Common hazel is a shrub whose fruit is a nut, often hazel is called a hazelnut. Hazelnut is called either the fruit of this plant, or garden varieties of hazel. It is an unpretentious crop that can grow on a wide variety of soils. Garden varieties of hazel have larger and more tasty fruits than forest varieties. They are also undemanding to conditions, so they will take root well in any area.
Instructions
Step 1
Amateur gardeners usually use a vegetative method for propagating hazelnuts, that is, by layering or dividing the bush.
1) When propagating hazelnuts by layering in the spring, dig a groove next to the mother bush. Bend the one-year or two-year-old shoot to the ground, cutting the bark from the underside of the shoot for better root formation. Sprinkle the groove with the shoot lowered into it with earth and humus, while leaving the top of the shoot with 3-4 buds. In the fall, in November, transplant the shoot with roots to a permanent place. The first fruits in this case will appear in the sixth year.
2) To propagate hazelnuts by dividing the bush, dig out the bush, divide it into several parts and transplant it to a permanent place. With this method of reproduction, the plant will bear fruit in the third or fourth year.
Step 2
When propagated by seeds, a young plant does not retain all the properties of the mother shrub, therefore this method of propagation is rarely used in horticulture. If you still want to plant a hazelnut nut, you must select large fruits and store in a cool dry place until November. In November, transfer the nuts with river sand and leave until spring in a cool place, periodically moisturizing.
Another way is to plant the seeds immediately after ripening, and before frost, mulch the garden with a layer of 10 cm.
Step 3
If you are buying hazelnut seedlings, it is difficult to tell them apart from wild hazelnut. In this case, give preference to seedlings with a purple color of the leaves, since there are no wild varieties with such a color. To buy exactly cuttings, and not seedlings grown from seed, look at the root: for cuttings it is fibrous, and for a plant grown from seed it is pivotal. In addition, cuttings are always twice as expensive.
Step 4
Hazelnuts love watering, especially during the ripening period, since their roots are close to the surface. The rest of the care for hazelnuts is simple. It is undemanding to soils, but on fertilized soils it gives a higher yield.
Step 5
The plant, two to three years after planting, should begin to form, cutting off weak branches and leaving ten to twelve strong shoots, located as far apart as possible.
