WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Corylus colurna, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Turkish hazel in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Turkish hazel in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Turkish hazel is a tidy, pyramidal shade tree with a straight trunk, dense horizontal branches and corky, flaking bark. Long catkins hang from bare branches in late winter, and edible nuts in spiny husks follow in fall. Newly planted trees need consistent moisture, while established trees cope with dry spells.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Turkish hazel, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for Turkish hazel and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Dry soil 3 to 4 inches down at the edge of a new Turkish hazel root ball calls for a deep soak
  • Leaves curling or browning at the edges in late summer on a young tree point to a dry root zone
  • Wilting leaves over heavy, soggy clay point to poor drainage, which this tree handles badly
  • A tree moved from another spot that leafs out weakly may be fighting transplant stress, a known weak point
  • Suckers sprouting at the base are a habit of this tree, not a sign of water stress

How to water it

  • Keep the root ball and the soil around it consistently moist through the first two or three summers
  • Once the tree is established, soak deeply under the outer canopy and let the soil dry well between waterings
  • Plant in well drained, organically rich, slightly acidic soil, and amend heavy clay or choose another site
  • Start with a young container tree rather than moving an older one, since it transplants poorly
  • Mulch the root zone, and rake nut husks off drip lines and paving in fall

Through the seasons

Keep a new Turkish hazel consistently moist through its first summers, since young trees need steady water. Once established, it tolerates drought and needs only deep, occasional soakings. Catkins open on bare branches around March, leaves follow, and the spiny-husked nuts ripen in fall. Its leaves are among the last to drop. Winter rain covers the dormant months near the coast. WUCOLS rates Turkish hazel low water on the north-central coast and moderate water on the south coast. It has not been evaluated for the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Turkish hazel transplants poorly, so a container should be only a short stop before planting. Feel the mix 2 inches down every couple of days in summer and water when it is dry there. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. Plant it out while young and keep the root ball intact when you do. Through winter the bare tree needs only light watering once the mix dries.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Turkish Hazel for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Turkish Hazel as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Turkish Hazel: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.78–––
Feb0.21–0.81–––
Mar0.35–1.15–––
Apr0.47–1.4–––
May0.58–1.61–––
Jun0.64–1.74–––
Jul0.64–1.98–––
Aug0.6–1.86–––
Sep0.5–1.49–––
Oct0.35–1.15–––
Nov0.19–0.84–––
Dec0.12–0.65–––
Year4.8–15.5–––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like Turkish hazel. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Turkish hazel, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How much water does Turkish hazel need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Turkish hazel needs about 1.6 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 6.5 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for Turkish hazel change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Turkish hazel separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Are Turkish hazel nuts edible?

Yes. The nuts come in clusters of three to six inside spiny husks and can be roasted and eaten. The thick shells are hard to crack, and squirrels often get there first.

Is Turkish hazel messy?

In fall it drops spiny husks and nuts that can litter paving. Plant it over lawn or mulch rather than beside a patio. Rake husks off drip lines so emitters keep flowing.

Can I transplant a Turkish hazel?

It has a poor transplant survival rate, so move it only while it is small. Water a moved tree deeply and keep its root ball moist through the first summer.

Does Turkish hazel grow in clay soil?

It tolerates average soils but not unamended heavy clay. Work in organic matter or choose a better drained spot, and water slowly so the soak sinks in.

Is Turkish hazel a good street tree?

Yes. It handles urban conditions, compacted soil and pollution well. Nut litter is its main drawback beside sidewalks.

More plant watering guides

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Sources