Mcdonald Hazelnut Tree - Heavy bearing early season crop (2 years old, 3 ft. tall)

It depends on the tree. Hazelnuts can't set nuts with their own pollen, so plant two compatible varieties within about 50 feet: McDonald and York pollinate each other. Most almonds need a second almond variety nearby, but our All-in-One sets nuts with its own pollen. An English walnut can set a crop on its own, and a second walnut helps while the tree is young. A Fuyu persimmon needs no partner at all.

Within about 50 feet of each other. Hazelnuts rely on wind, not bees, to carry pollen, and nut set drops when the pollen tree is farther away than that. The partner also has to shed its pollen while your tree's flowers are open, which is why the variety you pair it with matters.

It depends on the tree. Our hazelnuts grow to about 12 feet tall, our All-in-One almond to 10 to 15 feet, and a Fuyu persimmon to about 15 feet. An English walnut becomes a big shade tree, about 50 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, so give it at least 30 feet from other trees. This page lists the size for this tree.

Check the USDA hardiness zones listed on this page, and look up your zone by ZIP code. Your zone is set by how cold your winters get. Persimmons need little winter chill, about 100 to 200 hours at most, so they suit mild-winter areas.

Plan on a wait. English walnuts take about 5 to 12 years from planting to bear their first nuts, longer than most fruit trees. Every young nut tree spends its first years building roots and branches, so a tree with leaves and no crop is normal.

Train hazelnuts and persimmons with 3 to 5 main branches spread around the trunk as their permanent frame. Choose those branches in early spring after the first growing season, once the worst cold has passed and before the buds swell. Keep other cuts to a minimum for the first few years.

An English walnut grows into a full-size shade tree, so plant it in the ground. For our other nut trees and persimmon, we recommend the ground too, where the roots have room and stay warmer through winter. A pot can work, but it's best if you have some experience, or don't mind less-than-ideal results while you learn. A tree in a pot needs much more care: more watering, and the nutrients it would otherwise pull from the ground. Every few years, prune the roots and change the soil, or move it up a pot size. Expect more ornamental value than a large harvest: a tree in a pot will bear, but not as much as one in the ground.

It depends on when it ships. In the dormant season, while trees rest over winter, it arrives bare root: no leaves, no soil, and roots wrapped in a damp packing mix. That's what a healthy dormant tree looks like. When it's actively growing, the same tree ships potted and in leaf. If the roots are dry or mushy, or anything looks damaged, contact us that day with photos.

Most bare root trees planted in spring show new growth within a few weeks. Some take longer, especially after a cold spring, and a tree planted in fall waits for spring. Fall planting works best where winters are mild, generally zones 7 through 9. Every region has its own climate and microclimates, and varieties vary widely in when they first break bud in spring. To check on your tree, scrape a tiny patch of bark near the top with your thumbnail: green underneath means it's alive. If it's been 45 days since spring planting with no new growth, or 30 to 45 days since other trees of the same kind in your area leafed out, please contact us.

Keep the roots cool and damp, out of sun and wind, and keep the tree shaded and as cool as possible. Plant within a couple of days if you can. In cold storage at about 37°F, a dormant tree keeps for months without harm, as long as you water the roots now and then. Without cold storage, heel it in for a longer wait: lay it in a shallow trench and cover the roots with soil.