Today we look at the raw vegetable desire for growth of the olive tree. Whenever an olive root is on or near the surface up come these shoots and, if you don't cut them back they will, in the fullness of time, turn into big olive trees themselves. Indeed you see many circles of younger olive tree shoots surrounding an older trunk (as in this image) and when ants, frost or some other calamity has befallen the main tree this is a common way to regenerate the plant from the root up. Of course for those times and places where you don't want any distractions from the main trunk this is a bit of a pain and it is best to cut them down. I may try seeing if I can transplant some of them though because I've read in a book that I own that this is a good way to get a new tree and is is considerably faster than waiting for a seedling to grow up.
As always click on the image to see it enlarged and do take a look through the olive blogging archives if you are a new visitor.