hazel tree problem?

[se7enthdevil]

hi all, there is a relatively young hazel tree (15 yrs) in the back garden and last years we had our first real harvest and got a decent sized bowl of nuts. this year all the nuts on the tree sat neatly in the palm of my hand.

 

does anyone know why this may be???

 

it's only 10' tall at the most and for years my dad kept cutting it back to the ground so the roots are very well established and since my dad died 5 years ago i've let it grow and it is now a 6-7' ball on a 5' trunk.

 

do hazles need trimming to get rid of last years growth like blackberries do???

 

there are a few leaves with some sort of leaf minor damage and i don't know if this may be a factor, otherwise it looks perfectly healthy?

 

will it friut in cycles with some years being better than others?

 

i intend to trim it back this year as it's getting a bit big for where it is and i don't want it taking over the garden.

 

any advice/info appreciated .

 

Steve

[Wendelspanswick]

Could be the frost hit it at the wrong time killing off the blossom, we did have a late frost this year.

We have an apricot tree that has fruited really well every year till this year, not a single fruit on it.

On the other hand we have had a huge crop of greengages this year.

[se7enthdevil]

when do they flower??? march isn't it?

 

don't think it's the frost as i live in the thames valley and i don't think we had a single frost during winter or spring...

[delabodge]

Steve knowing you as a nocturnal man, I think you'll find the squirrels have stripped it , I know they have on mine

[se7enthdevil]

it's not the case here clive. i think mr nutkins must have been pancaked on the road as i've not seen one the whole year except for a single time on a neighbours fence.

 

i should have stated that there were no clusters on it in the first place so no nuts to strip.

[farmer rod]

Steve. I think (but Im not sure) that hazels are not self fertile, so need another tree in the neighbourhood for the catkins to pollinate your tree.

 

Even though we have loads of hazel on the farm the crop is variable, sometimes some bushes with loads and the next door one not. This year bumper crop!

[Paul in the woods]

They need light to fruit well, perhaps thinning some of the branches and you could try "brutting". More pruning info on the RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=602

[gooseflight]

Steve. I think (but Im not sure) that hazels are not self fertile, so need another tree in the neighbourhood for the catkins to pollinate your tree.

Correct.

[Saw-sick Steve]

It's just the way it is. Fruiting is cyclical, some good years, (mast years), some less good. Add into this all the variables around pests, climate, weather etc and what you find is that some years are good, and some less good, and it's not really predictable.

 

Ed

 

This. Certainly not a frost issue, as hazel are wind pollinated. We've had a bumper year for nuts, but as stated above, don't rule out the squirrels!

[se7enthdevil]

sounds like it's just one of those years then.

 

good to know.