Hello! New member here & I had a question. I saw several Contorted Filberts recently at a local nursery. They were large and very interesting. I decided to purchase from the internet a one year tree with the thought of this might make an interesting Bonsai. I just received it today. It is appx. 18" tall with no branches at all. There are new buds begining about every 2". Would it be advised for me to cut this way down to encourage more buds & possible beging branching? Thanks in advance for any suggestion! Dave .
First important point is to make sure they are on their own roots, not grafted. If grafted, pruning will stimulate non-contorted root sprouts that will continually try to take over. With own-root plants, the sprouts will be contorted like the rest. Since contorted hazel is very difficult to root cuttings, it means own-root plants are much more expensive than grafted plants. Note that the plant in question is a contorted cultivar of Hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'), not of Filbert (Corylus maxima). This could make a difference to best pruning regimes, etc. If the nursery is selling them as Filberts, they are giving false information.
Thank you Michael for the response. I suppose a dumb question, however, how can I tell if this plant is grafted or not? Non-contorted root sprouts I heard can choke the plant. If this is found out to be its own-root plant, can I allow sprouts to grow? I wish to try and keep this plant small. Thanks again Michael! Dave
Look at the base of the plant, and see if there is any change in the bark texture or evidence of a healed wound, just above the soil level. Also, worth asking the nursery where you bought it, they might be able to give a definitive answer. If it is on its own roots, you could keep the sprouts as you wish to fit in with your ideas for how the bonsai should look.
Hey thanks alot Michael! I'll take a look tonight. Sounds like some real issues could be avoided if its on its own roots. Dave
