concentrated and causes the plant sap to "drain out" of the plant.

I suggest that you pluck the leaves, if they are not many; or trim away the scorched areas if that better appeals to you. I would recommend that you err on the side of over-watering to dilute the soil moisture concentration; and let's see what happens. This Link is meant to supplement the one offered in a preceding post. I have found the condition quite difficult to correct; while at the same time, maintaining the aesthetics.

The first thing that needs to be clarified is what kind of container medium (soil) this olive is planted in. Quality of container soil and how long it has been in place has a huge affect on aeration and drainage and that will have a very direct relationship on how the plant is able to access water. And it has little to do with how frequently one waters but everything to do with how the water moves through the medium.

"the soil moisture gets too concentrated and causes the plant sap to "drain out" of the plant."

What the heck does that mean? As someone who grows almost exclusively in containers, that is a situation that 1) I have never personally encountered, and 2) have never seen referred to in any literature on container gardening. Sap doesn't drain out of a plant unless there are holes or damage to the bark/stem but excessive moisture in the potting medium can affect the plant's ability to draw both moisture, oxygen and nutrients up to the top growth and result in the necrotic leaf edges. It is also very likely to lead to root rots as well.

There are other causes that create the dry, brown margins/necrotic edges as well, including improper/excessive fertilization and the quality of the irrigation water but water movement through the container medium is typically the first thing to look at.

Get back to us with more info on how and in what the olive is planted and we may be able to provide better advice.

iliasred, perhaps my stating that the plant sap drains out of the plant was a clumsy expression. It's just my way of putting over the idea of Osmosis. It would have been more accurate to state that water flows out of the plant cells; into the soil.

Container growing can be divided into two groups - closed and open. An example of a closed system is the Hydroponicum. A somewhat closed system is the decorative plant which adorns indoor spaces. For most of the time water is added; but every so often it is necessary to flush the potting medium lest the soil moisture attains a concentration of soluble salts to the point where it exceeds the concentration of the plant sap. When that concentration is exceeded, the plant will show symptoms of physical drought - water is short or there has been an accumulation of (fertilizer) salts. If the soil becomes too wet, there is a shortage of air in the root zone of the plant; the roots fail to function and the plant shows similar stress symptoms. Only, in these circumstances, the condition is referred to as physiological drought. I have found that the "Earthbox" solves this problem outdoors and 'wick irrigation' planters - indoors.

But it bears emphasizing that it is vital to flush the growing medium at regular intervals.

I sincerely apologize for any confusion I may have caused. Please do not hesitate to ask for any clarification. I have found that much of my learning starts when I cannot answer that elusive "Why?"

Iliasred. were you able to get this olive tree to recover?