Hazelnut

Family

Betulaceae

Habit

Shrub

Height

6 m

Spread

6 m

Growth

fast

Lifespan

80 years

First yield

after 4 years

Full yield

after 12 years

Yield per plant

up to 10 kg a year

Yield in cultivation

up to 1.5 t/ha

Energy yield

850 kcal per m² a year

Hardiness

zone 4–8

Shade tolerance

full shade

Soil

Sand, Silt, Loam

Soil moisture

semi-dry – very moist

pH

6 – 7.5

Synonyms

Hasel

Times apply to the northern hemisphere in a temperate climate and shift with altitude and cultivar.

Edible: Seeds can be consumed raw or roasted in various foods like bread, cakes, cookies, and sweets. They are a nutritious option for raw consumption and can also be processed into plant milk due to their high oil content. The seeds mature in mid- to late autumn and may require protection from squirrels. When stored cool and unshelled, they can be kept for at least 12 months. These seeds yield a clear yellow oil suitable for culinary uses such as salad dressings and baking.

Other uses: The seed contains up to 65% of a non-drying oil utilized in various products like paints and cosmetics. It can also be used to polish and oil wood effectively, providing a lovely finish. Finely ground seeds are incorporated into facial masks and cosmetics. These plants can serve as tall hedges and should be minimally trimmed or left untouched when harvesting seeds. The bark and leaves are sources of tannins. The soft wood is ideal for inlay work, small furniture, hurdles, basketry, and more. Additionally, the twigs are employed as dowsing rods, and the wood yields high-quality charcoal favored by artists.

Prefers sunny to partially shaded locations with well-drained, humus-rich soils having neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Tolerates moderate moisture but avoids waterlogging. The plant produces vigorous suckers and should be planted with a spacing of about 4 to 6 meters to allow ample room for growth. Regular pruning encourages strong shoots and facilitates harvesting. It is frost-hardy and does not require special winter protection. Planting multiple cultivars is recommended for effective pollination, as hazel generally requires cross-pollination. Fertilization with organic matter in spring supports healthy growth. Susceptible to: Hazelnut gall mite (deformed buds), Hazelnut weevil (seed feeder), Powdery mildew.

Seeds should be sown right after harvest in autumn in a cool environment. Germination typically happens in late winter or spring. Before planting, it's recommended to soak stored seeds in warm water for 48 hours, followed by a warm stratification period of 2 weeks and then a cold period of 3-4 months. Germination usually takes place within 1-6 months at a temperature of 20°C. Once the seedlings reach a suitable size, they can be transferred to individual pots and grown in a cool environment or a sheltered outdoor area during the initial winter. By late spring or early summer, they should be planted in their permanent spot. Propagation through layering is a straightforward process that can be carried out in autumn and takes approximately 6 months. In spring, dividing the runners is a simple method, and they can be directly planted in their permanent location.

Hazel provides food for many insects, including pollen and leaves for various butterfly caterpillars and leafhoppers. Its nuts are an important food source for small mammals like squirrels and birds such as nuthatches and jays, which also help disperse the seeds. The plant offers shelter and nesting sites for birds and other animals. Flowering in February and March makes it an early pollen source for bees.

Special features: +Wind-tolerant. Only the 1-year-old, weak shoots bear fruit. Flowers tolerate frosts down to -8°C. Yields (see above) are primarily produced by grafted varieties, often hybrids with, or especially with, Corylus maxima (Hazel) in sun! Also grafted onto tree hazel → no coppicing; Legends + Magical forest builder & nature connector.

Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. Hazel occupies the continent from central Norway and southern Sweden to the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily, eastwards across Turkey and the Caucasus to northern Iran; there are scattered occurrences in the North African Atlas. It was one of the first shrubs to return to Central Europe after the last ice age and shaped post-glacial vegetation so strongly that an entire pollen zone is named after it. In the Alps it climbs to about 1500 metres. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland it is distributed throughout and is among the commonest woody plants of field hedges, woodland edges and floodplain woods.

Hazel grows best in oceanic and suboceanic climates in positions with warm summers: in open woodland, along woodland edges and in field hedges. It is a light-demanding plant but tolerates moderate shade, and by Ellenberg's values it is indifferent to moisture, soil reaction and nitrogen — hence its very wide range of sites. Its optimum lies on moist, well-aerated, warm soils with a high humus content and neutral to alkaline reaction; it does not thrive on nutrient-poor sands or on acid, waterlogged ground. In plant-sociological terms it occurs in Central Europe above all in oak-hornbeam and floodplain woodland, with its true optimum in older blackthorn scrub on potential beech woodland sites. On open block scree it forms hazel scrub communities of its own.