In this article we report on the growth conditions and structural properties of ZnMgO nanocolumns grown on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique at high growth temperatures. We show that it is possible to grow good quality nanocolumns on Si(111) substrate without employing a catalyst. The ZnMgO nanocolumns were obtained at different growth conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that diameters and density of ZnMgO nanorods on Si(111) surface can be controlled by the growth temperature of nanocolumns and temperature of the buffer structures grown. The crystalline quality of the heterostructure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Optical properties of the ZuMgO structure were studied by photoluminescence (PC) spectroscopy. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.