Description of the common hazel variety Contorta, planting and care

The unique luxurious shrub of the common hazel variety Contorta is a frequent participant in landscape design. Its spectacular climbing shoots with chic curls curved in different directions give extraordinary beauty and charm to the winter garden. The amazingly shaped branches are often used as filling for exquisite bouquets.

Description of common hazel Contorta

Contorta hazel will not cause a lot of trouble and concern for novice gardeners. It is a perennial shrub with a unique shape that grows up to 3.5 meters in height. The hazel bush grows slowly and leisurely. In regions with strong winds and frosts, the height of the plant does not exceed 1.8 meters. Its root system is superficial, with highly branching roots.

The plant is endowed with dark green wrinkled leaves and many long catkins, covered with yellow pollen in summer. In spring, the hazel bush blooms late. It usually blooms before the leaves bloom, in March or April. The shoots, unique in shape, bend gracefully and look impressive against the background of ordinary trees.

The shrub needs cross-pollination and requires the participation of several plants.

For reliable pollination, several hazel bushes are planted simultaneously in one area. An excellent pollinator for this variety is wild hazel.

Contorta can take different forms. With the help of formative pruning, this shrub of extraordinary beauty can be easily adjusted and clearly fit into the overall design of the garden plot.

The main pros and cons of the variety

The main advantage of growing hazel in a suburban area can be appreciated in winter, when most trees stand without foliage and look unattractive. During this period, Contorta hazel acquires a special charm and beauty.

The shrub is grown mainly to decorate the garden plot, although with careful care it can please summer residents with small oblong-shaped nuts.

In regions with low temperatures, annual freezing of annual shoots is observed. At the same time, hazel growth slows down significantly.However, branching increases, and the shoots of the bush acquire unique shapes.

The nuances of growing crops

The variety is very sensitive to light, soil moisture, and negative temperatures. For timely development and intensive fruiting, it requires careful attention throughout life.

When and where to plant?

The shrub feels great and develops safely in sunny meadows or in partial shade, protected from strong winds by a fence or trees. In an open area, there is a high probability of annual freezing of fragile shoots and slow growth of shrubs. When growing this variety in the shade, problems with fruiting are observed. A quiet, wind-free place will allow you to grow a healthy tree - the real pride of a gardener.

Contorta hazel needs fertile soils fertilized with humus. Sandy and loamy soil with neutral acidity are ideal for growing it. Does not tolerate wetlands and low groundwater. Long-term exposure to spring waters on the root system causes its decay, and often the death of the tree.

Preparation of planting material

The seedling needs preliminary preparation for planting. Its roots are placed in a damp mixture of clay, ash and “Kornevin” for at least half an hour. If the seedling has been in the open air for a long time and its roots have had time to dry out - for a day.

Purchasing a healthy seedling with a ball of earth does not require preliminary preparation and guarantees high survival rate.

Landing specifics

The shrub is best planted in open ground in early spring. By the beginning of the first frosts, it will get stronger, gain strength, and develop a strong root system.For the normal development of a wide crown, a lot of free space is required, so the seedlings are planted at a distance of three meters from each other.

The planting pit for the seedling is prepared in advance. When planting in spring - from autumn. The soil is thoroughly fertilized with humus and ash, and vermiculite is added. Depending on the characteristics of the soil, its acidity is adjusted. For timely root development, the seedling requires a hole 30 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter.

When purchasing hazel in a container, the seedling is carefully removed and placed in the planting hole without destroying the earthen ball. When planting an ordinary seedling, the hole is partially filled with soil, forming an earthen mound. The root system is evenly distributed over it and covered with earth. The root collar is not buried, leaving it at a height of about three centimeters above ground level. The seedling is thoroughly watered with water with the addition of “Kornevin”.

Tips for caring for hazel

Contorta hazel is easy to care for, but gardeners will have to work hard to get fruit.

Watering

Hazel is a moisture-loving plant and requires periodic watering. After planting, you must carefully monitor the soil and prevent it from drying out. Watering from March to September is especially important when growing shrubs in elevated areas, sandstones and during periods of prolonged drought.

After applying the autumn portion of fertilizers, the hazel needs a final, abundant watering. This accelerates the absorption of introduced microelements, the plant is saturated with moisture before a long frosty winter.

Fertilizers

When preparing the soil for planting in the fall, it is fertilized with humus, superphosphate and potassium salt are added. To produce full-fledged fruits, hazel is fed with urea every year in June. At the end of summer, complex fertilizers are used.

Mulching

Experienced gardeners practice mulching around the trunk when growing hazel and other garden trees. Mulching simultaneously performs several tasks:

• retains moisture in the soil;
• saturates it with oxygen;
• protects the root system from freezing;
• prevents the washing away of the top layers of soil during spring floods;
• When decomposed, it enriches the soil with nutrients.

Sawdust, dry grass, leaves, humus, straw, and peat are used as mulch.

Preparing for winter

To protect against prolonged frosts and drying out of the bark in the fall, young hazel is insulated with covering material. It perfectly allows fresh air to pass through, prevents the bark from drying out near the root collar and protects the shrub from freezing.

Diseases and pests

The variety is resistant to a number of diseases. However, some pests are very partial to this original shrub. Most often he is attacked by:

• aphid;
• nut weevil;
• scale insect;
• caterpillars of the acorn moth.

Spring spraying with systemic insecticides will help prevent the appearance of pests and maintain yields at a high level.

Contorta hazel is susceptible to such common diseases as:

• powdery mildew;
• moniliosis;
• brown leaf spot.

A number of preventive measures will help prevent the above diseases:

1. Timely removal of fallen leaves.
2. Periodically loosening the soil or mulching it.
3. Autumn whitewashing of the trunk.
4. Sanitary pruning of damaged and frostbitten branches followed by treatment with garden varnish.
5. Autumn and spring spraying of shrubs with Bordeaux mixture.

Strict implementation of all measures allows you to grow a healthy tree and ensure its fruiting.

Reproduction methods

Contorta hazel is most often propagated vegetatively: by cuttings, grafting or layering. Reproduction by seeds does not always guarantee the transmission of parental characteristics.

For grafting you will need cuttings prepared in the fall. They are stored at low temperatures in a dry place. With the onset of the first warm days, the cuttings are grafted in any convenient way, the open wound is carefully treated with garden varnish, and the graft is wrapped in film.

To propagate hazel by layering, the young lower shoots of the bush are bent down and covered with earth. As soon as the shoot takes root and takes root, the plant is separated and transplanted to a permanent place.

An overgrown shrub can be easily propagated by dividing the bush. To do this, the hazel is carefully dug up and divided into several parts. Each new bush must have strong roots at least 20 centimeters in length. The cut area is sprinkled with charcoal. The newly formed bushes are planted in a permanent place.

The variety can also be propagated using freshly harvested nuts. In autumn it is buried in previously prepared and fertilized soil. With the arrival of spring, the nut will sprout and grow. However, with such propagation, a late onset of fruiting is noted: fruits can be obtained no earlier than after 8-10 years.

Collection and storage

Getting nuts to ripen on Contorte hazel is often problematic even for experienced gardeners. This is due to the sensitivity of the variety to external circumstances. The set fruits ripen unevenly. The harvest often extends from September to the end of October.

The collected nuts are stored at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° C in a dry room with a humidity of no more than 12–14%. Compliance with storage conditions allows you to preserve the crop for several years.

The unusually beautiful Contorta hazel with a spreading crown will not leave any gardener indifferent. Unpretentiousness to temperature, soil and weather conditions increases the interest and prevalence of this incredibly beautiful shrub in summer cottages in most regions.