olive tree

Question

I have a very young olive tree – maybe 12″ tall stalk with 8 leaves and no branches. Top is broken off. Do olives only grow from the top? Can it survive this damage?

Answer 1

Your tree should actually be ok, since most pruning recommend opening up the tree.
An olive tree will recover from a heavy pruning. Pruning will stimulate and encourage the growth of new fruiting wood.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/olive/pruning-olive-trees.htm