Time to pick your olives or pull them up

19 August 2020

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board is currently undertaking inspections of olive orchards on Southern Eyre Peninsula and is also asking the community to pick fruit from their own trees or remove the plant altogether.

“Olives grow well in most environments and soil types and are therefore a high risk for invading native vegetation on the Eyre Peninsula,” says Landscape Officer, Gemma Marshall.

“Olives are prolific seeders and animals eat the fruit and disperse the seeds in their droppings.

“Olives invade, out-compete and suppress native vegetation and invade ungrazed land such as roadsides and fence lines.

“As animals spread the seed you may not realise or notice olives that have germinated in your yard but we’re asking the community to keep a look out and pull them out when small.”

Olives not planted, used and maintained for domestic, public amenity or commercial purposes are declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.

This means the community needs to be picking all the fruit from their trees and if not, then they must control the plant, including any seedlings that pop up from the parent plants.

“Anyone who has olive trees planted in their garden is responsible for picking the fruit; and if the fruit isn’t picked then the plant must be removed,” says Ms Marshall.

“It is so important we all do our bit to reduce the spread of weeds into our local parks and reserves and our neighbour’s yards.”

The landscape board inspections are undertaken biennially to ensure growers are picking the fruit and meeting their responsibility to minimise seed spread from the orchards.

For further information call us on 8688 3111 or visit www.landscape.sa.gov.au/ep/plants-and-animals/pest-plants-and-animals/pest-plants

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board came into effect on 1 July 2020, replacing the former Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board.