Hello, Thanks for the information. It is good to know that they can withstand some severe pruning or in this case (branch loss). You said that you already have some olives... when can I expect to see them budding? They are about 2 years old now, should they fruit this summer? I have attached two pictures that show the tree. Some of the branches are starting to look a little droopy but the leaves still look healthy. http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/galleries/2007/05/olive_tree.html This second picture shows the break and how I tied it to try to restore some symmetry. http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/galleries/2007/05/olive_tree_break.html Regarding pot size - you can see it in the picture they are roughly 18 inch pots at the moment. I expect that I will have to upgrade to bigger pots some day but they seem ok for now. I kept them on my enclosed porch for the winter and they did fine. It is not heated but does not freeze and receives roughly half of day of sun. Any comments are appreciated. Even if it is to yell at me for doing something wrong. :) Thanks, John

Agree cut off rootstock sprouts. Question is whether to thin down the scion sprouts. My concern is tree vigor going into fall so as to avoid another freeze back next winter. I'd probably risk it and cut back to the best shoot. But then don't push the tree with either water or fertilizer and no more pruning. Try to settle the tree down by September. The hope is it quits growing in early fall so as to harden off on time.

Peter, Sorry to hear about the damage. It's frustrating, after all the work and time. You might consider an electric 3-D fence. It has worked well for me. It's the least expensive setup that works. As far as pruning for a deer-infested world, search back to some of harvestman's posts. He made a good argument for shaping your trees so that there are no branches within five feet of the ground. Yes, it's going to take time to get to that point, and you'll need some kind of cage in the mean time, but without a fence, it may be the best plan. Don't give up hope, Marc

No point in adding insult to injury by cutting them off. Screen out rabbits, keep up with mulching, watering etc. to encourage recovery.