How to Grow the Dwarf American Hazelnut

Choose a spot in full sun to partial shade. Ensure the spot has well-drained soil.

Dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball of the hazelnut tree transplant. Mix peat moss with the soil you removed from the hole at the rate of 1 part peat moss for every 3 parts soil. Use this mixture to backfill the planting hole.

Insert the root ball of the hazelnut tree into the prepared hole. Check to make sure that the tree is growing at the same level it was growing in its pot. A slight change of color on the trunk usually provides a reference point: The darker area of the trunk should be below ground when transplanting is complete. Distribute the roots evenly in the planting hole.

Backfill the planting hole with the improved soil. Fill the hole halfway, then gently firm the soil around the roots, with the aim of filling any air pockets with the soil. Fill the hole the rest of the way with the improved soil. Firm the surface gently but firmly.

Create a bank of soil around the edge of the planting hole using your hands. This will hold water in the root zone of the tree. Put a slow-running hose on the soil in the root zone and allow it to water-in the newly planted hazelnut for 60 to 90 minutes.

Apply a layer of 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch, such as wood chips, shredded bark, buckwheat hulls or straw. Ensure the mulch material does not touch the tree trunk. The mulch will conserve moisture and reduce the growth of weeds, which otherwise would out-compete the hazelnut tree for water and nutrients, resulting in poor, spindly growth of the tree.

Prune older branches at ground level in early spring from American hazelnut grown as a shrub. Remove 10 percent to 20 percent of the oldest branches to make room for new growth that will produce more nuts. If you are growing your hazelnut as a tree, prune suckers growing from the base of the tree whenever they are detected. Remove dead or diseased branches, as well as any branches growing too close to another branch or growing outside of the tree's natural shape and size.

Apply fertilizer in early spring only if a soil test shows nutrient deficits in the soil or if the tree produces a smaller-than-normal crop of nuts two years running. Use the amount and formulation of fertilizer recommended by your local county extension office.

Gather the nuts as they fall to the ground from late August to October, depending on your location.