What are the propagation methods for hazelnuts? Read this one article to understand

The hazelnut is a plant of the genus Corylus in the birch family (Betulaceae). It grows in shrub thickets on shady mountain slopes 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 propagation and layering. Let us take a look below at the propagation methods for hazelnuts!

Propagation by sowing

In wild hazelnut forests, select high-yielding clumps with large nuts and no pests or diseases as seed mother trees, and from them choose hazelnuts that are large, have plump kernels and are free of pests and 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 damp sand into the bottom of the furrow at the above row and plant spacings, cover with 3-5 cm of soil, and press lightly.

Propagation by division

There are two methods of propagation by division. One is to dig up the entire mother plant and divide it into several small clumps or individual plants, each with 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 keeping the mother plant. Division seedlings should retain a 20 cm root section and a certain number of fibrous roots. After the division seedlings are separated from the mother plant, the branches should be shortened to 15-20 cm, and they should be heeled in immediately, kept moist to 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 nursery. Mother plants intended for propagation should be cut back at ground level in spring to promote the production of root suckers in the clump. During the growing season, ensure sufficient fertilizer and water supply, and thin appropriately so that the root suckers are not too dense, ensuring both good development and growth of the root suckers and easy digging of 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 lay them on the ground, fix them in place, and do not cover with soil. Carefully protect the leaf buds so 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 1-2 more times afterward according to the growth height of the new shoots. After leaf fall in autumn, cut each node apart, thus forming a seedling with vertical new shoots and roots at the base.

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

① Hardwood layering: Hardwood layering is carried out in early spring. Dig a ditch 15-20 cm deep around the clump, spread decomposed farmyard manure mixed with soil into the ditch, and keep the ditch depth at 10-15 cm. The distance between the ditch and the base of the clump should be such that when the branch is bent down, its middle-lower part can touch the bottom of the ditch. Select well-developed one-year-old branches and bend them toward the bottom of the ditch. Fix them in place, then press them down with soil and fill and firm the ditch. 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 ditch, with a width of 1-2 mm, removing the phloem, or make several transverse notches.

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 for hardwood layering.