12/07/2019 • CultivareNew hazelnut tree plant: the phases of planting

To realize a new hazelnut tree plant, with good warranties of engraftment, it is necessary to select healthy plant, equipped with a good rooting apparatus and free from pests affecting. 

Our advice is therefore to contact accredited nurserymen who can supply certified and guaranteed plants.

The new plant

The selection of healthy plants and the soil preparation are two very important aspects for the new hazelnut tree plant, since all the hazelnuts production depends on them.

Diseases such as root asphyxia and root rot are often the direct consequence of poorly executed planting works, without adequate knowledge and technical preparation.

Soil preparation

Before creating a new plant, it is necessary to analyse the soil to determine its granulometry (percentages of sand, silt and clay) and perform a physical-chemical analysis to assess its actual suitability for planting seedlings of hazelnut.

The hazelnut plant prefers basically loose soil, with neutral pH (from 6.8 to 7.2), but it is also suitable for acid and alkaline soils (up to pH 8).

For avoiding the creation of phenomena of chlorosis, the value of the active limestone in the soil should not exceed 8%.

The soil should be prepared in the middle of summer (July-August) when it is dry through a trenching or a deep ploughing (from 70 to 100 cm of depth).

Before the trenching, if necessary, a manuring is carried out.

At the end of the deep workings, superficial work is carried out to make the ground finer. The plant suffers in particular from over-compacted soils and water stagnation, which cause root asphyxiation and rottenness, so it is necessary to use well-ventilated soils and it is necessary to provide with drainages for excess water.

Seedlings of hazelnut planting

Once that the soil has been prepared, it is traced according to the chosen planting plan, i.e. we will define how many seedlings are planted per hectare.

The best period for planting is in the autumn, during the first days of November. It is made in spring only if there is the possibility of irrigation.

Once the tracing is done, the holes are prepared by hand or with special drills with a diameter of 30-50 cm and a depth of 30-40 cm.

To promote root development, the soil of the hole is mixed with the appropriate topsoil.

Once that the seedling is placed and the hole is filled with soil, some braces that have the function of support and signalling are inserted laterally.

In the following spring, we will proceed with the cut of the Astone (young plant), according to the previously chosen training system.

Pollinators

In areas where the presence of wild hazelnut trees is scarce, it may be advisable to insert some pollinators, in order to improve pollination and therefore the production capacity of the hazelnut grove.

The adequate presence of pollinators stabilizes productivity, even after difficult winters.

The placement of pollinators within the hazelnut grove must follow the directions below:

• Good coverage of all hazelnut grove with pollinators.
• Group pollinators in a row. The precaution must be taken because pollinators may have different agronomic needs (treatments and harvest time).
• The set of pollinating varieties must represent from 8 to 12% of the total number of trees in the plot.
• The pollinators must be inserted at the head of the hazelnut grove to avoid mixing the hazelnut varieties during the harvesting phase.
• Take into account the direction and intensity of the wind which can be effective even up to a distance of about 50 meters.

It is easy enough to see the clouds of pollen being wiped away by the catkins (clusters) in the breeze on an early spring morning.