Olive Tree
Olea europaea
The Mediterranean-styling plant having a real moment right now - and the one most likely to quietly fail indoors for a reason that has nothing to do with watering. It evolved for full outdoor sun, and most homes simply don't have a spot bright enough.
Photo: Cameron Arksey / Unsplash What this plant actually wants.
Best window: South-facing, pushed right up against the glass - most homes don't have anywhere brighter.
This is the general recommendation. When you map your actual windows in Planterra, the app compares each one against this plant's lux range and tells you which of your specific spots are best - accounting for depth from the glass, obstructions, and how the light shifts by season.
What usually goes wrong.
Leaves dropping steadily
The single most common reason an indoor olive tree fails, and it's almost always light, not water. This is a plant built for full, unobstructed Mediterranean sun - even a 'bright' living room window is usually a fraction of what it actually wants. If leaf drop continues after you've ruled out watering, the honest fix is more direct light, a grow light, or accepting it may do better outdoors in summer.
Yellow leaves
Overwatering, or a plant that isn't getting enough light to actually use the water you're giving it. Let the soil dry out significantly between waterings - this is a drought-tolerant Mediterranean species, not a tropical one.
Sparse, leggy growth reaching toward the window
Not enough direct light. Rotate regularly and, if possible, move it outdoors for summer - even a few months of real sun makes a visible difference to density.
No new growth over winter
Normal. Olive trees semi-dormant in low light and cooler temperatures - this isn't a sign of a problem, just the season.
This is the plant I'd most want your actual lux reading for, not just a compass direction. 'South-facing window' can mean anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 lux depending on obstructions and depth from the glass - and for an olive tree, that difference is exactly what decides whether it thrives or slowly drops every leaf.
Add this plant to Planterra.
Free to try. No signup. Your plant, tracked from the first photo.