Twisted Hazel

[barleyreed]

Hi, we have a lovely little twisted hazel tree but last year it began growing straight shoots too - I cut them back but they are back with a vengeance this year, much taller than the twisted stems. Should I cut them back again? Any other suggestions? Thank you!

I have one that likes to do the same. The corkscrew hazel is always grafted onto an ordinary hazel rootstock. If you look at the bottom of the trunk, you will see the join. Depending on how deeply it is planted, it could be under the surface of the soil.
The straight bits will be growing from the original rootstock, so you need to cut them off completely flush otherwise they will sap the strength from the contorted branches. Smear a little vaseline over the cut areas to stop diseases getting in.

Thank you so much, this is so helpful! The joins are above ground so I have cut the straight pieces as low as I can but my secateurs weren't strong enough for the job! Do you think I could saw the straight branches as close to the bottom as possible? I see what you mean about the energy as the twisted bits have barely grown at all this last year :(

Yes, a saw would be ok or some loppers. Like secateurs, but with long handles. They are designed for bigger tougher branches. Places like Wilko sell them fairly cheaply. It is best to get as close as you can, otherwise the stump you leave just springs into life and grows loads more buds again.

And keep a close eye on it every week or two and if you see new buds coming, it is easy to get rid of them when they are tiny.

Yes, check frequently and remove them before they get big. I've been keeping on top of ours for the last year and the curly branches are doing much better than they had been. It's a lovely tree, I'm very excited to see ours get properly big!

Once it is in full leaf in a few weeks' time, go mad with the Miracle Gro until about the end of July. That should give it a good boost.

Don't smear vaseline on it, it will limit how successfully the hazel can occlude the wound and potentially trap spores on the wound surface (not that they'd be many spores in the air at this time of year).

Vaseline is one of the things that bonsai artists use to seal cuts. And they prune a lot.