Winter pruning operations in a hazel grove are essential both to define the type of cultivation and to protect the health of the plant and make it reach a high productivity. To perform them in a professional way it is important to know the main techniques, to have the best tools, which can carry out precise cuts, and to protect the health of the plants.
What are hazel-tree pruning operations for?
In the first years of growth, the pruning of the hazel tree has the aim of giving the plant a correct shape and making its structure more robust. The characteristic bushy formation of the hazel tree has short and particularly dense branches. Pruning tends to thin them out, to create a harmoniously shaped hazel grove.
Hazel-tree pruning is also essential to obtain a good balance between vegetative development and productive activity, as well as to safeguard the tree health. In fact, removing part of its foliage allows a greater penetration of the light among the branches, increasing the vigor of the tree fruiting activity and keeping its internal parts safe from the proliferation of pathogens. Finally, a well-pruned tree also allows to harvest hazelnuts in a much easier way.
The purposes of pruning vary, however, according to the age of the hazel tree. If it is less than three years old, the cutting operations mainly aim at shaping it, while if it is older, they eliminate damaged or ill branches, an essential activity for preserving the health of the entire hazel grove. If the trees are older than five years, pruning can also have the aim of creating new suckers in the main trunk, in order to renew it and strengthen its vegetative and productive activity.
When should pruning be carried out?
The optimal time to prune hazel trees is the end of winter, i.e. the resting period of the plant. During this season it favors an excellent flowering between the end of winter and the beginning of spring and luxuriant fruiting towards the end of summer.
Which is the way to prune?
Those who prune by profession know how important it is to carry out clean cuts without creating any burrs, in order to prevent from infections and pathogens on the part affected by the intervention.
The first secret for performing effective pruning is to select excellent quality shears, chain pruners, saws and loppers with a great cutting capacity, which can ensure precise operations and avoid dangerous injuries or debarking of the branches. All Campagnola tools for orchard pruning provide a wide choice of options that meet all the operators’ needs.
Another way to obtain perfect pruning is to perform an inclined cut at 45 °, in order to favor the flow of water on the cut area. On the most exposed parts it is also possible to apply a kind of mastic which has specially been formulated for the purpose, so as to disinfect the wound and protect it from external agents.
In order to avoid any risky pathogen transmission to the plant, it is also advisable to always use perfectly clean tools and make sure that the blades are properly sanitized. A tip is to disinfect them before pruning and to repeat this operation with each plant, so as not to spread any diseases.
Pruning according to the hazel-tree breeding forms
The different forms of hazel-tree breeding may require different pruning techniques during their development.
The bush breeding system, for example, is one of the most widespread. It is a polycaule form with 3 or 6 branches, which has the advantage of allowing a rapid renewal of the branches by using the basal shoots, in the unfortunate case of breakage of the poles due to heavy rain, snow or mycosis.
How can this breeding form be obtained by pruning? During the 1st and 2nd year, four or five shoots must be selected among the stems that grow from the ground, while the others must be eliminated. From the 3rd year onwards, it is sufficient to remove suckers and exceeding branches, keeping the foliage thin and airy enough.
The bushy vase breeding system, on the other hand, is monocaulescent: a single branch is set up at about 50-60 centimeters in height from the ground. While the classic bush form is preferred in poorly irrigated areas, the bushy pot form is preferred for well-irrigated and particularly fertile soils. To obtain it, it is necessary to plant the tree and set it up at 50-60 cm, to then proceed, after about a year, to leave only 4 or 5 shoots that can create the typical structure of the pot.
Starting from the 3rd year, the 4 or 5 selected shoots can be kept healthy by regularly removing the suckers, this way giving a harmonious shape to the plant. The thinning out of the inner branches contributes to the success of the operation.
The sapling form of breeding is also monocaulescent. A branch is set up at about 80-90 cm from the ground. It is recommended for the more vigorous hazel-tree varieties, since it requires greater effort in terms of pruning. It is recommended for flat areas, where it is easy to irrigate and to work with mechanical equipment.
Despite this greater effort in the pruning phase, this type of breeding facilitates phytosanitary treatments and final fruit harvesting. How to make it? In the first year, the tree must be planted and cut about 90 cm from the ground, while in the 2nd year, the most vigorous stem must be chosen, since it will become the central axis of the plant. During the 3rd year, 4 or 5 branches will be selected and form the main structure. From the 4th year onwards, it will be enough to eliminate the suckers and the internal branches and remove the shoots below the structure.
Structural and maintenance pruning
Finally, there are some types of pruning that do not depend on the chosen type of breeding. For example, structural pruning modifies the structure of the plant, making it more robust and capable of withstanding both an intensive breeding system and bad weather conditions.
It is carried out during the first four or five years after planting the tree, while from the 5th year onwards the so-called “maintenance” pruning is carried out to keep the hazel-tree productivity stable.
For all these operations it is always essential to rely on valid shears and chain pruners, which can ensure clean cuts and speed them up. All Campagnola tools for orchard pruning aim at achieving these objectives. At the same time, they take the utmost care of the operators’ well-being.
Ergonomics, low weight, absence of vibrations and kickbacks are among the main advantages of all Campagnola pruning products and make these operations easier. To find out more, you can explore our website, or contact the closest Campagnola dealer!