Growth of Hazelnut Trees
- The hazelnut falls into a strange category of plants that can actually be grown as either a tree or a shrub. They grow as high as 20 feet, but sometimes stay lower and become very bushy. Jerry Goodspeed of Utah State University Extension recommends growing hazelnuts as trees rather than shrubs. Careful pruning keeps the hazelnut constrained to a single primary trunk and helps it grow into a tree instead of into a shrubby growth.
- It takes a few seasons for hazelnut tress to become established. In the first few years after you plant a hazelnut tree, it will grow between 18 and 30 inches. During this period, you shouldn't fertilize the tree with additional nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, and you want to firmly establish the trunk of the tree before stimulating that type of growth. This helps prevent the shrub-like growing pattern.
- For a hazelnut to reach a size and strength where it begins to produce significant quantities of nuts takes about six years. Although some nuts will certainly appear on the tree before that sixth year, it takes roughly that long for trees to reach maturity where they are considered to be producing fully.
- Harvests of most hazelnuts take place late in the year. In Oregon, for example, the hazelnut crop is typically ready to harvest in September and October. Mature trees should produce a solid crop every year unless you have significant problems with disease or insect attacks. Hazelnuts require cross-pollination, but because of the timing in the development of male and female flowers, a single variety does not pollinate itself correctly. As a result, several varieties of hazelnut that work well together need to be planted to ensure steady pollination of the flowers.
