Complete guide to hazelnut care

The hazel It is a deciduous shrubby plant native to Europe and Asia that is cultivated for its delicious fruits, hazelnuts, but also its amazing ornamental value, since it can also be kept as an isolated specimen or in high hedges in a way that guarantees safety and privacy for those who want to enjoy the garden.

Its beautiful green leaves turn an intense yellow color that will undoubtedly attract the eyes of all who come to see you. Do you want to know more about him? Do not miss then the hazelnut care guide that we have prepared for you, in which you will discover absolutely everything about this spectacular plant.

Hazelnut characteristics

Hazel, whose scientific name is Hazelnut corylusIt is a shrub or small tree that grows up to 8 meters in height. Its crown is very extended, branching already from the base. The leaves are rounded, about 12cm long, and are pubescent, that is, they have very short and soft “hairs”.

There are male flowers and female flowers. The first are the so-called catkins, which can measure up to 12cm long and are yellow-brown in color; the latter, on the other hand, are barely visible since they sprout in the buds and are very small. Both sprout in different specimens -is a monoecious species- in spring, before the leaves appear.

In order for the fruit to form, it is necessary for the pollen from the male flowers to reach the female ones, and for that, unlike other plants, they use the force of the wind. If you have been lucky, the hazelnuts will grow for 8 months, which will be when they are ready to go cold before germinating.

How do you take care of yourself?

If you would like to have a hazelnut in your garden, take note of our advice:

Location

It is a plant that must be kept outside, in full sun, or in semi-shade if the weather is very hot. Withstands frosts up to -10ºCbut not so high temperatures of more than 32ºC.

Irrigation

It likes cool and slightly humid soils, so irrigation has to be frequent. During the warmer months it must be watered 3 times a week, and the rest of the year every 4-5 days. We will use rainwater or acidified water (adding the liquid of half a lemon to 1l / water) to avoid chlorosis.

Subscriber

Being a plant whose fruits are for human consumption It must be paid with organic fertilizersAs manure, earthworm humus o compost once a month throughout the growing season (spring to late summer).

Land

It will grow without problems in soils whose pH is between 5,5 and 7. It can be found in those calcareous soils, but for it to develop correctly it will be necessary to add iron sulfate from time to time or fertilize it with fertilizers for acidophilic plants.

Pruning

In autumn at the end of winter The stems that come out from the base have to be removed, and it has to be pruned following the nature of the bush.

Plantation

Being monoecious, it is recommended to plant two or more specimens in spring (female and male) in rows leaving a distance between specimens of at least 5 meters.

Another option is to buy a hazelnut that is grafted to save space in the garden.

Harvest

Hazelnuts are collected when the envelope has changed color (from green to brown) and it begins to dry out, which occurs around fall.

How does it reproduce?

Hazelnut reproduces by seeds or shoots. What to do in each case?

Seeds

To have young hazelnuts, the seeds must be acquired in autumn -preferably, from the bush itself, although they will also help us if we buy them in bulk at the supermarket- and follow these steps:

• The first thing to do is to sow them in a tupperware with vermiculite moistened with water in the refrigerator at 6-7ºC.
• Once a week and for three months, the tupperware will be removed and the lid will be opened so that the air is renewed and, in this way, the proliferation of fungi is avoided.
• After that time, in spring they will be sown in pots with universal growing substrate mixed with 30% perlite, and they will be placed in semi-shade.

The seeds will germinate in 2-3 monthskeeping the soil moist.

Stems

Hazelnut is a plant that tends to take out many stems, which can be removed with a hoe -and very careful – in spring to later plant them in pots or in other corners of the field.

How to graft hazelnuts?

If you want to have a hazelnut that bears fruit, you can graft it when it has a trunk thickness of at least 2cm. To do this, you must wait until spring begins to cut a semi-woody branch and graft it on your plant, making a simple full cleft graftwhich is done by making a vertical cut of a branch or the trunk, and introducing the cutting. To finish, you just have to join it with raffia rope, and cover it with a transparent plastic bag.

After about 21 days, remove the bag, and only two months later you can remove the rope.

Hazelnut pests and diseases

There are several pests and diseases that can affect you. Let’s see which are the main ones and how to treat them:

Pests

• Aphids: appear in the flowers, preventing their development. You can treat them with Neem oil, or with Insecticidal Oil sold in nurseries.
• Fruit bud moth: is a lepidopteran (recurrence manella) whose caterpillars attack the flower buds and later the leaves. They are treated with insecticidal oil in winter.
• Winter chore: butterfly larvae Operopthera brumata it affects the leaves, where they roll. The plant must be treated before flowering with Carbaryl.
• Bedbugs: they are insects of just 1cm in length, with an oval and slightly elongated appearance. It feeds on the sap of the leaves, and can cause significant damage to hazelnuts. They are treated with Neem Oil.

Diseases

• Powdery mildew: it is a fungus that mainly affects the leaves, where white spots will appear. It is treated with a systemic fungicide.
• Radical rot: they are fungi that affect the roots when the environment is very humid and the soil does not have good drainage. It is treated with systemic fungicides.
• Evil of tearing: it is a fungus that, once it infects the plant, nothing can be done. The branches are completely torn after only 5 years. Fortunately, it can be prevented by avoiding overwatering and fertilizing in spring and summer.
• Hazel gloesporiosis: it is a disease that prevents flowers from developing. It attacks the yolks, causing them to turn dark to end up drying out. It deals with Manzodeb in midsummer (August in the Northern Hemisphere).

Hazelnut uses

Hazelnut is used mainly for its fruits, but also as an ornamental plant, either as an isolated specimen or forming hedges. But it must also be said that it has medicinal properties, in fact, it is antipyretic, astringent y antiedematous.

It can be taken by making an infusion with 25 grams of green leaves to disinfect wounds, pollen boiling 50 grams in water to produce a sudorific effect, or after having cooked 35 grams of bark in 1l of water for 20 minutes as an astringent .

Did you know all these hazelnut facts?