Olive Tree

I’ve been thinking more about your Olive trees, because honestly I wasn’t satisfied that the reponse I gave you would be helpful… something else was on the tip of my tongue and I finally got it! Unfortunately, this may not be good news. In the recent past few years, Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), a different strain (but related) of the bacterium that causes leaf scorch on grapes is infecting Olive trees; they’re calling it OLSD, or Olive Leaf Scorch Disease. It is also vectored from plant to plant by leaf hoppers (pretty sure its the glassy winged sharp shooter just like with grapes). You may want to get an opinon from the Ag Dept Pathologist by taking a sealed bag with leaf & stem samples to their office in San Marcos, CA (off of Twin Oaks Valley Rd). They will check out your specimen for free. You could also call and talk to the Farm Advisor at the University of CA Cooperative Extension in S.D. for more info. If you do an internet search you’ll find more info about OLSD. http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/fha/programs.html