Hazelnuts/Filberts--tree or bush - Ask Extension
I obtained two hazelnut trees (seedlings 1 year) from Territorial Seed this spring: Jefferson & Theta. They are small +/- 12 inches in height. I p...
Knowledgebase
Hazelnuts/Filberts--tree or bush #182839
Asked May 18, 2014, 1:29 PM EDT
I obtained two hazelnut trees (seedlings 1 year) from Territorial Seed this spring: Jefferson & Theta. They are small +/- 12 inches in height. I planted them in 2-3 gallon pots to keep them growing while I conducted more research. After reading a blog post (see below) I began to wonder about growing them as bushes or trees. The extension materials seem designed more for commercial growers. I just wanted 2 trees for my garden to add a permanent plant and variety to my harvest.
QUESTIONS:
1. HOW BIG: How much space is necessary for each tree/bush? NOTE: EC 819 suggests "a single mature hazelnut tree, occupying a space of 20 feet".
2. HOW SMALL: Could the trees be planted in a smaller space, say 6' by 6' for each tree? What are the pros and cons for small space versus large?
3. TREE OR BUSH: Can they be grown as a bush/shrub? If so, how? My reading suggests that there is an option of growing the trees as trees with a variety of pruning options (PNW 400) and the blogger planted hers as a “shrub”. She says “Hazelnuts naturally grow as a shrub with multiple stems. As they age, more suckers come. I assume that I will eventually have to prune some of them out.”
3.1 I’m seeking guidelines for pruning hazelnut trees as bushes. How is this done? How big to they grow? Can they be pruned to limit their height to 6 feet?
3.2 What are the pros and cons for doing this?
Any assistance you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Pat A.
http://homeplaceearth.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/hazelnuts-filberts-in-my-garden/
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Hello Pat:
Hazelnuts do grow naturally as multi-stemmed shrubs. It's actually more work to train them as a single-trunk tree, as you must repeatedly remove cane growth from the base of the tree. Although the commercial crop in Oregon is typically grown as trees, in other growing regions, it's more common to see shrubs. So, if you choose to grow your plant as a shrub, that will likely have the effect of reducing it's height compared to a single stem plant, but increasing it's width, especially at the base. If the mature size of these cultivars is 20' then it will be a challenge to maintain them in a space substantially less than half of this, as they will continue to try to grow much larger. These plants will produce news canes annually from the base, and eventually become a vase-shaped shrub, narrow at the base and wide at the top. Periodic thinning of individual canes, by cutting them at ground level, will be required, after the cane reaches 5-6 years of age. By doing this you prune them in much the same way as Forsythia or Mock Orange. You can keep the plants lower by topping canes as they grow and forcing more horizontal growth. You can keep the plants less wide by removing outward-growing canes and retaining more upright canes, as long as you do not end up with an excessively crowded canopy, in which case, once again, you'll have to thin individual canes. While doing this, keep in mind the growth upon which hazelnut flowers are borne and ensure good complements of that. I include a link to an OsU extension Publication, "Training and Pruning your home orchard".
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/22166/pnw400.pdf.
Hazelnuts do grow naturally as multi-stemmed shrubs. It's actually more work to train them as a single-trunk tree, as you must repeatedly remove cane growth from the base of the tree. Although the commercial crop in Oregon is typically grown as trees, in other growing regions, it's more common to see shrubs. So, if you choose to grow your plant as a shrub, that will likely have the effect of reducing it's height compared to a single stem plant, but increasing it's width, especially at the base. If the mature size of these cultivars is 20' then it will be a challenge to maintain them in a space substantially less than half of this, as they will continue to try to grow much larger. These plants will produce news canes annually from the base, and eventually become a vase-shaped shrub, narrow at the base and wide at the top. Periodic thinning of individual canes, by cutting them at ground level, will be required, after the cane reaches 5-6 years of age. By doing this you prune them in much the same way as Forsythia or Mock Orange. You can keep the plants lower by topping canes as they grow and forcing more horizontal growth. You can keep the plants less wide by removing outward-growing canes and retaining more upright canes, as long as you do not end up with an excessively crowded canopy, in which case, once again, you'll have to thin individual canes. While doing this, keep in mind the growth upon which hazelnut flowers are borne and ensure good complements of that. I include a link to an OsU extension Publication, "Training and Pruning your home orchard".
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/22166/pnw400.pdf.
