Content
Variegated hazel bears tasty and healthy fruits, which explains its great popularity among summer residents. The plant looks attractive, is easy to care for and produces good yields. Hazel reproduces easily, so there will be no shortage of planting material.
Description of hazel
The hazel shrub is a variety of hazel and belongs to the Birch family. The plant is of medium vigor, very similar in appearance to hazelnuts. An adult bush does not exceed 4-5 m.
Young bushes are well leafy, with age the crown thins out. The leaf blade is oval, wide, pointed at the end. Its length reaches 11 cm. The outer side of the leaf is dark green, and the inner side is somewhat lighter.
The bush begins to bloom in early spring, and catkins appear already in mid-April. Ripe nuts are harvested at the end of September.
In its natural habitat, the shrub is found in the Far East, Siberia, and East Asia. The frost resistance of the species is good; the trees can safely tolerate temperatures down to -40°C.If the flowering period coincides with return frosts, then the flower buds can easily withstand down to -8°C, while the pollen does not suffer at all. However, the tops of the branches may freeze if the shrub is planted in the wrong place.
Fruiting of the bush begins early. Already a 3-year-old seedling will produce a small harvest. His average life expectancy is 80 years. The fruits of hazel are small nuts, no more than 1.5 cm in diameter. At the beginning of formation, they are densely covered with green leaves resembling a bell. As the nuts ripen, they turn dark brown. The shell is strong, so the fruits do not crack on the branches. Ripe nuts fall off easily.
Planting and caring for variegated hazel
In order for the shrub to develop properly, you need to choose a suitable place and time for planting. After all, the amount of harvest will depend on this. Caring for variegated hazel does not take much time and does not cause trouble.
Preparation of planting material and site
Variegated hazel does not tolerate sunny places. The abundance of bright rays reduces yield, young leaves become baked and curled. In its natural environment, the tree grows in shady forests and undergrowth. However, heavily shaded areas are not suitable. The ideal conditions for growing shrubs are sparse shade.
The soil on the site should be rich in humus and other organic matter, moderately moist. Planting is not carried out in wetlands. The groundwater level for hazel is at least 1.5 m.
Before planting hazel, the soil is prepared in advance.If necessary, it is flavored with leaf litter, matured compost and dug up.
Variegated hazel can be planted both in spring and autumn. It depends on the personal preferences of the gardener and the growing region. Spring plantings require more care.
Hazel seedlings are prepared in advance for planting. The roots are shortened to a length of 25 cm. The shoots are cut by a third. If the root system has dried out during transportation, it is better to soak it in a bucket of water. The procedure is carried out one day before the upcoming planting.
Landing rules
Hazel is planted separately from other trees. The distance between them should not be less than 5 m. The pit for planting is prepared a month in advance. Its width does not exceed the root system, its depth is up to 50 cm. For normal development of the seedling, the hole should be filled with fertilizers:
- manure;
- humus;
- mineral complex of phosphorus-potassium mixtures;
- leaf soil.
The top layer of soil is mixed with fertilizers, the bottom of the hole is well drained using improvised means, after which the soil mixture is laid. The hole prepared in this way is watered abundantly, covered with film and left for a month so that the earth settles.
Watering and fertilizing
Variegated hazel needs regular watering and fertilizing so that the plant can fully bloom and bear fruit. The soil under the bush is moistened 6 times a season if the weather is hot. In this case, the watering rate is at least 60 liters per plant. If it rains regularly, then reduce watering so that the root system does not suffer from waterlogging.
The plant needs to be fed in spring and autumn.At the beginning of the growing season, hazel needs more nitrogenous fertilizers in order to grow enough green mass. In the fall, it is advisable to switch to fertilizing, which is dominated by phosphorus and potassium. Experienced gardeners recommend regularly adding humus and manure. Moreover, such fertilizers are preferable for young plants; the nuts will ripen together.
Trimming and shaping
Variegated hazel bushes do not require regular pruning. A well-developed plant should have at least 6-10 strong shoots. It is enough to shorten the young branches a little each season and remove dry or thickening shoots.
If hazel is grown in the form of a tree, then you need to care for it a little differently:
- regularly remove the lower branches on the trunk;
- form the crown in the shape of a bowl to make it convenient to collect nuts;
- trim shoots in spring and autumn.
During spring pruning, dry and poorly overwintered shoots are removed and the ends of the branches are slightly shortened, stimulating growth. In the fall, more radical pruning is done. To do this, cut out all the shoots that thicken the crown, the rest are cut off by 1/3.
Preparing for winter
An adult plant overwinters without additional shelter. It is enough to dig up the soil around it well to reduce the likelihood of pest damage and carry out moisture-replenishing late-autumn watering.
It is better to additionally insulate young trees so that they can withstand the drop in temperature well. The trunk is well spudded, covered with dry leaves and wrapped with covering material. In spring, the cover is removed gradually.
Harvest
The yield of hazel with variegated leaves is periodic.The tree bears fruit steadily for 2-3 years, after which there is a dormant period. The amount of harvest is reduced or there is none at all.
Variegated hazel has cross-pollination, so you can increase the yield by planting several plants at a distance of 3-4 m from each other.
Reproduction
Variegated hazel propagates in several ways, but not all of them are suitable for home use and give good results:
- Seed propagation – a long process, the first harvest appears after 8-10 years. Parental qualities are not preserved.
- Wild nut grafting – the method allows you to obtain a varietal tree that will bear fruit well. You can graft using the copulation method, in splits. The best time is the end of summer.
- Dividing an adult bush - the fastest way that completely preserves the maternal qualities of the plant. Hazel fruiting will begin early.
- Retraction method - an effective way when you need to quickly get a high-quality seedling. Shoots from the bottom of the bush are pinned to the ground and the next year they produce roots. It can be propagated in this way in spring and autumn.
- Planting root suckers - The method is suitable for beginner gardeners. The young plant will begin to bear fruit in a few years. Maternal qualities are fully preserved.
If you need to get a large number of variegated hazel seedlings, you can try cutting the bush. To do this, young shoots are cut in the fall, planted in closed ground, and in the spring they are transferred to a permanent place in the garden.
Diseases and pests
Variegated hazel has average resistance to diseases and pests. In rainy autumn, the plant is affected by fungal diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- leaf spot;
- diplodiasis.
To avoid damage, the bush must be regularly cleaned of dry branches, wounds and cracks on the trunk treated with copper sulfate and whitened. The crown is sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture at the beginning of the growing season and after harvesting.
The most important pests of hazel variegated:
- weevil;
- codling moth;
- Volyanka
These insects feed on the green parts of the tree, penetrate into the kernels and can destroy much of the crop. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive fight against pests. In addition to timely processing of the tree, you need to regularly shake off the larvae and destroy them, dig up the tree trunk, clear it of weeds, and burn wormy nuts.
You can notice the appearance of pests by the curled leaves of hazel. As the larvae develop, the leaves dry out, tree growth stops, holes and stripes appear on the leaf plate. Leaf fall begins early.
Conclusion
Variegated hazel is suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale and for amateurs. The shrub does not require special care, takes root well in Russian conditions, and produces a bountiful harvest.
