What are the latest propagation methods for hazelnuts?

The hazelnut is a plant of the genus Corylus in the family Betulaceae. It grows in mountain shady-slope shrublands at an altitude of 200-1000 m. It has strong cold resistance, prefers a humid climate, and is relatively light-loving; sufficient sunlight promotes its growth, development and fruiting. Its main propagation methods are sowing, division, root-sucker and layering for raising seedlings. Let us take a look together at the propagation methods of hazelnuts!

Propagation by sowing

In wild hazelnut forests, select high-yielding clumps with large fruits and no pests or diseases as mother trees for seed collection, and from them choose hazelnuts with large grains, plump kernels and no pests or diseases for sowing. Hazelnut seeds retain their germination capacity for 1 year. Spring is the suitable sowing time, generally in mid-to-late April. For ridge planting, the row spacing is 60 cm and the plant spacing is 6-8 cm; for bed planting, the row spacing is 20 cm and the plant spacing is 5-6 cm. When sowing, first open a furrow on the leveled ridge surface, with a furrow depth of 5-6 cm. Then scatter the pure seeds screened out from the wet sand into the bottom of the furrow according to the above row and plant spacing, cover with 3-5 cm of soil, and press lightly.

Propagation by division

⟦NL>There are two methods of propagation by division. One is to dig up the mother plant entirely and divide it into several small clumps or single plants, each single plant having a root system and 1-2 branches. The other is to dig out root suckers around the mother clump and separate out several plants, while the mother plant is still retained. Division seedlings should retain a root section of 20 cm and a certain number of fibrous roots. After the division seedlings are separated from the mother body, the branches should be shortened to 15-20 cm long, and they should be heeled in immediately to keep moist and prevent water loss.

Propagation by root suckers

There are two methods of propagation by root suckers. One is to dig out the root suckers around existing clumps to obtain seedlings. The other is to carry out propagation in a dedicated mother plant garden. Mother plants intended for propagation should be cut back to the ground in spring to promote the production of root suckers in the clump. During the growing period, ensure sufficient fertilizer and water supply, and prune appropriately so that the root suckers are not too dense, ensuring both good development and growth of the root suckers and convenience for digging seedlings in autumn.

Propagation by layering

1. Horizontal layering: This can be done in autumn or spring, but spring is the most suitable. Pull vigorous one-year-old branches horizontally and spread them on the ground, fix them in place, and do not cover with soil. Carefully protect the leaf buds so that they sprout. In this way, almost all buds on the horizontal surface can grow into new shoots. When the new shoots grow to 10-15 cm, wrap soft iron wire 2-3 turns horizontally around each node on the one-year-old branch (that is, the base of each new shoot) to promote new root formation. Then earth up the new shoots to two-thirds of their height, and earth up another 1-2 times later according to the growth height of the new shoots. After leaf fall in autumn, cut each node apart, and each becomes a seedling with a vertical new shoot and roots at the base.

2. Arch layering: Arch layering is divided into hardwood layering and softwood layering.

① Hardwood layering: Hardwood layering is carried out in early spring. Dig a furrow 15-20 cm deep around the clump, spread decomposed farmyard manure mixed with soil into the furrow, and keep the furrow depth at 10-15 cm. The distance between the furrow and the base of the clump should be such that when the branch is bent down, its lower-middle part can reach the bottom of the furrow. Select well-developed one-year-old branches and bend them toward the bottom of the furrow. Fix them, then press them down with soil and fill and firm the furrow. In this way, the buds and branches exposed above the ground sprout and grow, and the part pressed in the soil forms roots. To promote good rooting of the branches, you can also girdle the part of the branch pressed at the bottom of the furrow, with a width of 1-2 mm, removing the phloem, or make several transverse cuts.

② Softwood layering: Softwood layering can be carried out in early to mid-June, when the current-year basal shoots have grown to 60-80 cm. The method is the same as hardwood layering.