Hazelnut Trees - Amazing
Hazelnut trees (Corylus avellana) are small tree. Or maybe they are shrubs that grow very large? I will let others quibble over the distinction. They have alternate large roundish leaves and have leaf margins that are double serrated, which is a fancy way of saying they have toothed margins. The tree is deciduous so it drops its leaves in the fall.
Hazelnut tree can grow for many years like a typical tree. Hazelnut trees are native to Europe, but are now found in many parts of the world outside their historic range. That should tell you something about their desirability.
Now on to the pertinent facts about the tree so that I can coerce you... so that you can decide if you want to add hazelnut trees to your yard or property.
Hazelnut flowers are wind-pollinated they do not need insects for pollination. Each plant has both male and female flowers, but they can not pollinate themselves to at least two plants will be required. Their are a few varieties so when you purchase you hazelnut trees be sure to get compatible plants for pollination. Not a big obstacle so don't worry. Just head to the nursery and pick up a couple of trees or even more. The more the merrier!
The hazelnut plants grow best in moist climate. They can be grown well in zones 4 through 9. So quite a good range. Your local nursery should have varieties that are best suited for your area. If buying online, then find out if you are about to buy a northern variety or a more southern variety!
Hazelnuts can be grown from either seedlings or seed. Seedlings from a nursery will bear nuts earlier than plants grown from seed. It usually takes about 8 or 9 years for a Hazelnut tree to start producing nuts. So purchasing a plant could give you a significant head start on that and you could be getting nuts in a few as three years.
Less than ideal soil is preferred!!! Yep, many people prefer a less rich soil because this causes the plant to put on growth and concentrate less of its resources on producing nuts. This may sound counter intuitive, but let me explain why.
If the plant is youngish and growing in good soil, then the tree knows that it is going to have a long life. Out competing competition is a better strategy as sunlight on the forest floor will be limited. If the plant is presented with harsher growing conditions it will not no when it will meet its demise and nut production to continue the species will be higher up on its priority list. This isn't unusual among plants. This is actually very common in vegetable gardens.
The more sun the plants get the more energy it can spare for nut production. So choose sunny locations for your trees even though the plant can grow in shade. Partial shade is preferred only if you live in a hot and dry area.
Once you hazelnut trees are established they require little care. Pruning to keep them short if that is desired is really all you need to do. Of course fertilization in poor soils and watering during drought can boost productivity.
Another tip that isn't required, but can help is to not let any nuts stay on the ground. Like acorns the nuts can be attacked by weevils and if you see a small hole in a nut, then that nut is no good. If nuts from your tree are left on the ground then the chance of weevils the following year will increase. So burn or crush and feed to your chickens to dispose of all unutilized nuts. Not a deal breaker, just a good practice.
As with any plant it is best to remove leaves or branches that show signs of damage from blight, aphids or any other diseases. Sucker near the base should be removed as well. To ensure long term nut production you might want to cut your tree back every 10 years or so. Believe it or not this keeps the plant healthy and it will live for many more decades doing this and will produce more nuts over time.
If you have say five Hazelnut tree, you can cut one of them back to the ground every 2 to 3 years. This will allow for a good harvest of hazelnuts every year without cutting them all back at the same time.
You can pick the nuts from the tree or you can collect them from the ground underneath the tree in the fall. A common tactic is to shake the tree or its branches to help facilitate collection. Nuts can ripen after harvest. If you pick one before it is ripe if the husk sticks to the top of the nut.
So let the nuts dry for at least two weeks to remove moisture and to ripen if need be. Spread the nuts out to allow them to all ripen. Airflow should not be inhibited. When husking after the drying period and you find an unripe hazelnut, just eat this one first and store the others.
Once properly dried and husked the nuts can last for 3 years without freezing or refrigeration. In humid environments that time will be cut to a year.
Once you have harvested a bunch of hazelnuts you will want to spread them out to dry for a couple of weeks or even longer. Obviously in a dry space and warmth helps with the process.
Hazelnuts can be eaten raw or cooked. They are a good source of iron and magnesium as well as vitamin B and E which are vitamins we could all use more of.
OK, so maybe I did a better job of scaring you away from planting hazelnut trees than I had hoped. I realize this article can make it sound like there are just too many things to do to grow this tree. Sorry. Most of the work is optional. The non-option things are easy to overcome, like buying the right variety for your area or needing more than one tree. The hazelnut tree is really easy to grow, can be maintenance free if you like and provides nuts at an early age.
