Space your hazelnuts 15 to 18 feet apart. Dig a hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the “J” type root system. Plant 12 above the base of the “J” shaped loop. The space between the plants within the rows depends on your primary purpose for wind protection.
Hazel trees will tolerate spaces as tight as 3 feet between shrubs and will continue to yield good yields of nuts; a 3- to 4-foot space will provide very tight wind protection. However, they will hold up better with more space. Our general recommendation is to space shrubs 5 feet apart. Spaces larger than 6 feet may not be hermetically sealed, but they will produce good yields.
The most common way to plant hazelnuts is to buy seedlings in a nursery. These are young trees, usually one to three feet tall. Plant them 20 feet apart in full sun. If you have space, try planting a small hazelnut orchard, placing trees about 4 m (15 ft) apart so they have enough space.
Create a matrix of different varieties to maximize pollination potential. Check the pollinator compatibility of the trees you want to grow to ensure good compatibility. The varieties must be in bloom at the same time to ensure successful pollination. Hazelnut is a good plant for windbreaks and protective belts, but it should be placed away from trees so that they do not compete with each other.
We recommend a space of at least 8 to 10 feet apart in the row for better growth and a long lifespan. It should be 20 feet apart from any evergreen windbreaker tree. Space each hazel tree 15 to 20 feet apart. An attractive and versatile plant, with just a little effort, the hazel tree provides you with a supply of sweet nuts during the summer months.
Even though they produce male and female flowers, they still require cross-pollination with another hazelnut. Hazelnuts are also susceptible to the roundworm, which acts in a similar way to a walnut weevil and poke a hole in the nut shell. In spring, hazelnut shrubs produce yellowish male clusters and small red female flowers on the same plant. Don't worry, the word “tree” is a technicality; hazelnuts are generally grown as bushy shrubs and can be maintained at a very manageable size by pruning.
He crossed American hazelnuts with larger European filbertas to create a more resilient and prolific producer. Another method of growing hazelnuts is to find a thicket of wild hazelnuts or have a friend who is willing to share. If you're planning to plant a windbreak anyway, this is a risk-free way to know if hazelnuts are right for you. Hazelnut transplants are best planted in early or late winter, when the plants are dormant and the heat won't hit the tree.
Although hazelnuts can withstand dry conditions, they work best if you water them regularly with at least 1 inch of water every 10 days. So if you've been looking for a good source of healthy food to grow in your garden that doesn't take up much space and that you can start enjoying in just a few years, hazelnuts are the perfect option. Like many nut trees, hazelnuts can also be attacked by root rot, powdery mildew, bacterial blight and cankers. Once in the ground, they will excavate and overwinter, reappearing in spring to lay eggs on hazelnuts.
This is one of the few hazelnuts that can be grown without a second tree for pollination, although its yields may be lower than they would otherwise be. If you have access to an established hazel tree, this is one of the easiest methods to propagate and plant your own specimen. Hazelnuts prefer well-drained soil with few nutrients; soil that is too rich produces abundant leaf growth at the expense of flowers and nuts. .
