# 2011 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hops!



## Fuggle (5/1/11)

2011 Hop Plantations, Show us your hops!


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## Malted (5/1/11)

Fuggle said:


> 2011 Hop Plantations, Show us your hops!




Jumping the gun? 
Most folks would be still in the 2010 thread (since that is when they went in the dirt)...  
Friendly piss take only. I am obsessed with my hops that I put in last year; gotta examine them everyday!


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## Yob (23/7/11)

sooooooo... work has begun for the first year of Hop Farming..

first, buy house with backyard with northern aspect, check



Staked out Hop Yard (4 plants 2m spacings approx.)


T piece will be painted then atached to fence at far end, height about 3 meters (roughtly half way up the trees behind the fence)


Need to weld up pole and 't' piece (old roof rack) for other end of yard and secure in ground

total cost 400k+

:lol: 

(nothing for materials though)


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## adryargument (23/7/11)

Thread i have been waiting for.

Have 12 plants up the back in pots that will be planted once spring comes.
Overall there are 6 types, 2 pots each.

Will be planted in two rows, about 1-1.5m apart. Already ripped out the old lemon tree which has kindly donated a grassy patch - just need to start prepping the ground. (Rather rocky / sandy - needs some TLC).

Looking forward to spring.


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## super_simian (23/7/11)

My Golding and Tett plants are already starting to send up shoots! Better make some proper trellises this year I think...


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## dcx3 (23/7/11)

adryargument said:


> Thread i have been waiting for.
> 
> Have 12 plants up the back in pots that will be planted once spring comes.
> Overall there are 6 types, 2 pots each.
> ...


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## Lecterfan (23/7/11)

Bloody hell I still haven't trimmed off the dead growth from last season!!!


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## Wolfy (23/7/11)

Lecterfan said:


> Bloody hell I still haven't trimmed off the dead growth from last season!!!


Same, I've done about 1/2 of them, and my sister is getting a bit pissy since they look so messy still.


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## ekul (23/7/11)

one of mine is still green from last year! 

One of the cuttings i did has a rhizome bigger than some of the first year rhizomes i planted last year! Amazing. Next year i will be doing heaps of cuttings, they root so easy. No reason for any homebrewer not to have a hop plant, unless they don't have space.


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## Lecterfan (23/7/11)

Wolfy said:


> Same, I've done about 1/2 of them, and my sister is getting a bit pissy since they look so messy still.




Yes they have a certain wintery, bleak, Ingmarr Bergman look about them. I am sure that the herbs and vegies around them have slowed down out of sheer depression from seeing the skeletal remains of such a once-vibrant plant.

My columbus in a pot tried to stick up a few shoots the other week when we had 4 days of sunshine in a row. I've just covered them up with a heap of mulch and will wait to see what happens. Smurtos POR and Goldings haven't left the vegie crisper in the fridge haha.

Going to have 7 plants on the go this year (two are goldings so only 6 varieties), 3 will be first year plants though so I don't expect too much from them.

I remember what a nervous wreck I was as of about Oct last year, but they really just grow like weeds. Water and a bit of potash. Laughing. I still have over 2kgs of mixed flowers vac sealed in the freezer! 

Nice one.
:icon_cheers:


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## Yob (23/7/11)

Lecterfan said:


> Going to have 7 plants on the go this year (two are goldings so only 6 varieties), 3 will be first year plants though so I don't expect too much from them.



Rhyzomes next July swap Lec? :lol:


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## Lecterfan (23/7/11)

iamozziyob said:


> Rhyzomes next July swap Lec? :lol:




Only if the central heating is on and I haven't fallen over and sprained my foot haha...

I have to work up the courage to dig some up this year for Mesa99!!!


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## timryan (23/7/11)

Chinook and POR sitting in the beer fridge with an Amarillo Ale cold conditioning waiting for the frost to pass.. Hopefully they are going strong.. Anyone from the area who can recommend when it is best to plant them?


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## Rotgut (23/7/11)

When do the adds start appearing on Ebay for rhizomes? I was a bit slow off the mark last year and nearly missed out! Hoping to add a Galaxy to the garden this season.


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## Blackapple (23/7/11)

Got my cascade in the ground couple of weeks ago. Already sending up shoots. Despite shitty weather.............


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## Bada Bing Brewery (23/7/11)

I just started today with chinook, saaz and cascade, first hops plants ....... My understanding is that galaxy, citra, NS and other newer hops are not available for retail. Is that correct?
cheers
BBB


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## yum beer (23/7/11)

Bada Bing Brewery said:


> I just started today with chinook, saaz and cascade, first hops plants ....... My understanding is that galaxy, citra, NS and other newer hops are not available for retail. Is that correct?
> cheers
> BBB




Thats right, they are not commercially available yet, probably a few more years.


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## timryan (23/7/11)

any tips for planting in the bacchus marsh region


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## Bada Bing Brewery (23/7/11)

yum beer said:


> Thats right, they are not commercially available yet, probably a few more years.


Thanks Yum
Cheers
BBB


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## Yob (23/7/11)

timryan said:


> any tips for planting in the bacchus marsh region




same as anywhere mate, after the last of the frosts or 'when the ground can be turned'. Im stakin the ground out in Ringwood ATM... probably would have been good to turn the holes a month back... theres an article somewhere on it, cant find it quickly but a bit of a search youll find it, alternativly, have a look in the 2010 Hop Plantations or Doc's recent sales and Advice Line topic.

Basicly though as soon as you know frost wont kill the new growth.

:icon_cheers:


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## proudscum (23/7/11)

Lecterfan said:


> Bloody hell I still haven't trimmed off the dead growth from last season!!!




same +the pots with the cuttings are full of weeds


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## Bada Bing Brewery (24/7/11)

I was just in contact with Rupert of Hopswest and asked about the availability of citra, galaxy etc etc. 
To quote, "A very long time... They all have Plant Breeders Rights (PBR). I dont know if their is a time limit on PBR (such as twenty years) ...done a quick search but didnt find anything. They are sold, as far as I know, under licence only to large scale commercial growers."
Bummer
Cheers
BBB


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## Yob (24/7/11)

do we know where/if they are grown in Australia?

Would be a terrible shame if when out for a walk one day a cutting fell off into some rooting hormone h34r: 

with 'permission' of course...

[edit] was reading a bit last night and it said that the hop yard should be laid out in an East/west direction? I can see the logic there I guess, damn I was pegging mine North South, better go and have another look at the back yard, I presumed it wouldnt matter too much as when they get to the top they'd all be getting the same.. er.. 

flawed theory?


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## newguy (24/7/11)

From L to R at the back of the house, Centennial, Centennial, Willamette, Cascade, Cascade. The hop running from the house to the trellis on the right is a Mt Hood.




Better view of the Mt Hood with the Cascade and Willamette in the background.




Golding.




Fuggle on the left and Hallertauer on the right.




Centennial on the left and Sterling on the right. This is the west side of the house and it gets the brunt of the wind and weather - the Sterling collapsed about 2 weeks ago in a thunderstorm. It was just like the Centennial prior to that.

They're all starting to bud. Should get full fledged flowers in 2-3 weeks at most.


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## Yob (24/7/11)




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## Wolfy (24/7/11)

iamozziyob said:


> [edit] was reading a bit last night and it said that the hop yard should be laid out in an East/west direction? I can see the logic there I guess, damn I was pegging mine North South, better go and have another look at the back yard, I presumed it wouldnt matter too much as when they get to the top they'd all be getting the same.. er..
> 
> flawed theory?


Mine run North-South.
I think the main thing is to ensure they get maximum sunlight (all hours of the day if possible), the best way achieve that might depend on the orientation of your yard etc.


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## kelbygreen (24/7/11)

nice plants newguy


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## Malted (26/7/11)

I have been busy buliding a raised garden bed to recieve my hop rhizomes from the 1/2 wine barrels they were in. No the back green fence is not that wonky - wide angle lense pictures stitched together = distorted picture.




It's not going to be all full of hops, just the two side sections. 6 varieties is probably more than I could hope for in a residential block like this (I still have two more varieites in 1/2 wine barrels, so eight in total). It is probably too early to be planting them but the missus wanted to put roses in the 1/2 wine barrels. My hops are in the garden bed, her roses are in the pots; that's the sort of compromise I am happy to make  

So far I have carted and shovelled about 6 tonne (or twelve trailer 1/2 tonne loads) of organic loam into it.
Here's my Chinook out of the 1/2 barrell, divided up and placed on the soil for spacing (same variety so put close together) prior to burial. This is the left hand side of the previous photo.


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## Yob (30/7/11)

I too have been somewhat busy in the garden... 


any good project starts with a hole... stoopid clay soil

reinforced pole socket, reo running in both directions, this will provide horizontal (weight) and lateral (wind) load support.. I hope..

Pole socket insitu

This will "slot" into the Pole socket and then be welded, this 'should' provide enough support and transfer the load to the reo.

First time Ive used this stuff... freakin awesome, pour water, add bag, poke with stick, wait 20 mins and repeat. The hole will eventually have 5 bags!!

3 bags in

4 bags in only just covers the horizontal load reo, hence 1 more bag will be added, probably overkill but better too much than not enough

Hop yard will run from the hole to the fence, enough space for 5 or 6 in the future, 3 going in this year, 2 Chinook and 1 Goldings (Cheers Doc)

Today I till the soil for the Rhyzomes and maybe plant out in a week or so.. Im thinking they could probably go in now though..

B)


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## Yob (7/8/11)

the cotinuation.. 


pole assembeled and strengthened.. might get round to painting it.. mebee, slid into place so easy, still need to weld it to the base pole from the previous post.


Fence attachmnt end, more a temporary thing atm.. will sound it out this season


Attached to fence


Lower attachment rings.


The 2011 Hop Yard,

just have to run the strings, thinking of running the strings through the top rings on the "T" pieces to a lower attachment ring so that I can lower the main top rope to harvest more easily.. the trees along the side are also in line for a heavy pruning sometime very soon h34r: think I might need a skip :lol: 

Yob


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## raven19 (7/8/11)

So finally got around to planting my 3rd year chinook rhizome back into the ground after moving.





First trellis up.



Goldings starting to show some green tinges on the shoots...


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## Yob (8/8/11)

did you trim that Rhizome back Raven? Its sprouting all over the place.. also... are you guys frost free already? Ive been achin to get em planted but am worried that the frosts will get to them..

Yob


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## raven19 (8/8/11)

Yeah I did trim mine back, however at the end of the season I covered it deep in mulch. I reckon its all broken down so they are sticking up a bit more now. I will likely trim back the old dead growth in the coming weeks.

(I trim the bines back after the leaves have gone brown and fallen off).

Still getting frosts in the Adelaide Hills, however the mulch keeps them comfy I think.

The large Chinook rhizome I took some cuttings off of, then trimmed it up (only a little bit neater) then planted it back into the ground. Covered in mulch with a small dose of water/light seasol mix.


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## GrainStain (9/8/11)

So Raven, you are of the opinion the it is fine to plant Rhizomes in Adelaide now?

I was holding out to the end of Aug but getting itchy fingers.


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## raven19 (9/8/11)

I reckon yes to planting now, don't water them too much yet though. Cover in mulch and wait for them to shoot up!


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## RobH (10/8/11)

I have had one of each of Smurtos POR & Goldings in potting soil in 20x20cm square pots under the back deck since delivery back in May - kept moist & sugarcane mulch on top. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the POR poking up a sprout, so last weekend I planted it in the raised bed that I had prepared against the NW facing brick garage wall... the winter veggies are doing well there (Broadbeans, Snow Peas, Beetroot, & Potatoes) and I recently "possum proofed" it with 1m high chicken wire (bloody possums!).

It is reasonably well frost protected with a bit of eave and gum tree overhang, so I think it will be ok in terms of frost.

The best photo I have is a rather blurry phone camera shot... 



Will have to get some batteries in the happy snappy point & click to take better photos


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## Yob (13/8/11)

the saga continues


gaden bed and first hole mortared in


the hole goes down about a foot or so and is now quite nice soil whith the stuff Ive put in there


first chinook going in... joy!!


the rhizome is planted about half way down the top of the bricks loose soil over


a bit of mulsh for good luck


 a bit of compost for love + a load of gypsum (claybreaker), blood and bone + trace elements, compost and mulch + slow release...

's-gunna luv it

:icon_drunk:


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## Wolfy (13/8/11)

iamozziyob said:


> View attachment 47620
> first chinook going in... joy!!
> 
> View attachment 47621
> the rhizome is planted about half way down the top of the bricks loose soil over


Looks good, and you're plants are going to be spoiled by the time it comes time to grow.
However (unless those bricks go about 6foot-deep) you do realize that the little 'square' you have planted the rhizome in will not be enough room to contain it? 
(Just look at DrS's plants from last year to see how much room they'll take up).


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## Yob (13/8/11)

Wolfy said:


> Looks good, and you're plants are going to be spoiled by the time it comes time to grow.
> However (unless those bricks go about 6foot-deep) you do realize that the little 'square' you have planted the rhizome in will not be enough room to contain it?
> (Just look at DrS's plants from last year to see how much room they'll take up).



 yeah I know it will redily outgrow that small 'square', Ive made it so I can expand the hole in future when required, in a few years/next year that will extend out to the right under the overhead lines, I figured for the first year it 'probably' will be happy enough in a smaller home... er.. hopefully  

Yob


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## Newbee(r) (13/8/11)

newguy said:


> View attachment 47234
> 
> 
> 
> They're all starting to bud. Should get full fledged flowers in 2-3 weeks at most.



That is a lovely collection of rhizomes.


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## arogers (16/8/11)

First signs of life from the Vienna Gold, the green stuff has been out for a while now (in fact I think all thru winter actually) but now have some purple shoots coming up looking for the sun.

I swear Vienna Gold is the most rampant of the 9 or so varieties I have, the stuff is crazy. Same is true for it's cuttings, they take every time and show the most growth while in the breeding stage.


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## drsmurto (16/8/11)

iamozziyob said:


> the saga continues
> 
> View attachment 47618
> gaden bed and first hole mortared in
> ...



How deep do the bricks go? The roots will easily go down 30+cm and then head sideways.

I've had bines appear more than 2 m from the plant growing up a corn plant. 

2m apart bare minimum for different varieties or you will spend the enitre growing season trying to keep them apart.

You will probably get away with it in their first root but I'd be spreading them out a lot more. 

My cascade and 1 of my chinooks are now less than 1 metre apart. When planted they were 3m apart. If/when i move and have to relocate these things i think cutting the top and bottom of a 44 gallon drum and burying that might be a plan. Although i wouldnt be surprised if these freaks could punch holes i metal.


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## Wolfy (16/8/11)

regulator said:


> First signs of life from the Vienna Gold, the green stuff has been out for a while now (in fact I think all thru winter actually) but now have some purple shoots coming up looking for the sun.
> 
> I swear Vienna Gold is the most rampant of the 9 or so varieties I have, the stuff is crazy. Same is true for it's cuttings, they take every time and show the most growth while in the breeding stage.


That's because you make it feel special and cool and call it "Vienna Gold" and not the blog-boring-generic 'Cluster' that it really is. 
Call it 'Cluster' and it probably will sulk like the rest of the hops and take a few more weeks to shoot.


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## Liam_snorkel (17/8/11)

planted my first hops (chinook & cascade) on the weekend, feeling very accomplished. Checked on them this morning and f#$&en bush turkeys had dug them up. FFFUUU.. :angry: I need to train the cat to hunt them. 
time to build a bloody great big fence.

will post pics if they survive.


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## newguy (17/8/11)

Since I was asked to post recent pics...







Close-up of the Hallertauer cones (still immature):


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## newguy (17/8/11)

Harvest will probably commence in about 4 weeks depending on the weather.


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## Malted (17/8/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> planted my first hops (chinook & cascade) on the weekend, feeling very accomplished. Checked on them this morning and f#$&en bush turkeys had dug them up. FFFUUU.. :angry: I need to train the cat to hunt them.
> time to build a bloody great big fence.
> 
> will post pics if they survive.




Yeah photos of bush turkeys are always cool


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## cdbrown (17/8/11)

I have 4 in pots from last year which I trimmed all the dead bines off. Do you guys recommend repotting them?


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## Yob (17/8/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> I need to train the cat to hunt them.



poor Colins


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## Liam_snorkel (17/8/11)

this guy? 
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/floods...brisbane-street

hahaha


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## Yob (17/8/11)

DrSmurto said:


> 2m apart bare minimum for different varieties or you will spend the enitre growing season trying to keep them apart.




Cheers Doc, the Chinooks are going in side by side (spaced about 2m) and then the goldings further up the lines (at least 2m)... and another 2 I have no idea where Im planting yet!! 

I know the bricks are not deep enouh atm but thought, perhaps incorrectly, that the first year may be OK and I would have time to do something a little more robust during next winter... tossing up a few ideas nothing concrete.... 

hmmmm concrete in-ground planter box or something? dunno, plenty of time to sort it out... 

I'm definatly feeling the urge to plant now though, it's an early spring down here

Yob


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## Bribie G (17/8/11)

My second year Cluster is just poking a shoot through the mulch layer, I noticed yesterday. It's very dry in SEQ so I've given that part of the yard a good soak. 

*What fertiliser would be good for second year?* There's an avocado tree in the back yard as well, so last year I gave the entire yard a good dose of fruit tree fertiliser and got easily 50 kilos of Avos, and the grass liked it as well. Is this a good hop fertiliser as well?

The hops really struggled last year in the heat and the old-style wet, probably look at a shade sail thingo this Summer.


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## felten (17/8/11)

I'd start out fertilising with some general fertiliser, with a higher N ratio, then when the cones start forming switch to a fruit/flower fertiliser, that has a higher K ratio, or just potash.

It's my understanding that having too much N when the cones are out can lower their AA and oil levels. Though it is good for getting a lot of leaf/bine growth at the beginning.


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## drsmurto (17/8/11)

The only fertiliser my hops see is in winter - 1 bag of horse manure per plant.

I see it as a way of slowly reinvigorating the soil by leaching into the soil over a few months. Pre-season training for hops.  

The added bonus is that by applying it so thick (10cm) it acts as a weed suppressant too!

For you tropical (all)sorts i suspect the needs of the plant will be siginificnatly different. I cant grow avocados (or mangos etc) but have a garden full of the stonefruit that requires a siginificant number of chill hours per season so very different climates!

Seasol/powerfeed combination would work well for the organic types.


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## Malted (17/8/11)

DrSmurto said:


> The only fertiliser my hops see is in winter - 1 bag of horse manure per plant.



Ah come on, how would you like it if someone took a dump on you when you were asleep in bed? h34r: 


Back on topic: 

+1 for seasol/powerfeed - my hops seemed to love it; high proportion of 'available' nutrients that kick in quickly; regular/frequent applications are necessary. The hops didn't really do much on osmocote slow release pellets as I guess most were not 'available' nutrients, probably leached through the pots before becoming available. 

be careful with potash (K), less is more... 
Wood ash contains about 6% potash (http://www.improve-your-garden-soil.com/po...fertilizer.html) and might be a good supplement during flowering.


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## raven19 (17/8/11)

cdbrown said:


> I have 4 in pots from last year which I trimmed all the dead bines off. Do you guys recommend repotting them?



How big are the pots mate?

I have not repotted many of mine - however I have never had flowers off my potted hops, only from hops in the ground.

I thus far have not trained the potted hops too high - more likely the issue for me. This season I will give them the chance to grow 4m+.

Have seen other hops in wine barrels that produce a crop though.


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## cdbrown (17/8/11)

raven19 said:


> How big are the pots mate?
> 
> I have not repotted many of mine - however I have never had flowers off my potted hops, only from hops in the ground.
> 
> ...



Those fake half wine barrels from bunnings - I think the medium size. I got some flowers last year from one plant, but I didn't plant them until well into the season so missed out on prime bine growing time. 3m growing height was reached as everyone was getting ready to harvest! Don't want to miss out again this year.


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## Malted (17/8/11)

raven19 said:


> How big are the pots mate?
> 
> I have not repotted many of mine - however I have never had flowers off my potted hops, only from hops in the ground.
> 
> ...



1st year hops in wine barrels at my place didn't seem to produce many cones, if any, below 1.5m above soil surface. All flower growth was towards the top part of the bines. Ergo if you snipped them off at 2m you would get stuff all flowers. Mine only had a trellis a bit over two meters above soil surface but I left the bines growing and trained them around and around in loops at the top instead of further upwards - I didn't snip them. It was the looped bines or the bits that would have been above 2m, if they were allowed to grow upwards, that produced the most flowers from the lateral shoots. 
Also once flower growth kicked in, the bines stopped trying to run away as much.


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## aaronpetersen (17/8/11)

I've got a spare Goldings rhizome that I'd like to swap for a Cascade. I just dug it up and it's got plenty of shoots and looks like it's ready to take off. I'm happy to post it.
View attachment 47694


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## Deebo (17/8/11)

1 Saaz I bought this year has a shoot out looking around, no sign from the cascade or chinook I put in last year yet.


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## DJR (17/8/11)

Haven't got mine in the ground just yet (worried about frost) but will soon, great tips in this thread.

I am going to dig a big hole, put up a pair of 2.4m posts, run a 3m post along the top of them, screw some hooks in, then roll wire from the hooks to the ground. That'll do 2 rhizomes and then repeat for another 2. I'll prep it with some organic compost and chook manure, and keep on seasol/nitrosoling it as the season goes.

If all goes well i should have 4 plants going, not sure if i will get any cones but growth is fine.

Is running multiple bines a big no-no or is it just as i hear: that commercial farms just run single bines to make it easier to mechanically harvest? I am thinking about 4-5 bines per rhizome and trim off any others.


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## Wolfy (17/8/11)

DJR said:


> Is running multiple bines a big no-no or is it just as i hear: that commercial farms just run single bines to make it easier to mechanically harvest? I am thinking about 4-5 bines per rhizome and trim off any others.


There is a relationship between the number of 'nodes' (leaf-junction-things) on the plants, the number of hours of sunlight and how big a crop they produce.
IMHO trimming back hops is only useful in a commercial situation (when they all need to be harvested at the same time) or if they are out of control at home, other than that no need or reason to cut them back.


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## Malted (18/8/11)

DJR said:


> Is running multiple bines a big no-no



To add to Wolfy's comments, I ran up to 4-5 bines _per string _and it was all good. 
Some folks say you should snip off the first bines to grow so that the latter ones will be more vigorous - it doesn't seem to make sense to me. With crowns/rhizomes that are young, there's only so many nodes on them from which bines will grow... maybe you need as many bines and flowers as possible to power the development of the root system? Why would later bines be more robust anyways, sounds like bollocks to me. Last year my chinook was first to pop up and grow leaves but then it just sat there like a shrub whilst the other varieties emerged, grew and started climbing to the moon. Once the weather warmed a bit then the chinook took off with it's total growth exceeding that of the others and it was the first to set flowers. So this leads me to think that sure the first bines to emerge may initially be a bit less vigorous than others emerging during more optimal growing conditions but they will all catch up at some point so why bother trimming the first to emerge? They'll get there if you give them time.


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## aaronpetersen (18/8/11)

AaronP said:


> I've got a spare Goldings rhizome that I'd like to swap for a Cascade. I just dug it up and it's got plenty of shoots and looks like it's ready to take off. I'm happy to post it.
> View attachment 47694



Hasn't anyone got a Cascade rhizome they want to swap for a Goldings?


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## Jace89 (18/8/11)

AaronP said:


> Hasn't anyone got a Cascade rhizome they want to swap for a Goldings?



Aaron, I'd happily buy it off you if you cant find a home for it mate?


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## felten (18/8/11)

DJR said:


> Is running multiple bines a big no-no or is it just as i hear: that commercial farms just run single bines to make it easier to mechanically harvest? I am thinking about 4-5 bines per rhizome and trim off any others.


Right, the picking and stripping the bines of cones is all done mechanically, and too much leafy growth would clog up the works, so they have to limit it. They make up for it by having massive trellis systems and just overpower their losses with sheer bulk of numbers.


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## hoppy2B (18/8/11)

Try layering some of the excess bines to create a larger root system for feeding those remaining. :unsure:


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## Malted (19/8/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Try layering some of the excess bines to create a larger root system for feeding those remaining. :unsure:


I don't buy that as a reason. That would seem to be assuming that you would tender your hops in a commercial way in presumably a backyard situation. It is just not neccessary to do this in your backyard. Layering would be an unnecessary thing to do (if for that intended purpose) and that reason would be nonsense. The roots grow like you wouldn't believe. 

For example: *one season* in a half wine barrel (and they grow more rapidly in the ground). 
From this:




to this:





Layering would be more for propagation purposes than feeding the remaining roots. 
I suspect that layering is also best done late in the season not early in the season. I tried it earlier in the season and failed, they just rotted; it may have just been poor technique. Layering towards the end of the season (which seems to be when most folks suggest it be done) would seem to be a simple, low effort way of producing rhizome sections for harvest and splitting in the following winter. I found it better (for me) to strike cuttings and let them grow and develop in the same growing season into advanced rhizomes by the winter. It's probably more effort though.

Have a look at this rhizome from a cutting:



The section near the top growth buds was as thick as my little finger. Look at the massive number of buds on it (I count about 18). I didn't photograph all of the zomes from cuttings I had, this was one of the first I de-potted and photographed when the novelty was fresh. Others were substantially larger than this.

Something to note, these cuttings were taken late in the growth season (mid March) so were not planted out into pots until April. They were a shits and giggles experiment with surprising results. Imagine if I had of taken some cuttings in December and thus given them a few more months to grow?

Further observations: 
Cuttings in pots - Little pots grow little rhizomes and bigger pots grow bigger rhizomes.
These cuttings kept their leaves and continued slowing growing quite some time after the mature bines nearby had dropped their leaves (maybe a micro climate things at ground level on pavers but who knows).

Yes you will get terrific growth from a length of rhizome with 4 or so growth buds on it taken from layering and it is probably less effort to generate rhizomes. Or you could take cuttings and generate a robust plant (I call it a plant because it is a rhizome plus tuber like roots and feeder roots) with many growth buds. I am not saying one is better than the other (even though it seems that way). There are pros and cons for layering and likewise for cuttings. 

I am not a hop expert, nor have I been growing them for many years. I have just made a few more observations and pictures than maybe most folks would. It seems to me that I have made some reasonable assumptions that are mostly supported by some photographic evidence and some actual experience.


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## cdbrown (19/8/11)

Checked the plants last night and noticed a few shoots on all of them. Decided not to disturb them, added blood and bone pellets and some nice new peet compost. Looking forward to some good growth this year as they'll have a 3month head start over last year!


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## Yob (19/8/11)

AaronP said:


> Hasn't anyone got a Cascade rhizome they want to swap for a Goldings?




cascade have been in short supply this year, I certainly havnt seen many or I would have one too <_< 

however...

Lillydale Cascade 

Ive already got an order in so go for it!!

Yob


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## matt white (19/8/11)

I have cascade rhizomes. $20 each incl post.

PM me.


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## mmmyummybeer (20/8/11)

Here's my hops, I have peas growing at the moment which may need to be pull out if hops need the space (as obvioulsy the hops have priority). The rhizomes are starting to shoot again, and hopefully another good hop growing season is on it's way.


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## kcurnow (20/8/11)

iamozziyob said:


> the saga continues
> 
> View attachment 47618
> gaden bed and first hole mortared in
> ...


So what is the height of the trellis that the hops will be growing across?


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## drew9242 (20/8/11)

Well i decided to plant some hops this year. Planted them today. I think i may have planted them to deep? I covered them all up and the shoots are just below the soil? Any way got these beauties from hopswest (rupert) top bloke 1 cascade and he gave me 2 big Saaz rhizomes aswell. 

View attachment images.zip


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## drew9242 (20/8/11)

pics


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## Wolfy (20/8/11)

Drew9242 said:


> Well i decided to plant some hops this year. Planted them today. I think i may have planted them to deep?


If anything they look too shallow, the new shoots can easily push up about 100-200mm or more without problem.


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## drew9242 (20/8/11)

Sorry wolfy that is not how i planted them. They are all under ground, that was before i planted them. But you have given me confidence for them to shoot through and grow like weeds. Cheers :beer:


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## Anofre (20/8/11)

The ones with stakes are 2nd year plants. 
2nd row new mounds built up, manured & watered in getting ready for this years plant.
From R to L:
Chinook
Columbus
Cascade
Vienna Gold (Cluster?)
Goldings
Pride if Ringwood
Tettnanger

Green patch in the top right of picture is a couple of acres of malting barley coming along nicely. 
Godswilling we'll get decent batch of single source Schultzbrauhaus harvest saison this year.




Goldings, POR & Vienna Gold already poking up some shoots. It's been a mildish week or 2 for this time of year.
Keeping them covered in hay, and waiting to plant new rhizomes until 1st week of September (expected possible last frost).


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## proudscum (21/8/11)

The prides are up to a metre already lucky i cleaned up the patch last weekend.Have some cuttings from last season in 250mm pots that are extras if people are interested and some that are in the ground.look at my signature for the varieties..no extra cascade,saaz or perle though.


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## kcurnow (21/8/11)

Here are a couple of shots of my second year hops in pots just starting to shoot again.




Willamete





Cascade


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## felten (21/8/11)

Mines just starting to poke shoots out as well, I haven't set up my trellis system yet. :\


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## Jace89 (21/8/11)

Anyone got any Golding rhizomes spare, happy to pay for them for them of course!


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## Housecat (21/8/11)

Here are my second year Cascade hops. 
I have them planted in a 100L container.

I'm pretty stoked, they only had 2 bines last year but I just counted 6 sprouting out today   





they look purple! Is that normal?



I only got about 80g dried from them last year but they were great for my aroma additions. If I get crazy amounts of them this year, I'll be doing a 10Min IPA with them :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: 


HC


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## thylacine (21/8/11)

Housecat said:


> Here are my second year Cascade hops.
> I have them planted in a 100L container.
> 
> Here is what "Nibbo" receives this week. thick rhizome, lots of 'nodes' and free! (ex-Gilbrew Chinook)


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## Tony (21/8/11)

my POR has about 20 bines heading out and 6 or so have opening leaves........... but this plant was growing out of a plastic bag in a 4 deg fridge when i got it so im not suprised.

Got half a kg of dry hops off it last season after 3 months in the dirt, this year it should take over the house........ i will take some pics when its not raining 

cheers


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## kelbygreen (21/8/11)

yeah stick it up me tony lol. Mine has prob 5 shoots I will try water it this year but doing 10 days on 4 days off I will have to revise a system while I am not here guy I talked to said you can get a dripper and hook it upto a PET bottle and it will slowly release the water may be the best idea when I am away. 

Tony that plant was not normal wasnt surprised it went nuts but I bet I still would of killed it


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## Florian (21/8/11)

Kelby, a PET bottle might not give you enough water if you're away for ten days. 
I think I might hook up my irrigation system to the hops this year as I only grow in smallish pots, I built it for the veggie roof garden a few years back. If you have a good look around at Bunnings I reckon you can hook something up for around 50 bucks including timer, enough hoses, connections and drippers, even a rain sensor.


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## kelbygreen (21/8/11)

yeah prob a good idea. will have a look around to see what I can setup. didnt think they would shoot so soon was going to dig them up and condition the soil 500x500x500 but guess I will have to just fertilise and mulch. I am going away tomorrow and didnt check them till tonight after seeing this thread so will pump em up in 10 days lol


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## Malted (24/8/11)

I am quite surprised by my 1st yr Goldings growth (a large rhizome from DrSmurto). 3 1/2 weeks in the ground and the bines are long/tall enough that they are bending about looking for something to climb. I'd best get the trellis sorted out soon!


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## Shed101 (24/8/11)

Malted said:


> I am quite surprised by my 1st yr Goldings growth (a large rhizome from DrSmurto). 3 1/2 weeks in the ground and the bines are long/tall enough that they are bending about looking for something to climb. I'd best get the trellis sorted out soon!



I put some fairly small rhizomes in - Goldings, Cascade and Chinook - about two weeks ago (thanks Ratchie , and have just seen the first shoots coming through on the Goldings today. Nothing from the others yet.


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## jurule (24/8/11)

I have a Challenger, going really well, several shoots, Saaz nothing and a Hersbrucker with two very small shoots. Challenger just went in ground ready to climb the ugly stobie pole out front


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## Malted (24/8/11)

jurule said:


> I have a Challenger, going really well, several shoots, Saaz nothing and a Hersbrucker with two very small shoots. Challenger just went in ground ready to climb the ugly stobie pole out front



Up the stobie pole, I love it!!!


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## timryan (24/8/11)

Hey guys I've noticed a few posts from people around Melbourne... Is it too early too be planting due to frost? I'm in Bacchus marsh about 30 min from melb would I right to plant yet?


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## Wolfy (24/8/11)

It's bee nice and warm the last few days/week, if this continues should be fine to plant them.


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## hoppy2B (24/8/11)

Are all you bright sparks out there sure that frost even affects hops? :huh: 
Why don't you take that bucket off your head and use it to cover up your hops at night if you're that worried about frost? :lol:


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## Wolfy (24/8/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Are all you bright sparks out there sure that frost even affects hops? :huh:


Yes, and if you need more evidence, a quick Google search will provide examples of home-hop-growers who have had their plants damaged by frost.


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## hoppy2B (24/8/11)

I read one entry on an American blog where an individual stated that only one of his 8 plants, a Mt. Hood showed any damage after 5 or 6 days of frost and 4 days of snow. :mellow: That I found after you said to check google.


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## newguy (24/8/11)

Anofre said:


> Keeping them covered in hay, and waiting to plant new rhizomes until 1st week of September (expected possible last frost).



No need. Twice I've seen my hops emerge in spring when the weather warmed, but then things turned and we had daytime highs of -10C for a week. Since my Hallertauer is on the South side of the house, it is always the first to emerge, even before all the snow is gone. Even with the week of freezing temperatures, *it didn't even change colour, let alone suffer frost damage*. They're very tough plants.


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## newguy (24/8/11)

Housecat said:


> they look purple! Is that normal?



Yes. Some more so than others - my Centennials are very very purple, Mt Hood quite purple, same with Cascade. The others I have are more green than purple, but with red tinges.


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## drsmurto (25/8/11)

I've had plants emerge before the end of winter and whislt not suffering any visible signs of dmanage from the frost they didnt grow for another 2 months. 

My Victoria has poked its head through 10 cm of horse manure, a bit of a warm end to winter in Adelaide so it has been hoodwinked. I would expect a few more frosts before the end of September (usually no frost after the AFL GF) so will be interesting to see how it copes. The rest of my hops are still fast asleep.


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## BigDaddy (25/8/11)

Dr Smurto: An option in this situation is to put a cloche over each plant where they are poking up. 

This is as simple as cutting up a used OJ, soft drink or cordial bottle in 1/2 and placing it over the plant will keep it safe from any frost and might help it kick on instead of moving into a dormant phase by warming the soil. Having it open in the top is fine (ie the top of the bottle) but I punch a couple of holes in the bottom so the plant doesn't damp off). 

Obviously if the rhyzome is sprouting all over the place it might look a bit messy for a while but they should get a good start - I do this with tomatoes and capsicum seedlings at this time of year and get earlier cropping and a longer season out of them. Here in Adelaide, I wouldn't expect for cloches to be needed for more than 4 weeks from now. Perhaps a little longer in the hills.

I've got my first lot growing in large pots and they have sprouted already - the Chinook has grown 20mm a day this week and the Hersbrucker has poked up 4 buds in the same timeframe. Despite this, I dont think I would have used cloches on the pots as they tend to have warmer soil anyway as they face north and get plenty of sun ATM.


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## drsmurto (25/8/11)

Cheers for the tips but my hops have to survive on their own. 

Frosts don't kill weeds...... just look at my lawn areas, yellow/brown grass, bright green weeds <_<


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## hoppy2B (25/8/11)

I'm interested to know if anyone here in the Adelaide and hills region or elsewhere in Australia has had any trouble with diseases like downy mildew. I had a bad case of downy mildew on some grapes last season and have just started growing my first hops. :mellow:


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## GrainStain (25/8/11)

Heres my Chinnok from Smurto and 2 Cascades from Hopswest on planting day. Third one is small Chinook completely covered.


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## GrainStain (25/8/11)

And here is Cascade after 2 weeks in pot


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## drsmurto (25/8/11)

hoppy2B said:


> I'm interested to know if anyone here in the Adelaide and hills region or elsewhere in Australia has had any trouble with diseases like downy mildew. I had a bad case of downy mildew on some grapes last season and have just started growing my first hops. :mellow:



If you know anything about grapes Hoppy2B you'd know that 2011 was the season from hell for grapegrowers in most of SA. Mildew (both kinds) in spades and lots of grapes that failed to ripen.

My hops seemed to suffer a bit from the wetter summer and yield was down on what i expected but still more than i use in a year (until i brew 10 min IPAs....).

It will take more than a nasty dose of mildew to hurt a hop plant. I think these things could quite possibly survive a nuclear explosion. :lol:


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## wizard78 (25/8/11)

This is my second year Chinook. This photo was taken in May, and there are more shoots now. Do you guys think I should do a heap of trimming?
My 3rd year PoR is looking very similar as well. Looks like it might be another good year. Last year between 4 plants I got over 2 Kg dry.


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## Shed101 (26/8/11)

GrainStain said:


> And here is Cascade after 2 weeks in pot



Nice work :icon_cheers: 

As of this morning I had little shoots poking out of 3 out of 4 pots.

Only the Chinook to go ... or is it the Cascade?


Damn. I knew I should have labelled them :unsure:


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## BigDaddy (26/8/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Cheers for the tips but my hops have to survive on their own.
> 
> Frosts don't kill weeds...... just look at my lawn areas, yellow/brown grass, bright green weeds <_<



I keep forgetting these things are weeds :blink: - anyway, warmer ground = faster start and therefore potentially better yield (certainly for vegies). 

Red spider mite have generally been a bugger in my garden - they seem to love any sort of vine like beans etc in the warmer months which is why I put mine in pots for the first year. Never grown them before but looking forward to the experience!!


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## ratchie (26/8/11)

Shed101 said:


> Nice work :icon_cheers:
> 
> As of this morning I had little shoots poking out of 3 out of 4 pots.
> 
> ...




The Chinook was the short fat rhizome :icon_cheers:


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## Shed101 (26/8/11)

ratchie said:


> The Chinook was the short fat rhizome :icon_cheers:



Only kidding mate ... I planted them in alphabetical order. Wouldn't want to get my Cascade mixed with my Chinook now would I? :icon_vomit:


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## drsmurto (26/8/11)

The Victoria rhizomes i planted that were cuttings from the original plant and the same size as the rhizomes i have sold have starting shooting as well as the parent Victoria rhizome!

Will be interesting to see how the younger plants deal with frost - they are slighlty more exposed (further away from a large tree).


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## husky (26/8/11)

POR starting to flower after a week of good weather in melbourne. Was a bit disappointed that there was no splitable roots with nodes, might have to trim it off at the base this year and hope the nodes develope on the root system.
Cascade lagging behind by a long way.


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## Wolfy (27/8/11)

husky said:


> Was a bit disappointed that there was no splitable roots with nodes, might have to trim it off at the base this year and hope the nodes develope on the root system.


You might have more luck doing the opposite. Bury some of the 'extra' bines in the ground (while the plant is still growing), and by the end of the season the parts you bury in the ground will have sprouted roots to create new plants (when you cut the rest of the bine from the parent after harvest).


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## hoppy2B (28/8/11)

If anyone is interested I have a significant number of home garden variety strawberry plants to give away. They differ from the commercial varieties in that they tend to have a lot more flavour but don't keep as well. I have just transplanted a few hundred onto a couple of long mound type structures covered in plastic. Planning to use them for making strawberry wine.
Should mention that I definitely won't be posting them because that would not be economical. I'm in South Australia. I can drop them off around Strathalbyn, Mt. Barker and along the Freeway and down to Adelaide. I may be able to drop them a bit further for a few bucks for petrol of a few brews. 
You may notice in the image between the mass of strawberries and the long plastic mounds in the background, there are some mounds. They are the homes of my recently aquired Chinook rhizomes.


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## Lecterfan (28/8/11)

Well, there's plenty more cold weather to get through in Ballarat, but now the temps are at least in the teens most days and the sun is out for longer and longer I couldn't hold off...

They are all in the ground now. The colombus I got from Proudscum was a massive tangle of roots in the pot and it already has 4 shoots (which are still white as I'm keeping them under a lot of mulch). The Goldings from Dr.S looked healthy (been in the vegie crisper for ages), with one little white bud, but the POR (also from DR.S) is straining at the bit! Heaps of white buds all longing to get into the ground.

I've also planted some as-yet-unidentified-french hops from a friends property at Dunkeld.

Looking forward to this season after being so precious about it last year and not really making the most of it (picked alot of them too early and generally didn't believe their weed-like reputation haha). Cheers all.


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## Fish13 (28/8/11)

Just a query guys.

Does any one get any attention from undersiables?(re thieves) and the police for the strange looking vines covering there gardens?


What aroma do they give off on the vine? JUst curious before i ask SWMBO for permission to grow a vine of herald/columbos.


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## Jace89 (28/8/11)

GrainStain said:


> Heres my Chinnok from Smurto and 2 Cascades from Hopswest on planting day. Third one is small Chinook completely covered.



GainStain, where did you get those wire trellis from? Or did you make them, if so what are they made from?


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## Deebo (28/8/11)

Saaz is off and running, just hope the twine I used will be strong enough.


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## Yob (28/8/11)

as it stands 2 chinook and one goldings in the ground, The cinooks planted slightly closer than I otherwise would have done if they were different types, and the goldings a good ways off with plenty of room to go op the lines... loved to see they were shooting coming out of the fridge  + a rather sick Tett and a very ill POR (prolly wont make it but I live in hope) in a very big pot to see if I can nurse them back to health... if they spring I have a spot selected.

Im going to have to raise the pole and lines a bit too I think but it's all coming together nicely.. we moved 2m - 3m of nice compost/soil to the raised garden beds over the weekend.. puff puff... 

going to be a good year for growing all sorts of things  ... er.. vegetables and herbs I mean... er.. edible ones right :unsure: 

Yob


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## hoppy2B (28/8/11)

Now all you need is a couple of strawberries and you'll be laughing. :lol:


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## raven19 (28/8/11)

hoppy2B said:


> If anyone is interested I have a significant number of home garden variety strawberry plants to give away.
> ...
> You may notice in the image between the mass of strawberries and the long plastic mounds in the background, there are some mounds. They are the homes of my recently aquired Chinook rhizomes.



I hope they grow well mate. Out of interest are the strawberry's good eating too?



fish13 said:


> Does any one get any attention from undersiables?(re thieves) and the police for the strange looking vines covering there gardens?



Aroma is minimal (until you squeeze the ripe cones), and they don't look like a hooch plant. I don't think you will have any problems fella. These are bines that need a structure/twine to grow up. Their cousins are stand alone (I believe!  )


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## Fish13 (28/8/11)

raven19 said:


> I hope they grow well mate. Out of interest are the strawberry's good eating too?
> 
> 
> 
> Aroma is minimal (until you squeeze the ripe cones), and they don't look like a hooch plant. I don't think you will have any problems fella. These are bines that need a structure/twine to grow up. Their cousins are stand alone (I believe!  )



thanks raven.
Just wanted to ask the questions before i plant a vine. Yeah i figured it would be like a passionfruit vine


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## hoppy2B (29/8/11)

raven19 said:


> I hope they grow well mate. Out of interest are the strawberry's good eating too?
> 
> Hi Raven19. My recently planted hops are beginning to emerge.  The strawberries just went in less than a week ago but are starting to bound away. Most have flowers and will be fruiting within a couple of weeks!
> The strawberries are excellent eating. Home garden varieties have the most flavour. Commercial varieties tend to be 'wooden' because they need to pack well.
> Actually, did have an after thought. I probably could mail them if anyone is interested.


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## waggastew (31/8/11)

Did a rush-job rejuvination of my hop garden this arvo after work after seeing one of the plants starting to shoot. Dug up the old plants, inspected, dug over patch and made it bigger, added fertiliser and replanted last years rhizomes along with two newies (POR and Super Alpha). Of the five I planted last year, I lost two (perhaps they didn't grow at all? They were very close together), Cascade and Mt Hood. Most have begun to shoot so it should not be long until they are clambering up my new 2nd hop pole. Line up now stands at:

Chinook, Chinook #2, Goldings (mega-rhizome), Saaz, Super Alpha, POR.

Bit of a bastard mix, I might try and swap the Saaz for another Cascade next year. I also plan to 'box-up' the hop beds to make the 'which hop is this process easier.


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## GrainStain (4/9/11)

Hey Jace,

I got them from bunnings, I am pretty sure they were called tomato trellis'. Obviously they are no where near high enough, but these are just an experiment initially to get established in the pot for the years to come and perhaps try to grow them horizontal as well. There is no real game plan as yet, I really dont have the space.

Fortunately, I had a mate at work kindly donate me part of his North facing veggie patch where I put some in the ground!

This is the hops in the pots at week 3. Very exciting. My wife looked at me strange when she had a close look at the leaves...


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## barls (4/9/11)

just finished rebuilding the trellis 
heres a pic


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## Shed101 (4/9/11)

barls said:


> just finished rebuilding the trellis
> heres a pic



no half steppin' :icon_chickcheers:


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## GrainStain (4/9/11)

That boldly states "I AM GROWING HOPS" 

Nice setup


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## barls (4/9/11)

the funny thing is that its only for 2 5yr old and one 3rd yr plants. ill post up some more once they take off.


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## Yob (4/9/11)

barls said:


> heres a pic



is the main horizontal line up top just rope? 

I happen to have some stainless/galved wire (free when a mate come round to mint the hills hoist) I was thinkin of using but not sure if they will grab onto it... I could always run the steel wire for strength and then some string round it for them to grab onto...

nice lookin rig man, 

1st signs of life for me is the tett.. sprung to and surprised me, ripped out of the pot in a week and grew 3 inches in a few days.. must transplant it next weekend 

Piccie of my first sprout.. :wub: 




im sure the others will be along any time now and cant wait :beer:


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## Shed101 (4/9/11)

iamozziyob said:


> I happen to have some stainless/galved wire (free when a mate come round to mint the hills hoist) I was thinkin of using but not sure if they will grab onto it... I could always run the steel wire for strength and then some string round it for them to grab onto...



I'm pretty sure you'll be right with that :icon_cheers: It's what Ratchie uses, and come to think of it it would be grippier than the stuff the pro's use.

http://www.arcelormittal.com/distributionsolutions/wiresolutions/industrialwire/products/annealed_wire/hop_wire ://http://www.arcelormittal.com/distri..._wire/hop_wire


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## going down a hill (4/9/11)

I have a gardening problem! 

I planted the rhizomes horizontally instead of vertically in a temporary planter until I finish making my hop boxes. The first shoots came through during the week (that's the good news) and I thought I would correct the direction of the rhizomes by making them vertical. Some of the shoots were then exposed when they were before hand underground and the sun got to a couple of the shoots and they have gone dead and limp, the shoot half way up still has life, but the tip is cactus. 

Does that mean that shoot is finished or will it regenerate?

Cheers.


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## kelbygreen (4/9/11)

they will prob shoot out of the shoots, I had this when I didnt water mine and it died right back little shoots came out of the vine and just ended up with heaps of straggly vines growing out of the old one. I wouldnt worry as long as the plants not dead you may be like me and get no crop on first year though


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## going down a hill (4/9/11)

Thanks Kelby


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## kelbygreen (4/9/11)

yeah my POR has 4 shoots coming up and the chinook no sign yet but time will tell. So even though I tried my best to kill them there still growing haha


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## barls (4/9/11)

iamozziyob said:


> is the main horizontal line up top just rope?
> 
> I happen to have some stainless/galved wire (free when a mate come round to mint the hills hoist) I was thinkin of using but not sure if they will grab onto it... I could always run the steel wire for strength and then some string round it for them to grab onto...
> 
> ...


the top wires are the plastic coated clothes line wire from bunnings. if i had some of the ss wire i would of used it, but its so god damn expensive.


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## Malted (5/9/11)

iamozziyob said:


> I happen to have some stainless/galved wire (free when a mate come round to mint the hills hoist) I was thinkin of using but not sure if they will grab onto it... I could always run the steel wire for strength and then some string round it for them to grab onto...




I reckon something strong on your horizontals and then jute (or similar) string running down to the ground. Jute being a fibre string will be good for the hops to grip onto. 

The biggest reason for using jute (or similar) is that when the hops die off, you just cut the string and bine at top and bottom and put the whole lot in the bin, easy. Think about it; if you want to recycle the vertical strings then if the vertical strings are 'grippy' then you're going to have trouble getting the bines off them when dead. *Make it easier on yourself, use disposable vertical strings*. 




*Edit: *Here's a picture of my 1st yr Goldings, I really need to sort out some sort of trellis system for them!




I have a trellis for my zomes in pots, but don't think it appropriate for the ones planted in the garden bed (because of other plants). I am not sure what to do for the garden bed, just that I have to do something soon. The pot trellis was about 2.2m above the height of the top of the pot, it did not seem to be high enough. I reckon 3-4 m would be better but that is a height at which it is not easy to get up a ladder to harvest cones. So I am thinking of a structure at 3.5m high that I can raise or lower the vertical strings from a pulley arrangement and that wouldn't really work on the system below. So I have not built the same system on the garden bed. 
I think I am over thinking the possibilities.

Trellis for pots:


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## beerdrinkingbob (5/9/11)

Bit of DIY trellis work.......


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## Wolfy (5/9/11)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> Bit of DIY trellis work.......


I give them 2 weeks of weather like this and they'll be at the top.


----------



## kelbygreen (5/9/11)

well I might grow hops this year  I put in a dripper system and its on a automatic watering system so it will come on at x time so x amount of time. I also put about 100mm of sugar cain mulch over the bed to retain the moisture its working well as I watered them last night and its still damp. 

But now to figure out how often to turn the drippers on and for how long. They are 4lts/h so I am guessing prob 45-60mins every 2 days maybe when it gets hotter might have to do it every day will adjust as needed but be away for 10 days from tomorrow again so wont be able check till I get home.


----------



## Fents (5/9/11)

Wolfy said:


> I give them 2 weeks of weather like this and they'll be at the top.



My tetts already at the top of my fence trellis and its got to be double as high as that pic.


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (5/9/11)

had crossed my mind but I have to move in 2 months so need to keep it mobile, anyone pruned their hops back before??


----------



## Wolfy (5/9/11)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> had crossed my mind but I have to move in 2 months so need to keep it mobile, anyone pruned their hops back before??


On one of the brewing podcast/video things in the USA, the guy used a single pole and had a string looped over the top, as the hops grew he lowered the string, thus allowing the hops always to grow 'up' but keeping a fixed pole height (and hence keeping it portable).


----------



## Yob (5/9/11)

there was this guy MMMMMMmmmmmm! You can pickle them too!

:blink:


----------



## PhantomEasey (6/9/11)

Hey guys, thought I'd add mine to the mix. First crack at growing my own hops, big thanks to Mario for supplying them! All in 52ltr pots from the big green shed, potting mix and a weekly dosage of powerfeed. Since these pics were taken (Friday night) the Hallertauer is over 400mm high. Looks like I need to spend an evening setting up those climbing strings sooner than I thought 

Without further ado...
POR




Hallertauer



Tettnanger



Gonna move two of them round the front of the house so they can climb all over the gable. The POR will stay against the fence and be draped along it in a zig-zag effect. 

Anyone had success with the electric food driers? My aunty has one that I plan to use cometh the harvest


----------



## Fish13 (6/9/11)

woohoo my hallertau is on the way!!!


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (7/9/11)

Anyone had success with the electric food driers? My aunty has one that I plan to use cometh the harvest 
[/quote]

Hi Fish13, I got a drier from Aldi last year for this purpose but found that I was better off taking a screen off a window and putting it on two saw horses in the shed for a couple of days. All depends how much your plants yield.

Pic from last year to give you an idea.
Note two screens used together.





Good luck


----------



## PhantomEasey (7/9/11)

Mitternacht Brauer said:


> Anyone had success with the electric food driers? My aunty has one that I plan to use cometh the harvest
> 
> 
> Hi Fish13, I got a drier from Aldi last year for this purpose but found that I was better off taking a screen off a window and putting it on two saw horses in the shed for a couple of days. All depends how much your plants yield.
> ...



Hey Mitternacht (love the name btw)

It was me asking about the drier. Was the issue the time it took to dry them, a negative affect on the quality of the flowers, or simply a capacity issue? 

Btw, them are some nice lookin' cones you've got there!


----------



## MaestroMatt (7/9/11)

Mitternacht Brauer said:


> Anyone had success with the electric food driers? My aunty has one that I plan to use cometh the harvest
> 
> 
> Hi Fish13, I got a drier from Aldi last year for this purpose but found that I was better off taking a screen off a window and putting it on two saw horses in the shed for a couple of days. All depends how much your plants yield.
> ...




How many plants gave you that kind of yield?? Even, dry weight that would have to be a quite a few brews worth there! 
Looks great!


----------



## drsmurto (7/9/11)

Those little electric driers are good for a few handfuls of hops.

I use one for drying figs but could only fit a fraction of one plants yield in it so i uise a flyscreen as well for drying my hops. But then i am getting in excess of 800g dry from my chinook plants and 300g+ for the others. Dry weight is 10-15% of wet hops.


----------



## fcmcg (7/9/11)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> Bit of DIY trellis work.......


Is that from the hallertau , i gave you bloke ?


----------



## PhantomEasey (7/9/11)

They're some handy quantities Doc, I can see why systematically drying them in small batches would be pain in the arse. To be honest I'm not sure what the capacity is for the one I'd be borrowing, but I know they do lots of dried apples/pears/apricots and whatever they have on their hobby farm, so I'm hoping it's got a decent capacity. 

That said, these are first year rhizomes so I'm not expecting a bumper harvest.


----------



## drsmurto (7/9/11)

The one i use has 10 trays so does a lot of halved figs. Several kg.

Several kg of wet hops is a lot, I doubt the drier could hold more than 1/2kg tops. 

Some people get a lot off their 1st year plants.

I got nothing.

My 2nd year crop was only enough for a single batch (60-70g dry) per variety.

After that though it has taken off and i now get more than i need.


----------



## newguy (7/9/11)

Malted said:


> I reckon something strong on your horizontals and then jute (or similar) string running down to the ground. Jute being a fibre string will be good for the hops to grip onto.
> 
> The biggest reason for using jute (or similar) is that when the hops die off, you just cut the string and bine at top and bottom and put the whole lot in the bin, easy. Think about it; if you want to recycle the vertical strings then if the vertical strings are 'grippy' then you're going to have trouble getting the bines off them when dead. *Make it easier on yourself, use disposable vertical strings*.



I used jute the first 2 years but the only jute twine I could find wasn't very thick stuff. In my experience, about 50% would break when the plant started to "bush" out. All it takes is for the twine to get wet, then a small breeze will usually put the works in a heap on the ground.

This year I opted for 1/2" (~12mm) nylon rope with "dog collar" steel quick connects on each end, and heavy duty steel eyelets to hook the quick connects to. When it's harvest time, all I have to do is unhook the quick connect to lay the vine down. Once it's time to cut the thing back to the ground, removing the thing from a sturdy nylon rope won't be difficult. I found it quite difficult removing the vines from the jute twine as the twine just kept breaking. This was a pain as I simply laid the vines out on the lawn and then ran them over with the lawnmower a few times (I wanted to return the nutrients to the soil) and I had to remove all the twine first. It took forever.


----------



## bowser (7/9/11)

My Chinook and POR rhizomes are finally starting to poke through the soil after being in the ground for about 5 weeks.

I was getting worried there for a little while.


----------



## Malted (7/9/11)

newguy said:


> I used jute the first 2 years but the only jute twine I could find wasn't very thick stuff. In my experience, about 50% would break when the plant started to "bush" out. All it takes is for the twine to get wet, then a small breeze will usually put the works in a heap on the ground.
> 
> This year I opted for 1/2" (~12mm) nylon rope with "dog collar" steel quick connects on each end, and heavy duty steel eyelets to hook the quick connects to. When it's harvest time, all I have to do is unhook the quick connect to lay the vine down. Once it's time to cut the thing back to the ground, removing the thing from a sturdy nylon rope won't be difficult. I found it quite difficult removing the vines from the jute twine as the twine just kept breaking. This was a pain as I simply laid the vines out on the lawn and then ran them over with the lawnmower a few times (I wanted to return the nutrients to the soil) and I had to remove all the twine first. It took forever.



Thanks newguy, once again an informative post. I am not concerned about returning the hop nutrients to the soil, I use seaweed & fish and chicken poo fertilisers.  
I plan on either throwing the whole lot (bines and twines) into a green waste bin or composting it and expect that jute or similar would be suitable for either. I ran my bines up ~12mm synthetic rope last season and it seemed to me to be a PITA (maybe I am just lazy) to get the dried bines off the rope so I am going the opposite way to you. Good point about the thickness of the jute, I couldn't get particulalry robust stuff either. I had been thinking of twisting a few together and will definately do that now, thanks.


----------



## MaltyHops (7/9/11)

Well, here're mine ... hoping for a better crop than last season's three cones
(used as decoration in kitchen area) after they got wind whipped in a trailer
while moving house and almost not getting any water during the peak growth
period (result of a brain fade moment).

T.


----------



## kymba (9/9/11)

plants - L -> R goldings, POR, cascade, chinook



where they will be going



just got to finish fabbing up the 4.5m poles and away we go!


----------



## going down a hill (9/9/11)

That's a good looking set of hop boxes you have there kymba. Nice work.


----------



## Malted (9/9/11)

I am surprised by how small a section of rhizome is needed (probably not 'optimal' but seems like it can be done). 
I had one piece of 'trimming' that was seriously LESS than 2cm long with a bud on it and I planted it in the ground just for the heck of it. I expected it to be too small to grow. It has now thrown a shoot above ground and is working on developing leaves.


----------



## PhantomEasey (9/9/11)

They're some serious planters you've got there Kymba!

Just a quick question to the hop gurus out there, I've read a fair bit about training hops up a support trellis or string, and most if not all articles/threads advocate training the bine in a clockwise direction. Do they mean a clockwise direction looking from the top down into the heart of the plant, or does the bine climb the support in a clockwise direction from the ground up? (and so anticlockwise from the 'top-down' perspective). 

My Hallertauer is screaming for some support to climb up, just want to get it right from the start. 

Cheers, 

PE


----------



## Malted (9/9/11)

PhantomEasey said:


> They're some serious planters you've got there Kymba!
> 
> Just a quick question to the hop gurus out there, I've read a fair bit about training hops up a support trellis or string, and most if not all articles/threads advocate training the bine in a clockwise direction. Do they mean a clockwise direction looking from the top down into the heart of the plant, or does the bine climb the support in a clockwise direction from the ground up? (and so anticlockwise from the 'top-down' perspective).
> 
> ...



Don't stress; they will show you which way they want to go as the bines start curling themselves. 
If you are in the sky looking towards the ground, they curl clockwise.


----------



## kelbygreen (9/9/11)

I think its clockwise looking up. I am sure they will figure it out if you do it wrong lol. They grow following the sun so will grow from left to right looking at the plant. from the suns side if that makes sence


----------



## PhantomEasey (9/9/11)

Fair enough - I figured after however many years of evolution they would have it sorted, but thought as I had access to such a knowledge base I'd be foolish not to ask. 

Cheers guys.

PE


----------



## Malted (9/9/11)

PhantomEasey said:


> Fair enough - I figured after however many years of evolution they would have it sorted, but thought as I had access to such a knowledge base I'd be foolish not to ask.
> 
> Cheers guys.
> 
> PE




It's a question that gets asked a lot, that's all, but no one here is jumping down your throat. When long enough, they will start showing a spiral pattern even without a string. Enjoy your hop growing, it's both rewarding and compulsive!


----------



## PhantomEasey (9/9/11)

Thanks Malted, I've used the search function to great success, I guess that's why my participation in the forum has been reasonably limited to this point, must has missed the spiels on that. 

Looking forward to dry hopping the bejeesus out of a few ipa's next year :super:


----------



## Malted (9/9/11)

kymba said:


> plants - L -> R goldings, POR, cascade, chinook
> View attachment 48199
> 
> 
> ...



You can't count. Four pots into three planter boxes?  If it were me, I wouldn't put two different varieties into one box; Dr Smurto says repeatedly, plant different varieties (*edit*: a minimum of) two meters apart. Having said that, I reckon you have it sorted and I suspect there is a fourth box or planting area that couldn't fit into the photo
I assume the poles will be like a flag pole sorta thing so you can lower the bines down to get at them. Looks great so far.


----------



## kymba (9/9/11)

cheers guys - figured it would be easier to build some boxes rather than dig into and condition shitty clay. i will be filling the boxes with mushroom compost, chicken poop, horse poop and straw

and yeah i need to build 2 more boxes as there are actually 2 cascades in the one pot

there will be another pole on the opposite side of the yard about 18m away. I plan to space 2 wires about 1.5m apart and alternate which wire each plant is strung to 

and with the hop winding - i didn't. i just put the string near it and it looked after its self. if only infants were like that


----------



## waggastew (9/9/11)

On the string winding thing make sure you have some sort of strings in place early. My shoots last year seemed to stall. As soon as I provided them some strings to grab hold of they took off. Even if you use something temporary until you get your main lines up.


----------



## Fish13 (10/9/11)

my dodgy setup.... I hop it works


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (10/9/11)

fergthebrewer said:


> Is that from the hallertau , i gave you bloke ?



No mate that never got started, well at least yet anyway!!


----------



## Siborg (10/9/11)

I know it's a little late, but I have chinook, cascade and hallertau rhizomes in large pots ready to go. I planted them last year, and the sprouted but didn't produce any flowers. 

I'm happy to off load them to someone for a bottle of their finest (1 bottle, 1 pot with rhizome). PM me if anyone wants em.


----------



## Yob (10/9/11)

PM sent re Cascade


----------



## darrenp (11/9/11)

PM sent re Halertau.


----------



## kaspa07 (11/9/11)

Damn Melbourne weather, had plans to replant my hops in a different possition and add fertiliser this weekend......well at least I went to bunnngs and got some potting mix and fertiliser hopefuly the rain will stay away next weekend :blink:


----------



## timryan (11/9/11)

Siborg.. I can get to son she but am interested in the cascade rhizomes would you post within Victoria?


----------



## Siborg (11/9/11)

timryan said:


> Siborg.. I can get to son she but am interested in the cascade rhizomes would you post within Victoria?


Sorry mate. They are as is, in the pots. I'm not posting them, just want to get rid of them.


----------



## ratchie (11/9/11)

kymba said:


> cheers guys - figured it would be easier to build some boxes rather than dig into and condition shitty clay. i will be filling the boxes with mushroom compost, chicken poop, horse poop and straw
> 
> and yeah i need to build 2 more boxes as there are actually 2 cascades in the one pot
> 
> ...



You can put the 2 cascades in the same box I did with my small hallertau rhizomes.


----------



## Malted (12/9/11)

*Which way do hops grow or need to be trained around a string? Is it clockwise or anti clockwise?

*A few folks have asked this question. I'll state the basics again. The young bines will curl themsleves around things, even if there is nothing to curl around. It is clockwise if you look up the bines (or from the sky looking down). Here's a picture of a young bine that started curling by itself. I put a small stick in it just for this photo to show it's direction.


----------



## cdbrown (12/9/11)

All 4 of my plants are showing signs of growth which I'm happy about - 2 pots I can see about 10 or so bines popping through the soil. The pot that hardly grew last year has a bine with nice green leaves about 5cm up through the soil. Last season left them too late before planting them up so was disappointed with the results, but this time they are all looking like strong growers. Still have no idea which is which though.


----------



## kaspa07 (12/9/11)

Dug up the Hersbruker I planted last year. I planted it to close to the Sazz..Started with a rhizome about the size of my hand.

Replanted it allong with some organic potting mix and seasol


----------



## Malted (12/9/11)

After flaffing about not being able to decide how to construct the trellis for my backyard and worrying about potential costs and how ugly it might be and whether it will do what I want it to do. I pulled my finger out and have built it on the weekend. The answer came to me in the guise of fence railings sourced at $14 for a 7 metre length. Individual flag poles at 3.5m (or $7) in height per hop planting! 





Top of 'flagpole' trellis at left, bottom at right.

Note that there is nothing in the horizontal plane so the dammed birds don't have anything to sit and shit on (except for the 50mm end at the top) -an important design consideration for me. I welded and sealed with cold gal. I fixed two plates (to the right in photo above) to teck screw it to the horizontal rails of the fence. The top end of the tube is flattened and welded with 3/4 of a single chain link welded to it to thread the hoisting rope through; a ghetto pulley if you will.







Now as the hop flowers ripen, I can lower the whole 3.5m down, one variety at a time to harvest them; no ladders needed. I have tied 5 lengths of thick jute twine to the garden bed (on the one to the right) and the other end go up to near the top where they're hoisted up by a bit of telecom rope through the chain 'pulley'. If I want to add more twine I can just untie the rope from the fence, lower the lot down, attach more and hoist it back up to tension it - flagpole style. I have yet not added jute twine to the middle or left flagpoles.

I will have 4 poles across this side (where you can see three in the photo above) and a fifth one around the corner to the left. They are spaced at just under two meters apart. The wooden stakes are for tomatoes, for some reason the stakes all went in crooked, it must have been how I was holding my tongue.


----------



## kymba (12/9/11)

ratchie said:


> You can put the 2 cascades in the same box I did with my small hallertau rhizomes.



cheers for the tip ratchie, might just do that for the first year


----------



## Malted (12/9/11)

Tom.k said:


> Dug up the Hersbruker I planted last year. I planted it to close to the Sazz..Started with a rhizome about the size of my hand.
> 
> Replanted it allong with some organic potting mix and seasolView attachment 48266




Should you have wanted to make more rhizomes (maybe 10 or so), you could have cut up that longest section to the left. A section of the 'root' at least as long as a pencil with one or two of those white buds on it and there you have it. Plant them near this rhizome for a more dense clump, plant them elsewhere or give away to a mate.


----------



## going down a hill (12/9/11)

Well I got my hops in their boxes over the weekend. I bought a cubic meter of soil for the boxes and have so much left over it is ridiculous. The boxes are ghetto in style, they are tile creates that have been fitted out with fence palings. Cheap and hopefully wont fall apart for a couple of seasons. I have two Goldings in the big box and one Chinook in the smaller one, one of the Goldings is going for it and the Chinook is popping its head out now. Now to watch em grow. 

Edit - better pic


----------



## Liam_snorkel (13/9/11)

3 out of 4 of my babies survived the bush turkey attack & are showing signs of life:

cascade:





cascade:





chinook:


----------



## Yob (13/9/11)

Tom.k said:


> View attachment 48266




phaaark... you could split that into about 10!! how freakin long is that bit of rhizome

1 year eh? shit Im gunna have a busy spring next year

:lol:


----------



## lagers44 (13/9/11)

If anyone has an excees of new shoots they need to trim don't throw them away...

check this out !

Hops Direct pickled hop shoots !


----------



## Nevalicious (13/9/11)

Waste not, want not I guess...


----------



## adryargument (13/9/11)

My hop garden i planted on Sunday.






You can just see the individual sticks for each, 2 rows of 5.

They include from L -> R:
- Hallertau
- Chinook
- Columbus
- Goldings
- Amarillo

There are also 2 x Hersbucker further up the back.

Unfortunately they are only a meter apart, but i was dealing with limited space. Next year we plan to remove the tree to the left, and replant. We most likely will be digging in dividers in the meantime.

Goldings:






Columbus:


----------



## tones0606 (13/9/11)

Amarillo? how'd you get that?


----------



## stef (13/9/11)

^ thats what i was going to say! There must be some funny business going on here...


----------



## mkj (13/9/11)

First cascade shoots are coming through now. 

Anyone in Perth have some Spalt or Tettnanger cuttings they want to swap once they've grown a bit more? (or any other interesting types). I've got some Chinook, Cascade and Hersbrucker waiting to appear.


----------



## timryan (13/9/11)

I would love some amarillo..


----------



## felten (13/9/11)

timryan said:


> I would love some amarillo..


Amarillo is propriety, privately owned and I think it's privately grown as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarillo_hops

Not sure where you got the rhizome from but I'd be questioning whether it's a fake or not.


----------



## mkj (13/9/11)

felten said:


> Amarillo is propriety, privately owned and I think it's privately grown as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarillo_hops
> 
> Not sure where you got the rhizome from but I'd be questioning whether it's a fake or not.



If you don't call it Amarillo (tm) you're probably OK - plant breeders rights have an exception for non-commercial uses. Of course it could still be fake


----------



## felten (13/9/11)

Interesting that, though I remember hearing somewhere that they don't sell the rhizomes at all, only grow them on their own farm. But I'm not 100% on that.


----------



## unrealtb (13/9/11)

check this out lads

perfect for sitting on when you are having a brew, my creation 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mac-Sac-Foam-Ba...#ht_1198wt_1054


----------



## MaestroMatt (14/9/11)

unrealtb said:


> check this out lads
> 
> perfect for sitting on when you are having a brew, my creation
> 
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mac-Sac-Foam-Ba...#ht_1198wt_1054




Love the 'out of left field' post. 

I suspect you MIGHT justify it by saying "Sit and watch your hops grow comfortably!"


----------



## kymba (14/9/11)

unrealtb said:


> check this out lads
> 
> perfect for sitting on when you are having a brew, my creation
> 
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mac-Sac-Foam-Ba...#ht_1198wt_1054



this is where dead iphones go


----------



## adryargument (14/9/11)

Hmmm,
Checking off my list from 5+ months ago they are amarillo - what the hell was i doing at the time?

I may need to look into this...

EDIT: They are MT Hoods, my bad.


----------



## going down a hill (14/9/11)

Your a big tease


----------



## DU99 (14/9/11)

amarillo..long as it grows and tastes like it who cares where you got it from


----------



## Wolfy (14/9/11)

adryargument said:


> EDIT: They are MT Hoods, my bad.


That sounds more realistic, but you had some people excited for a bit.


----------



## stef (15/9/11)

Man, you would have been popular if it was amarillo though!

Quick question for people in adelaide-

I'm moving from Adelaide plains (Fullarton) to the hills (Bridgewater) on the 21st Oct... Not sure whether to plant my hops at my mums house (have to squeeze them in somewhere), or leave them in pots for another 6 weeks before putting them in the ground at the new place... Any thoughts? Will planting them out in the middle of growing season be detrimental?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (15/9/11)

adryargument said:


> EDIT: They are MT Hoods, my bad.


I bet you're just saying that to take the heat off


----------



## drsmurto (15/9/11)

stef said:


> Man, you would have been popular if it was amarillo though!
> 
> Quick question for people in adelaide-
> 
> I'm moving from Adelaide plains (Fullarton) to the hills (Bridgewater) on the 21st Oct... Not sure whether to plant my hops at my mums house (have to squeeze them in somewhere), or leave them in pots for another 6 weeks before putting them in the ground at the new place... Any thoughts? Will planting them out in the middle of growing season be detrimental?



Leave them in pots until you are ready to plant them in the ground.


----------



## raven19 (15/9/11)

stef said:


> I'm moving from Adelaide plains (Fullarton) to the hills (Bridgewater)



Awesome. More brewers moving to the Hills.


----------



## stef (15/9/11)

Can't tell if that is sarcastic or not raven...


----------



## hoppy2B (15/9/11)

stef said:


> Man, you would have been popular if it was amarillo though!
> 
> Quick question for people in adelaide-
> 
> I'm moving from Adelaide plains (Fullarton) to the hills (Bridgewater) on the 21st Oct... Not sure whether to plant my hops at my mums house (have to squeeze them in somewhere), or leave them in pots for another 6 weeks before putting them in the ground at the new place... Any thoughts? Will planting them out in the middle of growing season be detrimental?


If the pots are really small and you are trying to get a crop out of them this year, you could always replant into larger pots before putting into the ground when you move. :huh:


----------



## drsmurto (15/9/11)

stef said:


> Can't tell if that is sarcastic or not raven...



Raven moved up to the hills recently so he is excited about another.

There are a few of us up here now, many of us growing hops.


----------



## stef (15/9/11)

Yeah- i was 5 mins from Raven down here too... he might think i'm chasing him h34r:


----------



## raven19 (15/9/11)

stef said:


> Can't tell if that is sarcastic or not raven...



Serious! Weather is improving nicely too atm.


----------



## Dave70 (16/9/11)

Will the vine climb its way around a large tree if you train it with some twine first?
I've got an ironbark in the back yard about 3' across trunk that would look great with a plant snaking up it.


----------



## Jazzafish (16/9/11)

Dave70 said:


> Will the vine climb its way around a large tree if you train it with some twine first?
> I've got an ironbark in the back yard about 3' across trunk that would look great with a plant snaking up it.



I thought of that too, until I considdered the harvest and what a PITA it could become.


----------



## kelbygreen (16/9/11)

you could wrap the twine around the tree but not sure how it will go where it wont get the sun. try it and tell us how it goes  some one has to do it (if they havnt already)


----------



## wakkatoo (16/9/11)

no pics but mine have just started to peek through. 2nd year plants so I'm wexpecting a better crop than last year.


----------



## Tim F (17/9/11)

My Chinook poked its head up a couple of weeks ago and just got a second shoot coming up today.





The Goldings have gone crazy, must be half a dozen shoots 30cm long. Need to get that out of its pot and into the ground asap. I'll get a photo of that too when I can.


----------



## Deebo (17/9/11)

One saaz shot up pretty fast now seems to have slowed down a bit, might need to put some seasol or something on it.. 2nd saaz has just put some shoots out.


----------



## Yob (18/9/11)

All the babies are poking through so I thought I'd better ger cracking on my Pole Extension... h34r: 



Additional Height Pole Extension


Layered Main Wires to allow for more sun to get through to each run


Better shot to show the layering

Total height is about 3300 High but there is pleanty of space, will probably only get one bine per Rhizome so each will have it's own line, big plans for next years growth


Tett seems happy to have found the string


Chinook 1 (looks a little stunted but rekon it will get crackin)


Chinook 2 B) 


Goldings 

:super: Love this Game


----------



## Gar (18/9/11)

My little Chinook is starting to get there, I planted another one at the same time but its starting to look like he's going to be a no-show :unsure:

*edit* oops I thought that would resize smaller than that


----------



## kymba (18/9/11)

awesome work ozzy & gar

i used to look at porn, but now i look at this thread!


----------



## kelbygreen (18/9/11)

my POR has about 6 shoots and chinook 2 shoots, they are both 2nd year. Planted a golding yet to show. Hope when I get back in 10 days they will be going. Which means I will have to get the twine out and give them something to climb on lol


----------



## thylacine (18/9/11)

kelbygreen said:


> my POR has about 6 shoots and chinook 2 shoots, they are both 2nd year. Planted a golding yet to show. Hope when I get back in 10 days they will be going. Which means I will have to get the twine out and give them something to climb on lol



Canberra's weather 2011 resulted in a later rhizome 'shooting' this year. But upon inspecting and interviewing the worms which surround the 'hop mounds', I believe that the 2011 harvest will surpass 2010. Thanks again Gilbrew for the initial stock, and Findhorn for the cosmic principles.


----------



## Yob (18/9/11)

kymba said:


> awesome work ozzy & gar
> 
> i used to look at porn, but now i look at this thread!







problem solved :icon_drool2:


----------



## timryan (18/9/11)

Finally planted my rhizomes today after about 3 months in the fridge... POR and Chinook... The POR has got a helping hand in the hot house...


----------



## kymba (19/9/11)

an erection occured on the weekend...

then i got the big sticks up!


----------



## Yob (19/9/11)

between your erection and my pole extension...  

love those planters and sturdy lookin towers too!! 

nice one


----------



## Housecat (19/9/11)

iamozziyob said:


> View attachment 48404
> View attachment 48405
> 
> 
> problem solved :icon_drool2:




Now, _that's_ brew porn!


----------



## proudscum (19/9/11)

adryargument said:


> My hop garden i planted on Sunday.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Good to see the hops you got off me are doing well.my POR are close to 2mtr tall.


----------



## [email protected] (20/9/11)

The hops are just starting to get going. Got my twine all rigged up - the poles are 6m tall.... Hopefully I'll get a good yield this year.


----------



## DJR (20/9/11)

Saaz has popped out of the ground with another 3 rhizomes to go

Gotta get some 3.6m or 4.8m poles and wire up a trellis for them...

Pics once i have the trellis up and the hops are going a bit stronger... not really in any rush I'm expecting the crop to be better in the 2nd year


----------



## Wolfy (23/9/11)

Went to visit (and weed) my hops today, about 6 plants (of ~30) are poking their heads up.
This will be the 2nd year they're growing at this location, but all the plants appear to be happy/healthy/vigorous and most of the others should be up very soon.
It was interesting that - in most cases - of identical plants growing next to each other only 1 has sprouted.
Golding:




Hallertau:




MtHood (already spread L-R across the growing mound):




Tettnang:




POR (and the reason why they needed weeding):


----------



## bill_gill85 (23/9/11)

Well so far, my 2nd year cascade have yet to show any effort, aside from showing a couple of shoots at the surface. But that's still better than how my 2nd year goldings are going. I cut last years growth back about 2 months ago & added some manure & mulch about 4 weeks ago. They're getting watered as required.

Is there anything I've done wrong?


----------



## ledgenko (23/9/11)

I can only imagine that the plants that are kicking up quickly are at least 2nd year + plants??? Cause mine are nowhere near that size ...... but both have two shoots and growing ... must remember to add more seasol at some point this weekend !!! Dynamic lifter and water crystals are generously distributed around both planters as it gets bloody hot here on the coast ...


----------



## Malted (23/9/11)

billgill said:


> Is there anything I've done wrong?









ledgenko said:


> I can only imagine that the plants that are kicking up quickly are at least 2nd year + plants???


Surprisingly, in my case (which is not the case everywhere) it is the young rhizomes that were in the fridge that have sprouted before the older ones that wintered in soil. I suspect soil temperature has a bit to do with it too as the areas of my yard that get the most sun are showing the most hop growth and I have some rhizomes in little pots on the pavers and they are powering ahead much quicker than similar rhizomes in the garden bed. 

What does this all mean? Nothing conclusive except to say I have observed variability amongst the same varieties of hops even within my backyard. 
*Don't worry about what anyone else's hops are doing, they are hugely variable.
*Chill out. Refer to cartoon above and stop 'looking over the fence'.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (23/9/11)

they grow up so fast..  

cascades are going for it, chinook taking it easy.


----------



## Midnight Brew (23/9/11)

I had a similar case last year. The rhizomes left in the ground over winter were the last to sprout but when they did they out-grew the others within 2 weeks. So far I've got a few heads poking out but from what I recall last season all the action happens in October



Malted said:


> Surprisingly, in my case (which is not the case everywhere) it is the young rhizomes that were in the fridge that have sprouted before the older ones that wintered in soil. I suspect soil temperature has a bit to do with it too as the areas of my yard that get the most sun are showing the most hop growth and I have some rhizomes in little pots on the pavers and they are powering ahead much quicker than similar rhizomes in the garden bed.
> 
> What does this all mean? Nothing conclusive except to say I have observed variability amongst the same varieties of hops even within my backyard.
> *Don't worry about what anyone else's hops are doing, they are hugely variable.
> *Chill out. Refer to cartoon above and stop 'looking over the fence'.


----------



## MarkBastard (23/9/11)

I've left mine in the pot this year, it only really fully died off about a month or two ago. Guess I should start looking after it again.


----------



## mesa99 (27/9/11)

Two binds from a Goldings rhizome 





One bind from a POR rhizome 




Both were got from DrSmurto.. Cheers


----------



## 2much2spend (27/9/11)

Chinook planted 3 weeks
don't laugh cause there small


----------



## 2much2spend (27/9/11)

the second


----------



## wakkatoo (27/9/11)

Put all my strings up this evening. Even wound some bines on. Getting some serious growth from all my plants.


----------



## jurule (28/9/11)

Here is my Hersbrucker on the right. Saaz on the left. I have mine in 52L pots from Bunnings. Used stakes to wind twine in a zig zag. Hoping this will make the most of my lack of vertical space. It allows about 11 feet of growing space. I may then drape them back down the twine if they will grow down. Long way to go still tho. First time growing and im obsessed!

Also have a Challenger which is in ground next to my shed which im gonna train up over it. Love Challenger...


----------



## Lillywhite (28/9/11)

Hallertau stuck its head out a couple weeks ago and Hersbrucker made an appearance yesterday, praying for a better season than last year.


----------



## Yob (28/9/11)

holy root zone batman!! 

I got given a pot on the weekend containing Chinook Rhizomes... went to re-pot it this morning and found 


this :blink: 

I think this one 
is going to the train line... I have 4 chinooks!! Not enough backyard!! Oh woe is me!!

tett is going gang busters!! 


Yob

[edit] On Ya Si... ya didnt tell me there were two in there... lol


----------



## kalbarluke (28/9/11)

Here is my goldings. Picture files are big so I'll do one at a time.

My friend planted his at the same time and he has some big runners whereas mine is a bit slow.


----------



## kalbarluke (28/9/11)

Here is one of my cascade plants.


----------



## newguy (29/9/11)

Harvest now complete up in this part of the northern hemisphere, although I still have a bit left to dry. 7.2 kg dried and vacuum packed in the freezer so far with another ~400-600g still to go once it's dried. Centennial and Mt Hood were my superstars this year with over 1.5 kg obtained from each. Really glad I bought a big dehydrator - it sure made things easy. B)


----------



## going down a hill (29/9/11)

newguy said:


> Harvest now complete up in this part of the northern hemisphere, although I still have a bit left to dry. 7.2 kg dried and vacuum packed in the freezer so far with another ~400-600g still to go once it's dried. Centennial and Mt Hood were my superstars this year with over 1.5 kg obtained from each. Really glad I bought a big dehydrator - it sure made things easy. B)


That's a lot of hops, good gardening. How long have you had them in the ground?


----------



## newguy (29/9/11)

going down a hill said:


> That's a lot of hops, good gardening. How long have you had them in the ground?



This was year 3. The hops in my back yard do the best, while the hops adjacent to the driveway do only okay, and the two in my front yard don't do very well at all. Up until July we had a huge blue spruce tree in the front yard but we had it removed because it was completely poisoning the soil all around it. That and its needles and cones kept clogging the eavestroughs on the house. I think it was the primary reason why the front yard and driveway hops don't yield very well. Hopefully now that it's gone those hops will fare better.


----------



## going down a hill (29/9/11)

That tree sounds like it was a oversized weed.


----------



## lespaul (29/9/11)

So, Melbourne has had some filthy weather the last 2 days and this just happens to coincide with my hops, which had recently been growing like weeds, to start wilting and looking like they are about to die... so is it the weather and rain thats the cause of my hops looking pretty dismal, or should i start looking for other causes??


----------



## Nevalicious (29/9/11)

newguy said:


> Harvest now complete up in this part of the northern hemisphere, although I still have a bit left to dry. 7.2 kg dried and vacuum packed in the freezer so far with another ~400-600g still to go once it's dried. Centennial and Mt Hood were my superstars this year with over 1.5 kg obtained from each. Really glad I bought a big dehydrator - it sure made things easy. B)



Forget Nikobrew or Hops Direct. I'm calling NewGuy!

Fark mate. Great job!


----------



## Deebo (29/9/11)

New plants leaves have like dead bits around the edges, any idea what would cause that? Thought might have something to do with them being against a wall and scraping on it with the winds we've had in perth lately but not sure. (or maybe heat reflecting off the wall?)


----------



## ledgenko (29/9/11)

An incredible Harvest for sure .... well done newguy !!!! I am hoping for enough to do one brew ... but 7.2 kgs dried ... priceless ...


----------



## kymba (30/9/11)

hey wft is eavestrough? a hop disease?


----------



## Nevalicious (30/9/11)

kymba said:


> hey wft is eavestrough? a hop disease?



I'd say he's reffering to Gutters...


----------



## newguy (30/9/11)

kymba said:


> hey wft is eavestrough? a hop disease?





Not a hop disease so much as a hop support and pine needle catching device. 

Just finished bagging the last of them. Not a bad haul!

Hallertauer: 1060g
Centennial: 1980g (this is from 2 plants, but one of them only yielded maybe 300g)
Cascade: 800g
Mt. Hood: 1645g
Fuggle: 445g
Willamette: 830g
Sterling: 310g
Golding: 410g

Total of almost 7.5kg - more than I'll use this year!


----------



## Yob (30/9/11)

newguy said:


> Total of almost 7.5kg - more than I'll use this year!




Im surprised you can even find your house mate!! would love to see some more photo's if you havnt cut them all down yet..

Yob


----------



## kymba (30/9/11)

newguy said:


> View attachment 48698
> 
> 
> Not a hop disease so much as a hop support and pine needle catching device.
> ...



ohhhh, that sort of eavestrough

congrats on the harvest anyway!


----------



## newguy (30/9/11)

iamozziyob said:


> Im surprised you can even find your house mate!! would love to see some more photo's if you havnt cut them all down yet..
> 
> Yob



Sorry, they've all been hacked down. Always a sad time for me - I love the vines and the shade they provide. Just feels wrong to cut them off but on the bright side I know they'll be back fuller & greener next year.


----------



## thylacine (30/9/11)

"...Not a hop disease so much as a hop support and pine needle catching device. ..."

I also use our north facing guttering to support hops. eg pics attached. Metal strips slip into existing 'overflow' slots in guttering. Strips sourced at local hardware store and they come with holes as well. ie. for line/cord/etc so hops can travel along.


----------



## Fish13 (30/9/11)

there in there somewhere


----------



## lespaul (2/10/11)

lespaul said:


> So, Melbourne has had some filthy weather the last 2 days and this just happens to coincide with my hops, which had recently been growing like weeds, to start wilting and looking like they are about to die... so is it the weather and rain thats the cause of my hops looking pretty dismal, or should i start looking for other causes??




hops have withered and are now dead...


----------



## fcmcg (2/10/11)

lespaul said:


> hops have withered and are now dead...


Mate,
Sorry to hear that...all this rain has made mine thrive....but mine have been in the ground for 3 years....
Maybe your root stock was water logged and not enough drainage ?
Was it beeing eaten by something ?
Dog or cat pissing on it ?
How old were they ?


----------



## Deebo (2/10/11)

Had time today to try and investigate problem with my hops:



Think I found part if not all of the problem, pretty hard to spot when they lie flat:



Pulled off the ones I could find and sprayed rest of plant with pyrethrum oil stuff, hopefully this gets them.


----------



## Malted (2/10/11)

There were a few questions some posts ago about hops spreading and how closely different varieites should be planted etc. Some suggest that two metres is too close. Just remember that new shoots can travel below the surface before popping up...

The picture below, just a first year rhizome (divided from my parent crown and planted out to give a bigger planting area) is a reasonably small spread but you get the idea of how they can spread out. Maybe next year it could travel further out from this point and so on...


----------



## lespaul (2/10/11)

fergthebrewer said:


> Mate,
> Sorry to hear that...all this rain has made mine thrive....but mine have been in the ground for 3 years....
> Maybe your root stock was water logged and not enough drainage ?
> Was it beeing eaten by something ?
> ...



well im not sure, I think there was enough drainage, it has a plastic grate on the bottom of the pot plant and then the bottom is filled with tanbark (didnt have sand) so it could drain all right... the only think i can think is that there was too much rain :s

If the plant is withered, is the whole root system dead?


----------



## Malted (2/10/11)

lespaul said:


> If the plant is withered, is the whole root system dead?



I could not tell you but don't dig it up to see. Continue as if it is all good and see if it throws new bines later.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (2/10/11)

1st year cascades are going for it, over a metre already.


----------



## felten (4/10/11)

Finally got my camera back so here's my 2nd year Willamette, about 40 shoots there and more popping up, too many to train.


----------



## Yob (4/10/11)

felten said:


> Finally got my camera back so here's my 2nd year Willamette, about 40 shoots there and more popping up, too many to train.




cant you train 3 or so per line? this is what I was planning to do with the Cascade Rhizome I was given... train all the bines up to a single line on the trellis and let them sort themselvs out, 

the thought was to keep different varietys on seperate Trellis lines but same variety to grow together??? I ferkin hope so otherwise Im in trouble :unsure:


----------



## Malted (4/10/11)

felten said:


> Finally got my camera back so here's my 2nd year Willamette, about 40 shoots there and more popping up, too many to train.



Have a look at DrSmurto's 'trellis' from last year's thread. He has some concrete reinforcing, steel mesh, supported by a timber frame. He has some older hops with vast numbers of shoots and just lets them do their thing up the steel mesh. It seems to work well.


----------



## timryan (4/10/11)

Planted mine quiet a while ago still no shots.. Whats normal?


----------



## felten (4/10/11)

iamozziyob said:


> cant you train 3 or so per line? this is what I was planning to do with the Cascade Rhizome I was given... train all the bines up to a single line on the trellis and let them sort themselvs out,



Yeah 3 per line was what I did last year, going to do it again. I only have 5 lines though, I can maybe add 2 more if I fart around with my trellis.


----------



## cdbrown (4/10/11)

timryan said:


> Planted mine quiet a while ago still no shots.. Whats normal?


Unfortunately no such thing as normal - to many variables.

I have 4 plants, only one really took off and produced a few hops, this year the other 3 plants are growing strong with the 4th only just putting showing 2 bines poking out of the ground.


----------



## drsmurto (4/10/11)

felten said:


> Yeah 3 per line was what I did last year, going to do it again. I only have 5 lines though, I can maybe add 2 more if I fart around with my trellis.



I had 5-6 lines from the ground to the fence and had several bines per line last season. Once a few are on the rest seem to latch on by themselves.

Yet to do anything about them this year, still havent removed the dead bines from last season......

Anyone who bought rhizomes from me and hasn't seen any growth please PM me.


----------



## Deebo (4/10/11)

Still no sign of life from my 2nd yr cascade or chinook.. hope they haven't died somehow. 

How late is time to start worrying ? I had a bit of a dig to make sure they were still there and found a woody bit but no sign of shoots and didn't want to risk digging around it anymore, it was a bit deep though so have put less soil back on top and put some sugar cane mulch on)

First year saaz is going well.


----------



## Nibbo (4/10/11)

Planted my Chinook donated by thylacine on the 26/8 and only now has it emerged....just. I've been like an expecting father pacing up and down checking it day and night. Hopefully the sunshine stays around to get it grooving along...so proud.


----------



## ledgenko (4/10/11)

Nibbo .. I am with you there .. I too am a proud father of 4 shoots from my 2 Cascades ... not sure what to call them as yet .. but the christening may have to wait until it flowers ;-) .... congrats on your recent arrival...


----------



## thylacine (4/10/11)

Nibbo said:


> Planted my Chinook donated by thylacine on the 26/8 and only now has it emerged....just. I've been like an expecting father pacing up and down checking it day and night. Hopefully the sunshine stays around to get it grooving along...so proud.



Patience 'Grasshopper'. Your new chinook is part of the central rhizome, not a bit of distant root. My chinook is also the last to emerge this year. RDWHAHB

Cheers... :icon_cheers:


----------



## Adam Howard (4/10/11)

My Chinook is taking a very long time to pop it's head up this year....but crikey when Chinook gets growing it FLIES skyward.

I bought three 4th year rhizomes in Autumn. Goldings, Cascade and Tettnanger. Got the three of them in growbags. The Goldings is going mental, the Tettnang isn't too far behind and the Cascade is starting slowly. All of them are miles ahead of my 2nd year Cluster and Chinook!


----------



## RobH (5/10/11)

My POR & Goldings from DrSmurto:


POR:





Goldings:




Still just babies, but with loads of potential


----------



## mkstalen (5/10/11)

My 2nd year hops. A Mt Hood in the black pot and a Chinook in the Purple. Did get a few cones off them last year but not anywhere enough to use. Hoping to get enough for a couple of SMASH brews this year.


----------



## XavierZ (5/10/11)

My hops have been in the pot for about 3 weeks now.
Buried about 50-70mm below the surface.
60L black garbage bins with 2.5 bags of potting mix each.
Osmocote controlled release for Pots, Planters and Indoors, mixed in as per destructions.

First season hops for me, but big_dazza27 had them for 2 seasons prior (Cheers Dazza :beer
Chinook has 12 sprouts already.
Columbus only has 2 sprouts but going hard none the less.


----------



## cdbrown (5/10/11)

XavierZ said:


> My hops have been in the pot for about 3 weeks now.
> Buried about 50-70mm below the surface.
> 60L black garbage bins with 2.5 bags of potting mix each.
> Osmocote controlled release for Pots, Planters and Indoors, mixed in as per destructions.
> ...



Nice money tree!


----------



## rotten (5/10/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Anyone who bought rhizomes from me and hasn't seen any growth please PM me.



Mine haven't grown yet  

They are still in the fridge though :lol: 
Should do something about that tomorrow


----------



## BjornJ (5/10/11)

hi guys,
been wanting to try my hand at hop growing but don't have a back yard.

Does this work ok?





Is it as simple as getting a hop rhizome and planting it in a pot on my balcony, wrap some string or steel wire around a couple of poles and feed the hop vine around the thread?

Spoke with a mate today who said his hops seemed to produce more cones 2+ meters from the base plant.

thanks
Bjorn


----------



## gap (5/10/11)

Good luck in getting your hops to grow sideways. 
Mine only want to go in one direction -- that is straight up.


regards

Graeme


----------



## Yob (5/10/11)

course you can... thay can be trained along lines horizontally... you will have to talk to them nicer  

Pics are not mine but just a quick search


----------



## felten (5/10/11)

Mine went vetical 2m and then horizontal 2m last year, but that was a first year plant, expecting them to go further this time.

All the cones were on the horizontal part of the vine, so the first 2m didn't grow any.


----------



## Nibbo (6/10/11)

Found 4-5 snails roaming around my chinnok this morning....needless to say they got thrown over the fence and snail bait was laid...that'll teach 'em!!!


----------



## BjornJ (6/10/11)

thanks guys, sounds like something I should try  

thanks
Bjorn


----------



## Lecterfan (6/10/11)

This is only my second season growing hops, having said that I got over 3kg dry weight of hops last year. I didn't find any real difficulty in getting the bines to grow sideways - no constant training except for the ones that went horizontally from N - S. The ones going S - N are happy because they are still growing towards the sun perhaps? They just took off and went wherever I had string lines for them. Having said that each plant also had a 2.5m vertical as well so they were able to go wherever they wanted.

I was a nervous wreck last year filling this forum with stoopid questions and comments (well, that actually applies to all the threads I guess, not just the hop-growing ones), but hops are pretty hardy and can fend for themselves pretty well as long as you play the basic gardening game with them. My advice to anyone reading - not just Bjorn - is just give it a go - they like sun and water and a bit of a feed. They are slightly more maintenance than _______ (insert local noxious weed), but only because you actually care about the flower yield haha.

Cheers all. :icon_cheers:


----------



## Yob (6/10/11)

Lecterfan said:


> .... is just give it a go - they like sun and water and a bit of a feed. They are slightly more maintenance than _______ (insert local noxious weed), but only because you actually care about the flower yield haha.
> 
> Cheers all. :icon_cheers:




are you suggesting we dont care about flower yield on ______? my friend... I beg to differ... lol

Years ago I had success in growing _______ horizontally as well, a bit of string (and talking nicely to them) goes a long long way :lol: 

Yob


----------



## ledgenko (6/10/11)

Wow ... you can grow tomatoes horizontally ??? does this change the productivity of the plant? more or less ?? I am personally stunned and amazed in this!! I am going to have a go at it with an oxheart and see what it does ... 

Incredible discovery !!

Thanks guys .. ;-)


----------



## Lecterfan (6/10/11)

There's just no controlling context on the internet - I was thinking more like blackberry, sorrell, broome in order to draw a comparison with just how easy hops are when they get going!!! Bloody hell now I'll get in trouble for starting all this!!! :lol:


----------



## Yob (6/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> does this change the productivity of the plant? more or less ??



I believe you will get "better" blackberries, sorrell, broome, tomato's etc as it lets more light in to the blackberries, sorrell, broome, tomato's :unsure: 



Lecterfan said:


> Bloody hell now I'll get in trouble for starting all this!!! :lol:



Ban


----------



## hoppy2B (6/10/11)

lespaul said:


> So, Melbourne has had some filthy weather the last 2 days and this just happens to coincide with my hops, which had recently been growing like weeds, to start wilting and looking like they are about to die... so is it the weather and rain thats the cause of my hops looking pretty dismal, or should i start looking for other causes??



What fertilizer regime have you been using? It's very easy to over fertilize with a soluble fertilizer like Thrive or Aquasol. 
If I were in your position I would definitely dig up your rhizome and take a look at it, the sooner the better. If it's still alive you could soak the rhizome in water to draw out salts.
Alternatively source another rhizome. You still have time to get something like a Chinook as this variety is notoriously slow off the mark.
Check with Doc Smurto as he was selling some earlier in the year.
Good luck with that.


----------



## lespaul (7/10/11)

hoppy2B said:


> What fertilizer regime have you been using? It's very easy to over fertilize with a soluble fertilizer like Thrive or Aquasol.
> If I were in your position I would definitely dig up your rhizome and take a look at it, the sooner the better. If it's still alive you could soak the rhizome in water to draw out salts.
> Alternatively source another rhizome. You still have time to get something like a Chinook as this variety is notoriously slow off the mark.
> Check with Doc Smurto as he was selling some earlier in the year.
> Good luck with that.



It was just some potting mix that i got from Bunnings... would that have caused the problem if the mix I got had really soluble fertilizer?

Im thinking ill have a crack at trying to fix the EKG i have and replant another rhizome in the other pot.

If anyone has any rhizomes let me know

Cheers


----------



## Yob (7/10/11)

From what I understand simple potting mix does not have much by the way of nutrient in it, sure it's better than sand but still requires 'pimping' to get the best results.

For example, it will not contain trace elements or (much) organic material to break down into plant nutrient.

I use potting mix with compost, (50/50 mix approx) a sparing handful of blood and bone and then some slow release trace element fertiliser mixed in and then hay mulch on top and then cow manure/compost on the very top... (oh and some fire ash in there as well)

this gives plenty of long term food for the bebbes and I will also give them an extra bump when they start to flower. 

Yob


----------



## drsmurto (7/10/11)

lespaul said:


> It was just some potting mix that i got from Bunnings... would that have caused the problem if the mix I got had really soluble fertilizer?
> 
> Im thinking ill have a crack at trying to fix the EKG i have and replant another rhizome in the other pot.
> 
> ...



Drainage is critical in pots. Too much water might have caused a blockage in the drainage holes and the rhizomes may have rotted.


----------



## lespaul (7/10/11)

so anyone got any more rhizomes?


----------



## Brewers Choice (7/10/11)

If you want to know more about hop growing, there will be two presentations on hops at the Queensland Homebrewing Conference on November 5. The first will be by Tim Lord, Boss and Guru of Hop Products Australia. He will be talking about new hops, new directions in using hops, and there should be a bunch of tastings and give aways as well.

Tim will be followed by AHB's "QldKev" who will be talking about his successes in growing hops in Queensland, which by all accounts is pretty difficult and he is having some success!

So if you want to know more, head to www.theqhc.com.au and get some tickets. Only three weeks left to book.


----------



## jurule (7/10/11)

Dunno bout u guys but I'm in Adelaide and my hops have all pretty much come to a stand still at about 20cm tall.
Maybe the crappy wet weather we are still having. Has been bugger all sun lately too! Where is the sun it's bloody October!


----------



## Yob (7/10/11)

fret not... tis early in the season and bines are still coming through. From what I understand some variety's tend to go into a dormant stage, probably building roots etc.

Yob


----------



## hoppy2B (7/10/11)

My hops are near Adelaide and I have a Saaz that's going ballistic. Everything else is just slow and bushy. Chinooks haven't even emerged. 
Wonder what could have killed the potted hops described earlier. Commercial potting mix is normally well drained, as long as you only put it into the pot just damp. Roots can sometimes block drainage holes. You should be able to see if the pot is well drained.
Good idea to mix half potting mix and half manure. Shouldn't need any other fertilizer. Manure is much safer than chemical fertilizer. 
Other than that I wouldn't have a clue. :unsure:


----------



## super_simian (8/10/11)

Potted hops at my rented home - Mt Hood, year 2; slow off the mark, now caning it sky high - Tettnang, year 2; came on quick, now slowed to nada and look f***ed - Golding, year 2; steady growth, looking damn good - Perle, year 3 (1st year potted), looked f***ed for ages, now reaching for the sky. Dunno how my Chinook is doing in my old man's vegie patch, but going on past experience will give me too many cones for 12 months brewing.


----------



## lespaul (8/10/11)

meh, ill try again next year... fail


----------



## Gar (8/10/11)

Bummer man, you must be able to find some somewhere....


I finally rigged up my trellis, I think I deserve a brew after all that hard work :lol:


----------



## DU99 (8/10/11)

there was some on EBAY


----------



## bowser (8/10/11)

My Chinook and "bits and peices" that were laying around trellis. This should work right??


My POR which was to the left had one bud come through the ground then just died, not sure what happened there.


----------



## Housecat (8/10/11)

Does anyone put the spent hops from brew day on/around their hops as mulch?

Just wondering where to put them all

HC


----------



## kelbygreen (8/10/11)

I think I read that hop trub on garden beds is bad. But sure some one will know


----------



## felten (8/10/11)

Bowser said:


> My Chinook and "bits and peices" that were laying around trellis. This should work right??
> 
> 
> My POR which was to the left had one bud come through the ground then just died, not sure what happened there.


It should work, but it will be a PITA to unweave the dead bines after the season is over.


----------



## Yob (8/10/11)

lespaul said:


> meh, ill try again next year... fail



I planted 2 in a pot that were quite ill for various reasons, including some neglect by me, the Tett was the first to show (on the far side in the photo).. I was surprised a few days ago when I walked out there to have a look and another bine was poking through, 2 days later and there was another (Looked different from the tett so I was suspicious)... the new bine shoots ended up being from the POR which I thought was dead.... swift and careful transplant into another pot (by the way those 'pots' were here when I moved in) and quickly rigged up a trellis system for them..

dont give up faith yet, they are hardy and can surprise you...


----------



## Shed101 (8/10/11)

Here's my wee fellas. Been in about 8 weeks.

L-R Goldings, Goldings, Chinook, Cascade ... yeah, pretty sure that's right :unsure: 

North facing and run up to the carport roof about 2.5 m ... probably should move them further apart now I think about it. 

They're in organic potting mix, get a wetting about a litre each / day, and a weekly dose of pelletised chook-poop or diluted bokashi juice. Seem to be humming along ok at the moment.


----------



## BjornJ (8/10/11)

Planted my first hop rhizome ever on the balcony today!
Really happy about it. No trellies or anything yet, just a bag of potting mix in a biggish pot with the rhizome hoping something will happen :lol: 

Thanks a lot Barls!

Bjorn


----------



## hoppy2B (8/10/11)

Housecat said:


> Does anyone put the spent hops from brew day on/around their hops as mulch?
> 
> Just wondering where to put them all
> 
> HC


Be careful. I read that hops are very toxic to dogs. :unsure:


----------



## kymba (8/10/11)

felten said:


> It should work, but it will be a PITA to unweave the dead bines after the season is over.



unweave them with fire!

bit of fumes from heated up galvanising never hurt anyone h34r:


----------



## mkj (9/10/11)

Anyone planted hops with the ground shaded but sunny once they grow up a bit? 

I've got a nice spot on the south side of a 1m fence, seems it would stay more moist there than in full sun (in Perth). The only problem is whether it can grow fast enough while it's shaded.


----------



## felten (9/10/11)

They're a weed, they should grow fine.


----------



## bowser (9/10/11)

i have plenty of this nylon fencing laying around so i would probably just cut it off and replace it with a new lot.

Hopefully we will actually see some spring weather in Sydney soon.


----------



## hoppy2B (9/10/11)

mkj said:


> Anyone planted hops with the ground shaded but sunny once they grow up a bit?
> 
> I've got a nice spot on the south side of a 1m fence, seems it would stay more moist there than in full sun (in Perth). The only problem is whether it can grow fast enough while it's shaded.



I think Raven19 has one on the south side of a shed. You could always use a mirror, maybe a shiny piece of galv iron. :blink:


----------



## cam89brewer (9/10/11)

Hi,
I planted these hops in 45cm Diameter, 35cm Deep pots and only use seasol for fertilizing and was wondering if they be able to yeild much in a pot of this size due to i will be moving in the next 6 months and dont want to be planting them in the ground? and does any one use powerfeed for their hops?
Thanks 
Cameron


----------



## ledgenko (9/10/11)

I just looked at my plants during the half time break of the world cup ... and I have scored an extra shoot !!! YAY ... 4 turns into 5 .... I have to say if the Wallabies win today ... Its my XMAS !!! 


CARN the Wallabies ...


----------



## jyo (9/10/11)

mkj said:


> Anyone planted hops with the ground shaded but sunny once they grow up a bit?
> 
> I've got a nice spot on the south side of a 1m fence, seems it would stay more moist there than in full sun (in Perth). The only problem is whether it can grow fast enough while it's shaded.



I know what you are getting at, MKJ. I have planted mine on the south side of a colourbond fence in hope of shielding them from the pathetic easterlies we get here in the morning during Summer. Last year they didn't do too well. Here is a pic of the cascades in the ground (3rd season now) that don't get direct sun on the ground until about 11:00.





Uploaded with ImageShack.us

And this one off the same cascade crown planted this season which gets the sun up until about 1pm. However come Summer it will blasted nearly everyday by the poxy easterlies 





Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After this season I am thinking of trying to squeeze them down the other side of my house so that they can still get most of the morning sun yet have the shielding from the winds. Did I mention that I hate the easterly winds.


----------



## Rowy (9/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> I just looked at my plants during the half time break of the world cup ... and I have scored an extra shoot !!! YAY ... 4 turns into 5 .... I have to say if the Wallabies win today ... Its my XMAS !!!
> 
> 
> CARN the Wallabies ...



Cooper is playing like crap! Then again he's not the only one.


----------



## Shed101 (9/10/11)

Blimey that was close. Not sure the best team won ... but the _best_ team won!

I think this is karma for the French victory yesterday. :lol:


----------



## Rowy (9/10/11)

Couldn't agree more. All Blacks next week though I fear.............I really fear........


----------



## Liam_snorkel (9/10/11)

how about the wallabies defence though.. 
All that possession and they couldn't score a single try? Suck a fat one, springbocks.

anyway, hops are awesome. My cascade is about 1.5m up the string already, go you good thing!


----------



## drsmurto (9/10/11)

felten said:


> It should work, but it will be a PITA to unweave the dead bines after the season is over.



No need to unweave them, the bines can grow up them the next year and the year after.......


----------



## Rowy (9/10/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> how about the wallabies defence though..
> All that possession and they couldn't score a single try? Suck a fat one, springbocks.
> 
> anyway, hops are awesome. My cascade is about 1.5m up the string already, go you good thing!



How do you grow them up here?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (9/10/11)

in the ground mate. plenty of manure mixed in with the soil, water every day that it doesn't rain, and seasol every two weeks.
Brisbane not Sunny Coast BTW, not sure if would make a huge difference.

1st year rhizomes so I'm not expecting much of a yield, but fingers crossed! they seem to be happy enough.


----------



## Rowy (9/10/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> in the ground mate. plenty of manure mixed in with the soil, water every day that it doesn't rain, and seasol every two weeks.
> Brisbane not Sunny Coast BTW, not sure if would make a huge difference.
> 
> 1st year rhizomes so I'm not expecting much of a yield, but fingers crossed! they seem to be happy enough.



I've got to give it a crack next year. How do you get the rhizomes?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (9/10/11)

keep an eye on this forum in winter, more than a few posters here dig up their rhizomes and offer cuttings for a small fee. Have a sniff around it might not be too late for this season


----------



## Rowy (9/10/11)

I'll keep a look out then and see how I go.


----------



## Fish13 (9/10/11)

I checked on my hops today and i have a few shoots coming up. Looking good but how do i tell if i have Hallertau or POR? I believe i have Hallertau.

Also should i cut the pants so i only have one main shoot or just let them go and see which one becomes dominant?


----------



## Yob (10/10/11)

fish13 said:


> I checked on my hops today and i have a few shoots coming up. Looking good but how do i tell if i have Hallertau or POR? I believe i have Hallertau.
> 
> Also should i cut the pants so i only have one main shoot or just let them go and see which one becomes dominant?



let em all grow mate, if they were in pots I might be tempted to keep it to a few bines but if in the ground just let them go..

there was a few posts in last years topic about this and the general consensus was to keep as many as possible. (more hops!!)

being first year plants Im only getting one or two bines per plant anyway..

as to what sort they are... ummm.. dont you know where you planted what? Its a good idea to keep different variety's a little ways apart so they dont grow into each other.

Yob


----------



## .DJ. (10/10/11)

my little baby!!!


----------



## Fish13 (10/10/11)

iamozziyob said:


> let em all grow mate, if they were in pots I might be tempted to keep it to a few bines but if in the ground just let them go..
> 
> there was a few posts in last years topic about this and the general consensus was to keep as many as possible. (more hops!!)
> 
> ...



yob,

I boght them off ebay and the seler said he could get POR or Saaz or Hallertau. I asked for hallertau but had to state it in the message line as the item for sale was POR. I was given 4 rhizomes and i have given 1 away and planted 3. so there all the same in the backyard


----------



## jurule (10/10/11)

Guys my hersbrucker grew about 30 cm but has now stopped for several weeks and the edges of the leaves are brown. Plenty of water and seasol and organic compost. Any ideas?


----------



## ledgenko (10/10/11)

Jurule .... is your plant in a pot or ground ?? it could be something as simple as it has too wet feet ?


----------



## jurule (10/10/11)

In a 52 litre pot with well draining potting mix. We've had a lot of rain in Adelaide recently


----------



## drsmurto (10/10/11)

jurule said:


> In a 52 litre pot with well draining potting mix. We've had a lot of rain in Adelaide recently



Do you have a tray under the pot? Even with good draining potting mix a tray will retain too much moisture during rainy perioids.

As for a lot of rain, i think the recent drought has clouded (sic) your memory of regular spring rainfall :icon_cheers: 

I had a cluster a few years ago and each year it would do the same thing. Grow up to maybe 60cm and then stop and not do anything for months whilst all the other hops around took off. I eventually dug it up and got rid of it. Not sure why it kept doing that and i never got a crop.


----------



## jurule (10/10/11)

Nah no tray. Will have to wait and see how she goes I guess. Cheers


----------



## ledgenko (10/10/11)

Jurule .... good plan .. whats the worst that can happen ??? it will grow or it wont ... If it doesnt .. then try again next year ..


----------



## timryan (10/10/11)

Managed to kill my por and chinook.. O well I'll go for next year maybe cascade and saaz


----------



## Newbee(r) (10/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> Jurule .... good plan .. whats the worst that can happen ??? it will grow or it wont ... If it doesnt .. then try again next year ..



Stick some rocks under it so the pot is elevated. Also, drill some extra drainage holes in the lower sides of the pot to help the water escape. Little buggers are hardy, but you can drown anything in a pot with poor drainage. its not the topsoil that you need to check in the pots, its further down where the soil can get pretty rancid if waterlogged.


----------



## cam89brewer (10/10/11)

I have just planted my last hop rhizome for the year does anyone know if it is too late for it to actually yield any cones this season?


----------



## Blackapple (10/10/11)

jurule said:


> Guys my hersbrucker grew about 30 cm but has now stopped for several weeks and the edges of the leaves are brown. Plenty of water and seasol and organic compost. Any ideas?


My cascade is doing the same thing, or so I thought....

Checked it on the weekend and all through the bed new sprouts are breaking the surface about 1/2 a metre away from the original planting.


----------



## jurule (10/10/11)

Nice 1 blackapple. Hopefully I have te same luck. I just dug mine up ad checked the roots. It was a bit water logged think I need to ease back. There were new shoots on the base so I replanted it with the new shoots pointing up and trimmed back the main one


----------



## Blackapple (10/10/11)

Hope it works out for you :icon_cheers:


----------



## Philthy79 (10/10/11)

My Hallertau, planted 3 weeks ago:


----------



## Philthy79 (10/10/11)

and the POR:


----------



## cam89brewer (10/10/11)

I wonder why no one ever seems to reply to my posts it gets quite frustrating after a while....


----------



## Philthy79 (10/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I wonder why no one ever seems to reply to my posts it gets quite frustrating after a while....



after a while.... like watching paint dry!

you should be ok to plant - don't expect too much in your first year for the hops though


----------



## BjornJ (10/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I wonder why no one ever seems to reply to my posts it gets quite frustrating after a while....




Hi Cambrew,
this is my first try at growing hops so this is hear-say only.
But I was told by a mate who has been growing hops for a couple of years that he was just going to plant his now.
That last year there were several yearly shots that just died and the newer, stronger ones did not start until really late spring.
So I am hoping my one will have a chance even though I just planted it.

Either way, it's fun to try, right?
If I get a handful of fresh hops to add late to a brew it will be worth it.

thanks
Bjorn


----------



## cam89brewer (10/10/11)

Philthy79 said:


> after a while.... like watching paint dry!
> 
> you should be ok to plant - don't expect too much in your first year for the hops though



Thanks... Yeh i dont expect much first year but something is better than nothing...


----------



## ledgenko (11/10/11)

Its my first year and as long as they grow I will be a happy man ... flowers next year .. and the year after .. the year after ... excetera .... excetera ... you know the drill ... 

But next year I am hoping for a couple of new varieties .. Cascade is tops .. dont get me wrong ... with 5 shoots across 2 pots I am stoked !!!! 

self suffiency in hops would be the ultimate !!!


----------



## kalbarluke (11/10/11)

This is my mate's goldings plant. Only planted first week in September. His chinook and cascade are piddly, but at least the cascade has some runners. Planted mine at the same time. They have lots of leaves but not manu long runners and not growing at this rate.




Sorry about sideways view.


----------



## Rowy (11/10/11)

kalbarluke said:


> This is my mate's goldings plant. Only planted first week in September. His chinook and cascade are piddly, but at least the cascade has some runners. Planted mine at the same time. They have lots of leaves but not manu long runners and not growing at this rate.
> View attachment 49075
> 
> 
> Sorry about sideways view.



How high a frame are you growing them on mate?


----------



## kelbygreen (11/10/11)

my golding is yet to come up. Thinking all the rain we had has killed it. Oh well POR is starting to grow now the suns out but chinook hasnt moved in few weeks. I would put some liquid feed on them but 3 days and it hasnt rained but the ground is still plenty moist enough.


----------



## kalbarluke (11/10/11)

Rowy said:


> How high a frame are you growing them on mate?



That frame is only about 1.25m but there are strings from the top of that up to his kitchen window (second story). The rate they are growing it will be up there by end of November.


----------



## Rowy (11/10/11)

kalbarluke said:


> That frame is only about 1.25m but there are strings from the top of that up to his kitchen window (second story). The rate they are growing it will be up there by end of November.



Something nice to look out the window at mate. I'm making plans for next year and trying to work out the height thing. Had a few ideas but SWMBO has vetoed them all so far.


----------



## Adam Howard (12/10/11)

Here's my 5 varieties. First two are second year, the other three are at least third year rhizomes and going ballistic. Rose bush behind the Goldings will get cut back down once it flowers.

Cluster





Chinook





Goldings, around a metre tall now.





Tettnanger





Cascade


----------



## cam89brewer (15/10/11)

Hi one of my saaz is only just sprouting now, is it a little late to be productive or should it still have a chance at producing a few cones for its first season?


----------



## kelbygreen (15/10/11)

most first year plants dont produce enough for one brew so I wouldnt be worrying. It will put most of its energy into the roots.


----------



## Tim F (15/10/11)

Goldings is going pretty crazy for its first year, this is growing up a 2m weld mesh trellis.




Chinook is sending up one shoot pretty fast, climbing about 1cm/day I reckon!


----------



## fcmcg (16/10/11)

Here are my hops....
Third year Hallertau...
Must be all the chook poo...going nuts !!!!


----------



## fcmcg (16/10/11)

Second Year Goldings


Doing okay too !


----------



## kymba (17/10/11)

my plants got all smashed up by the hot dry winds that qld had a couple of weeks ago. they seem to have survived, but the goldings is by far the worst. pity as it was the most advanced when they were planter in the boxes. I trimmed the dead bit of the bine and it is now throwing some more lateral shoots, hopefully these continue the march upward




por or casceade - can't remember which box this is a picture of



chinook


----------



## Gar (17/10/11)

fergthebrewer said:


> Here are my hops....
> Third year Hallertau...
> Must be all the chook poo...going nuts !!!!
> View attachment 49220



Damn! that's looking alright! :super: 

Might have to get some chooks!


----------



## hbnath (17/10/11)

Not sure if any other Kiwis have posted pics of their hops...
Got a few long cuttings from a friends garden and chopped them up to see what would happen. Some planted in a pot and a couple in a glass of water.
I have no idea what variety it is, but hey...gives me an idea on how they may grow here and I go from there.
I live in Havelock North in Hawkes Bay, which is called the "Fruit Bowl of New Zealand" so hopefully good growing conditions. We have plenty of sunlight thats for sure!

Just took this one out of the glass of water it was in and potted it after it sprouted about 20 roots which were 3-5cm in length....and it had grown vigorously to about 80cm+ long.
Pretty sure it's added a good couple of cm after only a day or two in the pot!





Placed about 10 sticks in this little pot. They have all sprouted and obviously have good roots as when I tried to pull one out they all wanted to come at once.
Will have to wet them and carefully seperate them before repotting.


----------



## pk.sax (17/10/11)

Last year I planted 2 rhizomes and with a bit of nursing and spent grain going their way, they both shot off going ~2.5-3 meters high to the top of my 'trellis' before I had to abandon them and move up here. Now my sis tells me they are everywhere and fornicating with the basil bush!!!

Eagerly awaiting pics and future parcel of hops 

What time should I be looking at advising to pluck the hop flowers?! It's hallertau and going by it's vigorous froth in the first year I'm pretty sure it's taken over that patch in the herb garden this year.


----------



## cam89brewer (17/10/11)

So at what time of the year do the hops start producing flowers and i have been told to use liquid pot ash to encourage the formation of flowers does this help?


----------



## Yob (17/10/11)

cambrew said:


> So at what time of the year do the hops start producing flowers and i have been told to use liquid pot ash to encourage the formation of flowers does this help?



a quick look in last years thread said january was an exciting time to be a hop daddy 2010 Hop Plantations


----------



## drsmurto (18/10/11)

cambrew said:


> So at what time of the year do the hops start producing flowers and i have been told to use liquid pot ash to encourage the formation of flowers does this help?



re: pot ash - Probably but fertiliser is not needed. Hops are like weeds. Some sun and water is more than enough.

People who kill hops are the reason plastic plants were invented :lol:


----------



## technoicon (18/10/11)

i would love to buy some plasic hops. i dont think i could kill those..


----------



## Gar (18/10/11)

I think they use those in XXXX Summer


----------



## wakkatoo (18/10/11)

After tending to mine last wednesday, my tallest hop was at waist high. Went away for 2 days and went back out to them on the saturday morning. Same bine had grown over 2 feet in the space of about 60hours :blink: 

Amazing how much quicker they are 2nd year round...

edit - anyone ever seen bees on their hops? I only ask because I have 2 hives within 10 metres of my hops and it would be nice to think one hobby is helping out the other


----------



## pk.sax (18/10/11)

2nd Year Hallertau. Its already gotten as high as it can climb onto anything unless it attacks the house roof!


----------



## newguy (18/10/11)

practicalfool said:


> Its already gotten as high as it can climb onto anything unless it attacks the house roof!



...Oh don't worry, it will attack the house roof!


----------



## MaltyHops (18/10/11)

wakkatoo said:


> ...
> edit - anyone ever seen bees on their hops? I only ask because I have 2 hives
> within 10 metres of my hops and it would be nice to think one hobby is helping
> out the other


Would this really be a good thing? Not sure if bees would actually rummage
through hops flowers but wouldn't that just mess with the lupulin in the flowers
and robbing any flowers of their efficacy? Mind you the thought of hops flavoured
honey sounds interesting.

T.


----------



## felten (18/10/11)

The lupulin glands are pretty well protected by the cone, I don't think any bee's would get in even if they were inerested in them. I have found cabbage caterpillars in a few though.


----------



## XavierZ (18/10/11)

The bloody dog decided to have a hop lunch today on the only two shoots that were heading up the rope! 
I decided to cut back one shoot all the way back to the ground, due to the damage.

Thinking back to a "Growing Hops 101" post in this forum, I remember seeing a section regarding growing from cuttings.
Was only able to salvage 3 good cuttings from the badly munched Chinook.

It got me thinking though, trim off a not-so-quick-off-the-mark shoot now and let them grow separately as cuttings.
Anyone in SW/Metro Sydney feel like doing the same and want to trade cuttings in a month or two when these
bad boys finally kick out some roots and grow in some soil for a while?

If these three do actually kick off, I'd be more than happy to trade them off for three aroma hop cuttings if anyone would like to.


----------



## kymba (18/10/11)

XavierZ said:


> The bloody dog decided to have a hop lunch today on the only two shoots that were heading up the rope!
> I decided to cut back one shoot all the way back to the ground, due to the damage.
> 
> Thinking back to a "Growing Hops 101" post in this forum, I remember seeing a section regarding growing from cuttings.
> ...



thought i read somewhere that hops are very poisonous to dogs?

a quick google reveals - _Hops, a plant used in making beer, can cause malignant hyperthermia in dogs, usually with fatal results. Certain breeds, such as Greyhounds, seem particularly sensitive to hop toxicity, but hops should be kept away from all dogs. Even small amounts of hops can trigger a potentially deadly reaction, even if the hops are "spent" after use in brewing_

and http://www.brewersfriend.com/2010/05/09/hops-and-dogs/

might be alright if it is just the leaves though?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (18/10/11)

ruh-roh


----------



## felten (18/10/11)

I think it's just the cones, but I'm no expert.

If it's the lupulin that's the problem, then there can be some glands on the leaves as well as the cones, though nowhere near as much.


----------



## XavierZ (18/10/11)

lucky they were young shoots, not spent hops and as per the brewersfriend article. 

"Cases of dogs eating raw hops and getting sick or dieing have been reported 
on brewing forums, but this appears to be rare and no studies have been done."

The fact that he's still bouncing around 12hours later tells me he's fine, but I'll be 
keeping a close eye on him anyway.


----------



## kymba (18/10/11)

XavierZ said:


> lucky they were young shoots, not spent hops and as per the brewersfriend article.
> 
> "Cases of dogs eating raw hops and getting sick or dieing have been reported
> on brewing forums, but this appears to be rare and no studies have been done."
> ...



good to hear. maybe he was after a scooby snack - been watching cartoons lately?


----------



## cam89brewer (18/10/11)

Is it necessary or beneficial to trim the lower leaves on my hops bines to encourage vertical growth as i have been advised to do so?


----------



## newguy (19/10/11)

cambrew said:


> Is it necessary or beneficial to trim the lower leaves on my hops bines to encourage vertical growth as i have been advised to do so?



No. I just finished harvesting my hops and this was their 3rd year in the ground, and I've never trimmed bines or leaves. Growth has never been an issue for mine. I've heard that trimming the bines back to only 3-5 per plant encourages a higher yield and I'll probably try it next year as I'm tired of having my hops "bush" out at the ground in addition to the bines up the ropes.


----------



## felten (19/10/11)

It's suggested in a few articles I've read that you should trim the first couple of feet of leaves off to stop the spread of disease and pests up from the ground. I found last year that my lower leaves were yellowing and falling off by themselves, so I just removed the rest of them anyway. But YMMV.

I don't think it would promote upwards growth, as the only thing the bines want to do is grow upwards anyway.


----------



## arogers (19/10/11)

XavierZ said:


> If these three do actually kick off, I'd be more than happy to trade them off for three aroma hop cuttings if anyone would like to.



do you have another node at the bottom of those cuttings? (in the water)

they might not do much if you dont, that seems to be where the new growth happens.


----------



## XavierZ (19/10/11)

regulator said:


> do you have another node at the bottom of those cuttings? (in the water)
> 
> they might not do much if you dont, that seems to be where the new growth happens.




I just followed the destructions from here Hops - How to Grow them (AHB)
Oh, and I'm trying to get them to grow roots, not more leaves and stems.


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## big78sam (19/10/11)

newguy said:


> I've heard that trimming the bines back to only 3-5 per plant encourages a higher yield and I'll probably try it next year as I'm tired of having my hops "bush" out at the ground in addition to the bines up the ropes.



I have read the same and have around 40 bines in my second year plants. I did nothing to the rhizomes over winter and now I've got maybe 8 or so bines coming up from from around the areas where each bines appeared last year. Has anyone in a non-commercial environmant actually tried both leaving all the bines to grow and cutting all bar 3 to 6 back? What effect does this have on the yield? I've googled and AHB searched but everyone just seems to be quoting the theory of 3 to 6 bines per plant but I haven't heard of anyone who's actually tried both. Is this just from ease of harvest or is yield actually better with less bines?


----------



## matho (19/10/11)

XavierZ said:


> I just followed the destructions from here Hops - How to Grow them (AHB)
> Oh, and I'm trying to get them to grow roots, not more leaves and stems.



that works for me with rooting hormone in dirt others have said to leave nodes on the bottom, i get about an 80% strike rate with that method

cheers matho


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## Tony (21/10/11)

Hey hop fiends

I have a 2nd year POR... thats not growing, and a goldings thats been in dirt for 2 weeks and is taking over.

Question.......... WTF is wrong with the POR........ its looked like a bushy little green ball for about a month and has not grown.

The goldings has gone from half dead root to this in 2 weeks! See the arrow pointing out shoots heading out a long way from the root stock..... i broke tnem off!

and ideas why the POR has started well but wont grow up?

Goldinsa with stray shoots.......







2nd year POR that wont grow any more.






PS..... the sticks are to stop the wifes car (edit: had to leave that one there.... CAT) killing the plants by sl;eping on the mulch..... I HATE CATS!


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## kelbygreen (21/10/11)

you killed it!! lol I think they stop every now and then my POR threw its shoots then stopped and its been about 2 and half weeks seems to be growing every day. The chinook though hasnt moved in 3 weeks its just a few leaves so hope it gets going soon.


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## matho (21/10/11)

its fine tony, its just getting ready for a huge growth, by the way its a beautiful shade of green

cheers steve


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## Malted (21/10/11)

Tony said:


> Hey hop fiends
> Question.......... WTF is wrong with the POR........ its looked like a bushy little green ball for about a month and has not grown.



Oh Tony you're such a tool, the arrow is pointing to a rose bush! Whilst the flowers_ might _be ok for flavouring perhaps a wit, it won't give the same results as hops.  

Give it time Tony,it will take off later on.


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## hoppy2B (21/10/11)

Malted said:


> Oh Tony you're such a tool, the arrow is pointing to a rose bush! Whilst the flowers_ might _be ok for flavouring perhaps a wit, it won't give the same results as hops.
> 
> Give it time Tony,it will take off later on.



Monkey man, I think if you look closely at the end of the arrow there is a small hop shoot emerging, to which he was referring. :huh:


----------



## Malted (21/10/11)

hbnath said:


> Not sure if any other Kiwis have posted pics of their hops...
> Got a few long cuttings from a friends garden and chopped them up to see what would happen. Some planted in a pot and a couple in a glass of water.
> I have no idea what variety it is, but hey...gives me an idea on how they may grow here and I go from there.
> I live in Havelock North in Hawkes Bay, which is called the "Fruit Bowl of New Zealand" so hopefully good growing conditions. We have plenty of sunlight thats for sure!
> ...



Feck me them sure is good growing conditions in NZ! Looks more like grape vine cuttings or something woody like gooseberries! They seem to me to be very robust cuttings; if they grow like that make sure they don't cover your house or steal your car!  I have not seen them that woody or with buds like that before; you sure they're not grapes or something?


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## MaltyHops (21/10/11)

Malted said:


> Oh Tony you're such a tool, the arrow is pointing to a rose bush! ...


You do realise there is actually a bine being pointed to? I think that
rose bush ought to be a bit worried tho'

T.

(or are we have having a wee bit of sport there? )

Ok lads, move along ... nothing to see here.


----------



## Malted (21/10/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Monkey man, I think if you look closely at the end of the arrow there is a small hop shoot emerging, to which he was referring. :huh:



Thank you strawberry man, maybe you missed the important part = "  "

 = I am now taking the piss outa you too. How're your root tuberish thingy tissue cultures going, turned into rhizomes yet?

Edit: yes Tom, sport it is.


----------



## ledgenko (21/10/11)

Tony ... I have no idea .. just thought I would say that !!

But .. I have 2 x 1st year Cascade in exactly the same mix of soil, no more than 8 feet apart .. one went off like a fire cracker and has 3 shoots but has stopped growing whilst the other has put off 2 shoots and they just have not really grown even with dynamic lifter, seasol, water and heaps of sun light and they are in a warm spot within my garden ... 

who knows they may just take off like a sexy woman on the rebound .. or they may just be like a 17 yr old school girl and very tempermental .... (I must say I am not into 17 yr old girls - just using the expression) ... but have been known to like to be a rebound for hot chicks though;-0


----------



## newguy (22/10/11)

Tony said:


> Question.......... WTF is wrong with the POR........ its looked like a bushy little green ball for about a month and has not grown.



Mine have done that but I'm pretty sure that in my case, the ambient temperature (daytime highs of 5-10C with lows at or below freezing) was to blame. Does your POR have a line of sight to the morning sun? My hops with an eastern exposure do noticeably better than the ones with a western view. Soil temperature (morning soil temperature) seems to be pretty important.

At any rate, don't worry about it as it will eventually decide to start growing like mad.


----------



## kymba (22/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> Tony ... I have no idea .. just thought I would say that !!
> 
> But .. I have 2 x 1st year Cascade in exactly the same mix of soil, no more than 8 feet apart .. one went off like a fire cracker and has 3 shoots but has stopped growing whilst the other has put off 2 shoots and they just have not really grown even with dynamic lifter, seasol, water and heaps of sun light and they are in a warm spot within my garden ...
> 
> who knows they may just take off like a sexy woman on the rebound .. or they may just be like a 17 yr old school girl and very tempermental .... (I must say I am not into 17 yr old girls - just using the expression) ... but have been known to like to be a rebound for hot chicks though;-0


yeah best wait till they are 18

hey newguy do you have any references to the soil temp thing?


----------



## Tony (22/10/11)

newguy said:


> Mine have done that but I'm pretty sure that in my case, the ambient temperature (daytime highs of 5-10C with lows at or below freezing) was to blame. Does your POR have a line of sight to the morning sun? My hops with an eastern exposure do noticeably better than the ones with a western view. Soil temperature (morning soil temperature) seems to be pretty important.
> 
> At any rate, don't worry about it as it will eventually decide to start growing like mad.




The POR has great morning sun.......... We have had cool days here so far and its just warming up soi m expecting it to explode and take over the house...... im just a bit worried as ittook off like a rocket with long shoots like the new Goldings plant last year not a week after it was in the dirt.

The goldings gets mid to late arvo sun so i would say it has a higher ground temp...... probably what it is.

cheers


----------



## Lecterfan (22/10/11)

I wish I had a digital camera - we just had an attack of the 'golf ball sized hail' business - almost all the tips and leaves from the young hops have been destroyed. There was much wailing in the village...

The more established ones are ok, and I'm sure with a bit of sunshine the others will recover, but nonetheless a bit of a kick in the guts as a povvo student who legitimately grows hops to brew with and not just for the novelty!!!!


edit: the hersbrucker rhizome is from an aggressive 2nd year plant and is still fine if anyone wants to come and grab it...


----------



## hoppy2B (22/10/11)

Malted said:


> Thank you strawberry man, maybe you missed the important part = "  "
> 
> = I am now taking the piss outa you too. How're your root tuberish thingy tissue cultures going, turned into rhizomes yet?
> 
> Edit: yes Tom, sport it is.



Are you sure you're name isn't Sheldon Cooper, ergo you know how to do sarcasm but don't understand when someone else does it?
Re the tubers, I did dig them up after they had been in the ground for about a month and they dad grown fine hairlike roots, no sign of any buds developing. That was maybe nearly two months ago. I am planning to dig them up again soon and am thinking of tissue culturing from the fine rootlets. B) 
Might take some pics for show and tell. :lol:


----------



## bunyips (23/10/11)

practicalfool said:


> Last year I planted 2 rhizomes and with a bit of nursing and spent grain going their way, they both shot off going ~2.5-3 meters high to the top of my 'trellis' before I had to abandon them and move up here. Now my sis tells me they are everywhere and fornicating with the basil bush!!!
> 
> Eagerly awaiting pics and future parcel of hops
> 
> What time should I be looking at advising to pluck the hop flowers?! It's hallertau and going by it's vigorous froth in the first year I'm pretty sure it's taken over that patch in the herb garden this year.


Hey mate,
I have read the guides to growing hops and am just wondering if anyone has had any success growing hops up here in the Far North. I know it is a bit out of there temp range but was thinking that maybe if rhizomes are planted in the middle of winter there would be the possibility of a an early crop as summer came on. Must give it a go next year. Will research different strains and see if I can find a hotter growing one. Any help would be appreciated. maybe better planting conditions on the tablelands hey. I live in the hills west of mission beach so is a little cooler.
Todd


----------



## pk.sax (23/10/11)

I plan to give it a go myself to be honest. it's not always hot and humid here! Well, thinking back, the tablelands were quite cold this winter compared to the coast. If I have someone come up here I'll see if hey can dig up a few rhizomes for us to try.


----------



## matho (23/10/11)

Lecterfan said:


> I wish I had a digital camera - we just had an attack of the 'golf ball sized hail' business - almost all the tips and leaves from the young hops have been destroyed. There was much wailing in the village...
> 
> The more established ones are ok, and I'm sure with a bit of sunshine the others will recover, but nonetheless a bit of a kick in the guts as a povvo student who legitimately grows hops to brew with and not just for the novelty!!!!
> 
> ...



i know your pain, two years ago we had three large hail storms come through in January and completely shred my plants, at least it has happened early in the season so your plants will have time to throw up more shoots. I have notice that if a bine gets too many damaged leaves then the plant gives up on that bine and it just stops growing. 

cheers matho


----------



## DUANNE (23/10/11)

big78sam said:


> I have read the same and have around 40 bines in my second year plants. I did nothing to the rhizomes over winter and now I've got maybe 8 or so bines coming up from from around the areas where each bines appeared last year. Has anyone in a non-commercial environmant actually tried both leaving all the bines to grow and cutting all bar 3 to 6 back? What effect does this have on the yield? I've googled and AHB searched but everyone just seems to be quoting the theory of 3 to 6 bines per plant but I haven't heard of anyone who's actually tried both. Is this just from ease of harvest or is yield actually better with less bines?


e 

cant remember were i seen it but apperantly the reason that the commercial farmers keep theyre hops to 2 bines is simply for the harvesting machinry. 
if they go for any more it stops the machine due to the excess growth. the advice of the expert was at home to just let them go because there would be no advantage to keep it down to 2 bines in a home situation. i didnt trim back the bines on my hallertau last year and got around 300 grams dry off it in its first year.


----------



## Malted (23/10/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Are you sure you're name isn't Sheldon Cooper, ergo you know how to do sarcasm but don't understand when someone else does it?
> 
> Re the tubers, I did dig them up after they had been in the ground for about a month and they dad grown fine hairlike roots, no sign of any buds developing. That was maybe nearly two months ago. I am planning to dig them up again soon and am thinking of tissue culturing from the fine rootlets. B)
> Might take some pics for show and tell. :lol:



Funny you should say that, that's exactly what my missus calls me... 
Emoticons don't really give an indication of tone and infliction of speech or convey facial gestures accurately  

Are you really wanting results, or are you now just hunkering down and doing it just to see if it can be done from these structures? 



bunyips said:


> Hey mate,
> I have read the guides to growing hops and am just wondering if anyone has had any success growing hops up here in the Far North. I know it is a bit out of there temp range but was thinking that maybe if rhizomes are planted in the middle of winter there would be the possibility of a an early crop as summer came on. Must give it a go next year. Will research different strains and see if I can find a hotter growing one. Any help would be appreciated. maybe better planting conditions on the tablelands hey. I live in the hills west of mission beach so is a little cooler.
> Todd



I think I have heard of some folks in northern areas, or southern for the yanks, who put their rhizomes in the fridge for a few months before planting out. The same process as can be used with bulbs. Even though I am in the Adelaide region, this year I had some parent crowns left in pots or planted out in the garden bed and they are being eclipsed by the smaller rhizomes that I had in the fridge. 

Last year I had one Chinook rhizome about 2cm in diameter and 20cm long with only a couple of buds on it that was stored in the fridge for a few months and it grew enough in one season to be able to make a harvest ale. 

I could be wrong but I thought that generally high alpha varieities do better in warmer areas. It may not be the temperature that is as critical as the daylight length, us southerners have longer days in summer with a drawn out twilight. Other than that I believe it can get chilly in winter in the tablelands so who knows? With a high summer rainfall area too, I'd look at getting good drainage for them.


----------



## going down a hill (23/10/11)

Is this powdery mildew? I'll be pissed if it is. Sorry about the res on the camera.


----------



## [email protected] (23/10/11)

going down a hill said:


> Is this powdery mildew? I'll be pissed if it is. Sorry about the res on the camera.



Hard to tell from those pics.

It depends where on the plant these leaves cam from? top, middle , bottom.

If they are from the bottom of the plant and the middle and growing tips are still looking healthy and green, i would say that it is some sort of deficiency.
From my reading and experienced with other vine type plants, they will often drop the earlier leaves as well - or start taking nutrients from them for 
new growth / flowering / fruiting.

Also check under the leaves for mites / aphids ect.


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## hoppy2B (23/10/11)

BEERHOG said:


> e
> 
> cant remember were i seen it but apperantly the reason that the commercial farmers keep theyre hops to 2 bines is simply for the harvesting machinry.
> if they go for any more it stops the machine due to the excess growth. the advice of the expert was at home to just let them go because there would be no advantage to keep it down to 2 bines in a home situation. i didnt trim back the bines on my hallertau last year and got around 300 grams dry off it in its first year.


I was interested as to how hops are harvested mechanically and some time ago did a brief search. What I discovered was that the bines are cut down individually and fed through a machine which strips the cones and leaves. It separates cones and leaves in a stream of air.
Hop bines are usually grown with a little space between them to stop laterals becoming intertwined and interfering with harvest, and :blink: also because wind blowing the bines against one and other causes damage to the plants.


----------



## hoppy2B (23/10/11)

Malted said:


> Funny you should say that, that's exactly what my missus calls me...
> Emoticons don't really give an indication of tone and infliction of speech or convey facial gestures accurately
> 
> Are you really wanting results, or are you now just hunkering down and doing it just to see if it can be done from these structures?
> ...


----------



## bunyips (23/10/11)

practicalfool said:


> I plan to give it a go myself to be honest. it's not always hot and humid here! Well, thinking back, the tablelands were quite cold this winter compared to the coast. If I have someone come up here I'll see if hey can dig up a few rhizomes for us to try.


 Just found an interesting thread from 2002 which seems promising indeed. Does anyone know Graham Sanders? Is he still active brewing up here. 
May have to look into this a bit deeper and order a few different Rhizomes to see how they go?
http://hbd.org/hbd/archive/3975.html#3975-1


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## pk.sax (23/10/11)

Erm... He seems to have a polka dotted past here on AHB, that article/email does raise questions... S'pose we gotta get some rhizomes happening. If you end up getting any I'd happily share costs to get one.


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## kymba (23/10/11)

apparently if you can provide your hops with enough artificial light when your sun fks off, your plants will be out of control. you need to provide enough light to emulate the amount of night time that happens at 33* latitude and below

i can't recall what part of the spectrum is needed, but from memory it is relatively easy to provide it in a home based scale compared to a commercial scale

i couldn't be fkd reading this again, but the seppos have some info about growing hops in florida here http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/hop-growin...-florida-52264/

hth


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## Yob (23/10/11)

id just like to say at this point.. cheers Doc.. the goldings is fuc*ing outstanding.. growing about an inch a day and will use all of the 6m Ive given it from the look of it... its gone absolutly mental :beerbang: 

all chinooks (x3) - small stunted (1 in pot)
POR which I thought was dead - showing signs (pot)
Tett - effed if I know - presume building roots (pot)
cascade - effed if I know (pot)

pisses me off actually.. out of all that I planted the one going spastic is for the missus's beers... Im sure the others will do their thing in due course.. patience is not a stong point of mine  <_<


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## Doubleplugga (23/10/11)

some photos of my cascades, just transplanted from pots to the newly built (building!) pergola
hope they handle the move okay. were in the pots for about 6 weeks and have 5 shoots each


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## Doubleplugga (23/10/11)

here's the second one. sorry, didnt shrink them after downloading from the phone. hope they dont find the jarrah posts too big to wrap themselves around. rhizomes were bought from Rupert at Hops West.


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## Liam_snorkel (23/10/11)

It'll be fine. Throw some twine down the sunny side of the post if you're worried.


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## CONNOR BREWARE (24/10/11)

cats75 said:


> here's the second one. sorry, didnt shrink them after downloading from the phone. hope they dont find the jarrah posts too big to wrap themselves around. rhizomes were bought from Rupert at Hops West.


Hmmm those posts look heavy....


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## Yob (24/10/11)

cats75 said:


> here's the second one. sorry, didnt shrink them after downloading from the phone. hope they dont find the jarrah posts too big to wrap themselves around. rhizomes were bought from Rupert at Hops West.




nice horse you have there too


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## Fish13 (24/10/11)

i got 3 on to bines now. woohoo i need to keep the fertilizer on to them and the water and i should be right for a few weeks...

sorry for the blurriness of the shot..


----------



## .DJ. (24/10/11)

my goldings...


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## Brewing_Brad (24/10/11)

These little babies (POR) popped up three weeks ago.






But after reading through this thread, I now have hop envy!


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## cdbrown (24/10/11)

My 4 plants - unfortunately don't know what is what, but they are all growing nicely. PoR, EKG, Tettnang, Cluster


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## cam89brewer (24/10/11)

I was wondering is it possible to keep your hop plants at a height of about 1.5 metres and still have them produce flowers?


----------



## komodo (24/10/11)

:icon_offtopic: Slightly OT - Was camping up at Stringybark Creek camp gound in Toombullup State Forest on the weekend and took an easy track which came onto a road and came across Ellerslie Hop Farm










Reminded me of being in New Norfolk, Tassie - only a lot _less_ traffic. Obviously not a great deal to see at this point in time - but closer to picking its going to be a sight to see


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## felten (24/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I was wondering is it possible to keep your hop plants at a height of about 1.5 metres and still have them produce flowers?



Dunno about that, my willamette didn't produce any cones below 2m but YMMV.

Some varieties are dwarf hops (first gold is the only one I see from a quick google), maybe have a look around at which ones are available for the future.


----------



## cam89brewer (24/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I was wondering is it possible to keep your hop plants at a height of about 1.5 metres and still have them produce flowers?



This is a photo of my saaz for some reason it is missing the top of its bine and is starting to shoot out small laterals does it still have any hope of producing anything this year? :unsure:


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## Malted (24/10/11)

cambrew said:


> This is a photo of my saaz for some reason it is missing the top of its bine and is starting to shoot out small laterals does it still have any hope of producing anything this year? :unsure:



The tips snap off, get busted off, wilt off or eaten off... Wind, birds, hot weather, all manner of things...
The laterals will grow out and up to replace the the 'tip'. It is normal to have lateral growth and seemingly a lot of it. You also get cones on laterals. 
Whether you'll get any cones, who knows? Let's say yes there is 'hope'.


----------



## newguy (24/10/11)

kymba said:


> hey newguy do you have any references to the soil temp thing?



No just observation of my hops. The three that get morning sun up to mid-day sun and the three that get sun all day go mad. The three that get only mid-day sun to sunset don't do nearly as well. I think that the key is the soil warming up early in the season but I could be wrong - it may be that they prefer morning sun.


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## Lecterfan (24/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I was wondering is it possible to keep your hop plants at a height of about 1.5 metres and still have them produce flowers?




Last year I picked heaps of cones that were only 1.5m off the ground...but that was because they had grown horizontally as well...perhaps bine _length_ rather than _height_ is something to think about?

All of mine grew well horizontally, but they also all had several bines that were able to grow vertically also. Of course terroir and all the other millions of variables etc etc etc


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## hoppy2B (25/10/11)

26th August 2011, Sazz on the left and Tett on right.


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## hoppy2B (25/10/11)

24th October, Saaz now has 12 bines going up strings.
I'm using tie wire to keep wind from blowing bines together.


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## adryargument (26/10/11)

My little babies are going strong.
Had a huge issues with possums that were snipping the buds off the top of each bine. This has kind of stunted them all, but they are now getting back into the swing of their growth spurts.

They were all potted halfway through the 2010 season, so they had a bit of root growth ready to go for this season. Lots of bines are shooting everywhere!

Going from left to right we have:

2 x Herbucker
2 x Columbus (One has not yet popped - possibly DOA)
2 x Chinook (One has not yet popped - possibly DOA)
2 x Goldings
2 x Mt Hood

2 x Hallertauer (Further up the back)

The Field:





Mt Hood #1 & #2 - Just shooting but starting to come up fast.









Chinook #1:





Goldings #1 - You can see the effects of the possums, the left bine has split into two at the top.





Hersbuckers at the back, Both of these are charging along, easily 6-7 bines on each growing at alarming rates. The back one has reached the top at aroun 3.6 to 4m tall.





Hallertauer are trying to make an effort in the background - but they keep getting possumed.





All plants are starting to show some little grub bites through the leaves - not entirely too sure what these are yet.


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## kelbygreen (26/10/11)

they are looking good. didnt know possums like hops  . Your garden is a tad bit rocky, nice slab of rock behind them


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## bunyips (26/10/11)

kelbygreen said:


> they are looking good. didnt know possums like hops  . Your garden is a tad bit rocky, nice slab of rock behind them


Hey there again.. I have no hops to show but have been researching growing hops in the tropics and am going to give it a really good go in the next few months as I think they will grow like weeds up here if you add some artificial light early in the morning and late evening forcing them to flower. Where I am coming from was reading about possum attack... I have an organic garden that i eat out of and came across a site that may well be very helpful for these sorts of problems...http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=boddingtons&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boddingtons.com.au%2F&ei=h8unTtDmGeSjiAfc8aiLDg&usg=AFQjCNEa-bFHWHCLsGIvydWKkJhEmm536g
Also sell netting that is 10m by 2m for something like $7.50. I will be buying from these guys in the near future to protect my permaculture as much as i can. Hope this is helpful
Todd


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## Gar (26/10/11)

My little fella's getting a bit yellow & spotty (my hop bine ya dirty bastard), anybody know what could be causing this?..... I'll post a piccy tomorrow if I remember.


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## Deebo (26/10/11)

Gar said:


> My little fella's getting a bit yellow & spotty (my hop bine ya dirty bastard), anybody know what could be causing this?..... I'll post a piccy tomorrow if I remember.



My hop problems:
Some of the leaves are curling up for some reason?
Some just look like they are plain dying.
Some have been eaten by something.
Some also have yellow spots like you describe.

Crappy phone pictures:


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## Stinger (27/10/11)

Deebo said:


> My hop problems:
> Some of the leaves are curling up for some reason?
> Some just look like they are plain dying.
> Some have been eaten by something.
> ...


----------



## Stinger (27/10/11)

going down a hill said:


> Is this powdery mildew? I'll be pissed if it is. Sorry about the res on the camera.




Nope not Powdery, PM is white fuzzy gear like this


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## kalbarluke (27/10/11)

Stinger said:


> Nope not Powdery, PM is white fuzzy gear like this



I have had a mould like that on melon and pumpkin plants.Totally killed my plants. Might have to use a spray. Is there a natural cure?


----------



## adryargument (27/10/11)

Gar said:


> My little fella's getting a bit yellow & spotty (my hop bine ya dirty bastard), anybody know what could be causing this?..... I'll post a piccy tomorrow if I remember.



The whole plant or just part of it / one bine?

If you look at linky, the top half of one of my bines in the bottom right corner of the image are going yellow / spotty - This looks to be caused by a bine injury further down which seem to be cutting off some nutrients. I'm tempted to snip it off.


----------



## hoppy2B (27/10/11)

kalbarluke said:


> I have had a mould like that on melon and pumpkin plants.Totally killed my plants. Might have to use a spray. Is there a natural cure?



Try spraying milk. Milk will also feed you plants "stuff". :lol: 
Another alternative is to spray sulfurous "bizo". :lol:


----------



## Deebo (27/10/11)

Stinger said:


> could be some salt burn from fertilizer? what have you used? I had some pretty ordinary looking leaves a bit like that last year but didn't seem to be much of a problem. possibly just the older leaves getting a bit old. there is the odd grub or two that like to have a chew but going for something like pyrethrum spray regularly is pretty safe and effective.



Used some cow manure and a tiny bit of blood and bone. One theory I heard was hops sprouting early and finding daylight hours are shorter than they expect, assume its winter and die back.


----------



## Malted (27/10/11)

Deebo said:


> Used some cow manure and a tiny bit of blood and bone. One theory I heard was hops sprouting early and finding daylight hours are shorter than they expect, assume its winter and die back.



Man cows are useful! You can spray the hops with their milk, use their poop and their blood and bones. Useful animals!


----------



## Fish13 (27/10/11)

Malted said:


> Man cows are useful! You can spray the hops with their milk, use their poop and their blood and bones. Useful animals!



and dopnt forget those delicouse slabs of scotch, porthouse and rib eye now


----------



## kymba (27/10/11)

fish13 said:


> and dopnt forget those delicouse slabs of scotch, porthouse and rib eye now



and gelatin, and the mrs' funtime mask, and...

i'ma go out to get me few cows - could be useful to have a couple on hand


----------



## mesa99 (27/10/11)

My hop plants to date (all first year).

POR (1 shoot going great)




Goldings (3 shoots going great)




Cascade (Trying in a pot, slow going at the moment)




Hersbrucker (Been like this for weeks, was the end shoot of a rhizome, not sure what it's up to)


----------



## kalbarluke (27/10/11)

mesa99 said:


> Hersbrucker (Been like this for weeks, was the end shoot of a rhizome, not sure what it's up to)



Some of mine have been like that - just seem to be "stalled". Very frustrating.


----------



## evil_as_skeletor (27/10/11)

What about this?My Hallertau, planted in July in Adelaide.
Seems to be shooting like crazy underneath, but not looking too flash on the leaf extremities.Any ideas?


----------



## HeavyNova (27/10/11)

kalbarluke said:


> Some of mine have been like that - just seem to be "stalled". Very frustrating.



Mine 2 plants have a reasonable amount of healthy looking shoots out of the ground but don't seem to be wantitng to grow upwards either. It hurts a bit looking at the progress other plants are making in the pictures getting posted here!


----------



## hoppy2B (27/10/11)

I wouldn't worry too much about the plants shooting skyward now. They will probably be ready for picking in January. And the leaves can get a bit decrepit when they get old. Most people's plants on here that are just sitting there will probably look like that, mine do. I only have one plant out of a handful of varieties that are going anywhere fast. :mellow:


----------



## drsmurto (28/10/11)

evil_as_skeletor said:


> What about this?My Hallertau, planted in July in Adelaide.
> Seems to be shooting like crazy underneath, but not looking too flash on the leaf extremities.Any ideas?



Add some more nutrition. N based fertiliser and/or some well rotted manure.


----------



## ledgenko (28/10/11)

Is it possible that different varieties take off earlier than others ?? It would seem that way as there does not seem to be any Cascade reaching for the skies as yet ???

Matt


----------



## Malted (28/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> Is it possible that different varieties take off earlier than others ?? It would seem that way as there does not seem to be any Cascade reaching for the skies as yet ???
> 
> Matt



Yes. And there will be variety, within varieties, within your back yard. Don't judge yours by what is over the fence.


----------



## ledgenko (28/10/11)

Malted ... I am not sure the guy next door is growing hops .. but seems to have some well tended to Tomato bushes ... must be a new variety ... oddest looking flowers I have ever seen !!! ;-) 

But I am cool with my hops .. I transplaneted the smallest of the two from a bag of pretty crappy soil into high grade organic potting mix ... lots more shoots were developing under the soil ... This is its first year so not expecting much of a harvest ... maybe next year though !!!


Matt


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## Malted (28/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> Malted ... I am not sure the guy next door is growing hops .. but seems to have some well tended to Tomato bushes ... must be a new variety ... oddest looking flowers I have ever seen !!! ;-)




1. If neighbour is not looking, lean over fence and collect a few of the odd flowers.
2. Place on plate in microwave with a half a mug of water, zap on high for a minute. 
3. Check that water in mug has not boiled over and top up as necessary, zap for another minute.
4. Are the odd flowers sort of half dry or between that and dry? Keep zapping until they are in this range.
5. Take to the odd flowers on a cutting board with a knife the same as how you'd deal with fresh parsley
6. Mix the chopped odd flowers with some cigarette tobacco (from a tailor made or from pouch tobacco) in roughly a 50-50 mix. Some prefer less or no tobacco.
7. Roll this new mix into a cigarette paper or two. You can roll a filter into it or substitute with a thin tube of rolled cardboard. You can even empty a tailor made cigarette of its tobacco and carefully repack it with this new mix of odd flowers. (There are many other devices you could use but we will keep it simple for now).
8. Find a nice comfy chair and plonk yourself in it with a good sized bag of potato chips and a big bottle of water.
9. Enjoy a peaceful smoke with the odd flowers that you collected and processed yourself. Its been hard work, you deserve a rest.


----------



## kymba (28/10/11)

pretty sure pink floyd is req'd also...i'd probably slot it somewhere between steps 8 & 9


----------



## adryargument (28/10/11)

kymba said:


> pretty sure pink floyd is req'd also...i'd probably slot it somewhere between steps 8 & 9



After you sit down?? Surely it must be between 7-8


----------



## bcp (28/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> Is it possible that different varieties take off earlier than others ?? It would seem that way as there does not seem to be any Cascade reaching for the skies as yet ???
> 
> Matt



Mine seem to be shooting in order of their native latitude. So the kent goldings is off like a rocket, followed by cascade, then saaz is slow. Now a sample of three doesn't make science, but i was wondering whether daylight length is one of the triggers. The latitude means that daylight length in melbourne would be equivalent to later in the spring for england. But... just an unprocessed thought really. 

Are other people's hops shooting in a different order?


----------



## kymba (28/10/11)

adryargument said:


> After you sit down?? Surely it must be between 7-8


haha yeah, silly me. i was so busy concentrating on the potato chips that i forgot to put the music on


----------



## drsmurto (28/10/11)

> Mine seem to be shooting in order of their native latitude. So the kent goldings is off like a rocket, followed by cascade, then saaz is slow. Now a sample of three doesn't make science, but i was wondering whether daylight length is one of the triggers. The latitude means that daylight length in melbourne would be equivalent to later in the spring for england. But... just an unprocessed thought really.



My chinook was always last, POR always first.


----------



## Yob (28/10/11)

does anyone know /have any Galaxy Growing? Id love to get on the list early for a cutting/rhizome for next season... ??


----------



## phoenixdigital (28/10/11)

Malted said:


> 1. If neighbour is not looking, lean over fence and collect a few of the odd flowers.



Sorry to take this slightly off topic but has anyone ever used these strange flowers as hops substitute?

I was discussing that with someone last weekend and we wondered if it was possible? They are from the same family I thought.


----------



## Fish13 (28/10/11)

phoenixdigital said:


> Sorry to take this slightly off topic but has anyone ever used these strange flowers as hops substitute?
> 
> I was discussing that with someone last weekend and we wondered if it was possible? They are from the same family I thought.



http://www.marijuana.com/cooking-marijuana...r-cannabis.html


----------



## Liam_snorkel (28/10/11)

fish13 said:


> http://www.marijuana.com/cooking-marijuana...r-cannabis.html


also here:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_recipe6.shtml
I think there is some other beer related info on Erowid but I CBF searching


----------



## kymba (28/10/11)

ozzy, if you are come across a spare rhizome on your galaxy quest i would happily give my firstborn / tons-o-cash for one - preferably the kid though...surely they are useful for something?


----------



## Rowy (28/10/11)

Malted said:


> Yes. And there will be variety, within varieties, within your back yard. Don't judge yours by what is over the fence.




I fee lthe force is strong in you malt


----------



## Yob (29/10/11)

First Year Smurto Goldings is now over head height and growing at about a rate of an inch a day.. these are ******* amazing plants to grow.. 




who knows what the chinooks are doing, all 3 are doing something different... 

tett is moving again, (in front of the blue barrels) 



cascade I think wants to be in the ground... I may replace one of the stunted/off coloured chinooks with it but I will have to be quick about it..


----------



## kelbygreen (29/10/11)

my chinook hasnt grown in a month its only about 3cm high but my POR is starting to grow again looks like a green afro on the ground its heaps bushy lol


----------



## cam89brewer (30/10/11)

I have just noticed that my saaz has sent up about 3 extra bines around the same pole. could this be a problem if they are wrapping around each other?


----------



## Malted (30/10/11)

cambrew said:


> I have just noticed that my saaz has sent up about 3 extra bines around the same pole. could this be a problem if they are wrapping around each other?



Nah they'll fight it out and the strongest will eat the other two.  
Multiple bines per string, pole, whatever, is fine. Could you imagine having 20-30 individual strings for an older plant with that many bines?


----------



## cam89brewer (30/10/11)

Malted said:


> Nah they'll fight it out and the strongest will eat the other two.
> Multiple bines per string, pole, whatever, is fine. Could you imagine having 20-30 individual strings for an older plant with that many bines?



Fair enough. I suppose its a good sign of health if it keeps sending up new bines. 
I also noticed that it was about this time last year that people posted on the 2010 thread pics of their newly developing flowers so exciting times ahead...


----------



## PhantomEasey (30/10/11)

iamozziyob said:


> does anyone know /have any Galaxy Growing? Id love to get on the list early for a cutting/rhizome for next season... ??



I'd be next in line to jump onto that bandwagon yob, however iirc Galaxy is still a propriety variety that is only available through the one grower (Hop Products Australia)? More than happy to be corrected, as it's my hop of choice atm and would love to get my hands on my own rhizome. :icon_drool2:


----------



## hoppy2B (30/10/11)

Malted said:


> Nah they'll fight it out and the strongest will eat the other two.
> Multiple bines per string, pole, whatever, is fine. Could you imagine having 20-30 individual strings for an older plant with that many bines?



In a couple of weeks my first year Saaz will have a few more strings added. That will make a total of 20. If it keeps sending out bines at the base I wouldn't hesitate to take it to 30. :lol:


----------



## leonjw (31/10/11)

hoppy2B said:


> In a couple of weeks my first year Saaz will have a few more strings added. That will make a total of 20. If it keeps sending out bines at the base I wouldn't hesitate to take it to 30. :lol:



Would love to see a photo of that!!!!


----------



## drsmurto (31/10/11)

I would guesstimate i have more than 100 bines per chinook plant (3 in total). They now cover a cicrular are of 3m in diamater.

Between them i have put up 10 strings. there is a fence in the middle that they eventually figure out how to climb.

The weeds can find their own way up to the trellis as far as i am concerned. Only the strong survive. Evolution at play. If I am right they will be brewing beer for me in a few years time. And not in a bucket either (that would be reverse evolution) B)


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (31/10/11)

My first hops in a planter box made from an old sliding door from the current reno.
Cascade rhizomes from Rupert down south at Hops west, cheers Rupert.

Going to have to make the trellis thingymebob this week, my sticks are getting climbed quicker than I thought given the hops stayed in the fridge 4 months

the straw mulch is from the chook pen, covered in little chicken turdy goodness...


----------



## Yob (1/11/11)

DrSmurto said:


> I would guesstimate i have more than 100 bines per chinook plant (3 in total). They now cover a cicrular are of 3m in diamater.


aww cmon Doc... Ive been waitin ages for some photo's from you!! B) 

Yob


----------



## kymba (1/11/11)

cascades



chinook - L & pride of ringwood - R



goldings - still looking sick but throwing heaps of laterals


----------



## Adam Howard (1/11/11)

Cluster, thinned to 5 bines and trimmed.





Tettnanger, thinned and going crazy. About 1.5m.





Goldings. Looking lovely.





Cascade.





Chinook.










All the plants have been necked back. Only 5-8 bines out of each rhizome.

Also have this Tettnang.




Which is going down to my uncle's place.

And all these little ones.





Keen to see how the POR, Hallertau and Saaz are going down in Flinders at my uncle's.


----------



## cam89brewer (1/11/11)

DrSmurto said:


> I would guesstimate i have more than 100 bines per chinook plant (3 in total). They now cover a cicrular are of 3m in diamater.
> 
> Between them i have put up 10 strings. there is a fence in the middle that they eventually figure out how to climb.
> 
> The weeds can find their own way up to the trellis as far as i am concerned. Only the strong survive. Evolution at play. If I am right they will be brewing beer for me in a few years time. And not in a bucket either (that would be reverse evolution) B)



Man would you be able to post a pic? that would be unreal to see...


----------



## stef (1/11/11)

It's a bit depressing to see everyone's hops growing so quickly... Mine are like 4 cm's high still and haven't moved for weeks...


----------



## cam89brewer (1/11/11)

stef said:


> It's a bit depressing to see everyone's hops growing so quickly... Mine are like 4 cm's high still and haven't moved for weeks...



I still have a couple like that but i can assure you that once it hits about a foot high it will take off like crazy!!


----------



## HeavyNova (1/11/11)

hoppy2B said:


> I wouldn't worry too much about the plants shooting skyward now. They will probably be ready for picking in January. And the leaves can get a bit decrepit when they get old. Most people's plants on here that are just sitting there will probably look like that, mine do. I only have one plant out of a handful of varieties that are going anywhere fast. :mellow:


Somewhat comforting to hear, thanks!


----------



## Newbee(r) (1/11/11)

Goldings over the arch


----------



## Newbee(r) (1/11/11)

chinook on the left, pride of ringwood on the right. A first year cascade also going well but nothing worth a photo just yet!


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (1/11/11)

kymba said:


> cascades
> View attachment 49688
> 
> 
> ...


Do I spy some marigold to at track lady birds? Working for you?


----------



## drsmurto (1/11/11)

Photos won't win any awards.  

Chinook - 5th year - single plant






Chinook - 4th year, there are 2 plants in there i think





The other plants (Cascade and 3 Victoria's) are smaller but still growing well.

A shot from further back showing the height of the trellis. They hit the top of the trellis which is ~3m in height by late November last year. Looks like they will be there well before then.


----------



## cam89brewer (1/11/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Photos won't win any awards.
> 
> Chinook - 5th year - single plant
> 
> ...


Wow pretty impressive. How much do you usually harvest per plant?


----------



## drsmurto (1/11/11)

Yield varies but once mature (3rd year) mine put out 300+g dry per plant.

They seem to produce more each year, last year i took 800g dry off the 3 chinooks, gave away a few buckets of wet hops and let maybe 1/4 of the cones on the plant.


----------



## kymba (2/11/11)

Duke of Paddy said:


> Do I spy some marigold to at track lady birds? Working for you?


yeah mate the old lady reckons companion planting is the way to go, though i haven't noticed any ladybugs. but then again i haven't been explicitly looking for them either


----------



## JulesSeddo (2/11/11)

I've got hop envy! 

Mine are first year 'Precoce de Bourgogne' - freebees from Colin at BrewYourOwnAtHome

Grow Baby, GROW!


----------



## DUANNE (2/11/11)

has any one else got burrs on theyre hops yet. my second year hallertaur is starting to be covered in them but im worried that it is way to early and may end up producing a terrible crop. the only reason i can think of for it is the up and down weather in melbourne the last few weeks may have confused the poor plant.


----------



## DUANNE (2/11/11)

thought i might add some pics


----------



## cam89brewer (2/11/11)

BEERHOG said:


> thought i might add some pics
> 
> View attachment 49734
> View attachment 49731



Still it is pretty exciting to have them starting to form i think mine will be a little while off yet ...... if it decides to flower 1st season


----------



## cam89brewer (2/11/11)

cambrew said:


> Still it is pretty exciting to have them starting to form i think mine will be a little while off yet ...... if it decides to flower 1st season



At what height are yours forming?


----------



## DUANNE (3/11/11)

cambrew said:


> At what height are yours forming?


they are forming from four or five feet and up from there.


----------



## jbirbeck (3/11/11)

I have burrs on a couple of my plants and my experience has been that isn't ususual. when I get them this early I get two crops, one early and one quite late.


----------



## DUANNE (3/11/11)

thanks for putting my mind at ease rk. i do like the sound of two crops on them.means i can make more beer!


----------



## cam89brewer (3/11/11)

do either of you use pot ash or anything like that?


----------



## Newbee(r) (3/11/11)

BEERHOG said:


> thought i might add some pics
> 
> View attachment 49734
> View attachment 49731



They look happy and healthy to me. I gave my Dad a hallertau and it produces much earlier than my goldings, cascade and POR - I wouldn't worry they seem to be an early variety


----------



## XavierZ (3/11/11)

Why not clip off the burrs now to encourage further growth?
Stop the energy from going into the burrs so early.


----------



## bcp (3/11/11)

Reducing the number of bines, so we had saaz, cascade & kent goldings tips in our salad tonight. Very tasty. Highly recommend.


----------



## Malted (3/11/11)

cambrew said:


> do either of you use pot ash or anything like that?



I went a bit heavy handed with it last year, it had a negative effect... note to self, 1 tsp not one handfull per plant.  
I'm inclined to think that ash etc from a fire might be a better 'softer' option.


----------



## cam89brewer (3/11/11)

Malted said:


> I went a bit heavy handed with it last year, it had a negative effect... note to self, 1 tsp not one handfull per plant.
> I'm inclined to think that ash etc from a fire might be a better 'softer' option.



mmmmm.... hops bines for tea


----------



## Wolfy (4/11/11)

Went to visit my hops on Cup Day, had some string:




made some art:




_(chook fortress in the background)_
Some of the companion plants from last year made it through the winter:




And the hops (_they're up in the hills so likely a little behind those in the city_).
POR:




Golding:




Hallertau:


----------



## psytramp (4/11/11)

Here are my potted Chinook and Cluster hops.

Managed to get a great yeild last year for their first year, even though they were potted.

I updated the trellis this year for more height.

The Chinook has just poked its head through,




The Cluster has started taking off now,







Cheers!!


----------



## jbirbeck (4/11/11)

cambrew said:


> do either of you use pot ash or anything like that?



no, dynamic lifter pellets once every few months around the garden. I used pot ash last year but did nothing.



XavierZ said:


> Why not clip off the burrs now to encourage further growth?
> Stop the energy from going into the burrs so early.



:unsure: :blink: 

I'll trim the extra bines, no way I'm taking off the burrs. My experience is once the bines have started to burr the bine stops growing any longer, new growth then comes the base or off the main bine. so I can't see the benefit in taking off the burrs (what I want) to encourage further growth. I'd say that would deny me an early crop and leave me only with the later crop...I tend to get spider mites later in the season so later crop may not arrive.


----------



## Wimmig (4/11/11)

Just got mine in the mail, about to plant. It's more of a for the fun of it sort of thing rather than relying on them to output. I don't have the vertical capability to put the lines up, but intend on running a 15m line in a horizontal method over the yard. It should include about a slight rise in height, and not be entirely level.

The idea is to have 3 x lines running over the garden, providing some slight shade and with a bit of luck lots of hops. Would this be OK or fall into the realm of give it a go?


----------



## Malted (4/11/11)

@ psytramp: Do your hops tune into SBS? Looks like a sweet antenna!  


*Variation within my backyard:

*My parent crown of *PoR* has come up and then done nothing. Am I worried? No, it'll do it's thing when it wants to. Normal cigarette lighter in picture for scale.




*Saaz* parent crown and some cuttings from last year are just starting to get interested in growing.



In contrast to these plants, my *Hersbrucker* parent crown (transplanted from a barrel into the garden bed this year) is going gangbusters and has got to the top of the 3.5m flagpole trellis. It has too many bines to be able to count them.



Flagpole trellis to the left (4.5m above garden bed soil surface, ~5m above lawn) : my *Chinook* parent crown, also transplanted from a barrel into the garden bed this year, has as yet thrown only one bine that is currently about <10cm in length. What you see up to about 2m are the growth from some rhizomes I split off the parent crown at transplanting time. The split rhizomes were kept in the fridge for a while and then planted out. 
The tree to the right is the neighbour's gorgeous nectarine tree. The fruit are slip stones with a white flesh and are magnificent. I harvested 50 Kg of fruit from it last season and that was only from as far across the fence as I could reach! We would only have access to less than 20% of the tree from our side.




*Note:* 
I have both variation between varieties and amongst varieties. I am not worried about how yours are growing comparatively, or how mine are growing. 
The fricking caterpillars were giving some a hard time so I have sprayed a caterpillar specific bacteria inoculant onto them. 
I constructed my trellis' (or flagpoles) so there is a minimum amount of horizontal surfaces for birds to perch on and poop from. We have gazzillions of birds in the area thanks to some big trees the neighbours have. 





Rooting Kings said:


> My experience is once the bines have started to burr the bine stops growing any longer


I second that!


----------



## Fish13 (5/11/11)

mine seem to be doing okay. One of them has a second head to it so to speak.


----------



## wraith (6/11/11)

Right is Chinook, Left is Pride of Ringwood.

They are looking good, though I still have no idea what I'm going to do for a support system.

Wraith


----------



## hoppy2B (6/11/11)

Couple of nails in the wooden frame and run some string across your yard to the house or a shed or something, like another poster did. Quick and easy if you are unable to think of something better. 
You can always put up a better frame if you think of something and retie the strings to that. The bines are fairly flexible.


----------



## stef (9/11/11)

Got my Chinook growing along some string. Does anyone know if they can hold onto fishing line? My others will be growing up the back veranda and up the side of the house, but I'd prefer it if i could use fishing line cos it wont be so noticeable (while they are still little). Not sure if they would be able to hold onto it though?


----------



## bowser (9/11/11)

My Chinook has finally started growing again after not doing anything for about a month.

I added some lilme to the soil the other week after testing acidic, also this warm weather in Sydney might be helping.


----------



## arogers (9/11/11)

Doubt it.

Keep in mind the string will be the least of your worries when they really start growing...


----------



## Wimmig (11/11/11)

2 of the 3 showing life.

Tardif





Tettnang





Hallertau is nowhere to be seen yet. Though, i'm not shocked it was always going to be last. Will finish the lines on the weekend. Don't have veritcal space, in the inner city, so have 3 x 18m lines on a near horizontal run with a slight incline on them.


----------



## insane_rosenberg (12/11/11)

Finally got some pics today of the hops my parents are growing near Coffs Harbour. Got ten first year Perle that were planted quite late. I think the pics are of the biggest one. The trellis will go up next week, with the goal being it will serve as shade for parking the cars under in summer.


----------



## [email protected] (12/11/11)

First year plants, free rhizomes courtesy of AHB Brenthor.
Chinook on left POR on right. Training them to go sideways and up, they only needed a bit of direction at first and now seem to get the idea.


----------



## Shed101 (12/11/11)

All four of my plants are 2 metres high now on at least one of their two strings. I suppose that's good.

However, the leaves near the base on some of them have taken on a mottled appearance ... looking a bit worse for wear. Does anyone know if that's a problem or par for the course?


----------



## Screwtop (12/11/11)

Shed101 said:


> All four of my plants are 2 metres high now on at least one of their two strings. I suppose that's good.
> 
> However, the leaves near the base on some of them have taken on a mottled appearance ... looking a bit worse for wear. Does anyone know if that's a problem or par for the course?




Par for the course on the SSC this time of year, keep em watered!

Screwy


----------



## bunyips (12/11/11)

wraith said:


> Right is Chinook, Left is Pride of Ringwood.
> 
> They are looking good, though I still have no idea what I'm going to do for a support system.
> 
> Wraith


 I have been researching fencing for a permaculture garden in FNQ (yes am going to attempt hops up here) and found this site
www.boddingtons.com.au 
or more specifically thishttp://www.boddingtons.com.au/forestry/plant-support-net.htm
If you go to online shop at the top right hand side in the red it will give you the prices. I believe it is 2 x 10m for $7.50.
Hope this helps someone. Also lots of other good garden netting solutions


----------



## Shed101 (12/11/11)

Screwtop said:


> Par for the course on the SSC this time of year, keep em watered!
> 
> Screwy



Ah, ok... they get the baby's bath water everyday (well once a week when he gets a bath  )

Actually, that's about a litre a day each at dawn or dusk. Maybe they need a bit more as they hit their straps.

Could do with some rain here, and who'd have thought i'd be saying that in 2011?


----------



## Yob (14/11/11)

shaked head in mild astonishment




Photo taken Yesterday with bine a good 3 inches from the top




Closeup of Leading tip of Bine approaching the top of the line




photo taken this morning from roughly the same spot showign it's a good inch above the top line..

er... thats about 100mm yesterday alone.. :blink: 

go you Goldings Monster 

edit: photo order


----------



## cam89brewer (15/11/11)

My saaz has grown 2 metres in approx 2 months how much longer do they usually keep growing in height? i have a feeling it is going to be climbing on the roof in the next few days..... :lol: (its my first year also)


----------



## raven19 (15/11/11)

They can grow 6m+ in height.

I find a lot more hop cones grow from about 2-3m and upward so let them continue if you have the room.


----------



## Yob (15/11/11)

cambrew said:


> My saaz has grown 2 metres in approx 2 months how much longer do they usually keep growing in height? i have a feeling it is going to be climbing on the roof in the next few days..... :lol: (its my first year also)




some people with limited space rig up the line so it can be lowered as the bine grows so that if it reaches maximum height for your yard, they lower the line by (X) to let it continue to grow vertically.

This would also make for easy harvesting as you can bring the bine to you instead of having to climb a ladder etc...

Hop this helps.


----------



## cam89brewer (15/11/11)

I have actually used a retractable 3m camping pole for them to grow on so might give that a try...


----------



## kymba (16/11/11)

my amarillo is going gangbusters...



probably about 3.5m now



Left: POR; Right: Chinook; background: cascade



ladygarden bug guarding the goldings, for whoever asked earlier



these were taken before i noticed heaps of new bines from each plant tangled up in the marigolds, so many that i decided to get all indiana jones and throw up some new twines


----------



## tones0606 (16/11/11)

kymba said:


> my amarillo is going gangbusters...



You sure?


----------



## stef (16/11/11)

tones0606 said:


> You sure?



That's the second time this has come up in a month or so...


----------



## kymba (16/11/11)

sorry, meant cascade


----------



## phoenixdigital (16/11/11)

I just moved my saaz which was just peeking up from the soil by about 3cm with about 5 leaves. It was stunted for about 1 month So I decided to move it to a new bed with heaps of cow manure and a lot of sun.

All growth above the soil since the move has died. Is that it for my saaz? 

Or will it maybe sprout up again?


----------



## Yob (16/11/11)

the first one I put in I gave the soil lots of love and the Chinook Ive got in there is doing the worst of all of them, as the good Doc has said previously, 

dirt, water and sun is all they need (with some cow crap once a year)

Im beginning to believe that you can easily _love them to death_... 

treat em like a red headed step child and you will get results


----------



## going down a hill (16/11/11)

Bowser said:


> My Chinook has finally started growing again after not doing anything for about a month.


My chinook is still dormant and driving me a little crazy, my goldings on the other hand has started to take off.


----------



## XavierZ (16/11/11)

going down a hill said:


> My chinook is still dormant and driving me a little crazy, my goldings on the other hand has started to take off.




My Chinook was VERY mature when I received it from Dazza.
It's flying up the rope like nobody's business.

Can't say much for the Columbus though. It was much smaller in size before planting
and still quite slow to get up the rope.


----------



## Pennywise (16/11/11)

Chinook is starting to fire up after a slow start


----------



## Newbee(r) (16/11/11)

Getting loads of burs on all of them now - fingers are crossed for a bumper harvest. The EK Goldings has reached the top of the arch now (peach tree next to it is loaded too!)


----------



## GUB (20/11/11)

Had our hops growing in a back yard in small pots with never much production. Moved them into the ground this winter with a big 4.5m high trellis setup. Raised mounds, chicken poo, mulch and lots of water. Training 1-3 shoots per vine depending on age, having a great season so far with the bines varying from 2-3m high (variety dependant). 

Question is: Laterals are appearing from the main bines on my Chinooks (whilst they are still happily growing). Are these where the hops will appear? Some of these laterals are already 20-30cm in length. Let them go and they will sort themselves out? Can see them in the pic.

Can't believe how crazy these plants are once out of a pot. Found some new shoots popping out the ground this morning about 1m from the main area of a 2yo rhizome.


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (20/11/11)

My cascade bine tips are snapping fter 2 metres of growth, thinking about trimming off the bines that this has happened to and seeing If i get new bines pop up. Its either that or I'm stuck with dwarf bines


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (20/11/11)

Newbee(r) said:


> Getting loads of burs on all of them now - fingers are crossed for a bumper harvest. The EK Goldings has reached the top of the arch now (peach tree next to it is loaded too!)



fantastic mate, looks great on the trellis!

I think this is what I'll do next year


----------



## RobH (20/11/11)

Here in the Blue Mountains, my first attaempt at growing hops is providing mixed results...

the Goldings in the pot are going quite well ... with 7 - 10 cm growth per day for the last week or so ...



however the Pride of Ringwood in the bed against the garage wall (in the background where you can see the broadbeans growing ... not that you can teel that they are broadbeans from that shot) ... have perished. It's not for lack of watering, it could be that they where overshadowed too much by the beans, or maybe I hit them up with too much potash (my snowpeas didn't seem to like the postash & withered a fair bit).


----------



## Malted (20/11/11)

Duke of Paddy said:


> My cascade bine tips are snapping fter 2 metres of growth, thinking about trimming off the bines that this has happened to and seeing If i get new bines pop up. Its either that or I'm stuck with dwarf bines



Don't trim them back. The laterals will come out and take off where the main bine left off. Bloody birds snapped my main bines last year but the laterals then took over; just send em upwards and it will be all good.


----------



## Malted (20/11/11)

GUB said:


> Question is: Laterals are appearing from the main bines on my Chinooks (whilst they are still happily growing). Are these where the hops will appear? Some of these laterals are already 20-30cm in length. Let them go and they will sort themselves out? Can see them in the pic.


Train the laterals to where you want them to go, if you want them to go somewhere. If not, then let em do their thing. You'll get cones on the laterals but you might get some from the main stems also.


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (21/11/11)

Malted said:


> Don't trim them back. The laterals will come out and take off where the main bine left off. Bloody birds snapped my main bines last year but the laterals then took over; just send em upwards and it will be all good.


cheers mate i'll wait it out


----------



## river_bouy (21/11/11)

Hey Guys,
Photo below is of my Chinook plant. Has reached 5-6m and stopped growing upwards. It now has some large flowers on it.

Unsure if it is time to harvest? This is my first time growing hops.


----------



## ledgenko (22/11/11)

My 2 Cascade plants are like Pennywises ... Bloody slow to take off ... 3 shoots for Rhizome ... no larger than 10 cm in height ... I am looking at River Bouys .... I am only slightly jealous ... 

Bring on next season .. hopefully they grow quicker


----------



## Wolfy (22/11/11)

river_bouy said:


> Unsure if it is time to harvest? This is my first time growing hops.


When they feel dry and 'papery' to the touch, and smell like nice fresh hops (when rubbed) is the time to pick them, but before they go brown and dry.


----------



## Malted (22/11/11)

river_bouy said:


> Hey Guys,
> Photo below is of my Chinook plant. Has reached 5-6m and stopped growing upwards. It now has some large flowers on it.
> 
> Unsure if it is time to harvest? This is my first time growing hops.



Unbelievable! Brilliant for you! Hopefully for you, you may have an extended harvest season, maybe several crops of cones. One can only hope. 
I saw people saying they have burrs and I was skeptical and a part of me thought they might be thinking the laterals were burrs. These certainly are not laterals!!!  
I was anticipating my harvest in March. I reckon my Hersbrucker will be earlier but it hasn't even looked like producing burrs yet.


----------



## Fish13 (22/11/11)

One of mine has split in two so sending up to runners. All of mine are nearly 4 foot. fingers crossed i get some cones


----------



## hsb (22/11/11)

My Mt. Hood, generously donated by raven19, got nuked in the summer sun last year when I had to go away for a fortnight. 
But it's reshooted this year without attention, really hoping to get something off it this time. Thanks again raven.


----------



## river_bouy (22/11/11)

Malted said:


> Unbelievable! Brilliant for you! Hopefully for you, you may have an extended harvest season, maybe several crops of cones. One can only hope.
> I saw people saying they have burrs and I was skeptical and a part of me thought they might be thinking the laterals were burrs. These certainly are not laterals!!!
> I was anticipating my harvest in March. I reckon my Hersbrucker will be earlier but it hasn't even looked like producing burrs yet.



Thanks. Am pretty happy with the results so far. Just bought a rhizome off ebay and stuck it in a pot. It's growing great.

The photo just shows one lateral with flowers on it. There are heaps of these all the way up to the top. Probably 150+ cones nearly ready to pick.

The photo is of a lateral at head height. The ones at the top might be ready to pick. They are little bigger and the tips of the cones are turning brown.


----------



## big78sam (22/11/11)

Malted said:


> Unbelievable! Brilliant for you! Hopefully for you, you may have an extended harvest season, maybe several crops of cones. One can only hope.
> I saw people saying they have burrs and I was skeptical and a part of me thought they might be thinking the laterals were burrs. These certainly are not laterals!!!
> I was anticipating my harvest in March. I reckon my Hersbrucker will be earlier but it hasn't even looked like producing burrs yet.




My 3rd year chinook is definitely producing burrs. This is much earlier than last year so I was quite surprised when I saw them on the weekend. Fingers crossed for several harvests this year.


----------



## stef (22/11/11)

Man so jealous of everyone on here... My Hersbrucker and Mt Hood is hardly out of the ground, POR & Cluster are about 10cm and Chinook has stopped growing at 1m....

Damn cold adelaide hills!


----------



## MarkBastard (22/11/11)

My Chinook was a very late bloomer. I kept it in the pot all through winter and only cut back last years foliage once it fully died out, which was probably around September!

Anyway, it has come back with an absolute vengeance. One bine grew about 3 metres in 3 weeks, and it's very thick with BIG leaves.


----------



## drsmurto (22/11/11)

stef said:


> Man so jealous of everyone on here... My Hersbrucker and Mt Hood is hardly out of the ground, POR & Cluster are about 10cm and Chinook has stopped growing at 1m....
> 
> Damn cold adelaide hills!



Not all of the hills is cold :icon_cheers: 

My chinook reached the top of the trellis (3m) weeks ago. So far i am winning the battle in keeping it from overtaking the vegie patch and swamping the tomatoes. I found one bine halfway up a tomato plant.....

My Victoria has just reached the top and my cascade is now producing the first signs of cones. 

New plants will take much longer as they don't have the root size to be able to grow as fast. My new Victoria plants that i split from the mother rhizome this winter are less than 30 cm in height. They were the same size as the rhizomes i sold.


----------



## Yob (22/11/11)

river_bouy said:


> Hey Guys,
> Photo below is of my Chinook plant. Has reached 5-6m and stopped growing upwards. It now has some large flowers on it.
> 
> Unsure if it is time to harvest? This is my first time growing hops.
> ...




they aint hops.... they is _ucking watermelons!!

Nice work... who was the seller?

My POR is now going gangbusters.. it's probably only 3 foot high but throwing out laterals madly.. the bottom 2 must be near a foot long and Ive started training them up the line too...

Goldings reached the top of the trellis and Im trying to teach the bitch to go horizontal... they definatly prefer vertical... 

Trellis extension 2 planned


----------



## stef (22/11/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Not all of the hills is cold :icon_cheers:
> 
> My chinook reached the top of the trellis (3m) weeks ago. So far i am winning the battle in keeping it from overtaking the vegie patch and swamping the tomatoes. I found one bine halfway up a tomato plant.....
> 
> ...




Ha, way to make me feel bad!


----------



## adryargument (22/11/11)

All my babies are starting to shoot to the top of the trestle.
Theres 4-5 plants that each have between 1-4 bines that should be at the top by now (Aint checked in a few days).
And another 4 plants that are following them all up.

Will have to get some more progress photos this evening.


----------



## Mr. No-Tip (22/11/11)

Here's my Saaz and Hersbrucker in Canberra - growing for form over function, trying to train them horizontally...






Broke in at the end of September I think. No flowers yet.


----------



## arty (22/11/11)

This is my new hop frame that I have just finish. Starting from the left cascade,sazz,victoria,chinook,por and goldings x2
shitty picture from my phone. 

3draws


----------



## kelbygreen (22/11/11)

nice setup


----------



## BjornJ (22/11/11)

my little balcony setup with a single plant:


----------



## arty (22/11/11)

kelbygreen said:


> nice setup



Thanks Kelbygreen

3draws


----------



## Malted (22/11/11)

3draws said:


> This is my new hop frame that I have just finish. Starting from the left cascade,sazz,victoria,chinook,por and goldings x2
> shitty picture from my phone.
> 
> 3draws


Wow deja vu! Looks like some of my plantings! I will post a picture tommorrow for comaprison. 
I think they're too close together. Even though they're in pots the laterals do go crazy all over the place. If they were in the ground I'd call you mad for putting them that close. You have seven plantings in the space that I have two plantings.
I have tried to reduce the number of horizontal strings/cables so the dammed birds (feckin poopers) have nothing to perch on.


----------



## Adam Howard (22/11/11)

Start wrapping those bines around the strings Bjorn!


----------



## BjornJ (22/11/11)

Adamski29 said:


> Start wrapping those bines around the strings Bjorn!




thanks, will do.


thanks
Bjorn


----------



## hoppy2B (23/11/11)

My stupid Chinook is yet to emerge. <_<


----------



## bunyips (23/11/11)

hoppy2B said:


> My stupid Chinook is yet to emerge. <_<


 :huh: I recommend going out to the yard today and have a good chat to your Chinook! Maybe it is frightened to enter the big bad world and needs some encouragement


----------



## kymba (23/11/11)

yay, party time! the first one to reach the top is a cascade...so, what now?





looks like the goldings wants to escape! here are 5 extra shoots


----------



## ratchie (23/11/11)

what now?
They will grow along the top wire.


----------



## drsmurto (23/11/11)

3draws said:


> This is my new hop frame that I have just finish. Starting from the left cascade,sazz,victoria,chinook,por and goldings x2
> shitty picture from my phone.
> 
> 3draws



Once the laterals grow you are going to have one hell of a time trying to keep them separate.

Even in pots i would have them 2+ metres apart.


----------



## Anofre (23/11/11)

The trellis is 2x 6m tall scrap windmill pipes = $0
Fixed to ground with 2x star pickets & wire =$0
Stainless steel wire between $30
Hay bale twine for the runners to climb up =$0

Cluster just hit the top wire. Chinook & POR halfway there


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## kymba (23/11/11)

ratchie said:


> what now?
> They will grow along the top wire.


i was thinking more like a party! it will make for interesting harvesting when they all intermingle up there <_<

is there a general rule as to where the most amount of cone growth comes from? 

how are yours going ratchie?


----------



## Anofre (23/11/11)

kymba said:


> is there a general rule as to where the most amount of cone growth comes from?
> 
> how are yours going ratchie?



I found cones only from about 6' upwards.
Also found they don't seem to like horizontal as much as vertical.
Best yields were on the tallest plants


----------



## Malted (23/11/11)

3draws said:


> This is my new hop frame that I have just finish. Starting from the left cascade,sazz,victoria,chinook,por and goldings x2
> shitty picture from my phone.
> 
> 3draws






I think our sheds might be cousins. My flagpole trellis is about 5m above the lawn. Two plantings, Chinook on left and Victoria on right. Mine are 2 metres apart and that is probably too close. There are other plants in there too, that are not hops.


----------



## felten (23/11/11)

kymba said:


> is there a general rule as to where the most amount of cone growth comes from?



This year and last year, all the cones grew above the ~2m mark. Last year I trained them 2m up, then 2m horizontal. This year it's 4m straight up.


----------



## Adam Howard (23/11/11)

Chinook right up the top of the 5 metre mast and throwing laterals. Happy days.

Other four plants are catching up, not as good a framework for them though.

Cluster





Tettnanger





Goldings





Cascade





Going to be good once the rose bushes are run and won and can be cut back!


----------



## Nibbo (24/11/11)

Wish i had photo's to show off...my chinook took a while to get used to its new home in Vic but it's going off like a frog in a sock now...6-7 shoots all cruising up my wire mesh. Planted in a crate and theres even a shoot that has busted its way out the side of the box. 
The mesh structure is probably not as high as it needs to be (3.5m High) but next season it will have a more permenent home with a better well thought out structure to hang out on.


----------



## husky (24/11/11)

Both mine are 2nd year plants. POR on the left and Cascade on the right. Going gangbusters, the POR always grows better than the cascade. Have given plenty of wire to run this year as all the cones tend to be at the top. Have some trained horizontally no worries. Going to start running them across the top of the kids cubby house roof now. Loving the Melbourne wet then warm weather.


----------



## Adam Howard (24/11/11)

husky said:


> Loving the Melbourne wet then warm weather.



Agreed. It's making them go nucking futs.


----------



## Lecterfan (24/11/11)

Mine are still taking it a bit easy, but cool temps etc etc, I'm not yet stressed.

Goldings is going fine:




Chinook is getting there:





I've run out of upload space and am not clever enough to do anything extra haha.


----------



## Yob (24/11/11)

husky said:


> Both mine are 2nd year plants. POR on the left and Cascade on the right. Going gangbusters, the POR always grows better than the cascade. Have given plenty of wire to run this year as all the cones tend to be at the top. Have some trained horizontally no worries. Going to start running them across the top of the kids cubby house roof now. Loving the Melbourne wet then warm weather.
> 
> View attachment 50384
> 
> ...






Lecterfan said:


> Mine are still taking it a bit easy, but cool temps etc etc, I'm not yet stressed.
> 
> Goldings is going fine:
> View attachment 50391
> ...



:icon_drool2: show off's :icon_drool2: 

I keep reminding myself that this is a game of patience... again and again I have to remind myself <_<


----------



## hoppy2B (24/11/11)

Anofre said:


> The trellis is 2x 6m tall scrap windmill pipes = $0
> Fixed to ground with 2x star pickets & wire =$0
> Stainless steel wire between $30
> Hay bale twine for the runners to climb up =$0
> ...


Dude the elcheepo thing to do is use barbed wire across the top. That makes it easy to attach the downline baling twine without it being able to slide along the wire due to wind etc. That's what I did.


----------



## Anofre (25/11/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Dude the elcheepo thing to do is use barbed wire across the top. That makes it easy to attach the downline baling twine without it being able to slide along the wire due to wind etc. That's what I did.



Coulda. Have plenty on hand. The SS wire goes through a pulley & down 1 pole so it can all be lowered or tightened. 
String is looped over wire twice & supports 2 bines each. The weight of the plants keep the line tight.


----------



## arty (25/11/11)

Malted said:


> I think our sheds might be cousins. My flagpole trellis is about 5m above the lawn. Two plantings, Chinook on left and Victoria on right. Mine are 2 metres apart and that is probably too close. There are other plants in there too, that are not hops.



Not wrong there with the cousin shed, the Alum box tubing is 5.5m high from the ground and 400mm from the shed, it was bit of stretch and tippy toes to put string on the wire.


----------



## raven19 (25/11/11)

hoppy2B said:


> My stupid Chinook is yet to emerge. <_<



Same mate! It started to shoot maybe half an inch at most then the birds got to it I think. The Victoria next to it is 2m high now.


----------



## jbirbeck (25/11/11)

my cluster and columbus had done nothing until a week ago. now over 2m, chinook had done the same a month ago.

I have cones on one, and burrs on a couple including a shed load on the POR.


----------



## adryargument (25/11/11)

Someones been planting beans in my garden! I wonder who that could of been...

One of my columbus and chinook are dead unfortunately 
The rest have been growing at least 2-5 inches a day for the last 2-3 weeks.

Keep in mind these are plants that were knee high in pots at the end of last season.. so 1.5 year plants?






The garden of joy.
(You can see the last sip of 1000 IBU in the front )






My hoods on the far right have both 2.5-3m tall with 1/2 bines per plant in the last few weeks.
Goldings are the 2nd to the right with both plants having about 4-7 bines per string.





Hallertau's are still going crazy, they are on the far left with at least 10+ bines per plant.
The one in the back corner i has laterals everywhere with at least 15+ bines & new shoots every day.






The Goldings at the far back in the second picture.
Again these plants are shooting bines everywhere. The right string has at least 6-7.






The Hallertau at the far back in the third picture.
Again this one has more bines then the goldings, however its more 'spread out' with fewer leaves. There's about 7 wandering around the bottom looking for string space.
Laterals are starting to shoot out as you can see on the second left string.


----------



## Yob (25/11/11)

thats some nice freakin backdrop you got there mate :icon_drool2:


----------



## kymba (25/11/11)

anyone know if galaxy rhizomes are available to the masses, or are they copyright(?) like amarillo?

google revealed naught


----------



## Filby (27/11/11)

Anyone got any idea what causes the leaves to go brown and dry? Only happening on 2 of my 6 plants.







Cheers


Fil


----------



## vortex (27/11/11)

Wow it's amazing to see how FAST these things grow! I guess it's too late to plant rhizomes for this season now but I'm super keen to get some going next year - I have plenty of room to grow a few plants, they could go up to 3 meters height and probably 4 meters width to grow a few different ones..


----------



## Wolfy (28/11/11)

The more vigorous of mine have reached the top of their lines, which means they've grown about 4m in the last 4 weeks.





POR is growing well this year:





And the Halleratu:





I presume the wet summer suits the Goldings well also:





Most of the American varieties are still only getting started, so will see how they go through the summer.


----------



## Yob (28/11/11)

Wolfy said:


>




izat a little chook house going in down the back there Wolfy? 

A seriously nice Hop Yard and looks the Ducks man!! :icon_drool2:


----------



## Wolfy (28/11/11)

iamozziyob said:


> izat a little chook house going in down the back there Wolfy?
> 
> A seriously nice Hop Yard and looks the Ducks man!! :icon_drool2:


Yep, that's the Chook _Fortress_, has to keep the foxes and snakes out at night-time (chickens are free-range in daytime, guarded by 2x black Labs).

I think next year I'll need to throw up some more string for the hops to grow up, some plants (2nd year) already have spread quite a bit.


----------



## going down a hill (28/11/11)

Well my Chinook has finally started up again, it has the nice new green leaves and the stem is moving upwards. I thought it had completely stalled. I ripped off all of the yellow dead leaves to help it think about surviving, don't know if that's what kick started it but something has.


----------



## booargy (29/11/11)

1st year Saaz. how long does it take for the flowers to mature from this stage?


----------



## Malted (29/11/11)

booargy said:


> View attachment 50483
> 
> 
> 1st year Saaz. how long does it take for the flowers to mature from this stage?


I can't say how long to mature as there are too many variables. 
What I can say is don't expect the cones to be very large comparatively to other varieties such as Chinook. Saaz seem to be a small sized cone, possibly around 2cm in length.
Maybe I'll get bigger cones this year but I am doubtfull.


----------



## Stinger (30/11/11)

Filby said:


> Anyone got any idea what causes the leaves to go brown and dry? Only happening on 2 of my 6 plants.
> 
> 
> View attachment 50436
> ...



Fil, 
Without knowing your fertilizer and watering methods I would think likely this is a deficiency symptom and possibly Potassium deficiency

Given your growing in a pot and is easy to leach mobile nutrients out (like potassium and nitrogen) this could be it.


like this




Once the hops get actively growing they are gross feeders and it is hard to feed them too much, mine have just started getting their first bines growing and they are growing a few inches per day! 

One really good way to keep up with them is to feed with good quality slow release fertilizer and top up with liquid fert like seasol or thrive on a regular basis.
If they have been in the pot more than one season then you could also consider pulling the rhizome out during dormant stage in winter and refreshing the potting mix with new stuff.

Good Luck
Stinger


----------



## aaronpetersen (30/11/11)

Filby said:


> Anyone got any idea what causes the leaves to go brown and dry? Only happening on 2 of my 6 plants.
> 
> 
> View attachment 50436
> ...



I agree with Stinger. I've got the exact same thing happening to a couple of my plants that are in pots. I'm not a botanist but from the reading I have done I think it's potassium deficiency. I chucked on some potash and heaps of manure and that seems to have stimulated some new growth.


----------



## Deebo (30/11/11)

I had almost all the leaves on a bine die off somewhat like that. I heard it could be due to shooting early and shorter daylight causing the plant to die back thinking its still winter.
(I added blood and bone with potash prior to planting so I dont think pottasium was the problem for me)
I didnt add anything after they had died back then a bunch of new bines grew out of the main bine and it also restarted growing upwards.
Seems to be going good now.


----------



## kymba (2/12/11)

in 9 days the golding little shoot in the bottom of the pic from here has grown into the monster in the foreground; and there is another bine coming from the right hand corner that was not there last week



the POR has taken off



but the best thing is the cascades...had to climb the ladder to take the last 2 shots


----------



## Liam_snorkel (2/12/11)

checked on my babies last night & noticed they have a couple of little new friends:


----------



## XavierZ (2/12/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> checked on my babies last night & noticed they have a couple of little new friends:



They taste awesome with a dose of The Doors.


----------



## cam89brewer (2/12/11)

AaronP said:


> I agree with Stinger. I've got the exact same thing happening to a couple of my plants that are in pots. I'm not a botanist but from the reading I have done I think it's potassium deficiency. I chucked on some potash and heaps of manure and that seems to have stimulated some new growth.



I had the same problem as well and I was told that it was water stress and I backed off with the watering and it started to pick up and overall actually grew a little quicker.


----------



## Yob (2/12/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> checked on my babies last night & noticed they have a couple of little new friends:




...cough... aint it the wrong season for those? I thought they were a winter type of monster... :unsure:


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## Liam_snorkel (2/12/11)

all I remember is they grow out of cow shit after a bit of rain.


----------



## [email protected] (2/12/11)

iamozziyob said:


> ...cough... aint it the wrong season for those? I thought they were a winter type of monster... :unsure:



Cough cough the ones up north are a summer time variety


----------



## Yob (2/12/11)

Beer4U said:


> Cough cough the ones up north are a summer time variety




cough... cough.. giggle... my mistake :lol:


----------



## stef (3/12/11)

Is it possible to train more than one bine up a string? A couple of weeks ago i precariously managed to string some twine up from the second floor of my house. Trained the bines onto the strings and all good. However, now more bines have sprung up and i dont have enough strings! So can i just run them up one of the strings that already has a bine, or will that sufficate the first one? Trying to avoid standing on the ladder on the pergola roof again...


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## Yob (3/12/11)

stef said:


> Is it possible to train more than one bine up a string? A couple of weeks ago i precariously managed to string some twine up from the second floor of my house. Trained the bines onto the strings and all good. However, now more bines have sprung up and i dont have enough strings! So can i just run them up one of the strings that already has a bine, or will that sufficate the first one? Trying to avoid standing on the ladder on the pergola roof again...



have at it... I certainly have

:icon_cheers:


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## stef (3/12/11)

Ah, sweet. Thanks mate


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## kalbarluke (3/12/11)

These are the hops at my mate's place (he's in the photo to give some idea of height of plants). The plant on the left side of the photo is goldings. Right side is chinook. Starting to flower.


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## Stinger (3/12/11)

stef said:


> Ah, sweet. Thanks mate




I also have let a couple of bines go up the same string, also had one bine where the top snapped off and then the laterals both grew up the string.

I cant bear trimming them back and limiting the number, more the merrier I say


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## Stinger (3/12/11)

vortex said:


> Wow it's amazing to see how FAST these things grow! I guess it's too late to plant rhizomes for this season now but I'm super keen to get some going next year - I have plenty of room to grow a few plants, they could go up to 3 meters height and probably 4 meters width to grow a few different ones..




however you could find someone with a growing plant and then take some cuttings and pot them on! That should lead in nicely to be able to plant out and go for hop yields the following year


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## vortex (3/12/11)

Stinger said:


> however you could find someone with a growing plant and then take some cuttings and pot them on! That should lead in nicely to be able to plant out and go for hop yields the following year


I have actually, I just haven't had time to call and pick them up this week..


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## Stinger (3/12/11)

vortex said:


> I have actually, I just haven't had time to call and pick them up this week..




Rock On!


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## Tony (4/12/11)

here are mine.... they have taken off and are going well.

Goldings, first year.






POR, 2nd year and going a bit slower. I think it will finnish off big though.






Both are starting to show some random burs.

cheers


----------



## raven19 (4/12/11)

My 4th year Chinook rotted away to nothing in the ground after digging it up today. (it did sit out in the sun for a few months during winter and our house move!)

Oh well, Victoria has 6+ bines at over 4m in height now.

Must take some snaps.


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## kaspa07 (4/12/11)

My 2nd year Hersbruker and Sazz Hops are taking off this year

The Sazz was a bit weak last year but its taking over the garden this year, its already killed one tomato plant, i have to keep cutting the new shoots back, got about 10 climbing up he trellis and another 20 I keep having to cut back every few days.

I'll have plenty of hop rhizomes to share next year thats for sure, hit me up when the time comes and their yours free, just come and pick em up

Hoping for a bumper crop this year
:icon_drunk:


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## raven19 (4/12/11)

Victoria going apes.



Mt Hood, POR, Goldings and one other (mind blank!)


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## hoppy2B (4/12/11)

raven19 said:


> My 4th year Chinook rotted away to nothing in the ground after digging it up today. (it did sit out in the sun for a few months during winter and our house move!)
> 
> Oh well, Victoria has 6+ bines at over 4m in height now.
> 
> Must take some snaps.



That may explain why my chinook hasn't emerged, seeing as how I aquired it from you. :lol:


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## raven19 (4/12/11)

Yeah sorry mate. I gave some to a work mate for his dad's fathers day pressie. Pretty sure DrS can hook us up with some replacements!

Can you recall - did I repot some of the Victoria as well as planting one in the ground or was it another POR... mind blank here? I have a mystery hop with no labels... <_<


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## Yob (4/12/11)

Tony said:


> cheers






Tom.k said:


> :icon_drunk:



That lattice work stuff looks effing great guys... very good on the eye...

:kooi:


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## kaspa07 (4/12/11)

iamozziyob said:


> That lattice work stuff looks effing great guys... very good on the eye...
> 
> :kooi:



need to keep the wife "THE BOSS" happy. She likes a lot of green. Took me ages to explain that hops dies over winter and then grows back.
She wanted something green with bright flowed 100% of the year.

Im sure there is a more efficient way to grow hops but this was my compromise, still im very happy with the result


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## Yob (4/12/11)

you could always paint some flowers on the lattice for then the hops die back :lol:


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## hoppy2B (4/12/11)

raven19 said:


> Yeah sorry mate. I gave some to a work mate for his dad's fathers day pressie. Pretty sure DrS can hook us up with some replacements!
> 
> Can you recall - did I repot some of the Victoria as well as planting one in the ground or was it another POR... mind blank here? I have a mystery hop with no labels... <_<



Nah couldn't say for sure. I think you left the Victoria pretty much in tact and put it back in the pot. But I'm not real sure because I think you may have left it till after I went. Hopefully you can identify it from the cones. h34r: 
Does the Victoria pictured have any extra bines you can trim off around the base which I can use for propagating. A few bits to strike cuttings would be great but even just a small amount would be handy to start a tissue culture. :blink:


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## hoppy2B (4/12/11)

Oh hang on, you put the Vic in the ground did you? I don't think you wanted to chop it up because it wasn't overly large and hadn't done so well in the pot, so the one in the pot is something else, most likely POR. Hope that's correct and helps. :huh:


----------



## cam89brewer (5/12/11)

So how long til these plants should be flowering? both my saaz and mt hood are over 3 metres now....


----------



## husky (5/12/11)

My POR and cascade have almost full sized cones already, lots of yellow lupulin sp?. Earlier than last year possibly because I kept them in the ground. These are only 2nd year.


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## Tony (5/12/11)

I already had the lattice as part of my house...... and i have a small yard with no real room for high trellaces...... so it just made sence.

They provide great natural shade for the kids to play out the back in summer too.

My wife looks at them and shakes her head  but she also thinks its cool i get to make beer with my own home grown hops!


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## raven19 (5/12/11)

hoppy2B said:


> Does the Victoria pictured have any extra bines you can trim off around the base which I can use for propagating. A few bits to strike cuttings would be great but even just a small amount would be handy to start a tissue culture. :blink:



PM Sent mate! Yep plenty of shoots for you to grab for sure.


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## ledgenko (8/12/11)

Anyone used Horse pooh on the hops ??? I have access to several bags of greenish horse pooh ... I am often sceptical on using green poohs as it tends to burn the crap out of the plants but having grown numerous Heliconias and Gingers in green crap before with awesome results I was just curious??? 


Or will th use of a good dumping of Dynamic lifter work ok ??


----------



## Fuggle (8/12/11)

Im no green thumb. But when i was a kid my parents had horses, and our neighbour was an old retired man who use to go down to the paddock and shovel loads of manure into his wheel barrow. He would then throw it all in a mini rain water tank and mix it with water and stir it all up like a big broth. Let me tell you his garden was the the lushest garden ive ever seen. His choko vine would run over into our yard lol..



PS and i dont ever recall any smells coming from his place etc


----------



## drsmurto (8/12/11)

ledgenko said:


> Anyone used Horse pooh on the hops ??? I have access to several bags of greenish horse pooh ... I am often sceptical on using green poohs as it tends to burn the crap out of the plants but having grown numerous Heliconias and Gingers in green crap before with awesome results I was just curious???
> 
> 
> Or will th use of a good dumping of Dynamic lifter work ok ??



I use dry horse poo on my hops over winter. 1 bag (~25kg horse feed bag) per plant after the plants have died back to below ground.

No need to add any fertiliser to hops, all they need is sun and water.

This is my chinook as of 2 days ago.... 1 plant on this side of the fence.





Reverse view, 2 plants on this side.










And the Victoria - my favourite hop (think loqats) 





The Victoria grows much slower as it doesnt get direct sun until mid afternoon. It is also 2 years younger than the chinook.


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## kymba (9/12/11)

here are the cascade cones after 7 days...do they get 'plumpier' like huskie's above? they feel dry like paper, and also some of the leaves have a little black tip on the end of them...is this any cause for concern?


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## Mr. No-Tip (9/12/11)

That Chinook is amazing!

My first year Chinooks started way slower than the others, but I've just seen they're the first to get some cones. Woo!

Meanwhile, my Saaz, Hersbrucker, and Cascade were all yellowing towards the bottom. The Hersbrucker's yellowing was kind of mottled. They all have evidence of being eaten, too.

I've added some more manure, and blood and bone with potash. I assume I won't see the yellowed leaves turn green again though? I am watching to ensure no more leaves yellow? It's a about 6 days since adding the fertilisers, and they've been washed in two or three times since. Debating how long I wait before adding some more straight potash. Thoughts?


----------



## Malted (9/12/11)

Mr. No-Tip said:


> That Chinook is amazing!
> 
> My first year Chinooks started way slower than the others, but I've just seen they're the first to get some cones. Woo!
> 
> ...



No more potash.

Be very careful with straight potash - I learnt that the hard way last year (burnt the poor beggars). 1 teaspoon _at most_ is the subsequent advice I got. I'd tend to think ash from a fire would be a safer and softer option but someone else with horticultural experience should be able to clarify that. 

Potash seemed to burn the lower leaves on my bines. Not such a bad thing as you can strip them off easily so that the bottom part of the bines don't have leaves and this apparently is good to reduce nasty insects getting up into your bines. I think a better proposition if you wanted to do that would be to use secateurs.

If the soil gets too dry I think the bottom leaves on the bines burn (go yellow and then brown off). The growing tips can also burn off too if the soil water is low or the ambient heat is high.

Mottled yellow could be something else such as a deficiency (or perhaps an overload?). You would think a deficiency would affect the whole plant? Just an unqualified hunch: I'd point the finger at loving them too much.

Edit: I had problems last year with *catepillars* chewing the shit out of the leaves. I squashed as many as I could find and eventually the bines were able to produce more leaves than the catepillars could eat. They seemed to dissapear once the weather warmed up. This year the catepillars have been at it again but I haven't been able to find any to squash them. I used a catepillar specific innoculant (from the big green shed) powder mixed with water and sprayed it on - seemed to do the trick and is not a poison to affect other things.


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## ratchie (9/12/11)

kymba said:


> here are the cascade cones after 7 days...do they get 'plumpier' like huskie's above? they feel dry like paper, and also some of the leaves have a little black tip on the end of them...is this any cause for concern?
> 
> View attachment 50806



Some of those could be ready to pick have a look how much lupin is in them,I picked some of my cascade last week about 50g dried weight and some more are ready to pick now.


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## kymba (9/12/11)

ratchie thats awesome...now all i gotta do is procure a taller ladder <_<


----------



## Liam_snorkel (9/12/11)




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## ledgenko (9/12/11)

My Cascade plants are both starting to reach up to reach for the sky .. about 8 inches in height ... first year .. me thinks there will be no harvest in early Jan ... but maybe around Australia day ... :icon_chickcheers: 



I replanted them both out of the spud bags I had them in (60kg of soil) and put them into the ground and have been like an unattentive lover to them ... suddenly they aregrowing ... I love weeds


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## kymba (10/12/11)

in 36 hours the cones have grown a fair bit more, so i picked a couple to dissect - the smaller one is about the average size of most of them at the moment, but theres a colony of the bigger ones. when i cut them open they smelled more like a tomato plant than hops

i don't think worksafe would approve the method used to pick them - imagine homer's spice rack but way bigger :unsure:


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## kalbarluke (11/12/11)

Looking at the last photo: Are they both the same hop or are they two different types?


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## kymba (12/12/11)

both are cascades from the same bine. i dried them out and they smell more like freshly dried 'bush leaf' than hops...maybe theres not much lupulin in them - yet



kalbarluke said:


> Looking at the last photo: Are they both the same hop or are they two different types?


----------



## Jazzafish (12/12/11)

kymba said:


> in 36 hours the cones have grown a fair bit more, so i picked a couple to dissect - the smaller one is about the average size of most of them at the moment, but theres a colony of the bigger ones. when i cut them open they smelled more like a tomato plant than hops
> 
> i don't think worksafe would approve the method used to pick them - imagine homer's spice rack but way bigger :unsure:
> 
> ...



I think they have a bit more growing to do. There is a bit of an art to knowing when to pick them (at which I am a very young student). Keep an eye on them, don't let the tips brown as I'm led to believe this means they have gone too far. Have a look at the disection pic here This one is ready.

EDIT:
Your larger ones are looking close though


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## drsmurto (12/12/11)

@Kymba - they should feel papery and not spongy when squeezed. 

Pick them early and you'll end up with bugger all flavour/aroma.

The larger cone in your picture looks about right.

The wet then warm then wet combination we are getting here in the Adelaide Hills is doing wonders for the garden and the hops are going gangbusters. Every day i am unwinding them from the tomato plants and am struggling to keep the chinook and cascade apart.

Even the Victoria rhizome cuttings i took have gone up a gear and are now making a beeline for the top of the trellis. 

Only downside is having to constantly mow the lawm..... <_<


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## Mr. No-Tip (12/12/11)

Canberra hops decimated by hail....


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## Darkman (12/12/11)

Malted said:


> No more potash.
> 
> Be very careful with straight potash - I learnt that the hard way last year (burnt the poor beggars). 1 teaspoon _at most_ is the subsequent advice I got. I'd tend to think ash from a fire would be a safer and softer option but someone else with horticultural experience should be able to clarify that.
> 
> ...



I'm quite sure potash and ash from the fire are two different things. Ash form a fire is high alkaline from memory and would be used to balance acidic soil rather then a fertaliser.


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## Liam_snorkel (13/12/11)

noticed a few small green grasshoppers (about 10-15mm) munching on my hops in the last week, any tips on how to control them without wiping out spiders & ladybugs as well?
cheers


----------



## Mr. No-Tip (13/12/11)

Any ideas what would go for the tips of bines? I broke a few off in the early days training them, but I've been very careful lately. More and more I am giving them an inspection and find that the tips of bines are gone without a trace - too much to chalk it down to snapping in the wind.

It's hard to guage pesting from the leaves since the hail damage, so I thought this might give some indication?


----------



## MaltyHops (13/12/11)

Mr. No-Tip said:


> Any ideas what would go for the tips of bines? I broke a few off in the early days
> training them, but I've been very careful lately. More and more I am giving them
> an inspection and find that the tips of bines are gone without a trace - too much
> to chalk it down to snapping in the wind. ...


I would cast some suspicion at birds - I've seen sparrows flitting
around my hops & chilli plants and then found cleanly nipped off
shoots.

T.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (13/12/11)

I just worked out that my plants where suffering form lack of trace elements, not a lack of nitrogen....slow growing, leaves going yellow...

Some lime and trace elements have perked them up


----------



## hoppy2B (13/12/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> noticed a few small green grasshoppers (about 10-15mm) munching on my hops in the last week, any tips on how to control them without wiping out spiders & ladybugs as well?
> cheers



I can only think of the obvious, which is to squish them. :lol:


----------



## Liam_snorkel (13/12/11)

hehe yeah. I've squished 1-3 every day, might have to train the cat to hunt them or something.

If they start to get out of control I'll have a crack at making some garlic oil spray.


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## felten (13/12/11)

If bear grylls had grasshoppers on his hops, he'd man up and eat them.


----------



## ratchie (13/12/11)

Bush prawns.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (14/12/11)

:lol: Haha


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## bowser (15/12/11)

I think something bit the end off my chinook, is there anyway to cut it to promote further growth or should i just leave it? Its only grown to about 6 foot.


----------



## Newbee(r) (15/12/11)

if the lead tip is broken, it won't go any further in my experience - no pruning will bring the tip back - others will keep growing though, so all is not lost.


----------



## kelbygreen (15/12/11)

I broke the tip off the top of my biggest shoot when it was 1 foot tall now its about 1 foot above the 4m high trellis but it shot off heaps of others from the same shoot and cant tell much if its the original one or not


----------



## bowser (15/12/11)

Ok thanks, it was going great guns there for a while. This is the only bind as well. Hopefully I'll get some more!


----------



## kelbygreen (15/12/11)

you will find it will off shoot from that bind the one I broke was about 7-8mm at the base so I think it had enough in it to shoot decent binds of it. Also my chinook is coming up all over the garden bed where the POR all the shoots are within 400m round circle area.


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## Malted (15/12/11)

kelbygreen said:


> you will find it will off shoot from that bind the one I broke was about 7-8mm at the base so I think it had enough in it to shoot decent binds of it. Also my chinook is coming up all over the garden bed where the POR all the shoots are within 400m round circle area.


Seems like the growing tips get snapped off or wither for all sorts of reasons. The laterals (or side shoots) will take offf and go past where the tip left off, or it may throw some new bines from below the soil. I have had some bines do either or even both. Don't get yourself in a bind over it. :lol: 
One bine only sounds like a new rhizome; don't set your expectations too high in the first year.


----------



## Jim_Levet (15/12/11)

Liam_snorkel said:


> noticed a few small green grasshoppers (about 10-15mm) munching on my hops in the last week, any tips on how to control them without wiping out spiders & ladybugs as well?
> cheers



I have been squashing a few spider-mites this week, anyone else found these little buggers munching the leaves?
OK taking a pic before squashing them would have been smart eh!
Jimbo


----------



## jyo (17/12/11)

Die you hop pillaging bug. I have a few of these little jumping spiders standing sentry and a few lady bugs joining the good fight too.


----------



## Deebo (18/12/11)

Anyone else noticed a few wasps hanging around their hops lately?
Looks like they are picking off something but not sure what.. hopefully caterpillas or some other nasty bug.


----------



## adryargument (18/12/11)

Deebo said:


> Anyone else noticed a few wasps hanging around their hops lately?
> Looks like they are picking off something but not sure what.. hopefully caterpillas or some other nasty bug.



Definitely seen a couple more than usual.
However theres a group of 3 wallabies that likes to hang around my hops. Its bloody scary when your looking at your plants and this massive thumping goes past behind you.


----------



## cam89brewer (18/12/11)

So someone please tell me.. I have no flowers yet , is there any hope to yield anything this season or not?


----------



## kelbygreen (18/12/11)

its still heaps early to get cones I think feb/march they start to come???? some have got them now but some areas of the country have had rain then sunny and the hops are going nuts. For me I can see a couple of burs starting to form but thats about all. Its still growing like 1 foot a day


----------



## Yob (18/12/11)

cambrew said:


> So someone please tell me.. I have no flowers yet , is there any hope to yield anything this season or not?



if it's your first season dont get ya hopes up too high... from what Ive read the first year the plant spends most of the energy developing a good root ball, some piccies I saw in last years topic was showing many got none, one fella got just 1 cone :blink: but from the second season on you can expect cone yeild to increase rapidly. 

Ive got a fair few plant in, mostly first year, Im _'trying'_ to just enjoy and learn how they grow and establish.. one thing I hadnt considered was the lateral growth which is something I will improve on for next season as far as the trellis goes.. def. starting to see why planting 2m apart is a good idea.  

Yob


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (18/12/11)

Deebo said:


> Anyone else noticed a few wasps hanging around their hops lately?
> Looks like they are picking off something but not sure what.. hopefully caterpillas or some other nasty bug.


Yeah I have them but no signs of damage, my guests just seem to like the water I'm keeping up to the cascade. My bees certainly take a big interest.


----------



## [email protected] (18/12/11)

Beer4U said:


> First year plants, free rhizomes courtesy of AHB Brenthor.
> Chinook on left POR on right. Training them to go sideways and up, they only needed a bit of direction at first and now seem to get the idea.
> 
> View attachment 50028




Update on my first year plants, 36 days later. They really are loving the wet/warm then cool dry cycle. The lead bines are still growing and the laterals are climbing the string as well, the chinook has started to take over what was a greenhouse.
These were planted just before the start of spring, they are in about 2 square meters of space, the soil is about 1 foot deep max, but has plenty of rotting organic matter in there. I have given up trying to control them in this small space so they can just sprawl and do what they will.  The days are still getting longer here so they will continue to grow, only when they days start to get shorter again will that trigger the change to flowering / reproduction mode.
I would guess that they will produce something , enough for me to use late in my half batch brews anyway.


----------



## jyo (18/12/11)

I can see you've got some cones forming already, mate.  





Beer4U said:


> Update on my first year plants, 36 days later. They really are loving the wet/warm then cool dry cycle. The lead bines are still growing and the laterals are climbing the string as well, the chinook has started to take over what was a greenhouse.
> These were planted just before the start of spring, they are in about 2 square meters of space, the soil is about 1 foot deep max, but has plenty of rotting organic matter in there. I have given up trying to control them in this small space so they can just sprawl and do what they will.  The days are still getting longer here so they will continue to grow, only when they days start to get shorter again will that trigger the change to flowering / reproduction mode.
> I would guess that they will produce something , enough for me to use late in my half batch brews anyway.
> 
> ...


----------



## Yob (18/12/11)

@Beer4U - shit mate.. 1st years :blink: mine pale by comparison.. impressive



POR going gang busters and taking over the shed (1 bine)



Goldings reached the top of the trellis and going laterally now (2 bines)



Chinook - awwwww - what wont they try and climb
Cascade in the Background is FINALLY getting going



what happens when some effing animal eats the growing tip out of them

:icon_cheers:


----------



## felten (18/12/11)

I harvested 130g of my plant this week, pretty scant for a 2nd year plant but fingers crossed for a 2nd harvest.

ed; its a willamette


----------



## [email protected] (18/12/11)

jyo said:


> I can see you've got some cones forming already, mate.



 good one mate, i cant believe i did not see that one coming...

@ yob - yeah stuff grows like crazy here, at the moment i consider them plants, controlled/wanted, but i was thinking the other day that if i was to put them out in a few places around the joint they would soon become pests or weeds (depending on your point of view).
I spend a lot of time here controlling weeds in the paddocks, its an ongoing battle that cant be won, i just have to keep them at bay.


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## Mr. No-Tip (18/12/11)

Forming cones. LOL.

For some context: My first year chinooks have ~20 baby flowers. Nothing on the other varieties. The hail and bugs have made them all look pretty depressing TBH. My Tomatoes, too.

When I saw him perch on my horizontal strings today, I think I figured out what is nipping the tips off my bines:

http://birdsinbackyards.net/feature/honeyeaters.cfm

I kinda hope it's not them..along with the magpies, they are my favourite native family living in our garden!


----------



## Liam_snorkel (18/12/11)

Get a cat, that will sort the buggers out


----------



## kelbygreen (18/12/11)

then get a dog to sort the cat out lol


----------



## Liam_snorkel (18/12/11)

haha exactly.
it's the circle of life mate.


----------



## kalbarluke (19/12/11)

Does anyone know how big Cascade cones get? Here is a picture from my friend's first year plant.


----------



## bung89 (20/12/11)

Quick question, would it be worth planting a rhizome this late in the growing season?
Not expecting massive growth but surely it'd be good to get some roots established in time for the next growing season.


----------



## kelbygreen (20/12/11)

maybe plant it into a pot and next year it should have some roots to it to get going. cant hurt I guess


----------



## bung89 (20/12/11)

kelbygreen said:


> maybe plant it into a pot and next year it should have some roots to it to get going. cant hurt I guess



Yeah I'm renting at the moment so all my plants are in pots for now. got some big ones put aside for when I get my hands on some more rhizomes though


----------



## ledgenko (20/12/11)

I will say that these pics are awesome ... my plants are somewhat small at this point but its the first year and I am just enjoying the fact that they are growing .. I just hope they grow again next year ...


----------



## Liam_snorkel (20/12/11)

spotted my first little baby this morning. hope this is a sign of things to come from my 1st year plants.


----------



## kymba (21/12/11)

stinky cascades


----------



## kymba (21/12/11)

nambour westside goldings NWG - not quite as catchy as EKG





POR


----------



## stef (21/12/11)

This thread inspires a lot of jealousy in me... My first year guys are still just getting going!


----------



## kymba (21/12/11)

no stress stef, mine are all 1st year too. in my highly uneducated guess it is due to the climate up here, the full bins of mushroom compost they are potted in and the bi-monthly doses of seasol



stef said:


> This thread inspires a lot of jealousy in me... My first year guys are still just getting going!


----------



## kalbarluke (21/12/11)

Wow. Kymba, those cascade cones look great. You should get a great yield. Are your goldings flowering at all yet?


----------



## kymba (21/12/11)

yeah there were a few little flowers starting to form...they look like little sea anemones



kalbarluke said:


> Wow. Kymba, those cascade cones look great. You should get a great yield. Are your goldings flowering at all yet?


----------



## sav (21/12/11)

These are mine first year no flowers starting to go a bit yellow down the bottom I am watering more seems to be fixing them a bit.
Cascade,Goldings
sav


----------



## kymba (21/12/11)

sav, i am well impressed with your hop trellis! do you get the mrs to drop hop cones in your glass of IPA when you are having a spa?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (21/12/11)

Some people people have all the luck


----------



## pyrosx (21/12/11)

Am I the only person that browses this thread and wonders both a) I want to grow these and B) I think the cops will be called by my neighbours* if I tried to grow these?

*said neighbours probably already thing i'm cooking meth when they see me sanitising kegs and fermenters (not to mention brewing) in the backyard.


----------



## hoppy2B (22/12/11)

pyrosx said:


> Am I the only person that browses this thread and wonders both a) I want to grow these and B) I think the cops will be called by my neighbours* if I tried to grow these?
> 
> *said neighbours probably already thing i'm cooking meth when they see me sanitising kegs and fermenters (not to mention brewing) in the backyard.



Dude it's not illegal so stuff what the neighbours think.


----------



## kalbarluke (22/12/11)

This might have to be done over two posts because of the file sizes of the photos from the iphone.
I have noticed that with the cascade hops they grow a cone either side of the bine. The goldings grow "branches" that have anything up to 10 cones. 

cascade:


----------



## kalbarluke (22/12/11)

Goldings


----------



## Tony (23/12/11)

Mine have taken off now that its warmed up a bit.

Goldings, first year, been in the dirt for about 2 or 3 months, and loading up with hundreds of burs:












And my 2nd year POR that started off very slow but is now starting to grab you as you walk past it. The kids are scared to stand still next to it for too long 






Going mad inside the lattice too
















cheers


----------



## kalbarluke (24/12/11)

My friend has had plenty of success with his hops. We planted ours at the same time but mine were a bit retarded and didn't grow. I think the soil didn't have enough drainage.

Anyway, I ripped mine out of the ground about two weeks ago. Sure enough they had rotted but one of the cascade plants seemed to have a bit of life left in it. I threw it in a pot with some compost and soil and forgot about it. This morning I woke up and saw this :




There is still hope..... :icon_cheers:


----------



## Tony (27/12/11)

how good is this mid 20 deg weather during december for growing hops.

Last year the burs got cooked in 40+ heat and never grew very big. The hops are thriving and i cant see a day over 28 deg forcast for another week yet 

Lovin it!


----------



## Fents (28/12/11)

my hops and veggies got slammed by the hailstorm in melb on xmas day. the veggie patch looks like someone came at it with a whipper snipper and so do the hops. gone i'd say.

not to mention both my cars are prob written off by hail damage and my bar / garage got flooded.


----------



## Yob (28/12/11)

shit mate, that sux ass.. yet to see if i got damage...


----------



## Lecterfan (28/12/11)

Fents said:


> my hops and veggies got slammed by the hailstorm in melb on xmas day. the veggie patch looks like someone came at it with a whipper snipper and so do the hops. gone i'd say.
> 
> not to mention both my cars are prob written off by hail damage and my bar / garage got flooded.



Sh*t, I was upset when mine copped that 6 weeks ago - but they have bounced back due to how small they were at the time...I hope you still get to harvest something....


----------



## kalbarluke (28/12/11)

I have posted photos on this thread but I decided to make a video. Here is the link:



P.S.: Fents, that is really terrible news about your cars and hops.


----------



## BjornJ (28/12/11)

this is my 1st year Mt. Hood from Barls growing in a pot on the balcony:





not sure if it's very visible, but I planted a small twig of rosemary in the corner of the pot. 
Took it from a bush outside the building, thought it'd be nice to have a little bit of rosemary on the balcony for those lamp roasts  






Looking at canon1ball's and Bill's hops last weekend I see mine are small and puny while they had a good 3-4 meters of length already.
But hopefully mine will grow enough this first year to produce a handful of aroma hops.


thanks
Bjorn


----------



## kymba (28/12/11)

what size is your pot, bjornj? maybe it could do with a bigger home


----------



## BjornJ (29/12/11)

Hi Kymba,
the pot is only about 40x40 cm square. 
It was a pot that we already had but had nothing in so I liberated it for hop growing :lol: 
It probably would been better with an even bigger one but hopefully it will be ok.

thanks
Bjorn


----------



## adryargument (29/12/11)

Pretty sure there are a hundred or so little buds forming on my hallertau.
Was a bit dark to see last night but will grab a photo or two after work.

Can't wait to get a brew on with them.


----------



## mesa99 (29/12/11)

Some top looking Hop cones already in this thread. I'm just waiting to see what happens. None too fussed this year.

I got home from Chrissy break to find the POR getting jiggy with the Goldings. Swift action was taken.

My first year POR is off it's head. Can't believe the growth.




First year Goldings doing well.




First year Cascade looking all droopy, not sure if it's too much water.


----------



## jyo (29/12/11)

Hersbrucker burring up.





Cascade with a heap of burs forming.




Hopefully I will get enough for a brew this year!


----------



## Spoonta (29/12/11)

looking good mate


----------



## jyo (29/12/11)

Spoonta said:


> looking good mate



Cheers, mate. I'm waiting for the easterlies to burn the shit out of them though. It's been good so far.


----------



## adryargument (29/12/11)

Wooohooooo!
It has finally begun!

Click to Enlarge!

Random pumpkin plant in front - already covering half of Sydney.
Hops divided by climbing beans through the center.




Bit Closer




Columbus (Third plant from the front left in larger photo)
Starting to develop burrs at the very top




Goldings, (on the far side 2nd from right)
Developing burrs on the top half




Goldings (in the front, 2nd from right)
Less burrs then the back one, but the plant is just as bushy and looks promising.




Mt Hoods at the far right are both showing some burrs towards the top of both.




Best till last - Hersbuckers were the quickest to grow and are showing long lateral vines of burrs on both plants.




Need to ponder some recipes for each!


----------



## DU99 (29/12/11)

Nice Yard


----------



## adryargument (29/12/11)

DU99 said:


> Nice Yard



Cheers,
Its rocky as hell, standing there i am actually higher then the 3 level house.
Whole things a bloody mountain.

Its generally only 30-50cm deep under the hops then you hit rock.


----------



## Mattress (29/12/11)

kalbarluke said:


> I have posted photos on this thread but I decided to make a video.




Got a laugh at the chook helping dig up the garden at the beginning of the vid.

I quite often regret living in suburbia.


----------



## kalbarluke (29/12/11)

adryargument: Those hops of yours would climb heaps higher if you let them. They look very healthy. Any way you could connect some line from that gum tree (or rock) to your blue rope? 
I don't know how high hops will grow, but they will at least go seven metres, if not higher. In a lot of the photos on this thread you can see the hops wanting to climb but they just run out of room. I know you can grow them horizontally but their natural inclination seems to be straight up.


----------



## adryargument (29/12/11)

kalbarluke said:


> adryargument: Those hops of yours would climb heaps higher if you let them. They look very healthy. Any way you could connect some line from that gum tree (or rock) to your blue rope?
> I don't know how high hops will grow, but they will at least go seven metres, if not higher. In a lot of the photos on this thread you can see the hops wanting to climb but they just run out of room. I know you can grow them horizontally but their natural inclination seems to be straight up.



I did notice that, all their growth at the top seems to be from the stems bending in half under the weight and trying to go back up.
The only issue with that is i found that their original growth was stumped by being bitten by possums (could of been wallabies but i doubt it).

Because of this i wanted to limit the growth to a vertical rise and not rely on any additional supports to the surrounding areas - last thing i want is possums on the top of my poles.

Couldn't really make them any taller then they currently are due to the weight - keep in mind i can only dig the supports around 50cm deep at most. The wooden frames are currently attached to concreted metal poles to provide added support.

Edit: Definitely will look into it for next years crop. The tree on the left will be removed and the hops replanted for more space. There's already runners popping up in odd places.


----------



## davo4772 (30/12/11)

kalbarluke said:


> I have posted photos on this thread but I decided to make a video. Here is the link:





I wonder if you can feed a chicken hop cones. You know what I am thinking.


----------



## kalbarluke (30/12/11)

david72 said:


> I wonder if you can feed a chicken hop cones. You know what I am thinking.



Beer flavoured eggs?


----------



## vortex (30/12/11)

kalbarluke said:


> Beer flavoured eggs?



Hop flavoured Chicken!


----------



## adryargument (30/12/11)

vortex said:


> Hop flavoured Chicken!



Just need the pigs for some hop flavored eggs and bacon.


----------



## kymba (1/1/12)

didn't take any photos due to the looming weather, but yesterday i picked about 3 full shopping bags of cascade, 1 bag of POR and a handful of chinooks...they are currently in the dehydrator and should be ready for bagging tomorrow. thought that was quite good for a first year harvest. also had to send the mrs to the shops to get me a long sleeve shirt as they are scratchy as all fk

anyone know if they re-flower or is that it?


----------



## kalbarluke (1/1/12)

kymba said:


> didn't take any photos due to the looming weather, but yesterday i picked about 3 full shopping bags of cascade, 1 bag of POR and a handful of chinooks...they are currently in the dehydrator and should be ready for bagging tomorrow. thought that was quite good for a first year harvest. also had to send the mrs to the shops to get me a long sleeve shirt as they are scratchy as all fk
> 
> anyone know if they re-flower or is that it?




That's a great yield. I would love to know the dry weight tomorrow.

In terms of re-flowering, I don't think so. At the Qld home brew conference we watched a video on hop production on professional farms (Hop Products Australia I believe). They cut and collect the bines whole, strip them of the hop flowers and wait for the bines to grow again next season (August onwards).


----------



## Deebo (1/1/12)

Cascade (I think.. could be chinook). technically second year but was all rotted and only a bit of wood with no roots remained (I lost the other 6 or so cascade and chinook), I thought it was a goner but seems to be going ok, hopefully I can avoid it rotting after this year.










Saaz, first year. Gets a bit shaded from the wall in afternoon but seems to be going ok, has a few burrs but no decent flowers like cascade yet that I could find.


----------



## proudscum (2/1/12)

adryargument said:


> Wooohooooo!
> It has finally begun!
> 
> Click to Enlarge!
> ...


Glad to see the cuttings are going well for you mate.


----------



## Yob (3/1/12)

whos a happy little hop grower then?

is it me?  

POR Producing cones... effing possums are eating the leaves though... bastards..


----------



## [email protected] (3/1/12)

iamozziyob said:


> whos a happy little hop grower then?
> 
> is it me?
> 
> ...



Nice, hopefully you get a few handfulls to throw into an ozzy PA at flameout  
If not brew a coopers clone and put the hops in ya glass!


----------



## kymba (4/1/12)

kalbarluke said:


> That's a great yield. I would love to know the dry weight tomorrow


here they are - about 30-40g each pack, plus about 40g of cascade and 20g of chinook picked previously


----------



## Lillywhite (4/1/12)

kymba said:


> didn't take any photos due to the looming weather, but yesterday i picked about 3 full shopping bags of cascade, 1 bag of POR and a handful of chinooks...they are currently in the dehydrator and should be ready for bagging tomorrow. thought that was quite good for a first year harvest. also had to send the mrs to the shops to get me a long sleeve shirt as they are scratchy as all fk
> 
> anyone know if they re-flower or is that it?




My Hersbrucker has full size cones that I am harvesting today, when I checked yesterday they also have new burrs growing (same plant).


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (4/1/12)

The brewers Christmas tree!!


----------



## Lecterfan (4/1/12)

Sorry, no pics. My hersbrucker looks like it is 1/3 - 1/2 dying/withered. The other 3 2nd year plants are pretty huge...there is some evidence of withering but not like the hersbrucker. There is no obvious insect etc damage and I am wondering if 3 days of extreme heat after a VERY mild summer so far could knock them around?

The hersbrucker has a heap of burrs on it but it is not looking good. The others have fewer burrs but look much healthier. Any thoughts in regards to heat (I even watered them and gave them some seasol as a feed).

I didn't really need to try last year and yet still got a bumper crop, whereas this year I am a bit concerned (just for the hersburcker)....


p.s. my first year plants this year (a por, colombus and cluster) are all fine...


----------



## HeavyNova (4/1/12)

iamozziyob said:


> whos a happy little hop grower then?
> 
> is it me?
> 
> POR Producing cones... effing possums are eating the leaves though... bastards..



At least the main bine would continue with a few leaves gone....parrots at my place just snipped the top 20cm of my 2 best bines and it looks like they won't resprout and keep going - so their growth has been stopped at about 3m now. It sucks because they were growning so quickly before this happened - almost 10 cm a day!


----------



## Tony (4/1/12)

First up.... Goldings.

First year plant and going well.

It has a few dozen hop flowers spread over its leafy mass, but nothing special. Should do better next year. There were a lor more burs but they died off 
















And in not sure if its taking over the Rosmary or the rosmary is taking over the hops?











Ahhhhhh a Goldings Rose.


----------



## Tony (4/1/12)

And the scary one

THE POR 

It tried to grab the camera while i was taking pics..... so you know what i did?

I fed it power feed ... insert Dr Evil laugh!

Edit: its tha same on the inside of the lattice too!


----------



## thebeemann (4/1/12)

Hey if anyone is going to take cuttings or divide Rhizomes after harvest i would love a por and something else easy to grow for my first attempt at growing hops just let me know when and how much cheers :beer:


----------



## BjornJ (4/1/12)

hmm, my Mt Hood in a pot is barely growing thin little vines. No burrs that's for sure..
I said I'd be happy if it just grew and I'll get hops next year but I don't think that anymore  

I want hops d*mnit.


----------



## kelbygreen (4/1/12)

lol you suck bjornj  least you didnt kill it like my first year. but this year I got good growth and there are heaps of burs on them. I hope I am home when they are ready to pick. 

Whats the time frame you have to pick them roughly?? as I do 10 days on 4 days off so if they come in when I am away I prob get nothing. Might get a job soon doing 14 on 14 off so might get half hopefully then :S


----------



## Liam_snorkel (4/1/12)

Tony is your POR first year too? 
that last photo looks like a mutant hop flower cannibalising leaves. om nom nom


----------



## BjornJ (4/1/12)

kelbygreen said:


> lol you suck bjornj  least you didnt kill it like my first year. but this year I got good growth and there are heaps of burs on them. I hope I am home when they are ready to pick.
> 
> Whats the time frame you have to pick them roughly?? as I do 10 days on 4 days off so if they come in when I am away I prob get nothing. Might get a job soon doing 14 on 14 off so might get half hopefully then :S




hehe, all good fun having a go growing hops.
But I really want at least a handful of hops to use late in an ale to get a feel for the hop type, you know?


----------



## hoppy2B (5/1/12)

thebeemann said:


> Hey if anyone is going to take cuttings or divide Rhizomes after harvest i would love a por and something else easy to grow for my first attempt at growing hops just let me know when and how much cheers :beer:



Message me at the end of June as I'll probably have a couple to give away. Also to anyone interested in an easy hop to grow I recommend Cluster. Cluster is a reliable yield producer which produces cones from very low down on the bines. eg half a metre off the ground.


----------



## thebeemann (5/1/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Message me at the end of June as I'll probably have a couple to give away. Also to anyone interested in an easy hop to grow I recommend Cluster. Cluster is a reliable yield producer which produces cones from very low down on the bines. eg half a metre off the ground.




Awsome thanx Hoppy i will do cheers. :beer:


----------



## waggastew (5/1/12)

Mix of 1st and 2nd year hops are travelling along well. Growing them up 2 x 5m poles that I got made up specifically. Strings are fixed to a metal ring that is on a flag pole like rope system so I can lower them down to harvest.

L to R Chinook (2nd Y), Chinook (2nd Y), Goldings (2nd Y), Saaz (2nd Year), Super Alpha (1st year), POR (1st Year)






All have hops or bracts developing. POR is maturing fastest with the Chinook only just forming bracts. This is a bummer as I had planned to do a all homegrown Chinook APA in a month. Might have to put that one on the back burner.

All plants are continually forming new bines at the bottom of the plant, I have just left them to run up the existing bines. Here is a photo of some hops on the Super Alpha (left) and POR (right)


----------



## kalbarluke (5/1/12)

These little buggers were found eating the leaves and flowers of one of the cascade plants yesterday:



They are a bit hard to see, but there were lots of small caterpillars that we collected and put into a glass.
Has anybody used any sort of pesticide or know of any "safe" ones that can be used? It would be a shame to get this far only to see them destroyed.


----------



## kymba (5/1/12)

kalbarluke said:


> These little buggers were found eating the leaves and flowers of one of the cascade plants yesterday:
> View attachment 51469
> 
> They are a bit hard to see, but there were lots of small caterpillars that we collected and put into a glass.
> Has anybody used any sort of pesticide or know of any "safe" ones that can be used? It would be a shame to get this far only to see them destroyed.



try annette's chilli spray http://www.annettemcfarlane.com/Doityourself.htm


----------



## drsmurto (5/1/12)

Are the hops growing faster than the bugs can eat them?

If so, why spray?

The likelihood of killing good bugs along with the ones you don't want are too high in my opinion with most commerical pesticides since they are non specific.

If you want to spray something get yourself some pyrethrum concentrate and mix that up with some chilli, garlic (boiled in water for 5 misn and then strained) and vegetable oil and spray that all over the plants at dusk.

Mine are covered in ladybugs which are keeping the spidermite population down.


----------



## Tony (5/1/12)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Tony is your POR first year too?
> that last photo looks like a mutant hop flower cannibalising leaves. om nom nom



Na 2nd year........ its much stronger this year too..... I may look into some more elaborate supports for it next year..... its just choking itsself on the lattice


----------



## felten (5/1/12)

kalbarluke said:


> These little buggers were found eating the leaves and flowers of one of the cascade plants yesterday:
> View attachment 51469
> 
> They are a bit hard to see, but there were lots of small caterpillars that we collected and put into a glass.
> Has anybody used any sort of pesticide or know of any "safe" ones that can be used? It would be a shame to get this far only to see them destroyed.


dipel?


----------



## XavierZ (5/1/12)

felten said:


> dipel?



I'm using Yates Dipel cause I have big 'pillars eating the leaving and tiny 'pillars eating the hops.
Works a treat and safe around animals.


----------



## hoppy2B (5/1/12)

What can I spray to get rid of rabbits? :unsure:


----------



## felten (6/1/12)

buckshot


----------



## hoppy2B (6/1/12)

felten said:


> buckshot



Felten you're a genius.


----------



## gunbrew (6/1/12)

3rd year Chinook in Sydney.
Has lots of spurs on it now and a few small hop cones.


----------



## Jace89 (6/1/12)

Wow gunbrew that is impressive! Can't wait to see what the harvest off that is like!


----------



## Lillywhite (6/1/12)

Just baggied 128gms of dried Hersbrucker, still more growing on bine. That's my best harvest, 3rd year.


----------



## Deebo (6/1/12)

Any hop experts able to tell me if this looks ready to pick? 
Felt papery to me.. 

Was turning a bit brown so was worried may be getting past prime picking?


----------



## drsmurto (7/1/12)

Deebo said:


> Any hop experts able to tell me if this looks ready to pick?
> Felt papery to me..
> 
> Was turning a bit brown so was worried may be getting past prime picking?
> ...



They look ready to me Deebo. Papery is good, plenty of lupilin and just a touch of brown on the tips. Without actually being able to give them a loving squeeze myself I'd say harvest away but only pick those that look and feel the same as these. Nothing wrong with picking in several stages.


----------



## drsmurto (7/1/12)

Took some pics of my plantation just before sunset last night. Not the best quality but given the size of the plants I don't think that really matters :icon_chickcheers: 

Chinook #1





Chinook #2&3





Close-up of chinook





Cascade - will be moving this in winter to the other side of the chinook to give it more space to climb and more sun.





Victoria - the 2 single bines to the right are 2 rhizomes i cut off from the mother rhizome to expand my favourite hop (and also prove how viable rhizome cuttings are)





Plenty of cones forming on them all, they all seem happy. The only challenge is keeping the chinook from swamping the cascade and attempting to infest the gum tree next to it.

Down to my last 200g of hops from last season so am more than happy now with the yields i am getting. Even traded 400g to a local brewer who wanted to brew an organic beer but struggled to find organic hops. Several bottles of natural, organic cider (Natural Selection Theory) now chilling in the fridge :icon_drool2: 

Cheers
DrSmurto


----------



## Fish13 (9/1/12)

my hallertau


----------



## Malted (14/1/12)

My 8 month old nephew helping me pick some fresh Chinook hops. Never too young to learn eh?
They are on a flagpole arrangement and I have lowered them to be able to pick them.

I think I picked them too early. They are brown on the edges but that is probably scortching from some extreme heat as oppossed to actually being ripe.


----------



## felten (14/1/12)

if you rub the lupulin between your fingers and it smells good then you should be fine


----------



## Yob (15/1/12)

Chinook Buds flowers developing :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## Yob (15/1/12)

kalbarluke said:


> These little buggers were found eating the leaves and flowers of one of the cascade plants yesterday:
> View attachment 51469
> 
> They are a bit hard to see, but there were lots of small caterpillars that we collected and put into a glass.
> Has anybody used any sort of pesticide or know of any "safe" ones that can be used? It would be a shame to get this far only to see them destroyed.



SWMBO is an avid gardener and was researching pest control, and came up with the following.

Collect said pest and grind up into a paste, add water and spray back on affected plant, she said it wasnt always 100% effective but was a good starting point and at least make you feel better.. dunno the science behind it but sounds cool anyway.

take that buggies :lol: 

Molasses Spray
Dissolve one tablespoon of molasses into a litre of warm water.
Add one teaspoon of Sunlight dish washing liquid or other pure liquid soap

Spray regularly over the leaves of all plants attacked by caterpillars and other chewing pests. Caterpillars would rather starve than eat leaves sprayed with this mixture. It has also been used with success by some gardeners as a possum repellent and for the treatment of soil affected by root knot nematodes by doubling the concentration of molasses.

Chilli Spray
Small hot chillies (40-50)
2 litres of water
5 grams of pure soap flakes dissolved in hot water or a few drops of liquid soap
Puree the chillies and one litre of water together in a blender. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and add the soap and the other litre of water. Spray this mixture undiluted on to plants.

This spray is a favourite with warm climate gardeners who have chillies in abundance almost year round. If you do not have a chilli bush you can substitute chilli powder or paste. Chilli spray is particularly effective against ants, aphids and other soft-bodied insects.

Garlic Spray
Three large cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
One teaspoon of liquid soap
One litre of water
Combine the garlic and vegetable oil and leave to soak overnight. Strain and add to the litre of water along with the liquid soap. Spray regularly. Garlic in known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, but it is its insect repellent qualities that most gardeners admire.

quoted from HERE


----------



## Lecterfan (15/1/12)

Cascade is going well:




Chinook flowers are the most advanced:



First year POR on the left recovered from the hail and is growing well....massive EKG on the right (second year) but it has bugger all flowers compared to my other plants...




My hersbrucker is in distress - it looks like this (the others have a few leaves like this but they still look bushy and lustrous, the hersbrucker looks really unwell....THOUGHTS??? SUGGESTIONS??? HELP!!!!):




I gave them all a spray with the garlic/chilli spray recently but I'm not entirely convinced that it is a pest problem...


----------



## kalbarluke (15/1/12)

Lecterfan, have you tried trace elements?


----------



## Charst (15/1/12)

looks fungal, cut lower dead yellow leaves and spray with a fungicide of your choice




Lecterfan said:


> Cascade is going well:
> View attachment 51675
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Tony (15/1/12)

Lect...... my POR and Goldings are the same size, but the goldings is only just starting to grow flowers now. The PoR has about 7 million on it and a lot are huge!

cheers


----------



## Liam_snorkel (15/1/12)

Malted said:


> My 8 month old nephew helping me pick some fresh Chinook hops. Never too young to learn eh?
> They are on a flagpole arrangement and I have lowered them to be able to pick them.
> 
> I think I picked them too early. They are brown on the edges but that is probably scortching from some extreme heat as oppossed to actually being ripe.


socks and sandals, you fashion criminal!


----------



## Lecterfan (15/1/12)

To be clear, it is only the hersbrucker showing worse for wear - the others look great (although the Goldings is huge with next to no flowers on it).




kalbarluke said:


> Lecterfan, have you tried trace elements?


They didn't get much of a feed over winter, but in spring they had some blood and bone and I give them a seasol treatment every f/n...not sure if that is enough/too much... I shall show them more love over the dormant period and early spring this year...





Charst said:


> looks fungal, cut lower dead yellow leaves and spray with a fungicide of your choice


Hmmmm ok (I suspected this myself) - the thing is that it is occurring (to a significantly lesser degree) in my other plants and occasionally higher up which has me bamboozled...I still think pruning the dying leaves is a good idea though




Tony said:


> Lect...... my POR and Goldings are the same size, but the goldings is only just starting to grow flowers now. The PoR has about 7 million on it and a lot are huge!
> cheers


  I can only hope my goldings suddenly springs to life - I reckon I'll get another bumper crop of cascade and chinook...I was just hoping the others would follow suit this year hahaha

Thanks all... :beer:


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (15/1/12)

I found I had trace element probs, was across a lot of my potted plants ( due to the shit acid sulphate clay soil here, i grow in pots ) as I was using potting mix and cow/sheep manure. I hit it with a dose of trace elements and everything picked up. Aslo a bit of lime wont hurt either

Hops showed classic trace element deficiency. Yellowish spots, slow growth, dying off...


----------



## kelbygreen (15/1/12)

Mine turned yellow and died off last year but prob a lack of watering in a week of 40c heat didnt help  I think they are still going strong this year will see when I get home again. The chinook had size decent cones and the POR had millions of burs and some cones so hope I dont miss picking time while I am working away


----------



## TidalPete (15/1/12)

Not really a hop plantation so slightly off-topic.

It's taken a long time but I've finally got rid of used up the 25 kilos or whatever it was of Chink Cascade from the Original Chink Hop Bulk Buy (OCHBB) & I doubt that anyone's ever noticed any difference in my APA's, AIPA's, etc? h34r: 
My much criticised Yellow Peril may have drawn negative comments from some but that was my mistake entirely for vastly under-estimatng the alpha percentages of the various Chink hops. :icon_vomit: 



And just for old time's sake Brad & Bribie (even if one of you won't see this until March :lol: ) here's a pic of some of the splitters of that famous bulk buy at Good 'Ole Chap Chap's yonks ago. 
Dave (you know who you are :icon_cheers: ) & others not shown in this pic are the lucky ones as no one will know who you are. LOL! (I'm out of smilies ATM)



TP


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (15/1/12)

Ahh the famous " these chinnese hops are good as anything" bulk buy.... funny how GLS has gone into hidding... 

They where great hops, its just that anyone on AHB didnt know how to use them... :lol:


----------



## Batz (15/1/12)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Ahh the famous " these chinnese hops are good as anything" bulk buy.... funny how GLS has gone into hidding...
> 
> They where great hops, its just that anyone on AHB didnt know how to use them... :lol:




I had 5kg of them and after sampling a few beers other brewed I got rid of the lot, not a gm on Chinese hop where use in my brewery.


----------



## TidalPete (15/1/12)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Ahh the famous " these chinnese hops are good as anything" bulk buy.... funny how GLS has gone into hidding...
> 
> They where great hops, its just that anyone on AHB didnt know how to use them... :lol:



You really don't believe I've used 25 Kg's of the stuff? Right? :angry: 

TP






























:lol: :lol:


----------



## Doubleplugga (16/1/12)

first year cascade plants. hundreds of burrs on both and flowers growing well on one of them.

hope they turn over a good crop but they are only first year.

[attachment=5
1716SC_0312.JPG]


----------



## kelbygreen (16/1/12)

first year?? thats got more then both of my second year plants on it lol


----------



## Doubleplugga (16/1/12)

yeah thats what i was thinking. they were quite big rhizomes though, at least 30cm long each. must have been 8 or 9 bines shot up from both


----------



## kalbarluke (16/1/12)

Here are some of the picked cones: grey bag - cascade, blue bag - chinook, white bag - goldings.

Dried them in the dehydrator. Here they are dried:


----------



## kelbygreen (16/1/12)

you have 2 americans bag the chinook and goldings??


----------



## kalbarluke (16/1/12)

kelbygreen said:


> you have 2 americans bag the chinook and goldings??



No, it was first thing in the morning before I'd had a coffee. I left them in the dehydrator overnight. Got up first thing, bagged and labeled them and took the pic on my iphone. Now I feel like a dickhead.


----------



## kelbygreen (16/1/12)

lol thats ok I was thinking **** its the 9th months already??  as long as you know what you mean who gives a crap. Sure I never make sence but I dont care I know what I said


----------



## RdeVjun (16/1/12)

No pics, however harvested 100g dried off a first year PoR for its first pick and is just setting an enormous load of flowers so the second pick may be even bigger at this rate. It must've hit the sewer or something, the others are doing well but fairly dismal cone yield, only a few hands- full of cones so far and some are second year (Perle, Hallertau, Goldings, Chinook). No flowers on any Goldings here yet either, some are first year and some second, so perhaps a climatic issue for that variety.
Brewed an Aussie Ale with some fresh PoR, had to grin and bear the fact that it will probably have some late hops character that's not to style...


----------



## almopec (17/1/12)

Hi All, 
Here's one of my three hop vines so far (haven't taken any pics of the others but will do). 
Anyhow its a one year old Mt Hood, growing in about 40L of soil as we rent, but I pile on the chook poo. I've trained it up the downpipe upto the roof line (maybe 6m) and am also training horizontally. Its also starting to produce cones.


----------



## felten (17/1/12)

Harvested once last month, but now there's some new shoots coming up that are finally throwing out laterals with more spurs on them.

The first bines didn't put out any laterals at all, which is weird because that's the first thing they did last year.


----------



## adryargument (17/1/12)

Mine are starting to 'pop' from little starbursts into hops.

Im guessing that theres at least 500-1000 flowers / burrs at this point in time. Hopefully a decent crop.
Pumpkins going absolutely nuts, and the bloody tree on the left is pulling the vines down, Front row is starting to drag.

The Lot:



Chinook:



Columbus:



Hersbucker:


----------



## Fents (17/1/12)

my hops have actually come back to life after the xmas day hailstorm in melb, so have the veggies.

even got cones starting to form. only going to get maybe 50G from each plant, no where near the KG's i got last year but still they have come back to life after being put through a shredder! (golf ball size hail)


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (18/1/12)

Hoppawatti is going well in it's second year, all from a modest cutting last year... Flowers have started to form now too!! :beerbang:


----------



## Malted (18/1/12)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> Hoppawatti is going well in it's second year,



Best not bend over in front of it!


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (18/1/12)

Malted said:


> Best not bend over in front of it!



Awesome aroma with unexpected penetration!!!


----------



## chefeffect (18/1/12)

Cascade first, followed by Hallertau, Perle, and Saaz on end.


This is a better one of the Saaz 


They are all first year my Goldings rotted and the Perle and Mt hood don't seem to be taking off they are a bit stagnant, just had some really humid days and they look like they are ready to start climbing. They are all in the same type of soil with heaps of rotted manure, compost, and blood and bone. Does anyone know if Mt Hood and Perle take time to grow?

The Saaz is going really well which surprised me I had heard they are harder to grow.


----------



## glennheinzel (19/1/12)

I've just ordered some Bramling Cross rhizomes from my local hop supplier so I can't wait to grow my own again. I was considering Goldings given that I live in Kent, however I don't live in East Kent so that just wouldn't be right.


----------



## waggastew (19/1/12)

First round harvest kicked off today. Only the POR (1st Year) and Chinook (2 x 2nd year) are ready. The Super Alpha and Saaz are not far away, the Goldings are still setting burrs. I use a 'flag pole' system so I can pick over a couple of weeks.

Ended up getting 350g wet Chinook and 120g wet POR. I find they usually lose about 3/4 of their weight when dry which works out to be 85g of Chinook and 20g of POR. There is plenty more to come off both plants so I will get a brew out of each of these varieties for sure.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (20/1/12)

Mmm. Almost ready to pick


----------



## booargy (20/1/12)

mine are coming along nicely. all first year
Saaz


Hersbrucker or Hallertau not sure


----------



## Malted (20/1/12)

booargy said:


> mine are coming along nicely. all first year
> Saaz
> View attachment 51776




Nah not big enough yet


----------



## hoppy2B (20/1/12)

My first year Saaz has 11 bines. They're 4 metres long. Would have gone 10 metres easy if I had the structure to support it.
Wind did a lot of damage knocking the bines together. I have recently spread the bines out as much as possible. Should produce a fair yield. I have a few cones coming on similar to the ones displayed several posts earlier today.
I'm not sure if Saaz cones will grow as large as some other varieties Malted. :mellow:


----------



## BjornJ (23/1/12)

nothing like what you guys are showing off, I know.

but still very happy my first hop plant is growing in the pot on the balcony, and now even has a couple of tiny hop flowers!!

I was quite pleased when I saw these last night


----------



## Yob (23/1/12)

BjornJ said:


> I was quite pleased when I saw these last night




awwwwww  

like me you will get enough to jam into a glass and have a few fresh glasses!! Least thats what I plan on doing with them...

No photo's yet but my Cascade has a few flowers as well so I should get some POR, Chinook and Cascade flowers.

:beer:


----------



## almopec (24/1/12)

booargy said:


> mine are coming along nicely. all first year
> Saaz
> View attachment 51776
> 
> ...



I have a quick question as I too have a saaz and hersbrucker (my saaz hops aint quite as big as in the pic, but my hersbrucker are slightly bigger, maybe 3cm long). 
My question is when is the right time to pick them? As I picked what I thought was a bigger hersbrucker hop on the weekend and it just smelt like grass. 

I know it will vary from place to place and year to year, but is there a general rule of thumb to use?
Most of the hop cones still have the little stringy bits attached to them if that helps anyone...

Cheers
Al


----------



## hoppy2B (25/1/12)

almopec said:


> I have a quick question as I too have a saaz and hersbrucker (my saaz hops aint quite as big as in the pic, but my hersbrucker are slightly bigger, maybe 3cm long).
> My question is when is the right time to pick them? As I picked what I thought was a bigger hersbrucker hop on the weekend and it just smelt like grass.
> 
> I know it will vary from place to place and year to year, but is there a general rule of thumb to use?
> ...


  Dude I'm a first year hop grower and I have no idea either. 

Best bet is to keep checking them and feeling them. Cut the occasional one open and have a good look for lupulin. If you brush the cones backward and all the petals fall off they're well and truly cooked. After a while a quick look and feel should be enough to tell if they're ready. 
At least that's what I'm planning to do.


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (25/1/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Dude I'm a first year hop grower and I have no idea either.
> 
> Best bet is to keep checking them and feeling them. Cut the occasional one open and have a good look for lupulin. If you brush the cones backward and all the petals fall off they're well and truly cooked. After a while a quick look and feel should be enough to tell if they're ready.
> At least that's what I'm planning to do.




you two need to revise the last 40 pages, it's all in there.... h34r:


----------



## Yob (25/1/12)

From what I understand it's when the edges of the cones feel dry and papery, the leaves will start to turn brown.


----------



## hoppy2B (25/1/12)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> you two need to revise the last 40 pages, it's all in there.... h34r:



Thankyou, that's v helpful. :lol:


----------



## almopec (25/1/12)

I didnt quite read all 40 pages, but I think I figured it out. Perhaps.

I think I'll be waiting til they start to dry a little on the plant, which could be a while still as its raining heaps and they're green and plump still.


----------



## Malted (25/1/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Thankyou, that's v helpful. :lol:



*"How do you know when your hops are ready to be picked?*
Both feel and smell are involved. If the hop cone is not ripe it will feel soft, slightly damp to the touch, and remain compressed when squeezed. Ripe hop cones will feel light and dry, and spring back when squeezed. When ripe the lupulin glands at the base of the cone petals will have a golden yellow color and a sticky residue that is fragrant when squeezed."

_New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Fact Sheet 'Growing Hops in the back yard'_


----------



## BrianOR (26/1/12)

First year Chinook


----------



## thebeemann (26/1/12)

BrianOR said:


> First year Chinook
> View attachment 51948
> 
> View attachment 51959




Looking good , i cant wait to grow my own i have a couple on order for next season :beer:


----------



## hoppy2B (27/1/12)

The soil in East Kent is chalk. h34r:


----------



## petesbrew (27/1/12)

Here's my perle "shrub" I've been training over my pool fence.
Finally grabbed a bowl and took the 1st harvest this arvo.
Got about 160g worth which is drying on my ultra lo-fi rack (fly screen-fridge shelf-A0 plotter roll from work).
Hopefully I'll get enough off it for a Perle Smash Lager this winter, but basically I'm pretty happy that I haven't killed a plant.


----------



## hoppy2B (27/1/12)

Dudes where's my Tettnang?!
This is a picture of my tett which I bought as a small plant that looked like it was struck as a cutting last season. It has only just taken off in the last couple of weeks. It should be all over the place by now. Of all the hops I started growing this season, this was the largest but has done the least.
My understanding is that Aussie Tettnang are probably Fuggles. And I'm wondering if anyone on here has Tettnang and what the growth habit is like. Let me know, thanks.


----------



## kymba (28/1/12)

Just bagged some more offerings: 

goldings - 50g shown + about 30g I had to dry off site; chinook - 75g; cascade - 80g; POR - 15g offsite

Still got some POT and goldings left to ripen, thats if they don't suffer from flood damage


----------



## insane_rosenberg (28/1/12)

petesbrew said:


> Hopefully I'll get enough off it for a Perle Smash Lager this winter.



Happy to be told otherwise, but I heard Perle was more of a combo hop. 

One guy said he did a SMASH and it was a bit too earthy + earthy.

Hope it's not as bad as that, as I'm only growing Perle at the moment too!


----------



## Yob (28/1/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Dudes where's my Tettnang?!
> This is a picture of my tett which I bought as a small plant that looked like it was struck as a cutting last season. It has only just taken off in the last couple of weeks. It should be all over the place by now. Of all the hops I started growing this season, this was the largest but has done the least.
> My understanding is that Aussie Tettnang are probably Fuggles. And I'm wondering if anyone on here has Tettnang and what the growth habit is like. Let me know, thanks.




My Tett stunted, In fact I thought it was going to die, most of the first growth died off, I cut it back and has since boomed and is growing great guns..




Looking sick beside he POR which sprouted much later than the Tett




Now growing madly

RDWHAHB


----------



## darrenp (28/1/12)

Pretty happy so far with my first atempt at growing hops. From left to right two Chinooks, Halertau and Cascade. Halertau was picked up from Siborg and transferred from a pot and the rest were rhizomes from Dr Smurto. Cascade is a little further behind with only 30 odd small flowers but the others are absolutely loaded far exceeding expectation.


----------



## going down a hill (28/1/12)

kymba said:


> Just bagged some more offerings:
> 
> goldings - 50g shown + about 30g I had to dry off site; chinook - 75g; cascade - 80g; POR - 15g offsite
> 
> Still got some POT and goldings left to ripen, thats if they don't suffer from flood damage


Is that POT or POR you talking about?



Shane R said:


> Happy to be told otherwise, but I heard Perle was more of a combo hop.
> 
> One guy said he did a SMASH and it was a bit too earthy + earthy.
> 
> Hope it's not as bad as that, as I'm only growing Perle at the moment too!


I have done an ale with only using Perle. It was a lovely beer, I still have two stubbies left that I can't bring myself to finish becuse then I wont have any left. 

Might have to brew it again.


----------



## [email protected] (28/1/12)

An update on my first year POR and Chinook.
The POR is the first 2 pics and the one with the cones starting to form, it ended up wanting to go two different directions so i gave it some more string, it was way behind the chinook, but when the hotter weather started the chinook seemed to slow right down, where as the POR went nuts, looks like il be making some kind of ale with late POR. 
Chinook is just starting to form some burs, might get enough to throw in a small brew late.


----------



## Yob (28/1/12)

you camera appears to be pissed and staggering from side to side :lol:


----------



## [email protected] (28/1/12)

iamozziyob said:


> you camera appears to be pissed and staggering from side to side :lol:



Yesss i wonder how that happened??? :lol:


----------



## Lecterfan (28/1/12)

Beer4U said:


> Yesss i wonder how that happened??? :lol:



Clearly the terrain underfoot was severely uneven - to suggest an alternative is just downright slanderous yob!


----------



## Yob (28/1/12)

if I have offended I truly repent 

:icon_drunk:


----------



## Judanero (28/1/12)

Hi all thought I'd add how all my 1st years are going.. 

close up of Saaz


this is her again (have already harvested 40g dried)  sorry for iphone quality will try and get some better ones in the next couple days


----------



## Judanero (28/1/12)

This is the Nugget,started great but seemed to stop when I moved the wine barrel..


This is the Hersbrucker, started slow but has fired in the last two weeks.. almost ready for a 1st harvest


----------



## Judanero (28/1/12)

This is the Chinook, when I moved the wine barrel is fell over and lost a fair bit of soil, not sure if it stunted but really hasn't had a lot of growth.


Cascade


----------



## Judanero (28/1/12)

Fuggles



Goldings


----------



## Adam Howard (28/1/12)

Went on a road trip to Brisbane, came back and the Cascade had gone NUTS. No burrs at all when I left.
Whole top half is covered in this density, stoked, looks like they'll all come on around the same time for harvesting.










Chinook doing nicely too. Thrown a bunch more laterals lower down and plenty of burrs turning into full cones.


----------



## hoppy2B (28/1/12)

Thanks for that Yob. Your Tettnang looks just like mine with small dark leaves. :blink:


----------



## Yob (29/1/12)

It happened to the fella I got mine off too... guessing that it's not uncommon.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## insane_rosenberg (29/1/12)

going down a hill said:


> I have done an ale with only using Perle. It was a lovely beer, I still have two stubbies left that I can't bring myself to finish becuse then I wont have any left.
> 
> Might have to brew it again.



Thanks Mate,

Glad to hear it can be done (and taste good). Depending on the size of the harvest for the first year Perle, I might have to ask you for some recipe tips.


----------



## crazyhorse (29/1/12)

Couple of pics of my first year Chinook.











Just playing the waiting game now so that I can get them into a brew, no vacuum seal here so they will have to go straight in after harvest!


----------



## Shed101 (29/1/12)

crazyhorse said:


> no vacuum seal here so they will have to go straight in after harvest!



Seems a bit OTT - hops have been around a lot longer than vacuum sealers, surely if you store them dry and cool they'll last.
I've read of ten year old hops doing a pretty good job of bittering.


----------



## crazyhorse (29/1/12)

Shed101 said:


> Seems a bit OTT - hops have been around a lot longer than vacuum sealers, surely if you store them dry and cool they'll last.
> I've read of ten year old hops doing a pretty good job of bittering.



Probably true but given the likely volume of the harvest I think it would be easiest for me to just to wet hop the next brew.


----------



## Adam Howard (29/1/12)

Once I've picked and dried mine I put them in a freezer bag, then squish as much air out with both hands while someone else seals it. Got 50g of Chinook from last year in the freezer with plenty of aroma left in them. Probably use them for bittering this year and use fresher stuff for later additions.


----------



## ledgenko (29/1/12)

I have been waiting patiently .. watching all your pics of your little babies ... dreaming of a possible bud popping up on my 1st year Cascade ... Well .. here she is !!!

And a pic of the vine .... where she lives with 13 of her brothers and sisters  


Hopefully there is a massive family reunion soon and little bursts of green pop up everywhere ... but happy just getting one flower this year.. next year hopefully a heap more .... and SWMBO / Commander Sector West has given the OK for a few more plants to cover Pergola ...


----------



## Mr. No-Tip (30/1/12)

Getting jealous of all your amazing hops. My first years have come out pretty woeful after starting so well.

Pretty sure my main issue is some sort of fungus - no doubt thanks to Canberra's wet, mild summer.

It's pretty much right through: 




and gets kinda bad:




I have pretty much resigned myself to let it go for this year - let them establish themselves underground and give them some more care next year. I'd normally put sulphur on my roses in the winter to try and keep black spot down - I think I'll give that a go this year - any reason not to? Anything else to suggest?

At least I am getting some flowers (these are my cascades):




...but they're ripening in such a way that I only get a couple at a time. Oh well.

Now next question - take a look at these Chinooks - the end flowers are browning off before the closer ones and before they fully grow. Could this be because the win barrel is too small for that length of bine? Or something else?


----------



## kymba (30/1/12)

was tidying up the hop planters on the weekend and found that the goldings want to go another round


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (30/1/12)

I'm getting the same from my cascade Kymba. I haven't finished the third harvest off it yet and I'm getting a lot of new bines coming up. Still nice long days of sunshine so fingers crossed.


----------



## hoppy2B (30/1/12)

Mr. No-Tip said:


> Getting jealous of all your amazing hops. My first years have come out pretty woeful after starting so well.
> 
> Pretty sure my main issue is some sort of fungus - no doubt thanks to Canberra's wet, mild summer.
> 
> ...




I think you have nutrient deficiency. You may also need to increase watering during hot dry spells.
I don't recommend using sulfur. Alkaline soil produces sweet crops. East Kent soil is made up of chalk.


----------



## jyo (30/1/12)

ledgenko said:


> I have been waiting patiently .. watching all your pics of your little babies ... dreaming of a possible bud popping up on my 1st year Cascade ... Well .. here she is !!!
> 
> And a pic of the vine .... where she lives with 13 of her brothers and sisters
> 
> ...



Matt! I'm finally a grandad :lol:


----------



## Tony (31/1/12)

Here is my POR as of yesterday:

This is about 1/100th of whats growing on it...... its going to be a bumper season.






I picked some that were ripe and feeling papery











And the new vacuum sealer works a treat. Will keep my fresh hops fresh.


----------



## kymba (31/1/12)

Duke of Paddy - how good is it - free hops! just hope they don't get too wet...fkn damp here currently

Mr No-Tip. - as suggested, they might need some more water and maybe even give it some seaweed solution...i remember all of mine looking brown and sickly like that after i transplanted them, back when it was bone dry...i upped the water and they came good

Tony - Nice! how old are your plants?


----------



## Tony (31/1/12)

kymba said:


> Tony - Nice! how old are your plants?



Thats a 2nd year PoR, but it put out for me last year too..... only this year its better by about 50%


----------



## Mr. No-Tip (1/2/12)

kymba said:


> Mr No-Tip. - as suggested, they might need some more water and maybe even give it some seaweed solution...i remember all of mine looking brown and sickly like that after i transplanted them, back when it was bone dry...i upped the water and they came good





hoppy2B said:


> I think you have nutrient deficiency. You may also need to increase watering during hot dry spells.
> I don't recommend using sulfur. Alkaline soil produces sweet crops. East Kent soil is made up of chalk.



Thanks for the advice guys. I topped up with blood and bone and manure before xmas and took advice on this thread to go easy on it. Always fortnightly with the seasol though, hence why I thought fungus rather than any deficiency. Maybe some trace elements would be the go.

Perhaps the drainage is a bit efficient in the wine barrels - I am watering them frequently but a lot seems to pass through...


----------



## oaf (1/2/12)

Growing hops is the best, man!
These are my second year hops. Mt. Hood on the left and Saaz on the right:





I gave up trying to stop the Mt.Hood from growing into the Saaz... Also gave up trying to keep bines to 4 on each rhizome...
I read somewhere I should've separated the climbing strings by minimum 600mm - failed there too! 
Oh well... gotta leave some room for improvement.




It's awesome seeing all the hop addicts progress out there. You guys rock! It inspired me to be more creative next season. Think I'll get another trampoline frame and give the plants a trellis each...hmmmm.

I'll be on cloud nine when I'm sitting back and sucking down some home-hopped Pilsners, Lagers 'n Wheats's.

Mt. Hood's the one with advanced flowers, but the Saaz has many a buddling now coming along.

The Saaz wasn't given a trellis the first year - too lazy  But it did take over about two sq metres of garden. It must've done the rhizome wonders as the main two bines were at least 1/4 inch thick and healthy as!!

The Mt. Hood produced flowers the first year, but amatuer me didn't pick them on time, so wasted the smallish crop.

I'm onto it this year though! Even invested in a vac-sealer for optimum freshness all year round - I only brew about a case a week now. Hopefully I won't need to buy hops this year, but have no idea how far the flowers go, so don't know yet...

Cheers and cheers! Love the topic! Time for a beer... Byee


----------



## Philthy79 (1/2/12)

jyo said:


> Matt! I'm finally a grandad :lol:



Indeed!

Here's some more of yours


----------



## keifer33 (1/2/12)

Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.


----------



## hoppy2B (2/2/12)

keifer33 said:


> Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.



You should be ok if you are planning to freeze them. They don't freeze them commercially, they store them in the fridge so they need to be dried.


----------



## DJR (2/2/12)

Jealous. My 1st year Hersbruck (thanks matho) is growing well but it's only just got burrs - we have had a run of about 2 weeks of miserable weather so it hasn't gone to cones yet.

Cascade has grown well but no burrs, Saaz didn't really grow that well, Perle never came out of the ground and neither did my Goldings. All just 1st year though , hopefully it'll be a better run next year. Even if i get 50g i'll be happy though


----------



## Yob (2/2/12)

keifer33 said:


> Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.



Personally, I would dry them, sealing wet hops camt be good for them


----------



## hoppy2B (2/2/12)

keifer33 said:


> Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.



Try it and let us know how you go. :blink:


----------



## jyo (3/2/12)

Philthy79 said:


> Indeed!
> 
> Here's some more of yours



Good work, Phil, I forgot about those!


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE (3/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Try it and let us know how you go. :blink:


I've done half dry and half wet so far. All frozen after vac seal. I'll report back.


----------



## kelbygreen (3/2/12)

how long do they take to dry??? I would say alot of mine are ready to pick (will have a look if it ever stops raining) but only being home 4 days a fortnight is a bit hard. Plus this wet weather wont make it easy to dry them, I got a electric fan heater I guess I could use but need a cupboard or something to put them in as wont be any good in my shed that has holes you can walk threw in every side lol


----------



## Yob (3/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> You should be ok if you are planning to freeze them. They don't freeze them commercially, they store them in the fridge so they need to be dried.



So what exactly are you saying here? For a fridge they should be dry but he is ok to freeze them wet? I find this a little bit inconsonant,

Stored hops, regardless of fridge or freezer should be dried and I challenge you to find anybody suggesting differently. 

how many bags have you stored this way hoppy?


----------



## mesa99 (3/2/12)

Just thought I'd share a pic of one side of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.



Cascade and Goldings are doing well but not anywhere near as impressive.

Can't say the same for the Hersbrucker.


----------



## Yob (3/2/12)

mesa99 said:


> Just thought I'd share a pic of one side of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.
> View attachment 52126
> 
> 
> ...




f.f.f.ferk :blink: first year you say? Good sweet lord of hops... ya gunna be fkucked next year :lol: 

very well done indeed.. 

:super:


----------



## PhantomEasey (3/2/12)

mesa99 said:


> Just thought I'd share a pic of *one side* of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.



So it's twice that off a first year? Kicks the pants of the 13 burrs I just found after work!


----------



## booargy (3/2/12)

mine are going nuts. never thought they would do any good. Hersbrucker cones near the size of golf balls.
Goldings


----------



## hoppy2B (3/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> So what exactly are you saying here? For a fridge they should be dry but he is ok to freeze them wet? I find this a little bit inconsonant,
> 
> Stored hops, regardless of fridge or freezer should be dried and I challenge you to find anybody suggesting differently.
> 
> how many bags have you stored this way hoppy?



I'm saying they need to be dried for storage in the fridge otherwise they'll go moldy.
Freezing wet hops shouldn't cause any problems. In fact frozen hops will likely retain flavour components which would otherwise have evaporated during drying. The expansion of water molecules in undried hops may in some way also contribute to the release of alpha acids etc. :chug:


----------



## hoppy2B (3/2/12)

It's my first year growing hops. :unsure:


----------



## ledgenko (3/2/12)

Its true ... if you grow hops you have a huge dong and the Ladies love YA .... Thats what JYO told me anyhow ... me thinks it was his way of making me buy his hops .... but I already had these credentials ... so what now ????


----------



## Yob (3/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Freezing wet hops shouldn't cause any problems.:



really? you are going to stand by that? :blink: 

big fat bollox on that... stored hops should be dry, prove me wrong, provide some evidence or STFU... 

evidence to the contrary abounds.

<_<


----------



## felten (3/2/12)

I've heard of a bloke in the US brewing wet hopped beers all year round from his frozen hops (can't find a link ATM), I can't think of any reasons why it wouldn't work.

There's an old thread here about it here.


----------



## hoppy2B (3/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> really? you are going to stand by that? :blink:
> 
> big fat bollox on that... stored hops should be dry, prove me wrong, provide some evidence or STFU...
> 
> ...



A simple question for ya mozzy. What do you think will happen to the hops if you freeze them undried? :lol:


----------



## Malted (3/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> A simple question for ya mozzy. What do you think will happen to the hops if you freeze them undried? :lol:



Just a guess but ruptured cell walls upon defrosting in the wort that release compounds into your beer that otherwise may have remained within the plant tissues?


----------



## hoppy2B (3/2/12)

Malted said:


> Just a guess but ruptured cell walls upon defrosting in the wort that release compounds into your beer that otherwise may have remained within the plant tissues?



Brewing has evolved over thousands of years. Perhaps new and better methods remain to be discovered. Freezing wet hops might be the next big thing for homebrewers. :lol:


----------



## Yob (3/2/12)

linky

thanks F. still listening to the PC on the BN... duuno how the hell Ive miised this one :blink: 

Yob


----------



## Yob (3/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> A simple question for ya mozzy. What do you think will happen to the hops if you freeze them undried? :lol:



lots of crystalisation of the lupulin for starters... 

degredation due to trapped moisture in flowers of all kinds is common.... frrezing and thawing is quite brutal to volatile elements

again... back it up with some evidence before you advise _other _first year growers..

and yep... Im researching now, yet to find anything that supports your theory and advice..

yob


----------



## hoppy2B (4/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> lots of crystalisation of the lupulin for starters...
> 
> degredation due to trapped moisture in flowers of all kinds is common.... frrezing and thawing is quite brutal to volatile elements
> 
> ...



I'm not convinced. I looked at links provided and believe the information is inconclusive. 

I'm expecting to harvest between 5 and 10 kg of hops (dried weight), and am planning to use as much as possible fresh. 
I was planning to dry and freeze the early light pick and use it for bittering. The major harvest would go in fresh and late pick would be dry hopped.
I don't believe drying wet hops would create a problem. Its not something I'd recommend for long term storage.
I do recall a professional posting on this site that they don't recommend homebrewers freeze hops. Seems odd.

Best to stay open minded. :lol:


----------



## bung89 (4/2/12)

I'm excited  
My first year pride of ringwood that I planted in a pot late in the growing season has grown a load of burrs sometime in the last couple of days.
It was growing very slowly until a couple of months ago when it started shooting up and got a second bine. A couple of weeks ago it started putting out bines all over the place and now it has a load of burrs on each of those bines.
I had very low expectations for the first year, just wanted to get some roots in place before the next growing session so even if it's not as much as it looks I'm just happy to be getting homegrown hops this soon


----------



## Yob (4/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> In fact frozen hops will likely retain flavour components which would otherwise have evaporated during drying. The expansion of water molecules in undried hops may in some way also contribute to the release of alpha acids etc. :chug:



What evidence do you have of this?



hoppy2B said:


> I was planning to dry and freeze the early light pick and use it for bittering. The major harvest would go in fresh and late pick would be dry hopped.
> I don't believe drying wet hops would create a problem. Its not something I'd recommend for long term storage.




so let me get this right... you are going to dry and freeze your own but advise somebody else to freeze them wet and let you know how it goes?

I think you should wait and speak from experience and not your arse.

Yob


----------



## Yob (4/2/12)

Link to another topic with some relevance to the current debate

<_<


----------



## drsmurto (4/2/12)

@Hoppy2B - Hops are between 75-90% water by weight when fresh.

When you freeze water slowly (household refrigerator) microscopic crystal form that easily rupture cells. 

That's my opinion only based on freezing a range of fresh vegetables over the years, all of which were a soggy mess when defrosted. I have never frozen fresh wet hops for this reason. I dry my hops and then vac seal them and freeze them but I have thought about the science of this and decided on my current process.

What works for you is up to you but I agree with ozzy, as an inexperienced hop grower you should be learning, not preaching. Try your way first and report back with the results. I'm happy to be proven wrong.


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (4/2/12)

The Chinook is starting to flower, can't say i've every even brewed with chinook but looking forward to using these puppies as late hope and maybe even randle a few too  

Special thanks to the mother inlaw for looking after so well!!


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (4/2/12)

Distance shot, couldn't load two photo's from the phone at once!!


----------



## DU99 (4/2/12)

Looking good bob :beer:


----------



## hamsy (5/2/12)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> Distance shot, couldn't load two photo's from the phone at once!!



Bob, 

How long have you had this plant in the garbage bin?? Are the roots fully contained in the bin or have they tapped into the ground beneath?
I have planted first year plants this season and can't say I have achieved a quarter of the growth on your plants!


----------



## Yob (5/2/12)

hamsy said:


> Bob,
> 
> How long have you had this plant in the garbage bin?? Are the roots fully contained in the bin or have they tapped into the ground beneath?
> I have planted first year plants this season and can't say I have achieved a quarter of the growth on your plants!



it's the serenading he's been doing


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (5/2/12)

hamsy said:


> Bob,
> 
> How long have you had this plant in the garbage bin?? Are the roots fully contained in the bin or have they tapped into the ground beneath?
> I have planted first year plants this season and can't say I have achieved a quarter of the growth on your plants!



Hi mate,

It just a 50 litre bin filled to the brim with potting mix, it has a couple of drill holes for drainage and that's it. The mother and law really does look after it though (we are about to move), gets watered every morning with a dose of seasol, every couple of weeks she dissolves dynamic lifted in water and waters that in too. The formula works, you should see her tomato's, they look more like small rock melons.

Not sure if i would call it first year though. It was grown from a bine cutting last year in a tiny 5 litre pot, that bine ended up growing about 4 feet but with no real stature, very thin and frail and when it was re-potted it had very little root system, so i guess it probably on par with a good size first year rhizome cutting.

I guess her secret is lots of gentle food and a good hit of lifter ever now and then. She also told me today when i was getting the info for you that if anyone uses this info with success she wants kick backs!!! :beerbang: 

Went there today and couldn't believe how quick the cones are growing, had to take another photo...


----------



## hamsy (5/2/12)

beerdrinkingbob said:


> Hi mate,
> 
> It just a 50 litre bin filled to the brim with potting mix, it has a couple of drill holes for drainage and that's it. The mother and law really does look after it though (we are about to move), gets watered every morning with a dose of seasol, every couple of weeks she dissolves dynamic lifted in water and waters that in too. The formula works, you should see her tomato's, they look more like small rock melons.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info. I started mine in 5L pots, then transplanted them to 50L bins once they were around 1ft tall. I think my downfall was when I transplanted I threw a good handful of dynamic lifter into the bin before setting the plants in. Pretty sure I have burnt them or sent them into shock because they all produce healthy green leaves that all turn yellow and eventually die and drop off. Not to mention the stunted growth..

I have been using Maxicrop for the last couple of weeks and the plants are definitely looking happier. Maybe it's too late, but better than never i suppose!


----------



## hoppy2B (5/2/12)

hamsy said:


> Thanks for the info. I started mine in 5L pots, then transplanted them to 50L bins once they were around 1ft tall. I think my downfall was when I transplanted I threw a good handful of dynamic lifter into the bin before setting the plants in. Pretty sure I have burnt them or sent them into shock because they all produce healthy green leaves that all turn yellow and eventually die and drop off. Not to mention the stunted growth..
> 
> I have been using Maxicrop for the last couple of weeks and the plants are definitely looking happier. Maybe it's too late, but better than never i suppose!



I doubt very much that a couple of handfuls of dynamic lifter in a 50lt bin would burn your hops. Dynamic lifter is pretty much just chicken poop as far as I'm aware, which has been processed into pellets.
More than likely your hops are suffering nutrient deficiency like a lot of people on here.
h34r:


----------



## Malted (5/2/12)

Chinook 2yo (1 harvest 3 weeks ago, waiting for 2nd) and Victoria 1yo (coming on strong the last couple of weeks - almost ready to pick).
Both approx 5.5m to top of pole from garden bed soil surface (i.e not the lawn).








Saaz (from cuttings struck last year), Hersbrucker 2yo (Some cones were ready before Christmas, 1 harvest 3 weeks ago), Williamette 1yo (doing feck all, got terribly heat burnt over Christmas), Goldings 1yo (powered on in the last 3 weeks, almost ready to pick).
All poles about 3.5m tall. 





Cascade 1yo (has powered on in the last few weeks).
Top of pole approx 3.5m high.






Cascade cones looking to be the biggest seen in my garden. It has been a surprise as I didn't think it was going to do much but then took off and is developing lovely big cones despite not really having much biomas. 









Lots of big cones to the top of the cascade and loads of advanced burrs in the mid section. 


PoR 2yo & Saaz 2yo in 1/2 wine barrels have no sign of burrs, perhaps growth not as vigorous as last year or as bulky as those in the garden bed. Saaz cuttings struck last year appear to have grown more biomas in the garden bed than the 2yo saaz has in the 1/2 wine barrel.


----------



## beerdrinkingbob (5/2/12)

I have pole envy h34r:


----------



## hamsy (5/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> I doubt very much that a couple of handfuls of dynamic lifter in a 50lt bin would burn your hops. Dynamic lifter is pretty much just chicken poop as far as I'm aware, which has been processed into pellets.
> More than likely your hops are suffering nutrient deficiency like a lot of people on here.
> h34r:



Thanks Bob, I think I'll stick to Maxicrop fortnightly until season's end. Looking forward to seeing how good of a harvest your Chinook produces. If it's anything like your Mother in law's tomatoes, you should have cones the size of pine cones!


----------



## hoppy2B (5/2/12)

Would be nice to see your Cascade cones alongside something like a matchbox for comparison when you pick them Malted. My Cluster cones are nice and big too compared to size of plant. They put the Saaz to shame.


----------



## jameson (9/2/12)

Hi all sorry I haven't got the time to read all 46 pages. My problem is a marble or tiger patern in the leaves which goes from a pale green to dead. I feed every two weeks and water every other day when it ain't raining.


----------



## phoenixdigital (9/2/12)

I was looking up banana flavours lastnight and noticed this which might related to freezing wet hops.

See the grassy flavours section for both links
http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html
http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors

It probably can occur more frequently with wet frozen hops?


----------



## kaspa07 (9/2/12)

jameson said:


> Hi all sorry I haven't got the time to read all 46 pages. My problem is a marble or tiger patern in the leaves which goes from a pale green to dead. I feed every two weeks and water every other day when it ain't raining.



Could be a mold or a fungus type disease, im having a simular problem here, the hot humid weather can cause this problem. Make sure that you have cut all the leaves from the bine upto a foot from the ground this will help prevent it.

Some anti mold/fungal spray will help keep the disease at bay, I got mine from bunnings, unfortunately I think I caught on to this a little to late and I'll have a poor hop harvest this year.

I made the mistake of planting 12 tomato plants not far away from my hop bines, seems tomato and hops don't mix well, apparently the diseases from the tomato plants can easily transfer to the hops which is what I think happen in my case.

Also have a look at the way you water your plants, using a sprinkler hose like I did (being lazy set and forget watering on a timer) and having the leaves getting wet is also not a good idea for hops or tomatoes, promotes the growth of mold on the leaves (especially in a humid environment) so Ive been told by someone who has a green thumb. So next season it will be a drip system for me.

Hope this lelps


----------



## Yob (9/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> I've rather cooled on such as chinook. .



I fully retract this statement... I got home today and felt the lowest of the chinook flowers, felt dry to the touch and a little brown the edges, grabbed a few and threw them in the glass and poured a APA on them... Im back in touch with Chinook...

:icon_drool2: 

My First glass of flowers in a beer :lol: 

Cheers


----------



## losp (9/2/12)

i have no hop cones yet. Have i done something wrong?


----------



## kelbygreen (9/2/12)

Ok I better put some input into this thread!! Here are my plants POR is on the right chinook on the left.


----------



## kelbygreen (9/2/12)

Oh and one from the side wont fit on the same post.


----------



## Tony (9/2/12)

awsome work KG..... good to see you have some nice flowers there... good size and enough for a few batches!

Just dont pick em too early.

I just got a vacuum sealer and god damn its one of the best $60 i ever spent. 

No more stale hops for me!!!


----------



## Tony (9/2/12)

you know..... im looking at all these pics and i get the feeling that hops do work best if grown vertically.

Mine do great on the lattice but its the loose hangng banches that produce the hops.... not the winding bits through the lattice.

I might look into a new design to run the hops vertically right up to the roof of my 2 story house....... now that will produce 

The goldings only actually flowered on the sun side. Not a single flower our of direct sun. But what has grown is looking and smelling AWSOME.


----------



## daemon (9/2/12)

Recent rain has spurred on a few new bines, in fact about 20 of them!




Picked the first lot today, there's probably the same again which are still too green and a lot of new buds that have formed over the last two weeks.

Edit: Grr, I have no idea why the images are rotated on the forum, they're correct on the PC.


----------



## Malted (9/2/12)

Tony said:


> I might look into a new design to run the hops vertically right up to the roof of my 2 story house....... now that will produce


@yob: yeah brother I am hearing the love, tis a grand thing. 

@ Tony: All well and good Tony but you got to get to the bastards to pick them. They don't all ripen at the same time so you have to be up and down a tall ladder numerous times if you don't have some way of lowering them down. Even if you can lower them, you have to lower them to see if they're ready then hoist them back up until they are. Just something to think about.

@ Daemon: yeah they do some crazy shit huh.


----------



## mmmyummybeer (9/2/12)

Growing good  . 

Mt Hood and Cascade


----------



## ledgenko (9/2/12)

Daemon said:


> View attachment 52243
> 
> 
> Recent rain has spurred on a few new bines, in fact about 20 of them!
> ...




DAEMON ...


THats a sexy tub !!! YEAH !!!!


Matt


----------



## kelbygreen (9/2/12)

mine has heaps of new shoots coming off the main bines. I have picked a few, I noticed the POR has heaps more lupine (??? think its called) but they all feel papery even when they are very young. The chinook on the other hand the older cones feel more papery then the young ones but even the older cones have very little lupine, The ones I did pick was big and tips started to go brown. They are taking a bit to dry though with the wet and humid weather.


----------



## Malted (10/2/12)

losp said:


> i have no hop cones yet. Have i done something wrong?



Results may DO vary. 

Mine in the garden bed are doing ok, some I have harvested and are going again, some have just flowered, some are only just forming burrs and some haven't even really grown at all. The ones in half wine barrels do not have burrs yet. I have a huge variation. Saaz in ground is developing burrs, Saaz in barrell, not a thing. Some of my barrells didn't produce until late March last year. My Willamette hasn't even grown above 1.0m tall. 

Try not to compare yours to other folks' hops. I have variation within my backyard and variation to those of others in the same town. Chill out, keep looking after them and hang in there.


----------



## drsmurto (10/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> I fully retract this statement... I got home today and felt the lowest of the chinook flowers, felt dry to the touch and a little brown the edges, grabbed a few and threw them in the glass and poured a APA on them... Im back in touch with Chinook...
> 
> :icon_drool2:
> 
> ...



Each picking season i put the dry hops in a mixing bowl before stuffing them into bags and vacuum sealing them.

At the ned of the process the mixing bowl has a distinct layer of yellow lupulin on the bottom so i pour a beer into the bowl, mix it around and into a glass!

Chinook is an amazing hop in fresh flower form! Very happy to hear its producing for you.




kelbygreen said:


> Ok I better put some input into this thread!! Here are my plants POR is on the right chinook on the left.



Very impressive KB, they are first years hops? That some serious growth in the first year!


----------



## kelbygreen (10/2/12)

well no second year. But I did kill them in the first year so they they are prob one and half year lol


----------



## Fish13 (10/2/12)

I have noticed through this thread that alot of people heap shit on POR but love to grow them and use them. 

Am i missing something? are they a clean bittering hop? Do they have a better aroma fresh then the hop bags you get at the LHBS?


----------



## proudscum (10/2/12)

a few of the many hersbrucker flowers.getting close to having a first pick.i did cut some escapee bine off that had gone over the fence and 20ft up the neighbours silver berch.got maybe 300grams


----------



## kelbygreen (10/2/12)

I like POR and hve never brewed with it fresh from my hops. But I am not a big fan of chinook , I dont mind it but I will skip past it if I have a chance lol So growing it is a bit silly I guess but you grab what you can when It comes available and people say hops taste different from every plant so will have to see I might like it lol. If not I can dig it up and give it away to locals as I wouldnt bother with stuffing around with packaging then and all.


----------



## Stinger (10/2/12)

fish13 said:


> I have noticed through this thread that alot of people heap shit on POR but love to grow them and use them.
> 
> Am i missing something? are they a clean bittering hop? Do they have a better aroma fresh then the hop bags you get at the LHBS?




Pride of Ringwood are bred in Australia for Aussie conditions and are likely to grow better than other varieties bred in other countries.

I have Cascade, Chinook and Saaz and you can really see the difference in the way they grow. the Cascade crank compared to the other two.
The Saaz starts to grow and flowers a lot later than the Cascade and Chinook do which could be explained by the Saaz coming from Europe and being bred for a longer season than we get in Oz.


----------



## felten (10/2/12)

Here's my ratty looky plant, harvested the first lot back in dec (~140g) and those bines have lost their leaves and are dying off. Picked a 2nd lot about ~140g wet again this week from some new bines that came up after the first harvest. 
And there's still a few bines there that came up late with hops on them. Bit of a PITA but what can you do. 

Only the 2nd harvest had laterals with multiple hops growing on them. The others just had single hop cones on either side of the main bine, where the laterals should have been. :|


----------



## kelbygreen (10/2/12)

well I bagged my first harvest 41g POR and 12g chinook. Not a big harvest but cant tell that anything has been taken off the plant.


----------



## Pennywise (10/2/12)

Bugger, this is my third season with my Chinook and got nothing. Might have to move it to an in ground situation


----------



## Yob (11/2/12)

First year chinook (in the ground) is producing far more than a second year bine (background lower right) still in a pot... all will go into the ground next year h34r: 

@ DocS - Cheers mate, going to be a bangin year next season I hope/suspect :beer: 

Yob


----------



## Tony (11/2/12)

I just picked about 50 Goldings cones this morning, they spent the day in the dehydrator, and just dropped them in a keg and racked 50 liters of IPA onto them 

I could smell them when i closed the keg up and they smelt GREAT

Mo pics sorry but i couldnt help using fresh hops like that, picked and dry hopped 6 hrs later


----------



## Doubleplugga (11/2/12)

first year cascades, going to do my second harvest today. 128grams wet off the first pick

alot more this time around


----------



## DJR (11/2/12)

Hoping i get some more, have about 10-20 cones maturing on the hersbrucker, none yet on the cascade. Had pretty marginal weather lately.

Whatever I do get will go straight in a hoprocket batch


----------



## matho (11/2/12)

did yours survive the hail storm mate, mine are shredded, doesn't matter they weren't doing well anyway


----------



## cam89brewer (11/2/12)

I used to like going on this thread when mine were growing but now that every one else's are flowering and mine are it is kind of depressing


----------



## DJR (11/2/12)

matho said:


> did yours survive the hail storm mate, mine are shredded, doesn't matter they weren't doing well anyway



When was that? I'm away for the weekend so if it was today I might be well outta luck


----------



## matho (11/2/12)

DJR said:


> When was that? I'm away for the weekend so if it was today I might be well outta luck


yeah mate it was huge we still have hail on the ground and the roof now and it was at about 2pm this arvo. Lots of rain too our roof started to leak and water was pissing in through the light fittings in the kitchen.


----------



## DJR (11/2/12)

matho said:


> yeah mate it was huge we still have hail on the ground and the roof now and it was at about 2pm this arvo. Lots of rain too our roof started to leak and water was pissing in through the light fittings in the kitchen.



Gee, will have to see what's happened, insurance company might be getting a ring!


----------



## bruce86 (12/2/12)

Hey guys i had a look into having a crack at growing hops a while back (just research) and i spoke to a person at a brew shop who said that perth and north of it which is where i live doesn't really work for growing them. He said i could get a plant to grow but the they wont have the right oils or something. Does this sound right i kinda just threw the idea in the bin after that untill i saw this post.
I live in Geraldton which is 28 46' 0" S / 114 36' 0" E. i have read that they have trouble growing in certain lats but as i can see by Cats75 post he has had some luck.


----------



## Doubleplugga (12/2/12)

yeah i guess i have had some luck mate, but that may also come down to the fact that the wife is a real green thumb. beneath the surface of my vines there is plenty of mulch and worm juice from the compost bins and i have no doubt this has helped greatly. I live at edgewater and the soil is not too bad in the yard either compared to the sandy soil found mostly around perth. they say Albany is the right Lat and Long to grow hops, something to do with the length of the day, sun time etc. but mate i reckon give it a go at least, you never know until you do. they seem to be coping quite well considering the heat and wind we have had this summer. I will be doing another harvest today and it looks like quite a good yield for first year plants.


----------



## bruce86 (12/2/12)

cats75 said:


> yeah i guess i have had some luck mate, but that may also come down to the fact that the wife is a real green thumb. beneath the surface of my vines there is plenty of mulch and worm juice from the compost bins and i have no doubt this has helped greatly. I live at edgewater and the soil is not too bad in the yard either compared to the sandy soil found mostly around perth. they say Albany is the right Lat and Long to grow hops, something to do with the length of the day, sun time etc. but mate i reckon give it a go at least, you never know until you do. they seem to be coping quite well considering the heat and wind we have had this summer. I will be doing another harvest today and it looks like quite a good yield for first year plants.




cool i might have another look into it. Thanks mate


----------



## kalbarluke (12/2/12)

Bruce, people also said hop plants don't (or won't) grow in SE QLD, but they do. People have grown them in Bundaberg. I don't really see why Geraldton would be that much different.

Have a go and if they fail then they fail. But you never know your luck and your home brew will thank you for it if you are successful..


----------



## hoppy2B (12/2/12)

bruce86 said:


> Hey guys i had a look into having a crack at growing hops a while back (just research) and i spoke to a person at a brew shop who said that perth and north of it which is where i live doesn't really work for growing them. He said i could get a plant to grow but the they wont have the right oils or something. Does this sound right i kinda just threw the idea in the bin after that untill i saw this post.
> I live in Geraldton which is 28 46' 0" S / 114 36' 0" E. i have read that they have trouble growing in certain lats but as i can see by Cats75 post he has had some luck.



The reference to oils is probably a suggestion that you won't get good flavour from your hops, however soil is likely to have the greatest influence on the quality of hops you grow.
East Kent Goldings are grown on chalk based soil which would be highly alkaline. I have highly alkaline soil on my place and everything I grow comes out tasting nice and sweet. 
Probably a good idea to put in as many varieties as you can and see which you like the best.


----------



## Malted (12/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Would be nice to see your Cascade cones alongside something like a matchbox for comparison when you pick them Malted. My Cluster cones are nice and big too compared to size of plant. They put the Saaz to shame.



I have seen other folks grow cones bigger than mine; like I said, these are the biggest I have grown in my yard


----------



## bruce86 (12/2/12)

kalbarluke said:


> Bruce, people also said hop plants don't (or won't) grow in SE QLD, but they do. People have grown them in Bundaberg. I don't really see why Geraldton would be that much different.
> 
> Have a go and if they fail then they fail. But you never know your luck and your home brew will thank you for it if you are successful..



Thanks for that ill def be looking into it some more then.


----------



## Doubleplugga (12/2/12)

second harvest just done on first year cascades. 375grams today for a total of 502grams so far. I estimate there is at least 400 to 500 grams still left on the vines. should be ready to pick in a couple of weeks. some of the cones at the top of the vines are burnt slightly probably from the multiple 40degree plus days we get over here in summer. but the cones seem to be loaded with lapulin


----------



## hoppy2B (12/2/12)

Malted said:


> I have seen other folks grow cones bigger than mine; like I said, these are the biggest I have grown in my yard
> View attachment 52302



Nice cones Sheldon Cooper. :lol: 
My Cluster cones would be similar I reckon. They're very tight but some of the bracts are starting to open a little near the stem end as they ripen. I'll put photos up when I pick a few.
If anyone else wants to put up cone photos for comparison it would be appreciated.
Thanks.


----------



## jyo (12/2/12)

cats75 said:


> first year cascades, going to do my second harvest today. 128grams wet off the first pick
> 
> alot more this time around
> 
> ...



They look great, mate.


----------



## oaf (12/2/12)

Harvest day today!



Mt. Hood at the bottom, Saaz at the top - standard doorway flyscreen.

My hops must be a little different... they all matured at the same time no matter what size they were.



Mt.Hood top, Saaz bottom. If only they were all this big!

I know they'll dry out a bit, but how much can mature hops lose in weight??
The next shot has 50g piles when wet. I'll see what they weigh when dry...




Can't wait to brew with them!!

They smell exactly like they should: fresh 'n'sweet!! mmmm mmmmmmm!!!









-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------



## DJR (12/2/12)

Matho you were right, mine took a belting. almost like the clouds fired shotguns down at everything in the yard. Damn hail.

Herbrucker on the trellis arch:








One hop cone and one burr left out of about 10 cones/burrs before the storm.

Cascade, totally f---ed






I hope there is enough life left in the vines to come back, going to leave them for a couple of days then give them a bit of seasol I think to see if they come back, they are weeds after all


----------



## kelbygreen (12/2/12)

nice harvest oaf


----------



## emmatt99 (12/2/12)

G'day fellow hop growers,

Excuse me for dropping in this late in the season, but I'll try and throw up a few picks of this years hops. looking pretty good this year.

The first is from November, the other two are taken 4th Jan. 
The PoR (2 yr), Tett (3 yrs) and Mt Hood (2 yrs) are doing well. The Goldings (1 yr) is a bit slow. Chinook (3 yrs) is doing well this year finally.
They are a bit packed in, but I'll try something else next year.

Matt


----------



## Doubleplugga (12/2/12)

great looking hops mate, nice agapanthas out in front too dude


----------



## emmatt99 (12/2/12)

cats75 said:


> great looking hops mate, nice agapanthas out in front too dude



yeah, if it were my place, the aggies would be gone, but I have to use the space available.
As it turns out, the landlord is a ex-pat from Kent, so he is impressed with the hops.


----------



## gap (13/2/12)

DJR said:


> Matho you were right, mine took a belting. almost like the clouds fired shotguns down at everything in the yard. Damn hail.
> 
> I hope there is enough life left in the vines to come back, going to leave them for a couple of days then give them a bit of seasol I think to see if they come back, they are weeds after all



Mine were devestated by snails over Christmas when I was away.
I gave them a good feed of osmocote with trace elements and now
new shoots are sprouting and also new growth is emerging from
the old bines as well.

I am at Mt Victoria. Feed them and let then go , you may be lucky.

Regards

Graeme


----------



## petesbrew (13/2/12)

I got another great harvest off my Perle vine on the weekend. Estimate it'll dry out to around 50g
Also there's a whole new bunch of babies shooting through.


----------



## Malted (13/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Nice *snip*
> *blah blah blah*
> *snip*
> Thanks.


----------



## ledgenko (13/2/12)

Malted said:


>



Why is it this photo reminds me of Ace Ventura when nature calls?? Nobody messes with the white devils doo!!!! 

PMSL
Nice stash of hops though .. Bet it smelt nice!


----------



## Nevalicious (13/2/12)

Malted said:


>



Fermenting an AIPA withthem right now!!! Smells freaking awesome!!

Haha... *Snip* blah blah blah *Snip*


----------



## petesbrew (14/2/12)

Malted said:


>






Nevalicious said:


> Fermenting an AIPA withthem right now!!! Smells freaking awesome!!
> 
> Haha... *Snip* blah blah blah *Snip*


Call it "Bring out the Gimp" Ale


----------



## Malted (14/2/12)

petesbrew said:


> Call it "Bring out the Gimp" Ale



:lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## GrainStain (14/2/12)

I do not have anywhere to grow hops so mine consisted as an experiment in pots to at least establish roots etc for planting next season.

[/size]

I setup a watering system that watered them for them to get through the heat of summer and just tied some string lines up to some palms in my yard. Very redneck!



We have just had huge winds in Adelaide and my cheap bunnings twine has snapped so it is time to harvest.


I am most happy with my Chinook. This was a tiny rhizome with only one bud and turned out the best.


During 38 degree weather, my dad was staying with me and fiddled with the water timer thinking it was for the lawn and as such, the hops did not get watered for 4 days. The Cascade suffered the most as it had the most foliage. A lot of it died off, especially down low. The plant in the round pot did not have a water reserve in the base and I lost 3/4 of that plant. I should still get enough for a batch.


----------



## capsicum (14/2/12)

This thread has got me super keen for next season. When should I be on the look out for rhizomes?


----------



## Malted (14/2/12)

capsicum said:


> This thread has got me super keen for next season. When should I be on the look out for rhizomes?



Mid-to-late Winter. That is when people will divide the dormant rhizomes for planting in spring.


@ Grain Stain. 
You may not have to give up yet. If you maintain the water and nutrients (a bigger issue for pots than in the soil) they could throw lots more laterals or even new bines. They still have some good growing weather left up their sleeves.


----------



## Yob (14/2/12)

Winter when they are dormant,


----------



## hoppy2B (14/2/12)

Malted said:


> Mid-to-late Winter. That is when people will divide the dormant rhizomes for planting in spring.
> 
> 
> @ Grain Stain.
> You may not have to give up yet. If you maintain the water and nutrients (a bigger issue for pots than in the soil) they could throw lots more laterals or even new bines. They still have some good growing weather left up their sleeves.



I second that. My Saaz is wanting to put up lots of new growth but I am over it. I want to get rid of the Saaz and Goldings and stick with my Cluster and maybe something else that puts out large cones. 
I was examining my Cluster hops yesterday and couldn't believe how sweet and fruity their aroma is. Saaz is like cat piss in comparison and Goldings has no aroma whatsoever! May be a bit early for the Goldings.


----------



## kelbygreen (14/2/12)

both my plants have like 100 new shoots off the main bines, they are climbing anything they can get there hands on! but I guess summer only started about 5 days ago!


----------



## Malted (14/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> I second that. My Saaz is wanting to put up lots of new growth but I am over it. I want to get rid of the Saaz and Goldings and stick with my Cluster and maybe something else that puts out large cones.
> I was examining my Cluster hops yesterday and couldn't believe how sweet and fruity their aroma is. Saaz is like cat piss in comparison and Goldings has no aroma whatsoever! May be a bit early for the Goldings.




Don't judge a hop cone by it's size. Who says bigger is better? 
They will be more aromatic/pungent when dried.
In my yard Saaz appears to be a later developing variety compared to others such as Chinook (late growing but early flowering).
It seems to me that you want the lupulin a nice golden orange colour. A weak/light yellow colour means they are not ready yet.


----------



## oaf (14/2/12)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Guess the NSW south coast climate is good for Saaz's. If I hadn't of mulched with grass clippings and starved the rhizome, I would've expected more 4 - 5cm cones! 
A good Saaz cone is more like a large catterpillar than an acorn shape I've found...



That's Saaz on the bottom, Mt.Hood on top

The Saaz cones were all hiding under the leafy folliage - even the big ones.
Didn't think I had many, but a dried 95g is a good start... many a new shoot arriving too, like yours KG  

This look like I may be in another circle, but I've vac sealed 450g Mt.Hood and 95g of Saaz.




Should keep me going for a while!

Can't wait for next season - will definately be sprinkling garbage bins full of soil and rhizomes all over the yard with trellis totem poles like some of you ideas men out there...




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------



## ledgenko (14/2/12)

Malted said:


> I have seen other folks grow cones bigger than mine; like I said, these are the biggest I have grown in my yard
> View attachment 52302




Malted ... is that a mini lighter ????


LOL


----------



## hoppy2B (14/2/12)

Malted said:


> Don't judge a hop cone by it's size. Who says bigger is better?
> They will be more aromatic/pungent when dried.
> In my yard Saaz appears to be a later developing variety compared to others such as Chinook (late growing but early flowering).
> It seems to me that you want the lupulin a nice golden orange colour. A weak/light yellow colour means they are not ready yet.


Saaz was the first thing up in my yard. I figured that was typical of its habit so it could grow long and spindly.


----------



## Malted (14/2/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Saaz was the first thing up in my yard. I figured that was typical of its habit so it could grow long and spindly.



Yes me too. Early to grow, later to develop cones. Later developing cones than others is what I meant.


----------



## Malted (14/2/12)

ledgenko said:


> Malted ... is that a mini lighter ????
> 
> LOL



No No it is full size
h34r: 



if you were a midget.



I was wondering when I would get busted.


----------



## Rubix (15/2/12)

Heap of Perle this year. The Fuggles really struggled though!


----------



## petesbrew (16/2/12)

While drying them, I had to chase a silverfish out of the rack.
Apart from aphids on the vines, has anyone else had any issues with pests?

So far I'm up to 80g of dried Perle and there's another lot of buds coming through. :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## Malted (16/2/12)

petesbrew said:


> Apart from aphids on the vines, has anyone else had any issues with pests?


Just catepillars chewing the heck out of the leaves early in the growth season. I was earlier with the bioinsecticide this year. 
"Dipel" fixed them http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-cont...r-killer-dipel/


----------



## DJR (16/2/12)

capsicum said:


> This thread has got me super keen for next season. When should I be on the look out for rhizomes?



Usual timing's about June/July to pick them up, keep them in the fridge wrapped in some damp cloth and then plant around early August, depends on whereabouts you are.

Plenty of brewers here sell them off, and Hopco in tassie get some in too.


----------



## kaspa07 (16/2/12)

If anyone wants a Sazz or hersbruker rhizome, I'll have plenty after the season, just come and pick them up. I didnt dig the sazz up last year so the roots are taking over my veggie patch, the hersbrucker is the same even though I dug it up chopped it in half and replanted.

I'll post some pics of my plants later


----------



## petesbrew (16/2/12)

I've got a little plant here at work. I'm pretty certain it's Perle, but it could be a Chinook.
It's suprisingly lived over a year in a pot but the recent move to the new building hasn't treated it kindly, so I'm happy to pass it off.

If you're in the Sydney CBD (I'm next to Town Hall Stn) and are willing to take a plant in a pot it's all yours. 
Hey I'll even provide a few plastic bags to carry it in.
First in first served.
Pete
ps. no it hasn't produced any hops... stick it in the ground and it may.


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## hoppy2B (16/2/12)

Malted said:


> Just catepillars chewing the heck out of the leaves early in the growth season. I was earlier with the bioinsecticide this year.
> "Dipel" fixed them http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-cont...r-killer-dipel/



I had a rabbit take a few shoot tips off the Goldings, but as there were plenty of tips it didn't really make any difference.


----------



## [email protected] (16/2/12)

Have been harvesting my first year POR over the last 4 days, finishing up tonight with a total of 2.8kg wet.
So aiming to translate 20% of that dry, if a little less i will not be worried  

Chinook has lots of flowers starting to form, looks like they will be more uniform in size and maturity which will be good.

Heres some happy snaps

POR smells really nice, a little fruity - kinda like a fresh ripe pineapple, a little bit of spice.


----------



## mmmyummybeer (17/2/12)

what reduction rate are people getting I picked some of the earlier hops 400g and dried in dehydrator to 80g a 20% reduction. I was expecting more as heard 10% is the go but when checking weight 8 hours later it hadn't changed so guessed it was done. What's the problems with drying to much anyways ?


----------



## goid (17/2/12)

mmmyummybeer said:


> what reduction rate are people getting I picked some of the earlier hops 400g and dried in dehydrator to 80g a 20% reduction. I was expecting more as heard 10% is the go but when checking weight 8 hours later it hadn't changed so guessed it was done. What's the problems with drying to much anyways ?




Hey man, 

They are as dry as they need to be. The 10% you heard, is there final weight in water not the reduction %. They start at about 80% then down to 10%.

I am going to run with a reduction to approx 33% of Original Weight with mine. First Year harvest.

Cheers


----------



## kelbygreen (17/2/12)

Wow nice beer.what the hell did you put on them? That's a massive crop for first year


----------



## drsmurto (17/2/12)

@ Beer4U - first year harvest of how much? :blink: 

You must have some amazing soil and the perfect growing conditions! :beerbang:


----------



## [email protected] (17/2/12)

kelbygreen said:


> Wow nice beer.what the hell did you put on them? That's a massive crop for first year






DrSmurto said:


> @ Beer4U - first year harvest of how much?
> 
> You must have some amazing soil and the perfect growing conditions!



Cheers, yeah i was quite surprised by how many i have got so far, the POR is still pushing out a few small late bloomers as well. I think the conditions here are very suited to weeds, something unfortunately i know too well about  

They are in a plot about 4 square meters, about 3/4 of that is soil a bit over a foot deep, with a drainage channel behind. Underneath its a bit of gritty stuff mostly lots of gypsum which i put there, as its solid clay after that, hence the concrete around the house, it goes to shit when it rains.

I have a massive compost pile that everything goes on, i feed it at one end and take from the other, so its constantly going through a cycle. Any non meat kitchen scraps, grass clippings, horse shit, used bedding hay- mostly from geese, any crap i get out of the gutters, dead plants anything that will rot.

I used mostly compost then thinned it out with a few bags of the cheapest generic soil i could find at bunnings.
A sprinkling of lime when mixing.
I mulched with more used bedding hay, 3 times over the course of the growing cycle mostly grass and some weeds would take over the soil surface, i gently dug all this up then piled it back on around the base of the hops.
I actually was a bit lazy at one stage and was chucking kitchen compost with any sweepings, leaves, dirt ect from around the house in the drainage channel which rotted pretty quick(lots of worms) and would mix that in when i dug the weeds and grass.
In essence there was always a cycle of decaying organic matter happening, so the soil is "alive" 

In reality i really did not do much at all other than put up a few half arsed strings for them to climb, just left them to do their thing, no pest sprays, no fertilizers, i had some aphids in the early stages but the hops grew to quick for them to do any damage, then beneficial insects took up residence and they out-competed any bad bugs. I felt bad i de- homed a lot of spiders.

Overall i quite like the big green factor they add to around the house, its a shame they have to die off over winter  
All these hops are a big bonus, looking forward to making an ALL AUSSIE ale, Aussie malt, maybe coopers yeast?, home grown POR lots of late additions!


----------



## Liam_snorkel (17/2/12)

that's it. I'm getting a compost bin.


----------



## drsmurto (17/2/12)

I put a bag of horse manure on top of them every year several cms thick and I don't get that sort of yield from first year plants.....

How big were the rhizomes? 

Despite having 2 compost bins and 2 extra compost piles none of the compost has ever made it on to the hops, i use that for vegies and new plants. Meat composts just as an FYI as do crab shells. Only thing that doesn't (that i have tried) are oyster shells.


----------



## [email protected] (17/2/12)

DrSmurto said:


> I put a bag of horse manure on top of them every year several cms thick and I don't get that sort of yield from first year plants.....
> 
> How big were the rhizomes?
> 
> Despite having 2 compost bins and 2 extra compost piles none of the compost has ever made it on to the hops, i use that for vegies and new plants. Meat composts just as an FYI as do crab shells. Only thing that doesn't (that i have tried) are oyster shells.



The POR was one straight piece id guess about 25cm length, with many shoots a few cm long coming from it.
The chinook was much bigger, many more shoots but in a gnarled ball, looks like i will get plenty from it, but not sure if will be near the same weight, depends how big the cones end up i guess?

Yeah i primarily don't like putting meat scraps outside because it attracts the foxes, any dead animals here get buried quite deep.

EDIT: FWIW - horse manure on its own is lacking in most elements, makes a good soil conditioner / Filler. Cow and chicken manure is much better for adding nutrients.
Also if anyone is interested i planted my rhizomes on 15th August 2011.


----------



## chefeffect (18/2/12)

mmmyummybeer said:


> Growing good  .
> 
> Mt Hood and Cascade



Look great!! Mine are finally on the go, I have a few cones on the Cascade you gave me and the Mt Hood are starting to get some good root growth!!!

These are my Saaz going awesome better that the other 5 varieties:


----------



## chefeffect (18/2/12)

Close up of the Saaz, not sure how to put multiple photos up?


----------



## Tony (18/2/12)

Picked most of my goldings today..... they only seem to flower on the side that gets sun. Will need to move them to get a good yield next year i think.

Still got about 100g. 

Below is 60g once dried, and i picked a heap a week ago and kegged my IPA onto them. Its nice too 

260g wet goldings hops






they are a good looking hop!


----------



## matho (18/2/12)

looks good tony, you can really see why the are called goldings


----------



## kelbygreen (18/2/12)

Got home today and my plants have about 30 more shoots each they are climbing them selfs, other plants, the ground and anything they can get hold of most the shoots like 4 foot long already! only been 8 days lol


----------



## oaf (18/2/12)

:icon_cheers: 

Wow Chefeffect, your Saaz cones are heaps different than mine! Mine didn't balloon like most other hops I've seen and hid behind most of the leaves when growing... They look healthy though.
I definately know mine are saaz though, just dry hopped a keg of Pilsner and can't stop pouring another!

Checked out my bines today and am wondering if I should pull down the flowered and plucked (used) bines and let the new growth take over? The shoots are 4 - 5 feet long and battling for space... 

Do bines of matured and harvested flowers grow new buds, or just stay bines with leaves?

Cheers!

:icon_cheers:


----------



## chefeffect (18/2/12)

Oaf said:


> :icon_cheers:
> 
> Wow Chefeffect, your Saaz cones are heaps different than mine! Mine didn't balloon like most other hops I've seen and hid behind most of the leaves when growing... They look healthy though.
> I definately know mine are saaz though, just dry hopped a keg of Pilsner and can't stop pouring another!
> ...



The hops just got big in the last week I went out to check them today and was blowen away at how quick they had gone from little buds to full on cones. Can't wait to get these sucker in a Pil I'm jealous... This is my first year for growing hops so I can't really answer your question with any experience, but I would assume that they probably wont grow more cones till next year, after they die back and grow again?? I may be wrong so you might have to wait for someone else to answer that one..


----------



## Tony (18/2/12)

kelbygreen said:


> Got home today and my plants have about 30 more shoots each they are climbing them selfs, other plants, the ground and anything they can get hold of most the shoots like 4 foot long already! only been 8 days lol



Mine too..... new shoots and a new crop of Goldings cones starting on the way.

The POR has about 2 kg of wets on the plant...... will probably start picking them next weekend, maybe some tomorrow.

cheers


----------



## felten (18/2/12)

Oaf said:


> Checked out my bines today and am wondering if I should pull down the flowered and plucked (used) bines and let the new growth take over? The shoots are 4 - 5 feet long and battling for space...
> 
> Do bines of matured and harvested flowers grow new buds, or just stay bines with leaves?


Pretty sure they flower once and that's it, at least that's what mine have done.

IMO I would leave them up though, they'll die off of their own accord, but while they're alive they should be absorbing sunlight and helping the plant out.


----------



## hoppy2B (18/2/12)

Goldings cones are so light, loose and fluffy. :mellow:


----------



## raven19 (19/2/12)

Just the one plant flowering for me - Victoria.

Starting to get a slight papery feel, might need the good DrS to pop around to check if they are ready to pick though!


----------



## hoppy2B (19/2/12)

Looks good Raven. :beer: 

You can pick them a little green. If left too long they go brown.


----------



## Doubleplugga (19/2/12)

3rd and final harvest of my 1st year cascades today, (2vines) 2.2 kilos today for a total of 2.8kilos from both plants (wet). pretty stoked with the amount for the first year as i wasn't expecting much at all. hopefully will be able to get 2 or 3 experimental brews done using these hops to test their flavour, bitterness etc. fingers where very sticky at the end of harvest, thanks to SWMBO also as she did half for me!!


----------



## Yob (19/2/12)

Latest Brewstrong - Wet Hops

Seems relevant :icon_drunk: listening to it ATM.. already had a few giggles... but I may under the influence of wet hops :lol: 

Ive gone cascade and chinook flowers in a glass this afternoon :super:


----------



## kelbygreen (19/2/12)

just picked another 110g of chinook and 160g of POR wet. But the thing has that many new shoots I think its going to choke its self and anything surrounding it. the POR is still producing burs and has cones half way matured so looks like 2 more harvests to come off that in the coming months


----------



## Tony (19/2/12)

i have 360g of wet PoR drying in the dehydrator ATM...... 3/4 done and will vac seal before bed.

should pull half a kilo dry PoR easy!


----------



## GrainStain (19/2/12)

I just got back from a 24 hour offshore yacht race. I am tired but took a cider out to the front yard to finally pluck the Chinook hops of plant that is on the ground from falling down two weeks ago.

This is a first year Rhizome sourced locally in SA, grown in a pot.

It was only an 12cm long stick / Rhizome when I got it with only one shoot / bud ready to grow.

It was grown in a pot, and only grew one vine.

I am happy wit the results.



I still have two cascades to harvest, sourced from WA which arrived in shoe boxes as half plants, however they are not doing as well as this one.

I should still get 5 times what I got in Chinook off these two.

For those that have small yards etc, growing in pots will work


----------



## drsmurto (19/2/12)

GrainStain said:


> I just got back from a 24 hour offshore yacht race. I am tired but took a cider out to the front yard to finally pluck the Chinook hops of plant that is on the ground from falling down two weeks ago.
> 
> This is a first year Rhizome sourced locally in SA, grown in a pot.
> 
> ...



Whoever sold you the chinook is an idiot who should charge far more for their rhizomes :icon_cheers:


----------



## raven19 (20/2/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Whoever sold you the chinook is an idiot who should charge far more for their rhizomes :icon_cheers:



Does that narrow it down to just you or me DrS? :lol:


----------



## Housecat (20/2/12)

Tony said:


> i have 360g of wet PoR drying in the dehydrator ATM...... 3/4 done and will vac seal before bed.
> 
> should pull half a kilo dry PoR easy!



How long do hops take in a dehydrator? 
Do you have any tips in doing it?

Many thanks

HC


----------



## Tony (20/2/12)

i put them in at about 4pm and they were done by 9pm. 360g went down to 104g.

Vac sealed them warm and damn they smelt great. Lots of bitter yellow lupin that made my tongue go numb when i licked it 

I have a round style sunbeam dehydrator and i dry them on the middle setting, low temp/high fan.

after 2 or 3 hrs i take out the trays and rotate them, top one becomes the bottom and restack from top to bottom like that. Middle tray of 5 stays as middle and all others become oposite to what they were. I find this gives me great drying consistancy.

easy as that!


----------



## Yob (20/2/12)

Cough.. back in the old days when I used to dry, flowers, I notices that after they 'felt' dry, you bagged then and 24 hours later they needed a further airing, does the dehydrator eliminate this ?


----------



## Tony (20/2/12)

I dry them till they are no longer soft in the center core. i dont find comercial hops the be super crispy dry. 

Its a feel thing.

Last year i tried air drying on a fly screen, and if its very humpd, they tend to go soft and start to rot a bit as aposed to drying out properly. they also lost a lot of aroma and the hops were a bit crap in the end.

The dehydrator, if used properly, will dry them fast and lock in the aroma. Strait in the vacuum sealer and they will be the freshest hops you can get...... 6 hrs from pick to vac pack, you cant beat that!.


By the way......
I just found a bag of PoR i vac sealed in january that had lost its seal overnight. I put them in a new bag and resealed then, but oh my lord they smelt great...... like when you open very fresh comercially purchased hops, not like my previous experiences with home grown hops that i would better liken to grass clippings.


----------



## kelbygreen (20/2/12)

hmm might get one as my first lot I dried are as you say lost all aroma and its that humid that it takes a week to dry them and just smell like dry grass lol. Funny my POR smell alot fruitier and nicer then the chinook they just smell bland and little lupin dunno why lol


----------



## Tony (20/2/12)

yep........

In this humid wet weather we have here atm.... i have left a few sitting on the bench in the garage. They stay soft and a bit damp and just go kind of yellow and brown.

The dehydrated ones are still bright green but dry and crisp, with the yellow oily goodness sticking to your fingers....mmmmm YUM


----------



## Housecat (20/2/12)

Excellent, thanks for the replies Tony 

I have a dehydrator on the way!

HC


----------



## kelbygreen (20/2/12)

Tony can you drive down to my place now pick up my hops and take them home to dry them  damn will have 2 batches that taste like grass! oh well maybe I can save my last batch.


----------



## [email protected] (20/2/12)

This dehydrator business sounds the goods! May have to look at buying one in the future, suppose i could dry out all sorts of things apples, pears and what not.

A solution for those having trouble with the humidity levels, i locked mine in a smallish room with a fan going on low and a Damprid container sitting under drying hops, seems to work well.


----------



## RdeVjun (20/2/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Whoever sold you the chinook is an idiot who should charge far more for their rhizomes :icon_cheers:


Yeah, too right- the poor chap in SA who sold me mine should be kicking himself, this first year rhizome I have here must have either tapped the sewer or is on steroids- has its 1/2 in thick bines all the way to the top of the TV aerial (about 9m), already yielded 250g, is again loaded with cones and is setting more burrs like they're going out of fashion! 
Nice one Dr S, I couldn't be happier. B)


----------



## hoppy2B (20/2/12)

RdeVjun said:


> Yeah, too right- the poor chap in SA who sold me mine should be kicking himself, this first year rhizome I have here must have either tapped the sewer or is on steroids- has its 1/2 in thick bines all the way to the top of the TV aerial (about 9m), already yielded 250g, is again loaded with cones and is setting more burrs like they're going out of fashion!
> Nice one Dr S, I couldn't be happier. B)



The only people who should be kicking themselves right now are those who haven't grown any hops to put in a wet hop brew.


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## MaltyHops (21/2/12)

Well compared to last season's crop, I've increased my yield by 633% h34r: ...... 








... gosh it was hard work getting all 19 cones in - need a beer I reckon. :lol: 

Here they are (Goldings), with last season's 3 Chinook cones:





Just as well I'm not a hophead.


----------



## Lecterfan (21/2/12)

Tony said:


> By the way......
> I just found a bag of PoR i vac sealed in january that had lost its seal overnight. I put them in a new bag and resealed then, but oh my lord they smelt great...... like when you open very fresh comercially purchased hops, not like my previous experiences with home grown hops that i would better liken to grass clippings.




I don't mind commercial POR pellets in the right brew, but I am a big fan of fresh (well, fresh dried) POR flowers...I've only used them in three brews last year but I adored them and am looking forward to the potential 100-200gm dry flowers I'll get from mine this year.

I am about to harvest my columbus and cascade. The columbus flowers are enormous, twice the size of the other varieties I have here. Pics coming shortly (p.s. all my earlier problems about the hops dying etc etc were fixed with a hearty dose of NPK and watering...it has been a dry summer here and even just watering them has had each plant putting out new shoots and flowering a second time when 5-6 weeks ago they were mostly yellow and brown and I was convinced I'd lose the lot).

Cheers.


----------



## drew9242 (21/2/12)

MaltyHops said:


> Well compared to last season's crop, I've increased my yield by 633% h34r: ......
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks mate you make my first harvest look great. Got 30g dry of cascade. But I have more on the plant yet to come.


----------



## Tony (21/2/12)

kelbygreen said:


> Tony can you drive down to my place now pick up my hops and take them home to dry them  damn will have 2 batches that taste like grass! oh well maybe I can save my last batch.



Harvey Norman mate 



Beer4U said:


> This dehydrator business sounds the goods! May have to look at buying one in the future, suppose i could dry out all sorts of things apples, pears and what not.



and beef jerky !



MaltyHops said:


> Well compared to last season's crop, I've increased my yield by 633% h34r: ......
> ... gosh it was hard work getting all 19 cones in - need a beer I reckon. :lol:
> 
> Here they are (Goldings), with last season's 3 Chinook cones:
> ...



dude.....


----------



## booargy (21/2/12)

MaltyHops said:


> Well compared to last season's crop, I've increased my yield by 633%



You probably should grow them outside.


----------



## MaltyHops (21/2/12)

booargy said:


> MaltyHops said:
> 
> 
> > Well compared to last season's crop, I've increased my yield by 633%
> ...


Funny you should say that as I was starting to think the same thing.


----------



## Adam Howard (21/2/12)

180g of wet Chinook. About a 5th/6th of what's left on the plant. Going to try and keep as many of the remaining flowers on the bine until next Monday. Planning a 'Gembrook Pale Ale' i.e. simple malt bill (ale malt and a bit of victory) an early bittering addition and then all homegrown hops bursted into the kettle in the last 15 mins. Will be a blend of dried and freshly picked Chinook and Cascade hops. Very excited.


----------



## Fish13 (21/2/12)

mine are giving me more shoots everyday. just no cones. will keep trying though


----------



## Deebo (21/2/12)

If I have small hop cones that are turning brown, is it likely the sun is frying them (ie they look too small the be mature and has been pretty hot in perth the last few weeks)? 
I try to water them every couple of days and add some seasol every couple of weeks.
Have noticed a number of leaves get brown spots then turn yellow and die off, not sure if this is related.


----------



## felten (22/2/12)

I've had a few random undersize cones on my plant this year and last, they ripened but wouldn't grow any bigger, so I just picked them along with the others. 

Not sure what it's down to as there are plenty of normal sized cones as well.


----------



## adryargument (22/2/12)

Mine started to go a bit brown so i picked them before they either died or got better.
Had quite a few undersize, however i managed around:

180g Hersbucker
20g Chinook
50g Columnbus
60g Mt Hood

Note that these were dried for 5 days on flyscreen... They are lucky if they have 3-4% moisture, feel like fish food.

Lots more buds popping up on the plants, so i should have a 2nd crop in the next few weeks.

Golding's has not had one bud yet


----------



## Malted (22/2/12)

Second and last harvest from my first year Victoria. About 500g wet weight of cones in this pic of the flyscreen.
First harvest was about 400g wet weight. Total of 900g wet weight of hops from its first season.

Edit: when ever the air is still, you can clearly smell the hops as soon as you step out the door to the backyard, particularly so in the cool morning air.


----------



## hoppy2B (23/2/12)

Nice pic of the cones next to the ruler. Appreciate being able to gauge their size.  
My Goldings cones just keep getting bigger and bigger. I'll put some pics up when I come to harvest.


----------



## Superoo (23/2/12)

Vaccuum packed my cascade today. Heaps more aroma than last year, I left them on the bine until they were really dry, and some browning, but they smell way better. 

Picked 1950 grams of wet hops, dried 4 days in the shed just on a screen door, packed 530 grams. 

So ended up with about 25% of original fresh picked wet weight, enough for at least 11 brews. 

Cheers,
Chris


----------



## petesbrew (23/2/12)

Hi guys,
Got a noob hop drying question here. 
As you can see above, my hop drying rack is pathetically lo-tech and completely worth laughing at, so go ahead.
 
I've dried a bunch out successfully (up to about 100g now), but as I was cleaning up last night, I noticed a shitload of the "yellow powder" from the dried hops had settled on my workbench (old kitchen bench). Wiping it up with a damp sponge then smelling the sponge, it was pretty obvious there was more aroma in the sponge than dried hops!

I'm thinking of putting a tray underneath, catching that powder and pour into bag with dried hops. but if anyone advises against this and has got any better suggestions short of "get a dehydrator" I'm all ears.
Cheers in advance
EDIT... pic didn't work, fixing now.


----------



## hoppy2B (23/2/12)

petesbrew said:


> Hi guys,
> Got a noob hop drying question here.
> As you can see above, my hop drying rack is pathetically lo-tech and completely worth laughing at, so go ahead.
> 
> ...



You could make a wet hop brew and not have to worry about the yellow lupulin falling out. 
That powder is pretty sticky. May stick to the bag. :lol:


----------



## Malted (23/2/12)

petesbrew said:


> Hi guys,
> Got a noob hop drying question here.
> I noticed a shitload of the "yellow powder" from the dried hops had settled on my workbench
> I'm thinking of putting a tray underneath, catching that powder and pour into bag with dried hops. but if anyone advises against this



The yellow powder is the Lupulin glandular resinous powder. When the cones are not that ripe it is a pale yellow colour, when ripe it is more of a golden or orange colour. It is why we grow and use hops. It is the stuff that has the bitterness, aroma and flavour. The green leafy bits aren't really much use to the brewer other than catching trub. 
Yes by all means, capture the powder and bag it with your hops (or sprinkle a bit into a glass of beer...  ), afterall it is IS the good stuff we are after.


----------



## humulus (23/2/12)

OK i harvested about 400g of cascade some of the cones looked slightly brown/rotted at the tip on opening it there was a little weevel/grub in it!
What is the bastard and how do you manage it i had a few cones with the grubs
cheers


----------



## booargy (23/2/12)

humulus said:


> OK i harvested about 400g of cascade some of the cones looked slightly brown/rotted at the tip on opening it there was a little weevel/grub in it!
> What is the bastard and how do you manage it i had a few cones with the grubs
> cheers



Stop having cones with them and they may not hang around.


----------



## petesbrew (23/2/12)

Malted said:


> The yellow powder is the Lupulin glandular resinous powder. When the cones are not that ripe it is a pale yellow colour, when ripe it is more of a golden or orange colour. It is why we grow and use hops. It is the stuff that has the bitterness, aroma and flavour. The green leafy bits aren't really much use to the brewer other than catching trub.
> Yes by all means, capture the powder and bag it with your hops (or sprinkle a bit into a glass of beer...  ), afterall it is IS the good stuff we are after.


Yeah it was tempting to dip the sponge in a schooner. it smelt delicious.
Thanks for the simple answer, malted.


----------



## Malted (23/2/12)

petesbrew said:


> Yeah it was tempting to dip the sponge in a schooner. it smelt delicious.
> Thanks for the simple answer, malted.



Take a few hop cones and bung them in a glass of Oettinger pils or such, dunk them around a bit and wring them out. A lot of the yellow goodness will get into your beer. It doesn't really dissolve much and you will see it floating about. Some folks say to not leave the hop cones in the glass for too long as it will make it grassy, I haven't had that problem myself.
Glass hopping is just another way to enjoy your hops and _maybe_ get an idea of the flavour contribution they make. 3-4 cones will make quite a difference. Do it for shits and giggles.


----------



## Wolfy (23/2/12)

Malted said:


> The yellow powder is the Lupulin glandular resinous powder. When the cones are not that ripe it is a pale yellow colour, when ripe it is more of a golden or orange colour. It is why we grow and use hops. It is the stuff that has the bitterness, aroma and flavour.


According to the _hopunion-variety-databook.pdf_ (Which I presume I downloaded from their website) the colour and quantity of Lupulin is dependent on the hop variety.


Malted said:


> Glass hopping is just another way to enjoy your hops and _maybe_ get an idea of the flavour contribution they make. 3-4 cones will make quite a difference. Do it for shits and giggles.


Some beer-gardens, pubs and micro's have hops growing for ornamental-type-purposes, glass-hopping is also a way to 'improve' on one of the beers that you think might need a bit more hoppy-goodness.


----------



## Malted (24/2/12)

Wolfy said:


> According to the _hopunion-variety-databook.pdf_ (Which I presume I downloaded from their website) the colour and quantity of Lupulin is dependent on the hop variety.


Dang, it appears you can't download it anymore. The current variety book on their webpage does not mention lupulin colour. It mentions total yield and total oils.


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## Wolfy (24/2/12)

Lets see if this upload-thing works (this is the copy I have):

_(right click, save as works best)_ 

View attachment hopunion_variety_databook.pdf


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## hoppy2B (26/2/12)

Cluster hops 25 February 2012


----------



## waggastew (26/2/12)

Final pick today bar the odd straggler. Totals WET for 2011/12 (currently drying in the garage on fly screens but I typically get down to 20% of wet weight)

POR (1st Year) - 320g (Aussie Megaswill Lager here we come, also use some for a Copers SA and a Aussie Dark Lager)
Chinook x 2 (2nd Year) - 445g (All-Chinook Harvest PA)
Goldings (2nd Year) - 55g (will be used in a New Belgium Fat Tire clone)
Super Alpha (1st Year) - 105g (Dunno........)
Mt Hood (2nd Year) - 115g (Euro Lager)

Not massive hauls but enough for a few brews, basically what I wanted the hops for. All-Chinook PA has just reached FG, tasting pretty good and not at all harsh like its reputation.

Stew


----------



## Doubleplugga (26/2/12)

hops all dried and sealed and put in the freezer. from 2.8kg wet I have ended up with 570grams dry. first year cascade so i am pretty happy with that. cant wait to use them in my first brew. there are a few stragglers left on the vines so i might just put them in a glass with a brew and see how it goes. :icon_cheers:


----------



## Fish13 (26/2/12)

no hops yet but lots of new shoots


----------



## Tony (26/2/12)

i have just picked the last of my POR. Got 1.5kg wet all up and 420g dry.

Plant has been cut off at ground level and mulched via victor!

Goldings is producing a 2nd crop so it lives a bit longer...... but victor awaits... vroom vroom 

One of my daughters and i laughed and said.... Nom Nom Nom Nom as the mower ate the hop plant 

cheers


----------



## Lecterfan (26/2/12)

I need a "Wolfy" folder on my desktop (gushes and gets all fanboy)...


----------



## husky (26/2/12)

Been a strange season for my second year plants. Picked around 300g off cascade and 150g off POR a month or so ago then some leaves were turning yellow and dropping off. At the same time there were hundreds of spores that I didnt think would convert to cones. Turns out they were just taking their time. About to do third harvest this week. Last year POR outperformed the cascade, this year is the opposite. Looks like there will be another 1kg or so wet hops to take off each. The cones get bigger each harvest as well.


----------



## hamsy (27/2/12)

Only 161g of wet cones off my first year cascade, but very happy with what little cones I received!


----------



## Dave70 (27/2/12)

Anyone know where I can buy some rhizomes? I'm after some centennial, cascade and saaz. Even one or all three would be good.


----------



## GUB (27/2/12)

Harvested 2 and 1/2 of these buckets (around 2kg) of fresh Chinooks. Cascades and POR to come this weekend. The drying results already smell amazing.


----------



## Yob (27/2/12)

Dave70 said:


> Anyone know where I can buy some rhizomes? I'm after some centennial, cascade and saaz. Even one or all three would be good.



Winter Dave, there will be plenty about at the right time of year


----------



## Ivan Other One (27/2/12)

This thread makes me wanna moooove. B) 

Does anyone know if hops will grow in the tropics? If so, are some varieties more suited than others? :huh: :huh: 

Ta, Ivan.


----------



## Dave70 (27/2/12)

iamozziyob said:


> Winter Dave, there will be plenty about at the right time of year




I wouldn't mind a bit of winter here today. 
Gives me time to to build a trellis I spose.


----------



## aaronpetersen (27/2/12)

To all those that have grown Saaz, do you find the flavour/aroma similar to Czech Saaz or more like one of it's southern hemisphere cousins (B, D, Summer or Southern Saaz)? I'm sure everyone will have slightly different results due to variations in terroir, but I'd like to see if there is a general flavour profile as I'd like to grow some.


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## Wolfy (27/2/12)

Ivan Other One said:


> Does anyone know if hops will grow in the tropics? If so, are some varieties more suited than others? :huh: :huh:


Hops require a certain number of daylight hours in order to grow (and flower) well (which you do not get in the tropics).
Some AHB members grow them in Brisbane with adequate results, and in other parts of the world they have been grown with artificial-light to simulate longer daylight hours.


----------



## Yob (27/2/12)

any recent piccies of your hops Wolfy?


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## Ivan Other One (27/2/12)

Wolfy said:


> Hops require a certain number of daylight hours in order to grow (and flower) well (which you do not get in the tropics).
> Some AHB members grow them in Brisbane with adequate results, and in other parts of the world they have been grown with artificial-light to simulate longer daylight hours.




Thanks Wolfy, Seems that the 13 - 14 hours of light up here in summer might not be enough, not to mention the occosional heat wave here. 

Cheers.


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## DarkFaerytale (28/2/12)

I recieved a saaz rhyzome recently and planted it in the ground over the weekend. it seems very healthy but obviously still young. i'm worried the roots will not have set properly by the time winter comes around. any hot tips? should i cut her back? (there's roughly 3 shoots about 15-20cm long) Maybe make up a small hot house environment around it once the weather cools?

any tips will be apretiated, my first hop plant.

cheers

-Phill


----------



## Wolfy (28/2/12)

DarkFaerytale said:


> any tips will be apretiated, my first hop plant.


Leave it alone, simply feed/water it on a regular basis, and hope that it grows enough to survive the winter.


----------



## phoenixdigital (28/2/12)

Wolfy said:


> Hops require a certain number of daylight hours in order to grow (and flower) well (which you do not get in the tropics).
> Some AHB members grow them in Brisbane with adequate results, and in other parts of the world they have been grown with artificial-light to simulate longer daylight hours.



In Brisbane here and all 5 of my first year hops are still growing but no flowers yet. Not overly concerned yet but am hoping for something next season.

I have
3 x cascade
1 x POR
1 x Saaz


----------



## felten (28/2/12)

DarkFaerytale said:


> I recieved a saaz rhyzome recently and planted it in the ground over the weekend. it seems very healthy but obviously still young. i'm worried the roots will not have set properly by the time winter comes around. any hot tips? should i cut her back? (there's roughly 3 shoots about 15-20cm long) Maybe make up a small hot house environment around it once the weather cools?
> 
> any tips will be apretiated, my first hop plant.
> 
> ...


Keep the watering frequent but light, the young roots are very sensitive to waterlogging.


----------



## Dave70 (28/2/12)

Wolfy said:


> Hops require a certain number of daylight hours in order to grow (and flower) well (which you do not get in the tropics).
> Some AHB members grow them in Brisbane with adequate results, and in other parts of the world they have been grown with artificial-light to simulate longer daylight hours.



Hydro hops?


----------



## hoppy2B (28/2/12)

DarkFaerytale said:


> I recieved a saaz rhyzome recently and planted it in the ground over the weekend. it seems very healthy but obviously still young. i'm worried the roots will not have set properly by the time winter comes around. any hot tips? should i cut her back? (there's roughly 3 shoots about 15-20cm long) Maybe make up a small hot house environment around it once the weather cools?
> 
> any tips will be apretiated, my first hop plant.
> 
> ...



Yeah I'll give you a tip. Get another of a different variety also, because Saaz don't produce a massive yeild normally.


----------



## bung89 (28/2/12)

Hey guys
My first year POR has had florwers for a while now. Most of them are pretty big and starting to get brown tips.
I've been waiting for them to start smelling like hops but there's no aroma to them. Does this mean they're not ready or have I just grown shit hops?


----------



## Yob (28/2/12)

Hopunion US SAAZ

US equivalent of the Czech variety of the same
name/
Maturity Early
Yield 650 1150 kg./ha. or 600 1000 lb./ac.
Growth Habit Difficult hop to grow. Yields can vary greatly from
year to year.
Disease/Pest Susceptibility Some tolerance to downy mildew but prone to virus
symptoms under certain conditions.
Pickability/Drying/Baling Good, tend to shatter if over-ripe.
Cone-Structure Small, light, fluffy cone
Lupulin Limited amount, pale yellow
Aroma Very mild, spicy and earthy
Alpha Acids 3.0 4.5% w/w
Beta Acids 3.0 4.5% w/w
Co-Humulone 24 28% of alpha acids
Storageability 45 55% alpha acids remaining after 6 months
storage at 20 C

it does indeed sound like a problem child, like most things brewing though, I bet with persistence and attention to detail, they may come good.. 

I havnt grown that one but I do notice notice a large variety in the example of first year plant I have this year. 

I am determined to make that effing tett do something if it kills one of us


----------



## stakka82 (28/2/12)

bung89 said:


> Hey guys
> My first year POR has had florwers for a while now. Most of them are pretty big and starting to get brown tips.
> I've been waiting for them to start smelling like hops but there's no aroma to them. Does this mean they're not ready or have I just grown shit hops?



im in exactly the same boat - perhaps POR isnt a particularly fragrant variety in flower form? 

if i stick my finger into one of the crevices where the yellow stuff is (lupulin?) they do smell mildy hoppy though.

maybe apart from the actual type of aroma they produce, and the fact they're used primarily for bittering, is why they don't smell particularly powerful?


----------



## jyo (28/2/12)

bung89 said:


> Hey guys
> My first year POR has had florwers for a while now. Most of them are pretty big and starting to get brown tips.
> I've been waiting for them to start smelling like hops but there's no aroma to them. Does this mean they're not ready or have I just grown shit hops?



Have you broken a couple open to give them a rub, mate? They will feel a little papery (not brown though) in your fingers. When ready, there will heaps of yellow lupilin goodness when you open them up a bit. 

Cheers.


----------



## felten (28/2/12)

brake a few of the petals off a cone, get the yellow lupulin and rub it together with your fingers then smell that.


----------



## hoppy2B (28/2/12)

bung89 said:


> Hey guys
> My first year POR has had florwers for a while now. Most of them are pretty big and starting to get brown tips.
> I've been waiting for them to start smelling like hops but there's no aroma to them. Does this mean they're not ready or have I just grown shit hops?



I think your POR may be ready for picking bung. My POR don't have much aroma, nor do my Goldings actually. Saaz do have a reasonable aroma but Cluster blows everything out of the water.


----------



## raven19 (29/2/12)

Packed my Victoria hops (1.3 buckets worth wet) up last night after letting them dry on flyscreen in the shed for a few days.

I reckon around 150gms dried - hoping to use in a brew soon.


----------



## DJR (29/2/12)

All I can do at this point is look forward to next year - I think I am going to plant more Cascade this time round and hope that it grows better than this year and we don't have a killer hailstorm again.

More compost, sand and gypsum in the soil too for drainage and nutrients.


----------



## tanukibrewer (29/2/12)

Gday All
I am interested in growing some hops in the garden,where is a good place to order them from?? I am living in Perth.Is it a good time of year to start planting them??
Cheers


----------



## DJR (29/2/12)

tanukibrewer said:


> Gday All
> I am interested in growing some hops in the garden,where is a good place to order them from?? I am living in Perth.Is it a good time of year to start planting them??
> Cheers



Wait till june/july. Due to WA quarantine you'll need to look for ones within WA I think otherwise you'll need all sorts of paperwork (stand to be corrected though)


----------



## bung89 (29/2/12)

Cheers for the advice guys. Ripped one apart and got all the yellow goodness on my fingers and they had a faint hoppy aroma. 
Guess it's harvest time. 
Is it better to just pluck them off the stem or to cut a bit of it off with them? 
And if I want to dry most but keep some green for a brew I might not be doing for a couple of weeks is it better to leave the green ones on the tree or bag them and chuck them in the fridge?


----------



## husky (29/2/12)

Harvested for the third time this season today.

3.46kg wet POR and 1.24kg wet cascade

Ended up leaving nearly half the POR as I was over it. Took the best part of 3 hrs this year. Will be trimming the POR alot next year as im only likley to use maybe 100g dry in a coopers brew. Might pack the hop back and try POR aroma additions on the next few brews.


----------



## hoppy2B (29/2/12)

bung89 said:


> Cheers for the advice guys. Ripped one apart and got all the yellow goodness on my fingers and they had a faint hoppy aroma.
> Guess it's harvest time.
> Is it better to just pluck them off the stem or to cut a bit of it off with them?
> And if I want to dry most but keep some green for a brew I might not be doing for a couple of weeks is it better to leave the green ones on the tree or bag them and chuck them in the fridge?



I would suggest putting some in the freezer rather than the fridge as I doubt they'll last in the fridge. Just don't tell MozziNob I said that as he may have an epileptic fit. h34r: 
They may go a little mushy on thawing but as far as I'm aware haven't seen any posts regarding flavour. 
I was thinking of putting some in the freezer myself.


----------



## kaspa07 (1/3/12)

Here is my hop harvest for this year.

Its a 2nd year plant, the roots have pretty much taken over most of the veggie patch and Ive been fighting the hops trying to strangle my tomato plants with random shoots popping up from the ground allover the place.
The yeald is not as good as last year's but I'm still happy

The big cones are Hersbruker and the small cones are my Sazz

Im thinking of getting rid of the sazz, it dosent seem to very productive in my area, so if anyone wants it I will be digging it up and replacing it with somthing else (any sugestions?)

I'll be taking it all down this weekend and putting it through the dehydrator bit by bit.

If any one wants a Rhizome of Herbruker or Sazz let me know


----------



## kalbarluke (1/3/12)

It seems that the QLD hops growers seem to have harvested their hops earlier but with a (what appears to be) lower yield compared to the NSW and Victorian growers. Has this been the case in previous years?

Daylight hours obviously have some sort of effect in hop plant growth. Does anyone have any research or evidence if higher heat/humidity/UV levels affects lupulin or oil levels in hop cones?


----------



## hoppy2B (1/3/12)

Goldings 27 February 2012


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## Yob (2/3/12)

Tom.k said:


> Here is my hop harvest for this year.
> 
> Its a 2nd year plant, the roots have pretty much taken over most of the veggie patch and Ive been fighting the hops trying to strangle my tomato plants with random shoots popping up from the ground allover the place.
> The yeald is not as good as last year's but I'm still happy
> ...



Can ya put me down for a herbruker wjen the time is right mate

Yob

@ hoppy2b - I was expecting a bigger yield from you mate :lol:


----------



## Batz (2/3/12)

kalbarluke said:


> It seems that the QLD hops growers seem to have harvested their hops earlier but with a (what appears to be) lower yield compared to the NSW and Victorian growers. Has this been the case in previous years?
> 
> Daylight hours obviously have some sort of effect in hop plant growth. Does anyone have any research or evidence if higher heat/humidity/UV levels affects lupulin or oil levels in hop cones?




Hops grow well in colder climates like Tassie ,Vic, SA and N.Z. , I think it's just a location thing. Bananas, pineapples etc don't do so well in hop growing regions.

Batz


----------



## phoenixdigital (2/3/12)

And interesting read on why us Northerners are not getting good yields (I have zero flowers)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoperiodism
and
http://tinyurl.com/72bgdsl

So its not the number of daylight hours. The plants are detecting the shortness of the night.

I might try to fool one of my hops plants with light next year. Probably a total waste of electricity compared to buying hops though. The book mentions you only need a few minutes of light at night to make the plant think it is in short nights.

A question for other northerners. What have your hop yields been like?

Looks like we need some genetic engineering to make hops Day-neutral.


----------



## kymba (2/3/12)

i was considering fkn around with lights, but that is whack

anyways, from what i have read you can trick them with some 660nm for a couple of hours each night, and you can stop with the light once they start to flower

apart from that, if you want more hops up here you just have to plant more


----------



## Wolfy (2/3/12)

phoenixdigital said:


> I might try to fool one of my hops plants with light next year. Probably a total waste of electricity compared to buying hops though.


Commercial farms (in South Africa and other places) have tried/used lights to simulate longer day-light hours.
But you're probably right about it not being cost-effective for a home-situation.


----------



## DJR (2/3/12)

Wolfy said:


> Commercial farms (in South Africa and other places) have tried/used lights to simulate longer day-light hours.
> But you're probably right about it not being cost-effective for a home-situation.



If you did it with a 660nm LEDs you might have some luck, you'd have to make sure it was weatherproof IP66 or something, power would be cheap but purchasing all the LEDs may get expensive.

e.g. http://www.livingapartment.com.au/Products...W-96W-144W-288W

Commercial hops are pretty cheap really


----------



## phoenixdigital (2/3/12)

What sort of strength light I wonder?

Would your standard backyard light work?

I think due to the plants size/length those LEDs or anything small would be next to useless.

Maybe next summer I will put our backyard light on for an hour a night around 10pm.


----------



## kelbygreen (2/3/12)

things its got more to do with wave length then the size of light.


----------



## GrainStain (2/3/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Whoever sold you the chinook is an idiot who should charge far more for their rhizomes :icon_cheers:



Yeah - Some hillbilly


----------



## GrainStain (2/3/12)

And this is from a first year cascade grown in a pot.

Can't be unhappy with that!


----------



## Tony (2/3/12)

better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!


----------



## drsmurto (2/3/12)

160g of dried Cascade vac packed this evening, ~80g dry equivalent still on the bines. 

Hours later i am still sniffing my fingers :huh: :lol:


----------



## Lecterfan (4/3/12)

It's been ups and downs with my lot this year, but today - out of sheer spite - I knocked out a 'wet-hop-harvest ale'...

While the boil was on I just went out and picked a heap that I had on the bine longer than last year in order to develop more lupulin and the papery feel etc...some of the hops are a bit small due to all my bullshit a few months ago (which came down to simply not giving them enough water), but they are full of yellow goodness, and some of the more sun exposed ones are a bit brown on the edges.

200 gms of cascade flowers, 250 gms colombus (wet/fresh from the bine):




Ran off the kettle into two of the old stovetop-boil pots (I still left %80 of hot break and the NS bittering hop debris behind but wasn't too stressed as the flowers act as brilliant organic filters when straining into the fermenter and I won't reuse the yeast):



Now in the icebath.

I rescued 2 bugs from the hot wort of doom, not sure how many others perished haha...bit of extra protein, all good.


----------



## Stinger (5/3/12)

Wolfy said:


> Commercial farms (in South Africa and other places) have tried/used lights to simulate longer day-light hours.
> But you're probably right about it not being cost-effective for a home-situation.




Thats the trick though Wolfy, it would be cheaper to just buy commercial hops. Growing them is the challenge!

I vote getting some solar powered christmas lights and hang them up on the bush. They automatically turn on and last out the length of the battery at night.
If it also fools your hops into flowering more then Awesome, otherwise it will look very cool at night!


----------



## phoenixdigital (6/3/12)

Stinger said:


> I vote getting some solar powered christmas lights and hang them up on the bush.



Why hang them on the bush... make them the stringer that the hops grow on.


----------



## Malted (6/3/12)

phoenixdigital said:


> Why hang them on the bush... make them the stringer that the hops grow on.



When they are dried off it could be a PITA to get them off the lights


----------



## Malted (6/3/12)

Second and final pick of the first year *Cascade*: 1.3kg fresh green weight (in this picture) plus 450g fresh weight previosly for a total of 1.75 kg wet weight in it's first season



1.25m spirit level to the side. They're layered 4-5 deep in the middle.



A few maybe a bit too dry or a little scortched



Not monster sized but plenty big enough


----------



## Stinger (6/3/12)

phoenixdigital said:


> Why hang them on the bush... make them the stringer that the hops grow on.




I like your thinking Phoenix, could add up the cost a little but if your dead keen on growing hops in northern parts it could be just the thing to crank productivity!



Malted, definite PITA so when harvesting just cut them off top and bottom and dispose of once hops harvested. not as environmentally friendly approach as some but at what cost absolutely fresh home grown hops to play with. local terroir is cool as your hops will be subtly different to the commercial produced varieties depending on soil type etc definitely fun to play with.


----------



## the_new_darren (6/3/12)

Malted said:


> Second and final pick of the first year *Cascade*: 1.3kg fresh green weight (in this picture) plus 450g fresh weight previosly for a total of 1.75 kg wet weight in it's first season
> 
> View attachment 52850
> 
> ...



Do they smell like cascade?

tnd


----------



## Malted (6/3/12)

the_new_darren said:


> Do they smell like cascade?
> 
> tnd


Short answer: My nose doesn't work very well.

Long answer: Actually the cones are not hugely pungent. I rubbed some lupulin from the Goldings (still on the bines) between my fingers this morning and despite the cones not being pungent, my yellow, sticky, finger tips smelt good and characteristic of the variety. I'll rub another one off this afternoon, of the drying cascade that is... h34r: to see if the rubbed lupulin is more aromatic than the cones.
Probably the most pungent cones (without having to rub them) I have encountered in my yard so far was my hersbrucker last year.

I'd say the homegrown cascade taste like it 'should' but can't be sure of that. I did a wet hops brew and there was that characteristic cascade flavour in it but it was a reasonably busy hop schedule (homegrown cascade, chinook, victoria) plus commercial magnum with commercial cascade, amarillo & citra in dry hopping too. 
I am considering a SMASH, or single hop brew, with them to give them a good test.


----------



## PranK (6/3/12)

Malted said:


> View attachment 52852
> 
> Not monster sized but plenty big enough



Thats too awesome. Whats the size of the tree?


----------



## Malted (6/3/12)

PranK said:


> Thats too awesome. Whats the size of the tree?



Bloody huge mate! I took the camera up with me when I was harvesting:









 



About 3.5m for the cascade _vines_.
Here are some pictures taken in early Feb. (2nd last post at the bottom of the page) http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51061&st=880


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## [email protected] (6/3/12)

Harvested my 1st year chinook this arvo, ended up close to the POR at 2.7kg wet. They smell so good, way better than the POR. Ended up much easier to harvest as well, dense clusters of cones and they were all pretty close in maturity so harvested all in one go.
Heres a few happy snaps.


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## Liam_snorkel (6/3/12)

Malted said:


> About 3.5m for the cascade _bines._


fixed.


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## kelbygreen (6/3/12)

hmm my POR smells way better then my chinook. :S chinook smells like grass clipping (thats fresh and dead grass dry). the cones look different to them, mine are fat and pettle things far apart like they are fluffy. There is no aroma to them and very little lupin. 

I dont think the plant will be allowed to grow next year. Its taking over the garden and it is producing cones but with no characteristics of a chinook I know.


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## hoppy2B (6/3/12)

kelbygreen said:


> hmm my POR smells way better then my chinook. :S chinook smells like grass clipping (thats fresh and dead grass dry). the cones look different to them, mine are fat and pettle things far apart like they are fluffy. There is no aroma to them and very little lupin.
> 
> I dont think the plant will be allowed to grow next year. Its taking over the garden and it is producing cones but with no characteristics of a chinook I know.



Sounds exactly like the description I would give to my Goldings. It is very grassy. Your cone description also matchs Goldings pretty well.


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## kelbygreen (6/3/12)

hmm guess thats the gamble you take. dunno how many people have taken root stock off the plant I got and not sure if they are what you get. Could been the guy put wrong thing in the wrong bag, or forgot what plant was what or just got given the wrong plant to start with. very hard to know but from my experience with chinook its nothing like it (aroma wise) chinook I dont like just got it coz I can but this is not what I expected. Could be wrong might need time to develop I dunno


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## Malted (6/3/12)

Beer4U said:


> Harvested my 1st year chinook this arvo, ended up close to the POR at 2.7kg wet.


As others have said, nice horticultural skills dude, you really have the soil health sorted!



Liam_snorkel said:


> fixed.


You know what, I thought they were vines but were pronounced bines for some sort of phonetic/ la-de-da reason. A quick google shows me that bines are actually structuraly different to bines. Vines apparently don't have the stiff hairs to aid in attachment that bines do. I honestly thought it was like rice gulls...  



Malted said:


> Check this shit out


1.3kg Cascade wet down to 400g dry. 
Thought I would try and compress them into plugs to make them easier to stuff into vacky-suck bags. 
Didn't have any round pipe to use as a squishy cylinder but had some rectangular pipe. I think it worked out for the best as they fit into the baggies better... Just like a sheep following the mob, I would have used a round pipe if I had some; I am glad i did not. 

The 5 minute 'bodggit and leggit' hop press components:



Whack the bottom bit of wood and the metal on the scales, tare it and shove 30g of hops in it:



Important ancillary equipment


Use the clamp to squish the shiite out of it, release it and poke the 'plug' out




Shove it it a vacky-sucka bag and suck the shiite out of it. Job done. Refer to ancillary equipment and repeat the procedure.


----------



## kelbygreen (6/3/12)

nice  yeah I notices 40g took up a whole sandwich zip lock bag chockers. I just tried to squash them into the bottom of the bag and roll it up then zip it up lol .


----------



## [email protected] (7/3/12)

Home made plugs - nice :beer: 

Yeah my chinook dont smell like commercial (USA) chinook, only ever smelt the pellets there, have some in the freezer as well. I have read on here i think? or elsewhere people liken the homegrown to B sazz, i haven't used B sazz for a long time so i cant say. 
Description would be - sweet and fruity, with that evergreen / pine a bit of grass there as well. 
All just a bit of fun :icon_cheers:


----------



## PranK (7/3/12)

Malted said:


> About 3.5m for the cascade _vines_.


Rookie mistake.  



Malted said:


> Here are some pictures taken in early Feb. (2nd last post at the bottom of the page) http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51061&st=880



Wow, they look fantastic! I was just showing my wife, I'd love to grow my own but fear it'd be too warm in Sydney. That, and I'd need to make some space in the garden!


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## Malted (7/3/12)

PranK said:


> Wow, they look fantastic! I was just showing my wife, I'd love to grow my own but fear it'd be too warm in Sydney. That, and I'd need to make some space in the garden!


I think there are plenty of folks who grow them in Sydney. The bigger issue for you might be the space they need. They spread out a lot. They send out some roots horizontally that pop up as new bines. You would want two metres and preferably more between hop plantings.


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## pk.sax (7/3/12)

I'm thinking of taking snips of the rhizomes on my hallertau up to qld with me for the dry season that will start soon.

Just wondering if there is anything bad about snipping rhizomes at this time of ge year as everyone keeps referring to digging them up in winter (for obvious reasons I guess but I wonder if there might b more to it).

PS: my hops matured really early this year and were allowed to die on the bike by an inconsiderate family member who I shall never entrust such a task again! There were 6-7 bines per plant on both plants. Really sad as they were looking awesome early on this year, their second season.


----------



## PranK (7/3/12)

Malted said:


> I think there are plenty of folks who grow them in Sydney. The bigger issue for you might be the space they need. They spread out a lot. They send out some roots horizontally that pop up as new bines. You would want two metres and preferably more between hop plantings.



They make a nice screen though, we have palms and banana plants (useless bloody things) around our entire garden, these could be nice (useful) replacements!


----------



## eureka (9/3/12)

Any one in Colac Vic area want some por hops I have some left . If you want some let me know, they are free just pick your own


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## cam89brewer (9/3/12)

Mmmm so am I the only one that went so bad first year? I only got 1 flower in total :lol: so I am guessing no hope until next season...


----------



## Yob (9/3/12)

considering the amount of new growers (me included as newb) this year, I dont rekon you are alone not getting a harvest... only 3 out of 7 plants of mine had any flowers, some had dubious growth even, grew, died off, grew again, stopped.. weird. What I do notice though is one of my first years in the ground had a better harvest than a second year plant in a pot. Dunno about weight but I did get a 'bunch or two' certainly not enough to dry and store but... 

Every so often I take in 3-4 bottles on a friday to work, tough weeks deserve a wind down... today was one of those days, I had a brew not long ago that made me shut down the brewery for a few weeks to 'reset' everything, the beer in question wasnt infected or anything it just had nothing, no aroma, and a flavour that made me frown... still dont know what went wrong with it  ... anyways.. 

I took a bunch of hops to work with my* iffy *beers (a few nicer ones too) and threw some chinook hops, maybe 20 vatied size cones, in a jug with a tallie and squeezed the shit out of them... repeatedly... made an iffy beer, IMO, into a beer the masses thought was good  and I thought was passable... love it!! Some did mention it wasnt as good as some of the others Id bought in but hay, will still take it as a win.. lol

Im eyeng off a larger section of the fence line to go mad during winter this year... Love this game B) 

Yob


----------



## cam89brewer (9/3/12)

Yeh I was a bit hesitant to put mine in the ground as we were possibly going to be moving last December but after all the feedback on here I am getting the impression that I would be a lot better off putting them in the ground....


----------



## Tony (9/3/12)

malted....... nice work!

I see a new gizmo to make


----------



## billygoat (9/3/12)

Tony,
When you use the dehydrator to dry your hops, what temperature do you use and for how long?
Cheers


----------



## Tony (9/3/12)

Its a round sunbeam one and i use it on the middle of the 3 settings which is low temp high airflow. It gets to about 60 deg i think...... i sat a thermometer in there for a bit to test.

That takes about 4 to 6 hrs depending on air temp and humidity levels. I find it works best in cooler room with good airflow

cheers


----------



## Tony (9/3/12)

Its a round sunbeam one and i use it on the middle of the 3 settings which is low temp high airflow. It gets to about 60 deg i think...... i sat a thermometer in there for a bit to test.

That takes about 4 to 6 hrs depending on air temp and humidity levels. I find it works best in cooler room with good airflow

cheers


----------



## hoppy2B (9/3/12)

I picked up just over 3 kilos from my Goldings wet and just over 2 kilos from my Cluster wet. Pictured is the Cluster pre-harvest. This is my first year growing hops. :lol:


----------



## Tony (9/3/12)

Hardcore barbed wire trellice...... love it!


----------



## colonel (10/3/12)

Harvested my first crop yesterday, yippee!
wet weights were:
Chinook 610g
Cluster 446g
Cascade 642g

The Chinook was pound for pound the best producer, as it was the smallest vine, but had masses of flowers.
The plants looked after themselves, I just planted them, ran some hay band up the north side of the shearing shed, and watered them once a week.
I'll try to find some more varieties this winter, it's great to stand back with a brew and watch them do their thing.
What a fine hobby!


----------



## husky (10/3/12)

2011 Harvest almost complete
980g dry POR
330g dry cascade

Approx 200g dry remaining in the bines. Second year hops.

Next year will aim for the reverse. I would use more cascade than POR. Going to get a vac sealer for next year.


----------



## Tony (10/3/12)

get yourself a $60 vacuum sealer on evilbay mate...... those hops wont last long exposed to air in those bags.


----------



## Wolfy (10/3/12)

Not as good growing season for my hops this year:




Looks small but the top-wires are 5.5m high.




Golding and Halleratu were the most prolific this year:





So far the harvest consists of (wet weights) 2100g Halleratu (2 bags at back), 600g Hersbrucker (front left) and 200g Pride of Ringwood (front right):





The rest of the hops are still on the bines but are drying under the carport (untill the in-laws leave and I have some time to pick them and room to dry them):


----------



## the_new_darren (10/3/12)

practicalfool said:


> I'm thinking of taking snips of the rhizomes on my hallertau up to qld with me for the dry season that will start soon.
> 
> Just wondering if there is anything bad about snipping rhizomes at this time of ge year as everyone keeps referring to digging them up in winter (for obvious reasons I guess but I wonder if there might b more to it).




I cut a rhizome this year and replanted it. It actually grew better than original (probably because the original was in a pot and the cutting went into the ground)

tnd


----------



## billygoat (11/3/12)

Tony said:


> Its a round sunbeam one and i use it on the middle of the 3 settings which is low temp high airflow. It gets to about 60 deg i think...... i sat a thermometer in there for a bit to test.
> 
> That takes about 4 to 6 hrs depending on air temp and humidity levels. I find it works best in cooler room with good airflow
> 
> cheers



Tony,
When using the dehydrator, when do you know that the hops are dry enough? I picked 575 gms off one of my Goldings plant today and intend using the dehydrator tomorrow.
Cheers


----------



## husky (12/3/12)

Tony said:


> get yourself a $60 vacuum sealer on evilbay mate...... those hops wont last long exposed to air in those bags.




So my missus has these vacuum bags for storing baby clothes that aren't used for a while. Found some medium bags at bunnings for $10 and managed to fit all my hops in one. The cascade is in a freezer bag inside the vacuum bag with the top open to still allow the air to be squeezed out. I was amazed at how well this worked.


980g POR and 330g Cascade. Sealed awaiting a 10 min IPA. Could easily open up and grab whatever I need and re vac.

Brilliant! Fits in the freezer easily too.


----------



## hoppy2B (13/3/12)

husky said:


> So my missus has these vacuum bags for storing baby clothes that aren't used for a while. Found some medium bags at bunnings for $10 and managed to fit all my hops in one. The cascade is in a freezer bag inside the vacuum bag with the top open to still allow the air to be squeezed out. I was amazed at how well this worked.
> 
> 
> 980g POR and 330g Cascade. Sealed awaiting a 10 min IPA. Could easily open up and grab whatever I need and re vac.
> ...



Are those bags you have your hops in Husky for use with a normal vacuum? That's interesting. I should look into that and take a trip to Bunnings tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up.
I've been cramming mine into sandwich bags. I figured they were tight enough to exclude most of the air and it would be handy because they were in 100gram packets, but its hard work and time consuming. Might be easier putting less into each packet and using a vac bag to put them all into. 
Cheers.


----------



## husky (13/3/12)

Yes mate, a standard household vacuum is used to suck the air out via the one way valve. If you leave all your 100g sandwich bags open and place them in one of these it should suck most of the air out as long as the 100g bag does not close on suction. Mine didnt and the cascades are tight as the POR even in their individual bag.
Could be a pain for you if constantly un sealing and sealing, but another option for bulk storage. These medium bags were the smallest I could buy. At $10 and reusable theres nothing stopping you putting a couple hundred grams in one and leaving the rest empty. These mainly come in bigger sizes for clothes and bedding storage, so if buying the small ones make sure they have the vacuum valve. Some smaller ones are called "travel" bags which you rollup to squeeze the air out.


----------



## Malted (13/3/12)

billygoat said:


> Tony,
> When using the dehydrator, when do you know that the hops are dry enough? I picked 575 gms off one of my Goldings plant today and intend using the dehydrator tomorrow.
> Cheers



I do not use a dehydrator but I guess the dryness of them is relevent to how ever you dry them? I use a flyscreen frame out of direct light in my shed. My Golding crop took less than 24hrs to dry on the weekend. 

I don't know exactly how dry but I can say that I have in the past over dried my hops and it does not _seem _to be a good thing because they come apart too easily. I mean not so much that the cones are crumbly as such but the petals come off easily. To my mind, it would be better if the hop cone stayed intact when I am brewing with it. I kind of go by feel and gut instinct, I want them dry but not too dry. Enough moisture so that the petals will bend rather than snap but not so much moisture that they will go moudly or bad. Commercial whole flowers or hop plugs seem to be about this level I am trying to describe. I might be barking up the wrong bine, we'll see when I use some I have vac-packed recently.


----------



## davo4772 (13/3/12)

Harvested 1kg wet of a first year Cascade with another kilo or so left.
First kilo went from vine into an APA.

Quite pleased as my MIL did some "weeding" in October and ripped it out. Had to pull it out of the bin. Came good obviously.

Was growing vertically until the wind snapped the pole.


----------



## pat_00 (13/3/12)

I feel like a bit of a failure reading this thread.

I got about 15g of dried chinook and 5g of dried cascade out of the 4 rhizomes I planted early spring 

Then again, it was the first year and they had to compete with hungry possums, and are planted in a less than ideal spot.

Is growing them vertically a big deal? at the moment they are growing on a trellis along a wood fence. I've trained them to climb up in a zig-zag pattern.


----------



## matho (13/3/12)

don't worry I got nothing thanks to a hail storm that completly shredded them, there is always next year.
I don't think how you grow them is very important, what is important is lots of sunshine and nurtients and water

cheers

edit: with some of your fresh hops, throw a cone in a pint and let it sit for a couple of minutes and then drink it, I have done this a number of times and the results are quite nice


----------



## bradsbrew (14/3/12)

Anyone got a good control method for killing the little grasshoppers?


----------



## cdbrown (14/3/12)

pat_00 said:


> I feel like a bit of a failure reading this thread.
> 
> I got about 15g of dried chinook and 5g of dried cascade out of the 4 rhizomes I planted early spring
> 
> ...


I got about the same weight in hops. I got a chest infection last week and missed out on the prime time for picking the hops. Thankfully there's still some on there that are about ready but this very hot and dry summer is really hard on them and my water bill.


----------



## Wolfy (14/3/12)

Inspired by *Malted*'s "_5 minute 'bodggit and leggit' hop press_" but not having any steel-pipe, I made a _Hopsquash _from 90mm PVC pipe fittings:




















... now I need to spend a day or two squishing and packing them all.


----------



## Tony (14/3/12)

bradsbrew said:


> Anyone got a good control method for killing the little grasshoppers?



Stop upsetting god!


----------



## Malted (14/3/12)

Wolfy said:


> Inspired by *Malted*'s "_5 minute 'bodggit and leggit' hop press_" but not having any steel-pipe, I made a _Hopsquash _from 90mm PVC pipe fittings:
> ... now I need to spend a day or two squishing and packing them all.




Bodggit and leggit FTW!

Wow you must have got sick of twisting that clamp handle around! I got sick of squishing the quick clamp pistol grip thingy pretty darned quickly but don't know how I would cope with a clamp like yours (I have exactly the same too but chose not to use them). As I was doing it I was thinking, hmm next year I should build something with a ram powered by the air compressor.  But hey where is the ghetto in that?


I had the suction bags ready made and shoved each plug in as I did them, the buggers expand a bit soon afterwards.

Is there a reason you went for 30g plugs? I only went that size because 30g of loose hop cones filled my compression tube.  I cut the tube and first and then figured out what would fit in it. I guess I also thought that it was 1/3 the size of a pack you would purchase. A few English plugs I have used were around 12-15g.


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## Tony (14/3/12)

Wolfy....... perfect keg hop plugs


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## Wolfy (14/3/12)

Malted said:


> Wow you must have got sick of twisting that clamp handle around!
> ...
> I had the suction bags ready made and shoved each plug in as I did them, the buggers expand a bit soon afterwards.
> 
> Is there a reason you went for 30g plugs? I only went that size because 30g of loose hop cones filled my compression tube.  I cut the tube and first and then figured out what would fit in it. I guess I also thought that it was 1/3 the size of a pack you would purchase. A few English plugs I have used were around 12-15g.


Twisting is not too bad actually, thought it would be worse (first time I've used that clamp).
30g (fractions or multiples of) matched the quantities of hops I've used in the last few batches, plus at about 30-35g is where it starts to get harder to squish the uncompressed hops into the tube.
I make the 1/2 sized vacuum bag while the clamp is compressing the hops which means they stay squished long enough to package, vacuum and seal.


----------



## Wolfy (15/3/12)

Wolfy said:


> Twisting is not too bad actually, thought it would be worse (first time I've used that clamp).


Now that I have a blister from twisting the bloody thing - I take that back.


----------



## hoppy2B (15/3/12)

Wolfy said:


> Now that I have a blister from twisting the bloody thing - I take that back.



:lol: Hilarious!


----------



## Wolfy (16/3/12)

Finally finished all the hop picking and packing I'm going to do for this year.

2012 Hop Crop, 2 plants of most varieties, most plants 2nd year :





POR 45g
Saaz 107g
Columbus 180g
Halleratu 315g
Cascade 175g
Tettnang 75g
Hersbrucker 155g
Perle 240g
Goldings 345g
Victoria ~50-100g
MtHood ~100-200g
Chinook & Nugget ~100g
Fuggle, Willamette, Challenger, Target, Liberty - no crop worth harvesting.


----------



## Bongchitis (16/3/12)

You aren't really taking this hop growing thing seriously enough wolfy!

Nice crop.


----------



## DJR (16/3/12)

Malted said:


> Bodggit and leggit FTW!
> 
> Wow you must have got sick of twisting that clamp handle around! I got sick of squishing the quick clamp pistol grip thingy pretty darned quickly but don't know how I would cope with a clamp like yours (I have exactly the same too but chose not to use them).



I'd just use a big enough bench vice to fit in a section of tube. 40mm pipe with end cap inside 50mm drain pipe would let you get a bit smaller plugs. Obviously when using a bench vice you don't want to push it too hard as you'll crack the PVC pretty easy


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## Spork (16/3/12)

Goldings.









Only 91g, but first year plant so didn't expect too much, and they are already fairly dry.
Do these hops look OK, or will they be no good, as I think I should have picked them sooner?


These were "better". Green and resinous. 328g (green) of Perle. Also first year plant. Never used it before, will have to check the recipe thread.


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## Yob (16/3/12)

Worth a giggle and a look.

Above: Those goldings look a bit old..


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## Wolfy (16/3/12)

Spork said:


> Do these hops look OK, or will they be no good, as I think I should have picked them sooner?
> 
> These were "better". Green and resinous. 328g (green) of Perle.


The Goldings are a bit brown and likely should have been picked a week or two ago when they were still green (when they were just starting to dry out and felt a bit like) , the Perle look about right.


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## Spork (16/3/12)

OK, thanks fellas. Will compost the goldings instead or risking a ruined brew with them.


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## Adam Howard (16/3/12)

Put them aside to use in a Lambic Spork!


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## Wolfy (16/3/12)

I can't imagine you'd ruin a brew with them.
However they do look like they are past their best so the AA%, flavor and aroma may be much lower than if they were picked earlier (much of the Lupulin will have fallen out or blown away as the hops dried and opened up).


----------



## Spork (16/3/12)

OK, so maybe hang onto them and use for keg hopping if I ever make an underhopped brew?
Hmmm.
Have an APA hopped exclusively with Zeus. It's big on the bitter already, but a teabatg of these in there could be the go...


----------



## Florian (16/3/12)

bradsbrew said:


> Anyone got a good control method for killing the little grasshoppers?



They've ruined my complete plantation this year! 
Started out as tiny green grass hoppers and over time mutated to huge brown monsters who have literally eaten every single leaf of my five plants.


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## kaspa07 (18/3/12)

Florian said:


> They've ruined my complete plantation this year!
> Started out as tiny green grass hoppers and over time mutated to huge brown monsters who have literally eaten every single leaf of my five plants.




Good luck I say
I don't really know much about the critters except they are highly mobile so ifyou kill the ones in your garden, new ones from the area will come in and youare back to square one.

Apparently they make a tasty treat when deep fired :blink:


----------



## kalbarluke (18/3/12)

Florian said:


> They've ruined my complete plantation this year!
> Started out as tiny green grass hoppers and over time mutated to huge brown monsters who have literally eaten every single leaf of my five plants.


 Pet chooks or ducks :lol: . As for chemicals, not sure. The rains this year have brought them on big time.


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## adryargument (18/3/12)

Had a second harvest of 350g wet.
Mix of Mt Hood, Chinook, Columbus, Hallertau, Goldings.

Looked a the plant and went 'f*** this, all going in one bucket, IPA mix.'

Edit: itchy.


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## DU99 (18/3/12)

adryargument..what a mix


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## Tony (18/3/12)

adryargument said:


> Edit: itchy.



Long sleved work shirt and gloves help. Hop plants are directly related to fiberglass roof insulation


----------



## bradsbrew (18/3/12)

Florian said:


> They've ruined my complete plantation this year!
> Started out as tiny green grass hoppers and over time mutated to huge brown monsters who have literally eaten every single leaf of my five plants.



Same here mate. And the plants have fired back up but the grasshoppers have returned. I have six hops I am watching each day :angry:


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## Lecterfan (20/3/12)

Mesa99 came around for a bit of vac-sealing action.

He got around 540gms dried first year harvest, I got close to 700gms dried second year harvest (Mesa: forgot to include the Goldings I threw in the fermenting Old ale)...I should have got double that but with all my mid season panic about fungus and pests I conclude I just didn't keep them moist enough to be happy when flowering.

Anyway, I'll probably chuck all of mine in at flameout for one monstrous 2012 vintage harvest ale.

Mine on the right, Mesa99's on the left.



:icon_cheers:


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## billygoat (20/3/12)

Lecterfan said:


> Mesa99 came around for a bit of vac-sealing action.
> 
> He got around 540gms dried first year harvest, I got close to 700gms dried second year harvest (Mesa: forgot to include the Goldings I threw in the fermenting Old ale)...I should have got double that but with all my mid season panic about fungus and pests I conclude I just didn't keep them moist enough to be happy when flowering.
> 
> ...



^^^^^^^^^^ Showoffs ^^^^^^^^^^


----------



## Shed101 (25/3/12)

Florian said:


> They've ruined my complete plantation this year!
> Started out as tiny green grass hoppers and over time mutated to huge brown monsters who have literally eaten every single leaf of my five plants.



I lost my entire lot to caterpillars. They were doing just nice and looking like flowers were just on their way, then the Goldings got attacked, next the Chinook and I thought the Cascade was going to be fine as they didn't seem interested. But no.

First year bad luck - next year i'll be ready for them B)


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## Midnight Brew (30/3/12)

Lost half my harvest from a storm snapping a few bines with heaps of flowers on them but this is the result

Chinook was the only one to flower, the rest got poisened by the local council :angry: 
Ended up with 330g dried.


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## Wolfy (30/3/12)

Midnight Brew said:


> Chinook was the only one to flower, the rest got poisened by the local council :angry:


What did you do to piss off the local council? Around here they don't even bother spraying the blackberrys most of the time!


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## Tony (19/4/12)

tried my Aussie Pale Ale made with my 2012 POR........ It's SHIT!

I set AA to 7% and it has next to no bitterness. It tastes like baby food custard.

very disappointed with the home grown hops.

I've had my fun, will rip them out when it cools down and give them to a friend...... or friends 

cheers


----------



## [email protected] (19/4/12)

Tony said:


> tried my Aussie Pale Ale made with my 2012 POR........ It's SHIT!
> 
> I set AA to 7% and it has next to no bitterness. It tastes like baby food custard.
> 
> ...



I did a few test boils of 1L bittered to 30ibu...in the end i think i got closest to what i perceived to be around 20 at the most and that was at 5%.

Interesting funky kind of flavour, very different to commercial POR and not really my cup of tea so i turfed them.

In hindsight i prob could have left them on the bine a bit longer as well, which is what i did with my Chinook
and pretty happy with it for some flavour and aroma.

I still think i will be giving away my POR as well.
Bit of fun anyway aye


----------



## Lecterfan (19/4/12)

Beer4U said:


> I still think i will be giving away my POR as well.
> Bit of fun anyway aye



If you end up coming up here, feel free to bring it...(flowers that is, I don't need another rhizome).


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## kelbygreen (19/4/12)

Yeah I done 2 brews one bittered with POR and had chinook at flame out it was alright but under bitter. The other was POR bittered and POR at flame out and it was by far the worst beer I brewed. The POR smelt so floral but nothing of that came threw in the taste. I to couldnt be stuffed with growing the plants its to unpredictable and inconsistent. Would rather spend $5 or so a brew to know I am using the right hops and right AA%


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## hoppy2B (19/4/12)

I tried my first ever brew made with my own Goldings hops and wheat last week and it was as bitter as hell and then some. :lol:


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## waggastew (19/4/12)

Have used my homegrown hops in three brews so far:

1. All HG Chinook PA/IPA - Still conditioning but snuck a taste a few weeks back. Seems to but under bittered even though I added extra to compensate for lower than commercial levels of AA. Will re-check in a week or so.

2. New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale Clone - Used my HG Goldings for late addition only so difficult to tell their contribution.

3. HG POR Aussie Megaswill - Still fermenting but is coming across very well. Bitterness is firm to high, again I added in a bit extra than if I used commercial hops. Character is similar/identical to my taste to commercial POR flowers.

Overall I am thinking that I will try and focus more on growing hops that I can use later in the boil (Goldings, Chinook, Cascade, Mt Hood) and use commercial hops (with their predictable bittering) for early additions.

Stew


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## kelbygreen (19/4/12)

yes I agree hops for bittering are no good unless you know the AA%. But for the little you use for late hops unless you do like 10mins addition of like 300g then I wouldnt bother with growing them. I may grow some for late hops but its hard to make a beer with all HG hops


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## hoppy2B (19/4/12)

I put down a brew on Tuesday. Took 120gram of wet frozen cluster out of the freezer, opened it and was totally blown away by the intense passion fruit aroma! It was incredible, as strong an aroma as the flavour is when you take a swig of a drink like passiona. 
I wish I had frozen more wet than what I did. Still have a bit more frozen wet. I don't expect the dry stuff to be the same but we'll see. The quick sip I took from the hydrometre yesterday morning when filling the fermentors was awesome.  Didn't have time to savour it because I was in hurry to get out the doorbut I'll enjoy drinking it though I'm sure. So fruity.
If you don't get the IBU you are after the first time just adjust your next brew. Some of you may have picked early.


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## Wolfy (21/4/12)

Lecterfan said:


> ...
> I got close to 700gms dried second year harvest
> ...
> Anyway, I'll probably chuck all of mine in at flameout for one monstrous 2012 vintage harvest ale.


I'm not sure I would have picked them as traditional-US-'D'-type hops, but a wonderfully interesting and well brewed beer.
Hopefully if you treat the plants a bit better next year and they'll give you a bigger crop to make even more great beer with.


----------



## Lecterfan (21/4/12)

Lecterfan said:


> It's been ups and downs with my lot this year, but today - out of sheer spite - I knocked out a 'wet-hop-harvest ale'...
> 
> While the boil was on I just went out and picked a heap that I had on the bine longer than last year in order to develop more lupulin and the papery feel etc...some of the hops are a bit small due to all my bullshit a few months ago (which came down to simply not giving them enough water), but they are full of yellow goodness, and some of the more sun exposed ones are a bit brown on the edges.
> 
> ...






Wolfy said:


> I'm not sure I would have picked them as traditional-US-'D'-type hops, but a wonderfully interesting and well brewed beer.
> Hopefully if you treat the plants a bit better next year and they'll give you a bigger crop to make even more great beer with.



Hey Wolfy -again thanks for the feedback - but post/pics above is the brew you've been onto...I actually have not yet brewed the threatened 'the entire harvest into one brew' brew yet haha...I am wondering whether to brew it for winter or spring consumption at this point....(if the pics don't load, go and check the post, it has the pics!!!).

Onya cobber!

edit: post 1092, page 55


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## Yob (21/4/12)

Tony said:


> tried my Aussie Pale Ale made with my 2012 POR........ It's SHIT!



THB Im growing a POR not for use but because I feel obliged to as I live in Ringwood..  

The plan is to have it more as a shade cover and decoration for the Brew Shed... whenever I can get a builder out here to do the effing thing..


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## hoppy2B (21/4/12)

It should be easy for homebrewer/growers to produce better hops than commercial plantations because of only a few plants to tend. For example commercial growers would be less likely to rely on manure for fully feeding their crop. 
Long story short, mine taste great! :lol:


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## Wolfy (21/4/12)

hoppy2B said:


> It should be easy for homebrewer/growers to produce better hops than commercial plantations because of only a few plants to tend. For example commercial growers would be less likely to rely on manure for fully feeding their crop.
> Long story short, mine taste great! :lol:


But it also depends on what expectations home-hop-growers have.

Without lab-analysis, you cannot know the exact AA% which make sit difficult to accurately use home-grown hops as bittering additions.
The location, soil, climate and how the hops are treated also have a large impact on their qualities (in terms of flavour, aroma and bitterness) - which may not always be exactly the same (or even similar) to their commercial counterparts.

So if home-growers expect their hops to be the same as commercially grown hops, they may well be disappointed.


----------



## kelbygreen (21/4/12)

+1 

I didnt expect them to be the same, But I did expect them to be close to the same. The POR was more floral then the chinook but adding it late in the boil gave a god awful taste! The chinnook smelt like grass clippings but late it was nicer then the POR but little to no aroma and flavour you would expect from chinook. 

I dont think I will bother next year I am not sure yet but decided the POR is going! cant have a bittering hop I dont think only ones they will be used at 10mins or less. 



Wolfy said:


> But it also depends on what expectations home-hop-growers have.
> 
> Without lab-analysis, you cannot know the exact AA% which make sit difficult to accurately use home-grown hops as bittering additions.
> The location, soil, climate and how the hops are treated also have a large impact on their qualities (in terms of flavour, aroma and bitterness) - which may not always be exactly the same (or even similar) to their commercial counterparts.
> ...


----------



## Wolfy (21/4/12)

kelbygreen said:


> I didnt expect them to be the same, But I did expect them to be close to the same. The POR was more floral then the chinook but adding it late in the boil gave a god awful taste! The chinnook smelt like grass clippings but late it was nicer then the POR but little to no aroma and flavour you would expect from chinook.
> 
> I dont think I will bother next year I am not sure yet but decided the POR is going! cant have a bittering hop I dont think only ones they will be used at 10mins or less.


I also suspect that it depends on where the plants have been sourced from.
Since it is very difficult to visually identify or differentiate between different hop varieties, I suspect that different varieties might - at times - become mixed up, and then that mistake gets transferred as the plants are distributed.

My Chinook smell almost overwhelmingly of pine-forest when they are drying, Cascade was strongly American-type-C-hop, Goldings were hoppy but earthy - so I'm hopeful that they are true-to-form.
Hallertau, Hersbruker and even my Saaz were very subdued and hard to differentiate, but being noble-type hops that might not be a bad thing.
However, the Columbus were almost overwhelmingly-horrible-pepper-spice so I'm very unsure about even using them, and my POR really don't remind me of the commercial POR flowers I have in the fridge, but will brew with them before deciding.


----------



## hoppy2B (22/4/12)

My hops seem very true to form. :huh: 
I feel sorry for the rest of you.  ..... :lol:


----------



## Yob (22/4/12)

the hop whisperer

Let there be foreheads on the floor and arms in the air


----------



## mmmyummybeer (22/4/12)

I noticed a big difference in my hops this year. Last year my Mt Hood was sensational. so I was very much looking forward to picking the abundance of hop cones on the bine this year. However when I did pick which was later side they had very little luplin this year. When I picked some and dried them out, all I got was grass also and decided it wasn't even worth picking the rest. 
The cascade however that was ok last year, was absolutely sensational this year, and a good yield too. So I guess you win some and lose some.

I have had problems with grassy flavours in my cascade in the past. I originally thought it must have been from wet hopping and brought a dehydrator and vacuum sealer, which I originally thought had done the trick but thinking now it was more to do with seasonal variations. As for adding lights to increase yield I would be more interested in ways to intensify the flavours rather than yield. If would be great to know what other things influence to hops such as fertilizer? water? climate?


----------



## kelbygreen (22/4/12)

Yeah I guess there is a few things that would effect them. Maybe all the rain we had impacted on them or maybe as wolfy said they may not be the plants that I intended to buy. 

The chinnook have very little lupin in them so that could be why they lacked in aroma and flavour. I left them on there till they died as I wasnt bothered to pick them so I left them till they turned brown and they did not develop any more lupin or aroma. 

The POR on the other hand had heaps of lupin and smelt great but for late in the boil it tasted straight up like arse lol and I couldnt be bothered working out how to use them as bittering additions.


----------



## jayahhdee (22/4/12)

For those of us that don't have hop plantations as of yet, when should we expect rhizomes to start coming on the market? Is is around June?


----------



## goatus (22/4/12)

mmmyummybeer said:


> I noticed a big difference in my hops this year. Last year my Mt Hood was sensational. so I was very much looking forward to picking the abundance of hop cones on the bine this year. However when I did pick which was later side they had very little luplin this year. When I picked some and dried them out, all I got was grass also and decided it wasn't even worth picking the rest.
> The cascade however that was ok last year, was absolutely sensational this year, and a good yield too. So I guess you win some and lose some.
> 
> I have had problems with grassy flavours in my cascade in the past. I originally thought it must have been from wet hopping and brought a dehydrator and vacuum sealer, which I originally thought had done the trick but thinking now it was more to do with seasonal variations. As for adding lights to increase yield I would be more interested in ways to intensify the flavours rather than yield. If would be great to know what other things influence to hops such as fertilizer? water? climate?



I noticed the same. My cascade last year was very grassy and only had a slight aroma, this year it is dripping with luplin and smells *amazing*. Must have been the weather? If anything i think i gave them less water this year.


----------



## hoppy2B (22/4/12)

jayahhdee said:


> For those of us that don't have hop plantations as of yet, when should we expect rhizomes to start coming on the market? Is is around June?



June would be a good bet, but I would think July would be a better month to dig them up or even into August. They don't start growing before about September and that is the early varieties. If they come out of the ground too early and get planted they will be sitting around dormant and more likely to rot off.
My advice to anyone growing hops is to put lots of manure on and to use liquid manure during the growing season to boost growth and flavour/quality. Don't let the plants get moisture stressed if you want pleasant flavour and good production.
I found they love water and believe its hard to over water them as long as you have good drainage. I get the impression that a lot of people's hops on here lack nutrient.


----------



## goatus (22/4/12)

hoppy2B said:


> I get the impression that a lot of people's hops on here lack nutrient.



Perhaps. I did drop a couple of bags of poo on each mound this year. Neglected the watering though.. perhaps i overwatered last year?


----------



## hoppy2B (22/4/12)

goatus said:


> Perhaps. I did drop a couple of bags of poo on each mound this year. Neglected the watering though.. perhaps i overwatered last year?



Next season drop on a couple of bags of manure and keep the watering and liquid fertilizing up. :lol:


----------



## kymba (23/4/12)

Blended about 140g of cascade and 70g of chinook as sub 10min additions in a pale ale yesterday. I had to throw away a pack of each as they were picked too early and smelt like dry grass, even after blending

ended up huffing the jug for about 5 minutes before rinsing it out with wort :icon_drool2:


----------



## kelbygreen (23/4/12)

why did you blend them?? To get the lupin out?


----------



## kymba (23/4/12)

kelbygreen said:


> why did you blend them?? To get the lupin out?



I have found that whole hops just sit on the surface, bobbing around, teasing me to dunk them under...but not after blending. Just making sure all the lupulins can escape into my beer

And i thought thats what all the cool kids were doing these days?


----------



## [email protected] (23/4/12)

kymba said:


> I have found that whole hops just sit on the surface, bobbing around, teasing me to dunk them under...but not after blending. Just making sure all the lupulins can escape into my beer
> 
> And i thought thats what all the cool kids were doing these days?



I dont know about being a cool kid... B) But if you want just the lupulin from your hops or instead of chucking hops that dont seem to have much lupulin, you could try doing an ice water extraction. You only have to google ice water extraction. I dont give a shit what people reference it to, i grew my hops for FUN and now im having fun with them. I dare say il only grow my chinook again next year and i will do this process again.

This is about 130g of lupulin, with a few bits of other crap in there cause i used a coarse filter. From 1.5kg wet chinook straight off the bine.
So far so good in terms of the aroma it imparts for the first beer i used it on just did a little 2L tester, will be interesting to see how quick it fades.
Current beer in cold condition i think i will make up my bulk priming solution and add some more at bottling in a few days.
Hopefully turns out ok cause its supposed to be going in the BAR swap on the weekend.


----------



## kelbygreen (23/4/12)

nice  this would cut down on the amount of hops you put in to. I just done a brew with 185g of saaz plugs and there was prob close to 3lts of just hop cones in the bottom. I should of put some voile over the end of the tube as they kept getting stuck in the end or in the ball valve and had to open it fully yo get them past. So ended up with like 10 or so cones in the cubes


----------



## hoppy2B (24/4/12)

Beer4U said:


> I dont know about being a cool kid... B) But if you want just the lupulin from your hops or instead of chucking hops that dont seem to have much lupulin, you could try doing an ice water extraction. You only have to google ice water extraction. I dont give a shit what people reference it to, i grew my hops for FUN and now im having fun with them. I dare say il only grow my chinook again next year and i will do this process again.
> 
> This is about 130g of lupulin, with a few bits of other crap in there cause i used a coarse filter. From 1.5kg wet chinook straight off the bine.
> So far so good in terms of the aroma it imparts for the first beer i used it on just did a little 2L tester, will be interesting to see how quick it fades.
> ...



G'day, sorry I'm having trouble working out the process from the info on the net. Does the lupulin fall to the bottom of the container in which you have ice and hops? Did you have your hops in a filter bag?


----------



## waggastew (27/4/12)

First proper tasting of my 2012 Chinook Harvest Ale. Recipe as follows:

1.5kg LDME
1 x Coopers Light Liquid Malt
400g	Carahell, steeped
100g	Dark Crystal, steeped
20g	Dry homegrown Chinook 60
15g	Dry homegrown Chinook 15
40g	Wet homegrown Chinook 10
50g	Wet homegrown Chinook 5
1/2 tsp Gypsum etc
Made upto 21L
WY1272 (American Ale II) at 17degC

SG 1.050, FG 1.013, estimated ABV 5.6%






Appearance - Golden with red tinges. Creamy fine white head with excellent lacing

Aroma - Subtle tropical aromas mixed with a malty caramel sweetness. Hint of spice.

Flavour and Mouthfeel - Very subtle hop presence, bitter sweet toffee malt wins. Bitterness comes through at the end to balance it somewhat. Definitely not an American hop bomb but the hop bitterness builds down the glass.

Overall - A nice enough ale on the subtle English end of the scale. Will be interesting to see how this one travels. Would probably try to load it up with more hops next year, tis the lottery of homegrown. Would be interested to taste a commercial all Chinook ale to compare flavours.


----------



## Tony (27/4/12)

I put my fermenter of Aussie Ale i made with my PoR in the fridge hoping it would taste better cold.

Wrong!

Down the drain it goes tomorrow and all my POR is going in the bin.

Plants are getting ripped out too........... they were good last year and if a slight change in temp, soil and water makes them taste like babyfood custard, i will just buy hops.


----------



## jimi (27/4/12)

Tony said:


> I put my fermenter of Aussie Ale i made with my PoR in the fridge hoping it would taste better cold.
> 
> Wrong!
> 
> ...



Is there any chance that your different drying method might have influenced this? My home grown hops have been disappointing so far and have tasted like tea leaves. I realized a bit to late that I probably stuffed them up by drying them in direct light. I've only run my home grown hops through my Randall so my experimenting hasn't cost me a batch though, so I'll keep experimenting


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## Tony (27/4/12)

no used the same method last year


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## Tony (27/4/12)

but i really should make one more small batch with a different yeast to rule out the hops shouldnt i :/


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## Wolfy (28/4/12)

Tony said:


> but i really should make one more small batch with a different yeast to rule out the hops shouldnt i :/


Nope.
I'm sure you've brewed enough beer to have a good idea what it's supposed to be like either in or freshly out of the kettle, if it tasted crappy then you are allowed to blame the hops.


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## kalbarluke (28/4/12)

Tony, you might have to change or alter your personal signature. "Defender of the Pride...of Ringwood ....as long as it wasn't grown in my own yard."


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## hoppy2B (28/4/12)

I remember when Tony picked his POR and posted pics I thought it was a bit early. 

Its my first year growing hops and I left mine for ages. I started panicking when mine started turning brown as I thought I had left them too long. They have turned out splendid though, marvelous, terrific, sensational, awesome. Yes indeed, they're absolutely fabulous darling. :lol:


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## drsmurto (28/4/12)

waggastew said:


> First proper tasting of my 2012 Chinook Harvest Ale. Recipe as follows:
> 
> 1.5kg LDME
> 1 x Coopers Light Liquid Malt
> ...



Wet hop additions need to be multiplied by 8-10 to be the equivalent of dried hops. So your late additions are tiny and your overall hop rates low.

I use dried homegrown chinook regularly in a rye golden ale with late hopping rates of 2g/L at 20 and 2+g/l at flameout. At that rate it's not in your face but a smooth hop character, not unlike B Saaz but with some passionfruit character as well.


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## hoppy2B (28/4/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Wet hop additions need to be multiplied by 8-10 to be the equivalent of dried hops. So your late additions are tiny and your overall hop rates low.
> 
> I use dried homegrown chinook regularly in a rye golden ale with late hopping rates of 2g/L at 20 and 2+g/l at flameout. At that rate it's not in your face but a smooth hop character, not unlike B Saaz but with some passionfruit character as well.




Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh: 

Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.


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## Thefatdoghead (28/4/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh:
> 
> Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.


How do you know what hop utilisation homegrown hops have in individual gardens when even if you tried couldn't get within 5 IBU's in a batch of wort?


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## drsmurto (28/4/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh:
> 
> Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.



PrSmurto? 

I've kept records of wet and dry from the past 5 seasons. Chinook loses ~85% of its weight each and every year.


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## hoppy2B (29/4/12)

DrSmurto said:


> PrSmurto?
> 
> I've kept records of wet and dry from the past 5 seasons. Chinook loses ~85% of its weight each and every year.



Fair enough, if that's what you're getting. I may be picking a little later as its my first season and I lack the experience of a long term hop grower. Mine all started to go brown before I picked them in a panic. Better than picking early judging from Tony's comments. 
I delayed picking for as long as possible because I was experimenting with making some of my own malt from wheat I grew and also didn't have time to put down a brew. I wanted to brew with wet hops.
If I recall, the driest mine came out at was 1/5 the original weight, at which stage they seemed to lack a lot of the aroma of the fresh product.


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## drsmurto (29/4/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Fair enough, if that's what you're getting. I may be picking a little later as its my first season and I lack the experience of a long term hop grower. Mine all started to go brown before I picked them in a panic. Better than picking early judging from Tony's comments.
> I delayed picking for as long as possible because I was experimenting with making some of my own malt from wheat I grew and also didn't have time to put down a brew. I wanted to brew with wet hops.
> If I recall, the driest mine came out at was 1/5 the original weight, at which stage they seemed to lack a lot of the aroma of the fresh product.



When to pick hops is a fine line between too wet resulting in low lupilin levels and lacklustre results in the beer and too dry causing lupilin to dry out and oxidise. I'd err on the too dry side.

I pick mine when they feel papery and the edges start to brown but it does involve a lot of guesswork. 5 years of experience helps but only slightly, I suspect i was very lucky the first year i harvested and have tried to pick at the same stage each year :lol: :icon_cheers:


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## hoppy2B (29/4/12)

These are most of this years harvest taken back in March. Foreground is the Cluster and from about the door handle is the Goldings. I picked about 3kg wet Goldings and 2kg wet Cluster.
Cluster started browning several days before the Goldings. Cluster seem to have a wide harvest window, particularly if picked for aroma. Very sweet on the nose.


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## stux (18/5/12)

So my POR bine (just finished first year) has just thrown up some nice new shoots :-/

It only just died back a month ago or so

Should I just let it go and maybe get an earlier start to the season, or do something else with the poor confused plant?

We don't get frosts


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## Bongchitis (18/5/12)

Stux said:


> So my POR bine (just finished first year) has just thrown up some nice new shoots :-/
> 
> It only just died back a month ago or so
> 
> ...



You don't get frosts in the Blue Mountains??

The new shoots will stall in time when the weather gets colder/days get shorter.


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## stux (18/5/12)

Bongchitis said:


> You don't get frosts in the Blue Mountains??
> 
> The new shoots will stall in time when the weather gets colder/days get shorter.



We're in a bit of a micro-climate in the lower blue mountains, and where the hops are we've never had frost

Okay, so I'll just let them be, was concerned that the rhizome reserves might get used up or something :-\


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## Wolfy (18/5/12)

Stux said:


> Should I just let it go and maybe get an earlier start to the season, or do something else with the poor confused plant?


I can't imagine that the bines will continue to grow though winter and since you have to wait for the longer day-length to get any crops, I can't imagine it will help either.
I'd be more inclined to chop them to encourage the plant to sleep over winter.


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## Filfy (18/5/12)

Great story here on hops and harvesting http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2012/s3496477.htm


Another here on aussie craft beer http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2012/s3491268.htm


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## Tony (18/5/12)

kalbarluke said:


> Tony, you might have to change or alter your personal signature. "Defender of the Pride...of Ringwood ....as long as it wasn't grown in my own yard."



I think that brew may have been infected. I had the hops out to throw but i kept them for another run.



hoppy2B said:


> I remember when Tony picked his POR and posted pics I thought it was a bit early.
> 
> Its my first year growing hops and I left mine for ages. I started panicking when mine started turning brown as I thought I had left them too long. They have turned out splendid though, marvelous, terrific, sensational, awesome. Yes indeed, they're absolutely fabulous darling. :lol:



Mmmm yeah your probably right, but they were all papery. The hops that grow on the inside of the lattice however do tend to stay soft and have bugger all lupin....... id say its them thats stuffing up the good ones outside in the sun.

I really need to grow them in a better place.


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## hoppy2B (19/5/12)

DrSmurto said:


> When to pick hops is a fine line between too wet resulting in low lupilin levels and lacklustre results in the beer and too dry causing lupilin to dry out and oxidise. I'd err on the too dry side.
> 
> I pick mine when they feel papery and the edges start to brown but it does involve a lot of guesswork. 5 years of experience helps but only slightly, I suspect i was very lucky the first year i harvested and have tried to pick at the same stage each year :lol: :icon_cheers:




Yeah my concern is with the actual drying of the hops once they're picked. I reckon if you over dry the little critters they end up losing all they're smell and you can't tell them from a bit of cardboard when you put them to your nose. :mellow:


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## drsmurto (19/5/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Yeah my concern is with the actual drying of the hops once they're picked. I reckon if you over dry the little critters they end up losing all they're smell and you can't tell them from a bit of cardboard when you put them to your nose. :mellow:



I dry mine on flywire screens for a week. Very dry by the end of it but still very pungent smelling. If you used a drying machine then yes, you could over-dry them. 

I then vacuum pack them and put them in the freezer. Even a year later they still smell amazing! :icon_drool2:


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## yum beer (19/5/12)

DrSmurto said:


> I dry mine on flywire screens for a week. Very dry by the end of it but still very pungent smelling. If you used a drying machine then yes, you could over-dry them.
> 
> I then vacuum pack them and put them in the freezer. Even a year later they still smell amazing! :icon_drool2:



I can vouch for that, still got a pack of the good Dr's chinook from last year...still sealed, smells ridiculous through the bag, 
will be chucking those in a nice pale in the coming weeks.


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## thylacine (7/2/13)

Nibbo said:


> Planted my Chinook donated by thylacine on the 26/8 and only now has it emerged....just. I've been like an expecting father pacing up and down checking it day and night. Hopefully the sunshine stays around to get it grooving along...so proud.


Hi Nibbo,

How is the Chinook doing now? Pics are from the 'parent' plant. Three pickings so far this year. ;-)


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## Liam_snorkel (7/2/13)

I think there might be a house under there somewhere


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## Nibbo (7/2/13)

thylacine said:


> Hi Nibbo,
> 
> How is the Chinook doing now? Pics are from the 'parent' plant. Three pickings so far this year. ;-)


Hey mate...

The Chinook is unstoppable...love it. It was the worst treated and easily grew the best (Out of 5 varieties - Chinook, Goldings, Mt Hood, Victoria & Cascade, 2 survived and the goldings hung on for dear life for months before going gangbussters). Chinooks been split into 3 and all are growing well and almost ready for first seasons harverst. Havn't got any photo's to post. I might try get some on here.

I'm hoping to pick up an old rusty windmill from a local farm which i'll probably grow some of the chinook up it next year.


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