How to Propagate Hazelnuts: 4 Different Methods

Hazelnuts can be propagated four main ways: layering, cuttings, grafting, and seed. They differ mainly in whether the new plant matches its parent. Only the first three give you a true copy, because a planted nut grows into a new mix of its parents’ traits.1Apple Academic Press eBooks. Advancement of Propagation in Temperate Nut Crops So the right method depends on whether you want more of a variety you love or simply more hazelnut bushes.

Which Hazelnut Propagation Method Should You Choose

Layering suits a few copies of a backyard bush. Cuttings make sense when you want dozens of plants and have a warm, humid space. Seed works for a hedge, a wildlife planting, or an experiment where variety doesn’t matter.

Timelines differ too. Layers set in spring are usually ready to cut free after one growing season. Cuttings take about two months to root and need careful care after that. Seeds need months of cold before they sprout.

For a beginner, layering is the most forgiving. Cuttings and grafts are all-or-nothing in a way layers are not: a tray can look healthy for weeks and then collapse. Make more attempts than the number of plants you want, because some will fail even with good technique.

Some hazelnut varieties simply root poorly, whatever method you use.6Midwest Hazelnuts. How to Propagate Hybrid Hazelnuts by Mound Layering Varieties differ in how they handle the plant hormone that triggers rooting.7Acta Horticulturae. Physiological mechanisms of adventitious root formation and recalcitrance in Corylus species So if one method fails on your bush, the variety may be the cause rather than your technique.

That’s why it helps to find out the name of your bush before you choose. A variety known to root poorly changes which method makes sense. If you don’t know it, layering is the safest first try, since it gives the stem the most time and the parent’s support to root. And a failed batch of cuttings on one bush says little about what would happen on a different variety, so don’t write off a method after one try.

How to Propagate Hazelnuts by Layering

Mound layering works on most hazelnut varieties as long as the parent plant is strong and healthy.8Midwest Hazelnuts. How to Propagate Hybrid Hazelnuts by Mound Layering A vigorous bush sends up plenty of young shoots that root readily, so feed and water the parent well the year before you start.

The steps run through one growing season:

  • Cut the bush back in late winter so it pushes up many young shoots from the base.
  • When the shoots are several inches tall, mound loose soil or sawdust around their bases.
  • Add more soil as they grow, keeping the mound moist all summer.
  • In fall or winter after leaf drop, pull back the soil, check for roots, and cut rooted shoots free.

Cutting back is a heavy prune, so only do it to a bush healthy enough to recover. Expect fewer nuts for a season or two while it rebuilds, which is a cost to weigh if you rely on its harvest.

Dry soil is the main reason layers fail, so check the mound often in hot weather. To encourage roots, you can wound the stem base or girdle it with wire. Dusting the wound with rooting hormone can help reluctant varieties.

If you’d rather not cut the bush back, simple or tip layering is an alternative. Choose a young, flexible branch that bends to the soil without snapping, because old woody branches are stiff and root poorly. Pick a stretch of stem that can lie flat about a foot back from the tip, with the tip free to point upward. Dig a shallow trench or dent there, scrape a little bark from the underside where it touches the soil, and pin it down with a wire staple. Cover it with soil and leave it attached for a season until roots form.

When it’s time to separate a layer, cut below the new roots with sharp pruners. Pot or plant it right away so the roots don’t dry out. Shoots with few roots can be left another season, and you should expect fewer roots on weaker varieties.

How to Root Hazelnut Cuttings

Soft and semi-hardened cuttings taken in summer root better when their base is treated with rooting hormone (IBA).9ishs. PROPAGATION OF HAZELNUT BY SOFTWOOD AND SEMI-HARDWOOD CUTTINGS UNDER NEBRASKA CONDITIONS They root well in a mix of half perlite and half vermiculite on a heated bench under mist, and you should allow about two months before checking for roots.10ishs. PROPAGATION OF HAZELNUT BY SOFTWOOD AND SEMI-HARDWOOD CUTTINGS UNDER NEBRASKA CONDITIONS Some varieties root far better than others under the same treatment.11ishs. PROPAGATION OF HAZELNUT BY SOFTWOOD AND SEMI-HARDWOOD CUTTINGS UNDER NEBRASKA CONDITIONS

Collect cuttings in the cool of the morning, when the stems are full of water, and keep them in a bag out of the sun until you stick them. A cutting that wilts before it reaches the mix has a lower chance of rooting. Choose healthy, pencil-thick shoots from vigorous young growth, cut them 6 to 8 inches long, and remove the lower leaves.

Rooting hormone is a powder or liquid containing IBA, a synthetic form of a plant hormone that prompts roots to form at the cut base. Pour a small amount into a separate dish rather than dipping into the container, so the main supply doesn’t get contaminated. Dip the base briefly, tap off the extra, because a thick coating can do more harm than good, and insert the cutting into moist rooting mix.

Dormant suckers collected in fall after leaf drop can also be rooted if chilled until January before going into humidity tents.12Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Timing of Collection and Preparation of Hardwood Stem Cuttings for Propagating Hybrid Hazelnuts Stems cut in early November can be rooted after only about three weeks of chilling near 36°F (2°C).13Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Timing of Collection and Preparation of Hardwood Stem Cuttings for Propagating Hybrid Hazelnuts

Sealed tents kept near 100% humidity aren’t necessary.14Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Optimizing Temperature and Humidity for Rooting Hybrid Hazelnuts from Hardwood Stem Cuttings Cuttings survived and rooted better in vented tents with a humidifier, though these need more attention.15Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Optimizing Temperature and Humidity for Rooting Hybrid Hazelnuts from Hardwood Stem Cuttings

At home, a clear plastic tote or bag over a tray can act as a tent. Open it daily or add vents to let air move, and put a seedling heat mat underneath to warm the roots.

Stems rot when kept too wet and airless, and leaves dry out if humidity drops, so balance humidity with airflow. Hard-to-root varieties may need layering instead.

How to Graft Hazelnuts

Grafting joins a cutting from the tree you want, called the scion, onto a separate root system, the rootstock. That lets you swap in roots that behave better. Non-suckering rootstocks such as Turkish hazel solve the constant problem of suckers.16Acta Horticulturae. How to Propagate Hazelnuts: 4 Different Methods Rootstocks like ‘Dundee’ and ‘Newberg’ cut suckering and raised vigor and yield.17PubMed Central. Advances in Rootstock Breeding of Nut Trees: Objectives and Strategies

Rootstock is usually a young plant grown from seed or layered, and its job is to supply the roots. Home growers can buy suitable rootstock from a nursery or raise their own seedlings, which takes at least a year before they are thick enough to graft. It needs to be a hazelnut closely related to the variety you want, since grafts join only between close relatives. Simple splice and whip-and-tongue grafts gave the best success and plant quality in nursery work.18TÃœBÄ°TAK Academic Journals. Grafting success and quality of hazelnut plants: impact of grafting methods, clones and bonding materials

For winter grafts, cut the scion wood while the tree is dormant, taking last year’s pencil-thick shoots with healthy buds. Wrap them in damp paper towel in a bag and store them in the refrigerator until you graft. Keeping the scion dormant while the rootstock is ready to grow gives the buds the best chance of staying alive.

To make a whip-and-tongue graft, match scion and rootstock of the same thickness. Make matching sloping cuts on each, with a second tongue cut into each slope so they lock together. Line up the green layer under the bark on at least one side, then wrap tightly with grafting tape and seal.

Bench grafts heal well when the graft join is kept warm, around 26 to 27°C (79 to 81°F).19Annals of “Valahia” University of TârgoviÅŸte. Agriculture. Results Obtained Regarding Bench Grafting of Hazelnut Cultivars on two Rootstocks at UCV-SCDP Vâlcea For grafts outdoors, wait until daytime temperatures reach about 70°F (21°C) and the rootstock has leafed out.20OSU Extension Service. Growing Hazelnuts in the Pacific Northwest: Plant Propagation Without leaves below the graft, rising sap can flood the join and stop it healing.21OSU Extension Service. Growing Hazelnuts in the Pacific Northwest: Plant Propagation

Afterward, rub off shoots that sprout from the rootstock, remove the tape once the join has healed, and stake the new shoot against wind.

How to Grow Hazelnuts From Seed

Hazelnut seeds need a period of moist cold before they sprout. About four months of cold gave roughly 84% germination.22Advances in Horticultural Science. Effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on seed germination in four hazelnut cultivars Longer cold periods also produced stronger seedlings,23Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture. EFFECT OF STRATIFICATION PERIOD AND GIBBERELLIC ACID (GA3) ON SEEDLING GROWTH OF THREE CULTIVARS OF HAZELNUT (Corylus avellana L.) but germination differed between varieties.24Advances in Horticultural Science. Effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on seed germination in four hazelnut cultivars25Advances in Horticultural Science. Effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on seed germination in four hazelnut cultivars

To do it at home, start with fresh, unroasted nuts that have just fallen in fall and are still in the shell. Shelled, roasted, or old stored nuts often won’t sprout. Discard nuts that feel light or rattle, because they often have no kernel, and don’t let the rest dry out before the cold starts. Pack them in damp sand or peat in a bag and keep them in the fridge around 41°F for three to four months, checking monthly for mold and sprouting.

When the cold period ends, plant the nuts in pots or a bed in spring, about an inch or two deep, in well-drained soil. Plant any that have already sprouted gently so the new root isn’t broken, and keep the soil moist but not soggy while they come up.

Seedlings won’t be true to type,26Apple Academic Press eBooks. Advancement of Propagation in Temperate Nut Crops so nut size, flavor, and disease resistance are a gamble. Seed still makes sense for raising your own rootstock for grafting and for breeding experiments.

Getting New Hazelnut Plants Established

Hazelnut roots partner with soil fungi that help them take up water and nutrients. Seedlings given a helpful fungus grew about twice as tall with much more root growth.27Scientia Horticulturae. Isolation, identification, and evaluation of an ectomycorrhizal fungus from a hazel orchard in China Hazelnut cuttings can also be paired with truffle fungi without harming rooting.28Chilean journal of agricultural research. Controlled Rhizogenesis and Mycorrhization of Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) Cuttings with Black Truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt.) Planting near established hazels or adding soil from them may help.

Plants raised under cover are used to humid, still air, and moving them straight outdoors can scorch and wilt the leaves. Harden them off by moving them from humid conditions to open air over one to two weeks. Start with a few hours in shade, then lengthen the time outside and increase the sun. Bring them in or cover them if a frost or heavy storm is forecast, and water consistently through the first summer.

Pick a planting spot with well-drained soil, since hazelnut roots do poorly where water stands. Allow room, because a bush can spread widely. Choose a sunny spot if you want nuts, since shade lowers the crop.

In the first year, mulch to keep roots cool and moist, and protect the plants from deer and rodents. Expect to wait two to four years for the first nuts.

Eastern filbert blight is a serious hazelnut disease spread on infected plants, so Oregon restricts hazelnut plants brought in from other states.29Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)-Eastern Filbert Blight Check local rules before swapping or shipping plants.