Compo wrote:
I set two 1yr old cobnut trees in 1999. They are now large, healthy
looking and bushy. Each year I see a few small red female flowers and
a number of catkins _but_ they never produce nuts.

Does anyone know if a severe prune might help produce nuts? I am
wondering if there is maybe too much foliage, weakening the tree and
thus reducing its fruiting potential.

Cheers,
Compo in Caithness

Not an answer to your question, but I do quite a bit of walking, this
year on the Welsh English border. I don't know if it is the area or the
weather we have had but the amount of hazel nuts are quite astounding.
Also as we walk there are lots of "crunches" where we step on and break
the shells.