Asparagus enigma

[bertiefox]

Apologies if this isn't the place for asparagus postings.
I have an asparagus bed established around six years. It produces reasonably well despite our heavy clay soil.
The enigma is that at one end we have a hazel tree/bush which self seeded and I allowed to stay.
Yet the pieces of asparagus coming under right around the roots of the hazel and under the 'canopy' are about twice the size of the asparagus in the rest of the bed! (In thickness, not simply being etiolated by the bush).
One would assume it should be far worse having to compete with the hazel.
Now I wonder if this is just a coincidence, or whether I have found some kind of symbiotic relationship between hazel and asparagus!
It's done this for two years now, and doesn't appear to be declining in size or productivity, though I will have to keep the hazel pruned.
I'm almost tempted to plant some more asparagus around the roots of the other hazel bushes I'm growing to see what happens.
I'd be interested if anyone has any theories about this.

[extremegardener]

No theories, Bertie, but I've been looking for a good place for more asparagus seedlings, and I just happen to have space I hadn't considered alongside some hazel.. So, I may give it a try.. get back to you in a couple of years about it..

[heidihi]

I think they like the same soil! that is what it sounds like to me and makes perfect sense ! I grew beautiful asparagus in my old house right under a huge apple tree I figured it was the soil they shared a love for
congrats on the asparagus! It was one thing I did not plant in this garden ..I buy a lot when it comes into season from Easter Wa and as good as mine was in my old house I still bought the asparagus from Yakima because the taste texture and size is just to die for!

[ottawagardener]

I wonder if the hazel bush has trapped more leaves and other organic matter which have broken down into a fine humus that the asparagus is loving? I was going to go with better water absorpotion too which I suppose might be a possibility if the hazel roots are breaking up a heavy clay soil and if you tend to have a crusted surface in the summer. Other than that, maybe it is a mycorrhizal connection??? Maybe it's the hazel leaves themselves that are accumulating available nutrients to the asparagus? That's all my theories for today.

[mnjrutherford]

Whoa... This is up MY alley! I'm growing yard long spears as it is (Precoce D' Argentil I believe?). I'll be putting some around my hazels as well!

[spacecase0]

I wonder if the asparagus roots have grown into and are getting energy form the hazel,
like some sort of underground root graft...

[coppice]

At a guess, and it is only a guess. The asparagus is growing on the south side of hazelnut.

Also at a guess they eat differently. Hazel nut has its relationship with mycoriza. Asparagus makes its deal more with bacteria.

If you are liberally feeding--mulching an asparagus bed, there is enough to grow around for both. For now at least.

I suspect tomato or corn would not do anywhere near as well in this kind of planting. Just my guess.

[bertiefox]

Thanks for the responses. The whole area is south facing and the asparagus is to the west of the bush, which is around ten feet high so far. I'm going to keep the branches on that side trimmed back.
I do give the whole area a good mulch every year so perhaps as suggested the roots are trapping more goodness around the hazel whereas the rest tends to blow away during a dry summer. I like the mycoriza idea, and hope it might be that!
I currently have around 30 asparagus seedlings of 'Asparagus purple passion' so I will try to plant these close to one or two other hazel bushes and see what happens.
Will be interested to hear how others experiments go. I'll make a note to post again on this around 2014!! Thinking about it, truffles grow around hazel roots so why not asparagus? Although the truffle is a fungus, it could well be that both benefit from the same kind of mycoriza.
Once the asparagus has grown, the ferns stick up through the hazel foliage so I guess it can photosynthesise ok for most of the summer.