Early spring protection of the garden from pests and diseases. Hazel (hazelnut, hazel)

Hazelnut - a nut plant, is a cultivated form of wild common hazel, which, according to archaeological research, was the main dish of our distant ancestors (after the last glaciation, even before the emergence of primitive communities). In the plant system, hazelnuts are distinguished by a separate genus "hazel" in the birch family (Betulaceae). type species genus is Common hazel (Corylus avellana L.). [content h2 h3]

Distribution area

In a number of historical documents, the Black Sea coast is considered the birthplace of hazelnuts, as evidenced by the name of one of the types of hazelnuts Corilys Pontica - translated into Russian from Turkish-Greek combination of two definitions means “Black Sea walnut” or “Pontic hazel”. Indeed, the culture of hazelnuts in the Caucasus along the Black Sea coast has been known since the 3rd-4th centuries BC, where it was grown by the Circassians. In the present plant system, it is considered a synonym for common hazel. Officially, Greece is considered the birthplace of hazelnuts, from where the culture was distributed in Asia Minor, and later throughout Europe, Asia and other continents.

Description

The hazelnut genus unites about 20 species of perennial plants. Under natural conditions, shrubs do not exceed 4-5 m, in the form of trees they grow up to 10-12 m. optimal conditions up to 100 years, of which approximately 70-85 years fall on the fruiting period. Bushes are spreading. According to their decorative features, they are classified as decorative and deciduous and are widely used in landscape gardening.

The root system is pinnate-rod. In the first years, the main axis of the system grows intensively, and by the age of 4-5, its growth stops and the development of horizontal roots begins. They are arranged like a fan around the main axis, covered with overgrown roots and serve as a good soil-protective barrier against erosion by water flows of heavy rains and other natural disasters. From the vegetative buds of the roots, offspring develop, which are used to propagate the culture.

Botanical illustration of common hazel or hazelnut

The aerial part is represented by numerous perennial shoots covered with brownish or ash-colored bark. gray color darkening over time with whitish lenticels. Young shoots are gray, pubescent. With age, the pubescence disappears.

The leaves are of elegant pure green color, slightly pressed, arranged on the stems in a two-row-alternate way, which creates a beautiful leaf mosaic and at the same time allows you to make the most of the sunlight necessary for the formation of the crop. In the shade, hazelnuts do not bloom and do not form fruits. The leaves are simple with a rounded leaf blade, which ends in a short tip. Leaf margins are serrated and doubly serrated on short petioles.

Hazel, female and male flowers

Hazelnut plants are monoecious. Male and female flowers are located on the same plant, but in different inflorescences. Male flowers are inconspicuous greenish-brown, collected in dangling catkins. The male inflorescence begins its development in early summer and fully matures by autumn and goes into wintering in the form of shortish earrings. The flower itself in the earring consists of 4 stamens, covered with 3 scales, to which they are attached with a short stamen filament. Earrings are blooming in early spring before the leaves appear. Earrings are arranged 1-2, but can be collected in brushes of 5-8 pieces. With the onset of warm weather (March, April) within +12 .. +15 ° С, the catkins begin to dust, scattering pollen around and inside the bush.

hazelnut, hazelnut

The female flowers appear in spring. Usually located in the axils of the covering scales on last year's growth (more often at its ends). Individual flowers are collected in a capitate inflorescence. During flowering, the ovary grows strongly, the stigma of the pistil turns red and protrudes from under the covering scales. It turns out a pot-bellied kidney with a hairy stigma. The more stigmas, the more nuts will be in the seed. With successful pollination (there is wind, positive temperature, no rains and damp weather), 3-5-6 fruits are formed in the seed.

Female hazel flowers

The fruit of the hazelnut is a nut, located in the middle of two fused green bracts, which are called the plush. In one seed fruit, from 3 to 5-6 pluses with nuts develop. The nut is round-elongated with a pointed beak, covered with a dense light brown shell.

The fruits ripen at the end of September - the first half of October. Harvest only when fully ripe. The seed is one, covered with a thin creamy peel, of exquisite taste, with a delicate nutty aroma. Nuts are highly transportable, stored under normal conditions for 1 year, and in the refrigerator for 3-4 years, without losing their taste and biological qualities.

Male inflorescence of hazel

Varieties for summer cottages

Breeders have bred many varieties of hazelnuts that differ in their quality and vitality for cultivation in industrial quantities - Krasny, Moscow Rubin, Sakharisty, Pushkinsky, Academician Yablokov and others. For growing at home in small summer cottages and suburban areas amateur gardeners, you can offer varieties of Vera, Nina, Nelly, Miracle of All Saints, Memory of Khomyakov.

Photogallery of species

cultivation

Hazelnut seedlings are so unpretentious that when separated from the mother plant, they can be immediately planted on permanent place. Moreover, both spring (April-May) and autumn plantings(October 1-10). The condition for 100% survival is sufficiently warmed up (in spring) or not cooled down (in autumn) soil. Hazelnut belongs to cross-pollinated plants, so it is better to plant 2-3 bushes on the site different varieties at a distance of at least 3.0-3.5 m.

Hazelnut seedlings with a well-developed root system

Landing

Hazelnuts are unpretentious to soils. Infertile, heavy soils are usually improved by adding organics, baking powder and mineral fertilizers. Cooking landing pit 10-15 days before planting seedlings. The dimensions of the pit should be at least 50x50x50 cm. The top layer of soil is mixed with sand, humus for loosening and mineral fertilizers are added, preferably nitroammofoska, in the amount of 150-200 g per planting pit. At the bottom of the pit, 1/3 of the soil mixture is covered with a mound, a support for the seedling is driven in in the center.

Before planting, the seedling is inspected, excess crooked branches are cut off, the root is slightly shortened, dipped in a clay-humus mash with root for better development and transferred to a pit. The roots of the seedling are straightened along the mound and covered with the next portion of the soil mixture. Pour out 0.5 buckets warm water. After moisture has been absorbed, the remaining soil is added so that after compaction, the root zone adjacent to the root collar is 2-4 cm in the soil, and the root collar itself is not covered with earth. This is necessary for better growth of the root system and branching of the above-ground mass.

Hazelnut (hazel). infertility

After planting, cut off the above-ground shoots 25-30 cm above the soil level. A roller is formed around the seedling from the soil and 1-3 buckets of water are poured. After absorbing it trunk circle mulch without affecting the stem of the bush. A damp area under the mulch can cause undercooking of the bark and fungal diseases of the upper hazelnut roots. After 3-5 days, watering is repeated and mulched again. This is necessary for a better connection of a fresh soil clod with the rest of the earth.

Walnut hazelnut - sprouting

Care

In addition to pruning, hazelnut care consists in removing weeds and keeping the soil loose. Watering is necessary to keep the soil moist. Drying out of the soil causes small fruits and shedding of fruits and leaves. Top dressing can be carried out in a year at a time with an organo-mineral mixture or alternating the introduction of organic matter and mineral fertilizers in early spring.

Growing hazelnuts in the garden

Shaping and trimming

When grown in the country, the aerial part of hazelnut plants can be formed in the form of a tree or shrub.

in the form of a tree

When forming in the form of a tree, two seedlings are planted together. At the age of 2-3 years, one (weaker) is removed, on the second, everything is cut into a ring side shoots at the level of 30-40 cm from the soil. This is the stem of the future tree. All wounds must be decontaminated. On the central stem, 5-7 side branches of the first order are left in the form of an umbrella (bowl) or two tiers of 3 bowl-shaped skeletal shoots. Between tiers the distance is 15-20 cm.

When forming the bowl, the skeletal branches are 3-5 cm apart from each other (almost at the same level). Branches of the 2nd order are formed from the side shoots of the first order. At the beginning of 4-5 years, the central conductors (skeleton-forming branches) are shortened by ½, where the last kidney should be turned outward. The height of the tree is arbitrary, the most convenient for the owner (2.0-3.0 m). Stop growth in height by pruning the previous growth. Lateral branches are also cut to the height of the central shoot.

Hazelnut in the shape of a tree

Male and female flowers are located on the growth of the previous year. Therefore, on the formed tree, only lateral old and thickening shoots and branches are removed. The crown must be maintained in a sparse state, for which a thinning pruning is systematically carried out and at the same time all unnecessary root shoots are removed.

in the form of a bush

It is much easier and faster to form a bush form of hazelnuts. Formation is reduced to maintaining the main 6-8-12 shoots in the bush, increasing their number annually by 1-2 shoots. Starting from 8 summer age, annually, 1-2 old, beginning to dry out shoots are cut out in the bush, replacing them with an equal amount of young root shoots. Sections of old branches are carried out practically at the level of the soil in early spring, and in the fall all unnecessary ones are removed. For 20-25 years, a cycle of complete rejuvenation of the bush takes place.

Annual formative pruning of hazelnuts in the form of a bush (lightening)

You can carry out radical rejuvenation. Why, without touching the root system, cut out the entire above-ground part and, with the beginning of spring, begin the formation of the above-ground part from the growing growth. When carrying out annual pruning, it must be taken into account that the female flowers in the vast majority are located at the ends of overgrown branches that appear annually on skeletal trunks and shoots. That's why annual pruning carried out only for sanitary purposes:

only crooked, shading, dried out branches are removed from the overgrowing ones,
of the more developed, only branches that strongly thicken the crown,
root shoots in order to thin out the base of a bush or tree trunk.

reproduction

Hazelnuts are propagated by sowing seeds (nuts) and vegetatively by root offspring (the crop forms in 3-4 years) and layering (the first crop is formed in the 6th year). New varieties can be propagated by split grafting. Budding and copulation do not take root.

Hazel. Ripe hazelnut fruit

What is useful hazelnut

It is not for nothing that hazelnuts are considered the first product that helped our ancestors survive after the last glaciation. According to the results of chemical analyzes, the composition of hazel fruits contains half of the table D.I. Mendeleev, including such elements necessary for a person as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, sodium, cobalt and others. Moreover, the content of potassium, phosphorus and calcium are respectively 653.3 mg, 354.0 and 160.0 mg/100 g of the product.

Hazelnuts contain vitamins of groups "B", "E", "C", "A", more than 62 g / 100 g of fat, about 18 g and 20 g, respectively, of carbohydrates and proteins, all 20 amino acids. The combination of natural components has not only energy, but also healing value. When used as food, nuts do not cause weight gain due to the accumulation of fats. Hazelnut is used for varicose veins, phlebitis, trophic ulcers, anemia and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Nuts contain the chemical compound paclitaxel, which is the basis of the anti-cancer drug TAXOL.

Most people love nuts and include them in their diet, which, due to the high content of all kinds of nutrients, trace elements and vitamins, is no wonder. The most popular, along with other types of nuts, are hazelnut and hazel, the difference between them is insignificant and sometimes indeterminate by people. These nuts are not only tasty and nutritious, but also extremely beneficial for the human body. In this regard, it is especially pleasant and noteworthy that their population on the territory of our state is quite large. Moreover, they can be grown independently on your own plot. However, first of all, you need to understand: hazelnuts and hazelnuts are something that undoubtedly deserves your attention, so the question "What is the difference between hazelnuts and hazelnuts?" quite relevant today.

Hazel (hazelnut): hazel description

Hazelnut is a wild plant and already based on its second name (“hazelnut”), it becomes clear that hazel is a shrub with nuts that grows in deep forests.

Did you know? The hazel got its name due to the peculiar shape of the leaf of the shrub, similar to the fish of the bream.

Common hazel has the following description:

This hazelnut is multi-stemmed perennial shrub, reaching up to 7 meters in height and up to 4 meters in crown diameter. The shoots of the shrub, most often, are omitted, and the leaves are up to 12 centimeters in length. Flowering is the appearance of earrings and it begins long before the appearance of leaves.
Hazel, the fruit of which has a light brown color and correct form ball with a diameter of up to 1.5-2 centimeters, can bear fruit with single nuts and clustered fruits up to 5 pieces. Nuts are hidden in a kind of wrapper, consisting of two large leaves of a shrub. Hazel ripening occurs in early autumn and is accompanied by fruit fall.

Important! The shrub belongs to perennials and bear fruit for many years. However, during the period when hazel blossoms, in some years there is a decrease in the number of nuts. It is noteworthy that the variability of yield is a feature of the shrub, and does not at all indicate its soreness.

Thanks to the many years of work of specialists and experienced gardeners, it became possible to independently grow hazel on garden plots, however, this procedure is a rather laborious process, which often does not give the proper, expected result. The fruitfulness of a shrub depends on several factors, among which the most important is where exactly the hazel grows. When planting, it must be taken into account that this nut requires sufficient natural light and free space around the seedling (no other plants should be planted within a radius of 2 meters from the planting site of the bush).

Did you know?Thanks to the great content useful substances, hazelnut, in one form or another, (yards, shoots, roots, shells, and so on) is used in traditional and folk medicine, as well as cosmetology and cooking. For many years, the effectiveness of the use of hazel has remained undeniable, which is why the popularity of the plant not only does not fall, but also grows every year.

Description of hazelnut

Hazelnut is a fruitful hazel shrub belonging to the genus Hazel. At its core, the hazelnut is a cultivated analogue of the hazelnut. Thanks to human intervention, in the process of cultivation, hazelnuts became more hardened and adapted to the conditions of its cultivation in our region. So, the yield of a hazelnut bush is higher than that of a wild hazelnut, and the fruits are larger and more nutritious. It is noteworthy that the flowering of hazelnuts is identical to the flowering of hazel, that is, it is characterized by the appearance of catkins in late spring or early summer (depending on the variety of the walnut bush). In view of this, the question of how hazelnuts bloom often simply does not arise among lovers and connoisseurs of hazel.

Important! Thanks to the cultivation of hazelnuts, the shrub has become more resistant to a number of factors and diseases, which is why fertilizers and chemicals are rarely used in the process of growing hazelnuts.

It is also important to note where and how hazelnuts grow. As noted, hazelnut is a more resistant, strong shrub adapted for self-growing. Due to this, the specified hazel can be planted in almost any soil. A powerful root system provides the bush with good nutrition, so planting can be done without the addition of fertilizers, and the frequency of watering is reduced to 3-4 times a year.

Important! Harvesting hazelnuts should be done only after the nut is fully ripe, that is, after it has shed. Unripe fruits lose their taste and beneficial features.

Hazel and hazelnuts: what's the difference?

Despite the long-term popularity of hazel and hazelnuts, quite often people are unanimous in their opinion that these plants do not have any differences, but the difference, although not significant, is still there. And so, hazel and hazelnuts, what's the difference? First of all, it should be noted that hazel and hazelnuts are hazel. But what is a hazel and what does a hazel look like? Hazel is a fruit-bearing shrub whose fruits are edible nuts.

Typically, the height of the plant can reach 5 meters. The most popular and well-known hazelnuts are hazelnuts and hazelnuts, the difference between which is revealed below. It is worth paying attention to the fact that hazel and hazelnuts are varieties of the same fruitful shrub. Their main difference, which determines the difference in nuts, are the places where hazelnuts grow and where hazel grows. As mentioned earlier, hazelnuts are a kind of hazelnut, that is, hazel, however, it is a cultivated, and not a wild shrub. At its core, the hazelnut is an artificially bred hybrid of the hazelnut shrub.

Important! In the process of breeding hazelnuts, several varieties of hazelnuts were crossed, due to which hazelnuts are larger in size, and also contain a greater amount of useful microelements and substances, proteins and fat.

In addition to the differences between the nuts of these shrubs, experienced gardener will certainly be able to note the differences in the structure of the shrub itself, which also determine the resistance of the plant. So, hazelnuts have a stronger and more massive root system, which guarantees a full supply of all the necessary components contained in the soil. It should also be noted that in the process of cultivation, hazelnuts became more resistant to a number of diseases, as a result of which its fruitfulness increases under any growing conditions.

In our country, hazel fruits have been eaten since ancient times. They went to the forest for nuts, collected, harvested and transplanted walnut trees and bushes closer to the house. Domesticated hazel began to be called. The first mentions of hazelnut (hazel) are found in the records of the ancient Romans and Greeks. It is believed that they were the first to cultivate this wonderful plant. Scientists believe that hazel was the main plant, the fruits of which ten thousand years ago, at the end of the ice age, saved our ancestors from starvation.

The optimal scheme for planting seedlings is 6 x 6 m or 5 x 5 m, with a shortage of space, you can plant 2 x 5 m, 3 x 5 m. It is important to remember that the more space a tree has, the better it grows and bears fruit.

Half a month before planting, prepare a hole half a meter deep and half a meter in diameter, fill it with a mixture:

The soil ( upper layer)
Humus - 2-3 buckets or manure - 5-8 kg
Superphosphate - 150 grams
Potassium salt - 50 grams
Mycorrhiza - 2-3 handfuls to a depth of 15cm.

In the center of the pit, install a peg, near which you place. Before planting, hazelnut roots must be straightened and lowered into a solution-talker (a mixture of earth and water). Deepen the level of the root neck by 3 cm, but the neck itself cannot be covered with earth. Trim the seedling after the fifth or sixth bud, leaving about 25 centimeters in height.

Regardless of weather conditions, seedlings must be watered at the rate of 4 buckets of water under each tree and the soil should be mulched with any suitable material(, needles, humus, etc.). Repeat watering after a week.

In the summer it is recommended to carry out top dressing with ashes. Nitrogen fertilizers reduce the yield of hazelnuts, although they make the bush lush and beautiful, so it is better not to use them when feeding a nut.

To get good, it is important to do the formation of the bush correctly. In the first three years, the root system develops better, after this time, an increased growth of shoots begins, from which trunks are formed. From the second or third year, you need to carry out the bush procedure. Choose 5-8 of the strongest shoots from which the crown of the bush will be formed, cut the rest to the root. At hazelnuts, only young shoots are left, barren ones are removed.

Branches should be cut at the base of the bush.

At the 11th year of nut growth, before the leaves begin to bloom, rejuvenate the tree: cut off three old trunks and shorten the young ones. In one place, hazelnuts can grow for more than a hundred years. It is not necessary to cover hazelnuts for the winter, it is quite frost-resistant.

Tree diseases and pests

Hazelnuts are resistant to and, nevertheless, branches can be processed for prevention iron vitriol. This should be done in late October and early spring.

Tree pest and disease control:

For hazelnuts, the May beetle is a great danger, the larvae of which love to feast on the roots of the tree. If larvae of the May beetle are found in an amount of more than two per 1 square meter, the pest must be destroyed before planting.
Nut weevil is capable of destroying up to 50% of the crop. In the spring, before the appearance of beetles, add granulated 10% Bazudin to the soil at the rate of 2.5 grams per 1 sq. meter. After the appearance of beetles, trees are sprayed with Karbofos 0.06 grams per 1 square meter. Gather and destroy prematurely fallen nuts. In the morning, shake off the beetles on canvases spread on the ground.
The hazelnut barbel loves to lay its eggs under the bark of young shoots, the beetle larvae gnaw out the core of the shoots, as a result of which they dry out. All dried branches should be 15 cm below the dried place and then burned. In mid-May, spray the plants with 1% Karbofos.

To prevent infection of hazelnuts with diseases and pests, it is necessary to remove and burn fallen leaves in the fall, and then dig up the ground under the bushes of the plant.

It is destroyed in this way, it tolerates winter well on fallen leaves, and weevil larvae. In the summer, collect and destroy affected fruits regularly. proper care hazelnuts are practically not susceptible to diseases and pests.

More information can be found in the video.

Most often, hazel belongs to the genus of shrubs, but there are representatives that grow to the size of a tall tree. In the wild, the plant forms a dense undergrowth and is known as the common hazel (corylus avellana). The description of the shape of the leaves, similar to bream, formed the basis of the name of this plant.

Where does the hazel grow and what does it look like

Despite the fact that Asia Minor is considered the birthplace of hazel, it is common in America, Canada, the Caucasus and central Europe. In its wild form, this shrub is called hazelnut and grows in the Perm Territory and the Southern Urals.

Hazel belongs to the hazel family. The leaf blades are large and jagged along the edge, which turn red in autumn. The brown bark of the shrub has transverse stripes, and a powerful rhizome penetrates the soil to a great depth.

Hazel blossoms in early spring, before the leaves begin to unfold. Then long earrings are formed (from 5 to 7 cm). At the end of the summer period, the fruit ripens - an oval nut, which is located in a green plush.

Medicinal properties of the bark and leaves of hazel

Since ancient times, the plant has been used in folk and traditional treatment. All hazel parts contain a set of vitamins, micro and macro elements, easily digestible proteins and fats, necessary for the human body during the recovery period or as a prophylactic.

The composition of the leaves includes the following components:

glycoside myricitroside;
essential oils;
acids;
bioflavonoids;
sucrose.

How nut blossoms (video)

A drink made from the leaves helps maintain immunity, has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and vasodilating properties. They can be brewed in medicinal preparations or together with regular tea.

The use of infusions from the bark and leaves has a positive effect in the fight against varicose veins, urolithiasis and inflammation of the prostate gland.

Composition and benefits of forest hazel fruits

In addition to high nutritional and energy value, the fruits of hazel are rich in minerals and vitamins, as well as fats that form its bulk, proteins and amino acids that protect the circulatory system.

The fruits of the hazel, beloved by all, are especially useful for the growing children's body, but they will not interfere with the maintenance of strength and health for the elderly. In addition, the use of hazelnuts helps to cleanse the body, freeing it from toxins.

Nuts are widely used in cooking for many types of cooking and baking. But despite the enormous benefits of the plant, in order to avoid allergic reactions, it is necessary to observe moderation in its use.

The use of common hazel in folk medicine

The content of useful components in the plant allows it to be used in home therapy, including grass and fruits. A decoction of the bark is used in the pathology of the circulatory system. An infusion is prepared from the leaves, and the seeds are ground with water or egg white. Since the seeds have a wonderful taste characteristic, they can be eaten both raw and lightly fried.

To prepare a decoction, it is necessary to grind dry leaves and bark, pour 300 ml of boiling water and put in a water bath. After a third of an hour, remove the solution and strain. A decoction can be prepared only from the bark without adding leaves. Take 100 ml twice a day for diseases of the liver, kidneys, hypertension and diarrhea.

The infusion is prepared as follows: pour 2 tbsp. spoons of 500 ml of boiling water in a well-closed container. Strain the composition the next day. The bark can be replaced with leaves. For this, 3 tbsp. spoons of fresh raw materials should be poured with a glass of vodka, insist 15 days in a warm place and strain. The infusion is useful for intestinal diseases, anemia, beriberi and pathologies of the circulatory system. It is necessary to drink 50 ml before meals.

To prepare a decoction of plush, you should brew 20 gr. dry raw materials with water (200 ml), boil for 15 minutes and filter after 2 hours. Use for diarrhea.

To combat fever, urolithiasis and colitis, it is necessary to mix crushed walnut kernels with water in equal proportions. Take 50 ml three times a day.

Features of growing hazel (video)

Collection, preparation and storage of medicinal raw materials

In home therapy, all above-ground parts of the shrub are used. Young leaves are recommended to be collected in May and dried on open space well protected from direct sunlight (under a canopy, in the attic).

Hazel bark should be harvested in spring or autumn, and dry in the same way as the leaves. After the fruits ripen (September - October), they are harvested and placed in a special dryer, where they can dry at a temperature of 60 - 70 degrees. The shelf life of leaves and fruits is 1 year, and bark - 2 years.

Growing hazel at their summer cottage

Hazel grows not only in the wild, but also in summer cottages. In addition, it does not cause much trouble when growing. No wonder the Italians compare it with a plant for the lazy. Depending on the variety, hazel can reach up to 2 - 5 m in height. With the help of pruning, the owner, at will, forms the shape of a bush.

Choosing a place in the garden and planting features

The shrub prefers space and good lighting, therefore, it is recommended to choose an appropriate place for its landing. The composition of the soil can be anything, but not very saline. Also, the plant does not like sandy or waterlogged soil. It is advisable to plant a shrub in neutral or loose and slightly acidic soil.

In order to avoid the death of the plant, experts advise to adhere to several rules when breeding it:

Most best time for planting: autumn and early spring.
It is important to leave a gap between seedlings of at least 5 m, since shrubs do not require further transplantation for 50-60 years.
When planting bushes in rows, the distance between each row should be at least 5 - 6 m.
In order for a hazel to bear fruit, it is required to plant at least three seedlings, since they alone do not form fruits.

Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to prepare recesses measuring 70x70 cm, and do this in advance, no later than 1.5 months before planting. Then apply fertilizer: a mixture of superphosphate and humus.

The root system of seedlings should be treated with manure-clay talker and place each bush in a hole prepared for it so that the root collar does not rise more than 3 cm above the ground. Then pour water over each bush (1 bucket each) and mulch with dry sawdust , peat or grass. The finished seedling needs to be cut at a distance of 20 cm from the ground and tied to a support peg.

General rules for caring for hazel in the garden

For a good harvest bush calls easy care which includes:

Watering. It is especially important to monitor the condition of the soil during the dry season, otherwise the plant may die. The amount of water depends on the age of the hazel, but it should be borne in mind that it does not tolerate waterlogging. During active growth fruits, you can increase the amount of watering.
Top dressing. In the case of growing seedlings in soil rich in microelements, a small amount of nitrogen fertilizers should be used. It is recommended to use organic matter, for example, slurry. Before the growing season, it is necessary to feed the tree with phosphorus and potassium, and during the growth period of the ovaries with urea. It will come in handy in autumn wood ash.
Mulching. To prevent the soil from drying out quickly, it is necessary to update the mulch.
Loosening. When removing weeds, the topsoil should be loosened, being careful not to damage the root system of young seedlings.
Shelter for the winter. Hazel protection can be done in two ways: cover with spunbond or bend to the ground and cover with spruce branches. Mature plants can be left uncovered.

Useful properties of hazel (video)

In order to promote a bountiful harvest and protect the crop from diseases, it is necessary to carry out timely pruning of the plant.

After the plush turns brown, the harvest begins. Usually this period falls on the beginning of autumn. Ripe fruits fall off on their own. They must be collected and dried thoroughly for 2 to 3 weeks. Poor-quality drying threatens that the nuts will become moldy. The finished product can be stored for 2 years without losing its taste and useful properties.

Hazelnut, hazel or hazel is a plant familiar to many, found in the wild, used in landscaping, as well as thanks to tasty and healthy nuts has long gained popularity as a garden culture.

Representatives of the genus, which unites about two dozen species of deciduous shrubs and trees, can be seen in different parts North America, Asia and Europe. Despite the difference in size and range, all varieties have much in common. First of all, this concerns the appearance of hazel leaves, the structure of its flowers, fruits, the characteristics of its flowering and reproduction.

Description of the hazel plant

The genus Corylus is dominated by large shrubs formed by numerous shoots and reaching a height of 3–10 meters. An exception is the tree-like hazel, which is not prone to the appearance of root shoots and eventually turns into a powerful, long-lived tree up to 20 meters high.

Hazel of any kind is easy to recognize by broadly oval or almost rounded leaves with a serrated edge and clearly visible venation. They are held on short dense petioles and densely cover long, twig-like branches.

Hazel flowers are divided into male and female. The appearance of earrings with male flowers considered the beginning of the general spring flowering. Fertilization of female flowers occurs due to the dispersion of pollen and the first insects. In inflorescences, from 1 to 5 ovaries are formed. The hazel fruit that ripens inside a hard woody shell is called a nut.

A characteristic feature of the culture is the presence of a kind of wrapper around the ovary. Resembling a helmet, or in Greek korys, the cupule is formed from a modified bract. As the fruit ripens, it dries up and shows a silvery-brown or brownish nut shell.

Hazel cultivation

The magnificent taste of hazelnuts or hazelnuts, high nutritional value and benefits were appreciated by our ancestors several thousand years ago. For many centuries, the inhabitants of Europe collected the fruits of hazel, which grew in abundance in broad-leaved forests. The first cultural plantings, as evidenced by written sources, could be located on the territory of the modern Balkans, the Mediterranean south of Europe, or on the Black Sea coast. So, in the Caucasus, nuts were grown 6 thousand years ago, and their often used name "hazelnuts" is of Turkish origin.

Varieties of southern origin are distinguished by large-fruited and excellent quality nuts.

But in the northern regions, where winters are more severe than in Turkey, Italy or Azerbaijan, plants risk dying or yielding a meager harvest. Therefore, hazel breeding is an important task for domestic specialists, the first of whom was I.V. Michurin.

Common hazel (C. avellana)

The species, named after the Italian region of Avellano, the oldest center of cultivation in Europe, is one of the most common. The natural range of the common hazel or true hazelnut covers the west of the European continent, as well as a significant part of Russia from the Leningrad region in the north to the Crimea and the Caucasus in the south.

The common hazel shrub has adapted well to life in forest ash, forest-steppe and even in steppe regions.

Mature plants can reach a height of about 5 meters and in favorable conditions, grow well, forming dense, difficult to pass thickets. The common hazel shown in the photo feels especially comfortable under the canopy of a deciduous forest. Here are the plants:

protected from frost;
get enough nutrition and moisture;
but due to poor distribution of pollen, they do not bear fruit in full force or do not form ovaries at all.

The species is actively used by humans. Due to its durability, unpretentiousness and winter hardiness, hazel is used in breeding. Today, more than 20 varieties of high-yielding hazel, producing hazelnuts of excellent quality, and several interesting decorative forms that will rightfully decorate both the garden and the urban landscape have become widespread in Russia.

Decorative forms of hazel

Obtaining nuts is not the only purpose of hazel. Widely used decorative forms plants that differ from the wild-growing ancestor in the color of the leaves, the shape of the crown and individual shoots.

The red-leaved hazel is the most popular. The shrub differs little from an ordinary plant, but its foliage has a pronounced reddish tint. At the same time, on young leaf plates, the redness is much brighter than at the base of the shoots, and more and more green tones appear in the shade in the color. A feature of the C. avellana Atropurpurea hazel is the anthocyanin coloration not only of the leaves, but also of the plush around the ovaries.

Many Russian varieties of hazelnuts are also distinguished by reddish foliage, which gives additional expressiveness to plantings.

In addition to purpurea hazel, other varieties can be seen in Russian gardens. Variegated forms can serve as an example:

Albovariegata, characterized by leaves with a clearly visible light green or almost white stripe along the edge;
Aurea, in the color of the foliage and the entire crown of which yellow and golden-green tones predominate;
Aureomarginata, in which the golden color affects only the edge of the leaf plate and forms a kind of border.

At the disposal of landscape designers and everyone who is not indifferent to unusual plants, there are forms of hazel with dissected, serrated, pinnate and even screwed foliage.

Of undoubted interest is hazel:

weeping or C. pendula growing in shape standard tree with drooping branches;
crooked or C. contorta, all shoots of which are fancifully twisted, and the speed of the rota is several times lower than that of ordinary plants.

Large hazel (C. maxima)

The species from which the cultivation of hazelnuts began is called large hazel. Since ancient times, the plant, as a source of nutritious and very tasty nuts, has been cultivated in the Balkans, Italy, Turkey, the Caucasus and the Crimea. By the name of the Italian region of Lombardy, the species began to be called the Lombard nut, and the peoples of the Black Sea region knew it as Pontic.

Like other species, this crop is demanding on the soil. Where the hazel grows:

the soil is saturated with nutrients in advance;
take care of regular watering and aeration;
regularly use top dressing, especially important for obtaining a stable and full-weight crop.

The culture that produces the highest quality hazelnuts or hazelnuts is easily distinguished by large, multi-stemmed bushes reaching a height of 10 meters.

Double-toothed, oval or almost round leaves plants are noticeably pubescent below. The venation is clearly visible on the leaf plates, and the young foliage often has a rich anthocyanin color. Reddish are also long, serrated cupules that completely hide the nut.

Tree hazel (C. colurna)

Hazel, which has the appearance of not a bush familiar to many, but a tall tree, is called tree-like. The species, characteristic of Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, as well as the Balkan Peninsula, along with the Pontic walnut, belongs to the most ancient cultures that interested a person with their fruits.

Tree hazel has long been grown in Turkey, but today it has given way to more productive and simple bush counterparts in agricultural technology.

Trees surviving to the age of two hundred are increasingly finding a place in landscaping. Plants, which are popularly called bear nuts, can be recognized thanks to:

slender trunks covered with grayish bark;
a crown that looks like a wide candle or cone;
dark serrated foliage;
fruits collected in 3–8 pieces, hidden in a velvety, strongly dissected plush.

Hazel nuts of this species are not just edible, but very tasty. They ripen at the end of summer or in the first half of September. In Russia, tree-like hazel is able to bear fruit only in the southernmost regions, in middle lane culture is used as an ornamental.

Variegated hazel (C. heterophylla)

The Asian variety is common where the range of the common hazel ends. Variegated hazel, named because of the characteristic shape of the leaf plates, can be found on the territory of the Far East, the Chita region, in China, Mongolia, as well as on the Korean Peninsula and even on the Japanese islands.

Like its congregation, this species prefers dry slopes, on which it readily grows, broad-leaved mixed forests and oak forests. Bush:

differs by a wide-rounded crown, consisting of several trunks with a diameter of up to 10 cm;
reaches a height of 3 meters;
under favorable conditions, it forms dense thickets that prevent the growth of other species characteristic of the undergrowth.

A distinctive feature of the multi-leaved hazel is leaf plates with a small pointed tip and a seemingly cut off upper part.

Also, the species is characterized by early flowering and fruiting. The ovaries are surrounded by a two-part, pubescent plush, shaped like a bell. Ripe hazelnuts reach a diameter of 15 mm. The core is hidden under a strong grayish shell.

The plant is incredibly hardy, tolerates drought better than other species and is not afraid of frost. This makes it possible to grow hazel in Siberia, use it to strengthen the slopes of ravines, and plant it where there is a danger of wind erosion.

The main thing is that the place where the shrub is to grow is protected from flooding and stagnant melt or rainwater.

In the conditions of a personal plot, hazel proved its unpretentiousness and complaisant disposition. It is photophilous, but it can also grow in partial shade, the thickened crown is easy to put in order with the help of a pruner, and with proper care, the bushes live and bear fruit for several decades.

Manchurian hazel (C. sieboldiana var. mandshurica)

in Russian Far East, Manchurian hazel grows in Korea and northern China. This variety is different from the plants described above. unusual shape plushies. Forming a long dense tube that hides the nut, it grows up to 6 cm.

The shoots, forming a shrub up to 4 meters high, are covered with a brownish-gray bark, smooth on young branches and covered with cracks on perennial wood. The species is characterized by large soft foliage. The ovary, formed after the May flowering, is collected together in 3-4 pieces. Nuts ripening in the first half of autumn have an oblong pointed shape. The kernels are covered with a thin shell and are edible, but obtaining nuts is difficult due to the bristly cupule.

The plant is not afraid of frost. Therefore, with the right place for planting hazel in Siberia and care, the culture can be used as a nut-bearing and decorative one.

How to grow hazel

Hazelnut is an undemanding culture that even beginner gardeners can take care of. Preparation for planting and caring for common hazel begins with choosing a suitable location.

Hazel loves the light, but can grow in the shade. But if the foliage of the seedling is red, it will look brighter in the sun. In the shade, such plants gradually lose their attractiveness and turn green. Foliage with white or yellow coloration, under direct sunlight burns out, and here it is necessary to take care of protection for the hottest hours.

In the wild, shrubs settle in deciduous forests with loose soil rich in humus. At the same time, the root system of the plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture, and drought quickly provokes wilting of foliage and crop loss.

In spring, the plant wakes up early, and moving it to a new place can cause a long acclimatization. Therefore, the best time to plant hazel is autumn.

Pits with a size of at least 50 × 60 cm are prepared in advance. If you have to grow hazel and care for several specimens at once, about 4–5 meters of free space are left between them. For quick rooting and active growth, a mixture is prepared for backfilling based on:

fertile soil;
10 kg of high-quality humus;
200 g of superphosphate;
50 g of potash fertilizers.

The composition is laid out on the bottom in the form of a cone, on which the roots of the shrub are carefully laid out so that the root neck is at ground level. When the pit is backfilled, the soil is compacted, watered abundantly, and then mulched to preserve optimal humidity soil.

How to grow a hazel, which not only decorates the site, but also regularly delights with delicious nuts. Experts advise choosing varieties according to flowering time, as well as taking into account the possibility of wind pollination.

Cultural care includes:

watering, essential during the ripening of nuts;
top dressing in early spring and at the time of formation of the ovary;
pruning carried out to form a crown, rejuvenate or maintain a healthy state.

In regions with harsh winters young shrubs may freeze. They are advised to bend in the ground and cover. Pruning hazel in the spring allows you to free the plant from broken, frozen or dried branches. In addition, a simple procedure will help to properly form the crown, give access to the sun to each fruit-bearing branch.

To do this, 8–10 strong shoots are left in each bush, and the rest, trying to free the center, are removed at ground level. For hazel, it is possible to grow on a trellis, as well as the formation of a standard plant.

In order not to weaken the bush, excess root growth is cut out annually. This is especially important on grafted specimens.

Hazel: useful properties and contraindications

The main treasure of the plant are nuts. This is a real storehouse of vitamins, healthy fats, proteins and minerals.

About 65% of the weight of the kernel comes from essential fatty acids. Among the micro and macro elements there is magnesium, potassium and calcium, phosphorus and sulfur, zinc, manganese, fluorine. Vitamins are represented by group B, ascorbic acid, A, E and PP. The calorie content of 100 grams of fruit is 700 kcal.

The rich composition and high energy value of the product determines the beneficial properties of hazel and contraindications that should be considered when eating delicious nuts.

What is useful hazelnuts? Rich in healthy fats, magnesium and potassium, nuts are a valuable product for the prevention and treatment of heart and vascular diseases, primarily:

atherosclerosis;
ischemic disease;
sclerosis of cerebral vessels;
myocardial infarction.

A natural remedy not only stimulates the heart muscle, but also strengthens blood vessels, improves blood quality. In addition, hazelnuts are useful for the nervous and digestive systems, they stimulate the gallbladder, improve metabolism and resist the aging process of the body.

Due to the mass of vitamins, proteins and fatty acids, hazel fruits are indispensable in the diet of vegetarians, and people with lactose intolerance can replace cow's milk tasty and healthy nut. The low sugar content ensures that the hazelnut dessert does not affect the health of the diabetic and does not cause weight gain in those who are trying to lose weight.

Speaking about the benefits of common hazel, one should not forget about the leaves, bark, plush and other parts of the plant. All of them contain biologically active substances that impart astringent, antipyretic, vasodilating, anti-inflammatory, restorative properties to plant raw materials. Infusions and flocks based on hazel are prescribed for digestive problems, vascular diseases, urinary diseases and helminthic infestations.

Walnut oil has a wound healing effect. It helps to quickly relieve irritation, reduce pain and accelerate tissue regeneration. Milk from crushed kernels is a proven folk remedy for the treatment of gastritis, cholecystitis and enterocolitis, as well as for other problems accompanied by spasms, irritation and pain.