Hazel Kontorta: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, reproduction

The unique luxurious shrub of the common hazel variety Kontorta is a frequent participant in landscape design. The extraordinary beauty and charm of the winter garden is given by its spectacular curly shoots with chic curls, curved in various directions. Amazingly shaped branches are often used as filling for exquisite bouquets.

Description of common hazel Kontorta

Kontorta hazel will not give beginner gardeners a lot of trouble and care. This is a perennial shrub of a unique shape, growing up to 3.5 meters in height. The hazel bush grows slowly and unhurriedly.In regions with strong winds and frosts, the height of the plant does not exceed 1.8 meters. Its root system is superficial, with strongly branching roots.

The plant is endowed with dark green wrinkled leaves and many long earrings, covered with yellow pollen in summer. In spring, the hazel shrub blooms late. It blooms, as a rule, before the leaves bloom, in March or April. The uniquely shaped shoots are gracefully curved and look impressive against the background of ordinary trees.

Shrub needs cross-pollination and requires multiple 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 many forms. With the help of formative pruning, this unusually beautiful shrub is easy to adjust 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 the winter, when most trees stand without foliage and look unattractive. During this period, the Kontorta 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 nuts.

In regions with low temperatures, annual freezing of annual shoots is noted. At the same time, the growth of hazel is significantly slowed down. However, branching intensifies, the shoots of the shrub take on unique forms.

The nuances of growing crops

The variety is very sensitive to light, soil moisture, 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 well in sunny clearings 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, not blown place will allow you to grow a he althy tree - the real pride of the gardener.

Contorta hazel needs fertile, humus-rich soils. Sandy and loamy soil with neutral acidity is ideal for its cultivation. Poorly tolerates wetlands and low groundwater. Prolonged exposure to spring waters on the root system causes it to rot, and often the death of the tree.

Preparation of planting material

The seedling needs preliminary preparation for planting. Its roots are placed in a wet mixture of clay, ash and Kornevin for at least half an hour. If the seedling was outdoors for a long time and its roots had time to dry out - for a day.

Acquisition of a he althy seedling with an earthy clod does not require prior preparation and guarantees a high survival rate.

Fit specifics

Shrub is best planted outdoors in early spring. By the beginning of the first frosts, it will get stronger, gain strength, 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. With spring planting - from autumn. The earth is carefully fertilized with humus and ash, vermiculite is added. Depending on the characteristics of the soil, its acidity is regulated. For the timely development of the roots, the seedling needs a pit 30 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter.

When buying hazel in a container, the seedling is carefully removed and placed in a planting hole without destroying the earthen clod.When planting an ordinary seedling, the pit is partially filled with soil, forming an earthen hill. The root system is evenly distributed over it and covered with earth. The root neck is not deepened, leaving at a height of about three centimeters above ground level. The seedling is thoroughly spilled with water with the addition of Kornevin.

Hazel Care Tips

Kontorta Hazel is unpretentious in care, but gardeners will have to work hard to get fruits.

Irrigation

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 relevant when growing shrubs in elevated areas, sandstones and during prolonged droughts.

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

Fertilizers

When preparing the soil for planting in the fall, it is fertilized with humus, superphosphate and potassium s alt are added. For the formation of full-fledged fruits, annually in June, hazel is fed with urea. At the end of summer, complex fertilizers are used.

Mulching

Experienced gardeners when growing hazel and other garden trees practice mulching the trunk circle. Mulching performs several tasks at the same time:

• retains moisture in the soil;
• oxygenates her;
• protects the root system from freezing;
• prevents topsoil from being washed away during spring floods;
• enriches the soil with nutrients when decomposed.

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

Preparing for winter

To protect against prolonged frosts and drying of the bark in autumn, young hazel is insulated with covering material. It perfectly lets fresh air through, prevents the bark near the root collar from drying out 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. He is most often attacked by:

• aphid;
• nut weevil;
• shield;
• Acorn codling moth caterpillars.

Sprinkling with systemic insecticides in the spring will help prevent pests and keep yields high.

Kontorta hazel is susceptible to common diseases such 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. Periodic soil loosening or mulching.
3. Autumn whitewashing of the trunk.
4. Sanitary pruning of damaged and frost-bitten branches, followed by treatment with garden pitch.
5. Autumn and spring spraying of shrubs with Bordeaux liquid.

Strict implementation of all activities allows you to grow a he althy tree and achieve its fruiting.

Reproduction methods

Kontorta hazel is propagated most often vegetatively: by cuttings, grafting or layering. Reproduction by seeds does not always guarantee the transfer of parental traits.

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

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

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

You can also propagate the variety with the help of a freshly picked walnut. In autumn, it is buried in previously prepared and fertilized soil.With the advent of spring, the nut will sprout and grow. However, with such reproduction, a later onset of fruiting is noted: fruits can be obtained no earlier than after 8-10 years.

Collection and storage

Achieving ripening of nuts on the Contorte hazel is often problematic even for experienced gardeners. The reason for this is the sensitivity of the variety to external circumstances. The set fruits ripen unevenly. The harvest often stretches from September to the end of October.

Harvested nuts are stored at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° C in a dry room with a humidity of not more than 12-14%. Compliance with storage conditions allows you to save the crop for several years.

The unusually beautiful Kontorta hazel with a spreading crown will impress any gardener. Unpretentiousness to temperature, soil and weather conditions enhances the interest and prevalence of this incredibly beautiful shrub in summer cottages in most regions.

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