There are a number of ways to propagate the plant. Plants may be grown from seed, but a cultivar will not come true from seed. Seeds are cracked or treated with sulfuric acid to aid in germination because the pits are very hard. Most olives are, however, grown on their own roots. Asexual propagation is from leafy cuttings, from larger stem cuttings called truncheons, from knotty growths at the crown of the tree called ovules, or from suckers.
Most modern propagation is from leafy cuttings rooted under mist.
The top two inches of the cutting may be removed or left on. Place the cutting stem-down in a mixture of equal parts peat, perlite or vermiculite, and sand. The media should be pasteurized and treated with a fungicide. Hold the cuttings under intermittent mist. After six to eight weeks, roots should begin to form.