Why is it important to prune hazel?
The hazel tree must be pruned properly and at the right time of year. This size is important for two main reasons. The first is that after a few years, the branches of the hazel tree get tired and lose productivity. The size allows rejuvenate and renew these branches which then produce more hazelnuts.
The second reason is related to the fact that hazel trees are bushy shrubs which produce a lot of suckers outwards and branches inwards. Sprouts are a problem because they can encroach on other plants or trees in your garden or orchard, while inward-growing twigs turn hazel into a very dense bush, which is undesirable.
When to prune it?
The hazel tree should not be pruned during the first years of its life. It must, in fact, have time to grow at its ease, and this, until it begins to produce its first hazelnuts. The hazel tree sees its production decrease when it is 8 to 10 years old, it is then that pruning becomes necessary. It is from this age that you can prune your tree regularly.
The size must be made after hazelnut harvest and before the resumption of vegetation. This period corresponds to the end of autumn or the end of winter, around February and March. However, the bush should not be pruned during periods of frost, which can endanger it.
What equipment to prune a hazel tree?
The branches of the hazel tree remain fine, even if they are several years old. The size therefore remains easy and does not require large means. So get ready pruning shears for young branches and one pruning saw for the older ones. For the twigs located in the center of the bush, provide a lopper. Don’t forget to protect your hands with gloves and keep your tools sharp. They must also be perfectly disinfected to prevent the spread of diseases.
Stages of hazel pruning
Before pruning your hazel tree, you should know that this shrub does not support severe pruning. It is therefore not necessary to remove too many large branches which form the structure of the bush, prefer rather to leave the hazel tree in free port. If the thick branches are numerous, they should not be removed all at once, but rather spread out over time, over two or three years. If you remove them all at once, the hazel tree can sucker, that is, produce underground stolons that spread it over a larger area, causing it to encroach on neighboring patches.
In addition, sizes should be neat and cleancut low to the ground, at the base of the branches using sharp tools.
maintenance pruning
Maintenance pruning aims to keep your filbert healthy and from him give good proportions. Before you start pruning, watch the bush carefully to identify any old branches that you need to remove.
Then start with cut the oldest branches which you recognize by their large diameter, their duller color and the fact that they are less straight than the others. Remember not to cut too many large branches in the same year.
Then cut off the twigs that grow towards the center of the bush, as they are useless, since the hazelnuts are carried only by the outer twigs. However, these branches can be kept in part or in whole if you have planted your hazel trees to have a screen.
Shorten young shoots so that their height does not exceed two meters.
Finally, walk around your hazel tree and check that you have removed all dead wood and that no dry or diseased branches are left.
rejuvenation size
Although the hazel tree does not tolerate severe pruning, it may need it in certain cases. If a hazelnut tree is neglected for several years, even decades, it may no longer produce hazelnuts, because it has produced too many branches and twigs which exhaust it.
Pruning is possible for hazel trees over 15 years old. To achieve this restoration pruning, simply cut all the branches at ground level to allow regrowth and a resumption of hazelnut production after a few years.
Hazel wood, a precious resource
The wood from pruning your hazel trees is a valuable resource. It is, in fact, flexible and resistant, which allows it to be used in many applications. You can make a pergola out of it or weave it with wire to make a barrier or a privacy screen for a balcony or terrace. Others use it to create jewelry, woven baskets, or even furniture.
If you are not a handyman, talk about it around you, you will easily find an amateur who will be happy to get rid of your hazel wood.