The Beast and Grand Traverse

Great Plains Nursery has approximately 500 "The Beast" and 500 "Grand Traverse" own-rooted hazelnuts in stock. They recently marked down the price.

They are "container" plants in one-quart pots.

Since they are own-rooted, any suckers will be true-to-type and can be moved to increase your hazelnut orchard.

Stock photo of The Beast

 

The Beast

• High yielding "hybrid" hazelnut tree with small nuts and adequate blanching after roasting, making it suitable for a variety of confectionary and baked good applications as well as for direct eating once roasted
• Kernels do have a high level of fiber compared to the other cultivars, but this is removed during roasting
• Vigorous, upright tree with a moderately spreading growth habit
• Trees at 15 years can reach over 20 feet tall
• Carries an EFB resistance gene from C. americana 'Rush' that has been shown to provide excellent protection from the causal fungus (it is susceptible to bud mite in Oregon, but this has not been observed in New Jersey)  ERJ note: this gene has been very durable and effective against all EFB strains.
  
• 'OSU 541.147' The Beast nuts have an attractive, chestnut brown shell and a majority (>85%) drop free from the husk and fall cleanly to the ground at maturity
• Nuts typically fall in the 2nd half of September
• 'OSU 541.147' The Beast is suggested for use primarily as a pollinizer in New Jersey, but growers may find that its consistent high yields of nuts outweigh its small kernel size
• Tests have shown it can be grown in USDA Zone 5 making it a possible production cultivar in colder regions
• Regarding pollination, it has S-alleles 8 and 23 with S8 expressed in the pollen, and blooms in the early to mid-season in New Jersey
• More cold hardy than most pure European hazelnuts, which expands the regions in which it can be grown
• Rutgers University is recommending that it be grown primarily as a pollinizer in the Mid-Atlantic region since it produces abundant, cold hardy catkins with compatible S alleles. However, it should be noted that some growers are not concerned with the smaller nut size and have decided to plant it as a production cultivar due to its regular high yields, particularly in colder areas that may not support our other production cultivars.

Grand Traverse

Grand Traverse is a cross between a Turkish tree hazel hybrid named ‘Faroka’ with an unknown European hazelnut – That makes it 75% Corylus avellana and 25% Turkish tree hazel. Developed by Cecil Farris and first described in 1989. EFB resistant and cold hardy in Nebraska which is Zone 5. Nuts mature in September. Needs a compatible pollinator to get nuts – options are, ‘The Beast’ (available in 2020/21), or planting 2-3 American Hazelnuts. It has an average nut size between 5/8”- ¾”, a kernel wt of 1.3g and is nuts are 40% kernel. Last data showed about 11 lbs per tree avg. Can grow up to 15’ tall and 10’ wide.