Maintenance and care of hybrid hazels
- Establishment: Hand or machine plant into firm cultivated ground. Water if needed in the first year only. Cultivate shallowly for 2 years; alternatively, weeds can be controlled by mowing, as hazels are excellent root comptetitors.
- Fertilizer: Follow local guidelines for corn, but add more potash (as much as double). For plants bearing nuts; they need a good nitrogen shot in early-mid September to form good female flower buds. This has NO EFFECT on the cold-hardiness of these hazels!! (It only took us 15 years to convince ourselves of this.) Fertilizer starting in 1st year will greatly speed growth.
- Pruning: None required. If they get too large for your needs, cut them to the ground (coppice them)—they will rapidly grow back and be back in nut production within 2–3 years. Because wild hazels spread from the roots, a very few of these hybrids will, also. Any that do spread are easily controlled by tillage or Roundup©. As with herbicides and any woody plant, avoid drift.
- Harvest: By hand now, by machine soon.
- Seedling size: Transplanting small seedlings gives the best survival, growth, and cost. We sell "tubelings", greenhouse-started young plants that are rapidly growing at the time of transplant. This lets them make almost 2 year's growth in one year, if done right.
Next: Basic Hazel Info 4: Market for hazelnuts
Basic Hazel Info Table of Contents
- About Our Hybrid Hazels: Introduction
- Characteristics of Hybrid Hazels: Plant traits, habitat traits, bearing characteristics
- Maintenance & care
- Market for hazelnuts
- Crop systems: Windbreaks, snow fences, whole-field plantings, and more
