# 2009 Hop Plantations



## Screwtop (8/4/09)

Early I know but hey! Looking for hop suppliers and came across this, for those brewers who are smokers and hop growers, it seems you can grow your own tobacco legally and as easily as hops or tomatoes for that matter, no risk buying black market chop chop if you grow your own.

Grow your own Tobacco - Seeds


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## gibbocore (8/4/09)

TOMACCO!!!


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## reviled (8/4/09)

You can also buy tobacco growing and curing kits here


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## kook (8/4/09)

You might want to double check that. My understanding is you need a license in Aus.

A search on the ATO website reveals pages and pages of "busts" where unlicensed growers have been caught.

edit: ATO FAQ:

http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/content.a...nt/00184278.htm



> *Can I grow tobacco plants for my own use?*
> 
> *No. *You must hold an excise licence to grow tobacco.
> 
> ...


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## reviled (8/4/09)

kook said:


> You might want to double check that. My understanding is you need a license in Aus.
> 
> A search on the ATO website reveals pages and pages of "busts" where unlicensed growers have been caught.



Stink? Its legal in NZ, just like distilling B) 

Geez - No wonder our dollars weaker than yours :lol:


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## raven19 (8/4/09)

:icon_offtopic: Are we way off topic here already?  

Back OT: My Hops are slowly shrivelling away, after some good first year growth - not one single flower though.

Fingers crossed for next year, by then they shall be in the ground, not in pots, so hopefully will fair better...


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## Fourstar (8/4/09)

raven19 said:


> Back OT: My Hops are slowly shrivelling away, after some good first year growth - not one single flower though.



I got 6 hops off 1 of my chinooks which should have been around 50 (damn melbourne heatwave killed everything.)

The 6 i got were mushed up in my palm... snorted, then dumped into a pot of APA to steep. nice and floral/spicy/grapefruity!

Once they die off for the winter, im upgrading the pot size in preperation for a big crop next season.


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## raven19 (8/4/09)

Fourstar said:


> I got 6 hops off 1 of my chinooks which should have been around 50 (damn melbourne heatwave killed everything.)
> 
> The 6 i got were mushed up in my palm... snorted, then dumped into a pot of APA to steep. nice and floral/spicy/grapefruity!
> 
> Once they die off for the winter, im upgrading the pot size in preperation for a big crop next season.



Sensational mate, great to hear you got a few at least. The heat did hurt them a lot I think.

Slightly :icon_offtopic: I am hoping to hear from the bank soon for our loan approval then we get a townhouse, and there is room for a brew shed & hop plantation. Giddyup!


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## Fourstar (8/4/09)

raven19 said:


> Slightly :icon_offtopic: I am hoping to hear from the bank soon for our loan approval then we get a townhouse, and there is room for a brew shed & hop plantation. Giddyup!



I live in a townhouse, its hard work brewing out in the open air, coming from using the parents garage when i used to live at home. I do however live within downwind reach of CUB... the smell mash/boil makes me want to brew every day i can smell it. If i go for a walk arond the yarra, its there every day. :icon_drool2:


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## chappo1970 (8/4/09)

raven19 said:


> Back OT: My Hops are slowly shrivelling away, after some good first year growth - not one single flower though.



Best way to cure that problem Raven is plant them in my garden


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## raven19 (8/4/09)

Chappo said:


> Best way to cure that problem Raven is plant them in my garden



As long as you are happy to courier the best 90% of flowers produced back to me.... I think we could then come to an arrangement!  :lol: 

In a few month, rhizomes/cuttings should start popping up on AHB.


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## brando (8/4/09)

Chappo said:


> Best way to cure that problem Raven is plant them in my garden




Here's a noobie question: is it totally out of the question even thinking about growing hops in Brisbane? If so, how about out Stanthorpe way where it's cooler?


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## Smashin (16/4/09)

In light of the thread topic, A Re-post from 2008 plantation thread. 



Heres my hops. ~1.7kg dry

Very happy for a first year harvest.


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## BobtheBrewer (16/4/09)

brando said:


> Here's a noobie question: is it totally out of the question even thinking about growing hops in Brisbane? If so, how about out Stanthorpe way where it's cooler?



Not at all. I had a pretty good result from my first year Cascade and am looking forward to much better this year

Bob (From Birkdale)


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## ~MikE (16/4/09)

Smashin said:


> In light of the thread topic, A Re-post from 2008 plantation thread.
> 
> attachment=26297:100_3356.JPG
> Heres my hops. ~1.7kg dry
> ...



That is a first year harvest? *stab*

i got about 16g wet off my first year cascade (that's like $1.60 worth! )


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## Fourstar (17/4/09)

~MikE said:


> That is a first year harvest? *stab*
> 
> i got about 16g wet off my first year cascade (that's like $1.60 worth!  )



Try around 4 shriveled Chinook flowers which should have been around 50-60 if it wasn't for the crappy uber-hot Melbourne weather! <_< 

It basically killed both of my plants and by the time they grew back it was all too late.


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## Mantis (17/4/09)

I have a couple of shade sails and one is going up over my hops next summer. It sure helps the tomatoes and other vegies


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## Smashin (17/4/09)

~MikE said:


> That is a first year harvest? *stab*
> 
> i got about 16g wet off my first year cascade (that's like $1.60 worth!  )



I still only got
Tettnanger - 42g
Hallurtau - 22g

dry they were smaller rhizomes and planted quite late in the season.


My Goldings was a massive rhizome so not too suprising for the first year
Goldings - 524g

These where also a fair size rhizome
Cascade - 252g
Perle - 573g
Hersbrucker - 374g

A phrase i've read in relation to hop growing is "its the length of the sun more than the quality of the sun" which help down here sun up ~4am sun down ~9:15 in summer. and crap loads of seasol and sulfate of potash.

at any rate I'm stoked at this point. nearly a years worth of hops.

Back to finishing the lab for the titration of the hops. I had a few trial runs at estimating the a-acids and need a different (EDIT) resolution of conductometer. Nearly there, in between shutdowns at work :angry:


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## suorama (17/4/09)

Because in Finland we have a spring time...
I just received my eight new rhizomes 

Chinook,
Golding,
Horizon,
Tetnanger,
Fuggle,
Cascade,
Hallertauer and
Nugget.

I add pictures to my gallery.

Last year I grow first year Willamette, Centennial and Cascade but cascade died soon after it sprouting (don't know the right term).
Willamette and Centennial got good grow but not produce any cones.

I have also unknow hop plants (two same) and two diffent domestic hop plants.

This year I wait even few cones :huh:


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## hoppinmad (17/4/09)

Is it possible to get a Saaz rhizome in Oz?


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## manticle (17/4/09)

Wrote this in another thread but it's been lost in the sea of AHB. I'm interested in growing my own hops so if anyone wants to part with seeds or rhizomes, let me know. I'll pay for postage and whatever other price you think is fair.

I'm in Melbourne.

Cheers.


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## Smashin (17/4/09)

manticle said:


> Wrote this in another thread but it's been lost in the sea of AHB. I'm interested in growing my own hops so if anyone wants to part with seeds or rhizomes, let me know. I'll pay for postage and whatever other price you think is fair.
> 
> I'm in Melbourne.
> 
> Cheers.



Also as stated many times, you don't want hop seeds you want hop rhozomes. This way you know what you are getting and that it is female. Hold off for a few months and there will be hops a plenty on ebay and ahb. buy large healthy rhozomes early and you should expect a half decent gowth being south enough in melb.


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## Barramundi (20/4/09)

just ahd a bit of a look at my hop plants , seems they are started to send out those little pink shoots again like they did at the start of spring is this normal or are they somewhat confused ?


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## manticle (20/4/09)

Smashin said:


> Also as stated many times, you don't want hop seeds you want hop rhozomes. This way you know what you are getting and that it is female. Hold off for a few months and there will be hops a plenty on ebay and ahb. buy large healthy rhozomes early and you should expect a half decent gowth being south enough in melb.



Cool, thanks.


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## sqyre (10/5/09)

I have decided to digup, bag and chuck my hop plant in the fridge untill october...
The weather of late has been all over the place from 5 one day to 27 the next which appears to be confusing the hell out of my plant.
Its leaves half died off but then it started shooting new shoots and i dont want it using up all its energy before dieing off again. 

Question - Is it better to split the plant before it hybernates or afterwards, just before you plant?

I got my Rhizome online 2 years ago and it was only 2 inches long, i have nearly killed it twice...
This is it now....





Sqyre...


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## JonnyAnchovy (10/5/09)

Smashin said:


> My Goldings was a massive rhizome so not too suprising for the first year
> Goldings - 524g
> 
> These where also a fair size rhizome
> ...



This is pure inspiration! I'm hoping to pick up some perle + goldings for the next season. How are you analysing the AAcids? are there commercial series practice on a home-brewing scale?


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## HoppingMad (10/5/09)

HoppinMad said:


> Is it possible to get a Saaz rhizome in Oz?



Never seen them for sale. But they grow them down in Tassie. More likely to be closer to NZ Saaz than the true Czech Saaz. They also have a variety down there called 'Summer Saaz' that the breweries pounced on last year - supposed to be very tasty. Never seen Amarillo for sale in rhizomes either - don't think it's grown in Oz yet due to quarantine. Now if only someone could lay their hands on some Galaxy :icon_drool2: that would be something!

Hopper.


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## Frank (10/5/09)

sqyre said:


> I have decided to digup, bag and chuck my hop plant in the fridge untill october...
> The weather of late has been all over the place from 5 one day to 27 the next which appears to be confusing the hell out of my plant.
> Its leaves half died off but then it started shooting new shoots and i dont want it using up all its energy before dieing off again.
> 
> ...


I would leave the hop plant all as one, will stop any chance of it drying it out. The chilling factor 'vernalisation' will do it good.
Leave some mulch/news paper/ compost or similar to keep it moist (but not wet). If you are storing in a newish fridge that has a defrost cycle, make sure it does not dry out. Do not store it in a container with a snap lock lid or it will rot, it still needs air.


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## Mantis (10/5/09)

My plant has died down so is digging it up and storing it in the fridge the normal way to do things , or can I just leave it in the ground???????????


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## Frank (10/5/09)

Mantis said:


> My plant has died down so is digging it up and storing it in the fridge the normal way to do things , or can I just leave it in the ground???????????



Your in VIC, so leave it in the ground. Hops need cold winters to set the crop for the next season. Only dig to be generous and give to other brewers, this can wait until they start to burst in August / September. Cutting and dividing rhizomes now on young plants may lead to rot if placed back into cold soil. I personally would wait until they have been in the ground for two seasons before digging up.


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## Mantis (10/5/09)

Ok, thanks for that. My plant didnt do much this year so I will leave it in the ground.
I have layered the main bine so hopefully some of it has rooted.


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## sqyre (11/5/09)

Boston said:


> I would leave the hop plant all as one, will stop any chance of it drying it out. The chilling factor 'vernalisation' will do it good.
> Leave some mulch/news paper/ compost or similar to keep it moist (but not wet). If you are storing in a newish fridge that has a defrost cycle, make sure it does not dry out. Do not store it in a container with a snap lock lid or it will rot, it still needs air.



Thanks Boston..
Growing hops here is a pain in the ass, 
We tend to have a short winter then 2-3 weeks of warm to hot days where the plants start shooting then we get Frosts again which kills them off again. (well the smaller plants do anyway.)
It not really "safe" to plant around here untill around the start of october.

Cheers Sqyre. :icon_cheers:


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## newguy (17/5/09)

I bought a buttload of rhizomes in March and they arrived in the mail when it was still -20C. I ordered 1 each of fuggle, hallertauer, golding, mt hood, willamette, cascade, centennial (for some reason they sent 2 of these) and sterling. I planted them April 5. There was still snow on the ground but the days were getting warm (5-10C highs), so into the ground they went. Since then we've had the strangest roller coaster spring I've ever seen. Highs of +22C one day, -20C the next. We had snow 3 days this week after Monday's nice +20C weather. It's finally getting warmer again. And some of the hops are finally sprouting. I feel like a proud father.




This is the fuggle. I think it finally broke ground sometime yesterday....




....Same with one of the the centennials.




The hallertauer is doing the best right now. It popped up about 2 weeks ago but I really wasn't sure it was a hop at first because it was growing so slow. Its growth was no doubt stunted by the strange weather.

Another 6 to go (I hope!). Lotsa fresh hops this fall! :super:


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## BOG (19/5/09)

I notice some guy selling rizomes on ebay and the bidding is up to $40 per plant.

Unbelieveable !

I'd like to plant some to just to dig it up and sell if for a profit.

So who is selling what this year and when does it all start?

Trading in hop rizomes looks like a profitable business!!
Not to mention the hops you get as by product ....


BOG


P.S PM me if your plannng to sell any. The inlaws just purchased 1000 acres and SWMBO has already said yes...


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## tumi2 (5/6/09)

Can you grow hops in a pot? If so which variety is best?


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## drsmurto (5/6/09)

tumi2 said:


> Can you grow hops in a pot? If so which variety is best?



Yes. Any.

All you need is a decent sized pot (50cm diameter min), a position where it gets plenty of sun and something to climb, the higher the better.


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## raven19 (5/6/09)

tumi2 said:


> Can you grow hops in a pot? If so which variety is best?



All varieties grow well generally in pots, where are you situated? 

Edit: Beaten by the good Doctor.


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## white.grant (5/6/09)

Chris Colby, editor of BYO magazine grows his all of his hops in containers. He has some interesting information about the process on his blog at www.byo.com.

cheers

grant


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## KGB (5/6/09)

This is a bit of a random question guys and I know I have ages yet to plant but I just got my rhizomes and am in the swing of things. 
Will hops mark where they climb after they die off? (eg lattice) I know they are "bines" not vines and am just wondering if my privacy screen is going to end up looking like it had ivy growing all over it when the hops die off and are cut back...


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## Guest Lurker (5/6/09)

They dont send out little rootlets like ivy, just wind themselves around, so it is possible to pull all the plant matter from the previous year off if you can be bothered.


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## BennyBrewster (9/6/09)

I dug up my Chinook Rhizomes yesterday to move them to my new garden. Don't think I will be keeping them in the fridge cause they take up to much room!

Chinook 1 year old grown in a large pot 2008/2009 season






Chinook 1 year old grown in ground from single leaf cutting 2008/2009 season


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## wambesi (13/7/09)

Barramundi said:


> just ahd a bit of a look at my hop plants , seems they are started to send out those little pink shoots again like they did at the start of spring is this normal or are they somewhat confused ?



Barra, still shooting out?
I just checked mine and the two I got from FJ which I threw straight into the pots instead of in the fridge and covered with some mulch have a 2" shoot with some small familiar leaves sticking out already. :blink: 

I accidentally broke one of them off as I wasn't expecting it to be there, but the other is still sitting there covered in mulch still...


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## Barramundi (13/7/09)

yep theyre all starting to send out shoots now i just keep covering them over with dirt to protact them from the cold, even noticed one i have sitting wrapped in newspaper in a room is sending out shoots like crazy too , gotta get some more pots and start planting them into the dirt.. hopefully year two delivers me some flowers


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## raven19 (15/8/09)

Checked on my potted Rhizomes from last year, and lo and behold, fresh shoots! woohoo!

A few warmer days of late here in Adelaide has awoken my hops.

I transferred 3 types into the ground, the rest got repotted to grow more root systems this year.

No flowers last year, but based on the rhizome growth fingers crossed I'll have some flowers this season.

Chinook, POR & Cluster here...


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## Barramundi (15/8/09)

i have three or four now that are sending out shoots lookin for sunlight and warmth


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## lobo (15/8/09)

my first year growing hops. cascade in half wine barrell. i planted it about 4 weeks ago and noticed last weekend that i had a shoot. paranoid it was too early i put sum more potting mix mounded up over it. is it not too early to satart seeing it grow, or should i be happy its started already?

Lobo


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## Barramundi (15/8/09)

ive been recovering the shoots with mulch for a little protection from the cold , but they seem happy enough ..


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## Jye (15/8/09)

My first year columbus has 5 shoots coming through, the first appeared a few weeks ago.


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## raven19 (15/8/09)

Barramundi said:


> ive been recovering the shoots with mulch for a little protection from the cold , but they seem happy enough ..



Great point, I shall continue to heap the mulch over too...


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## HoppingMad (15/8/09)

Must be shooting season, same here! 

Checked my hops today by pure coincidence (planted last year) and 3 out of four (Hersbrucker, Goldings & Columbus) have little purple shoots. The Goldings has the most activity with about four little ones popping up. The Hallertau is the only one without any surface activity - seems a little sleepy but will probably wake up soon.

Have a bunch of new zomes that I need to get into the ground, but think I'll fridge them for a bit longer yet. Gotta get some pots and it's a little chilly still at night around here still with the frosts.

Hopper.


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## manticle (16/8/09)

Better get mine in the gorund pronto.


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## Barramundi (16/8/09)

wait a little manticle , till the cold is over , dont wanna plant them then have a frost destroy them all ...


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## Steve (16/8/09)

Barramundi said:


> wait a little manticle , till the cold is over , dont wanna plant them then have a frost destroy them all ...



Id be sticking them in the ground now and cover with lots of mulch. This will protect them from the frosts.
Cheers
Steve


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## matt white (16/8/09)

Steve said:


> Id be sticking them in the ground now and cover with lots of mulch. This will protect them from the frosts.
> Cheers
> Steve



me too. Put em in soon. Mine (All 2-6 years old) have all shot underground and are well mulched with composted sheep poo to protect from frrrrost.


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## Doc (16/8/09)

Two of my five varieties are starting to show signs of shooting. My root stock looks nice and healthy so have fingers crossed for a coneful season 

Doc


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## devo (17/8/09)

I noticed a couple of my tettnang shoots had broken the surface the other day.


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## Mitternacht Brauer (17/8/09)

A pic of my new hop garden along east side of house


The hallatau shoot.


The mighty Cluster shoots. Lots of shoots from this baby. 



All these are in the ground for the first time this year .So will be interested in how they go out of pots . 

Cascade with only one tiny shoot at the moment ( not worthy of a pic ), hopeful of more to come.

Buster


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## eric8 (17/8/09)

Same here, my Cascade has started to shoot, I moved mine from the ground to a pot, so that i can put the pot on a wall, that way it will get the warmth from the wall and the sun.


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## raven19 (17/8/09)

eric8 said:


> Same here, my Cascade has started to shoot, I moved mine from the ground to a pot, so that i can put the pot on a wall, that way it will get the warmth from the wall and the sun.



Keep in mind it will need a lot of water and be proned to drying out if on the wall in the sun.


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## A3k (17/8/09)

I've got first year Chinook and a Hallertauer in pots. The Hal has 4 shoots about 15cm. When i first noticed them last week i was paranoid about the frost as we've had a bit in adelaide, but also too paranoid about cutting the shoots off like i'd read. Now i just move the Hal into the shed if it looks like it'll be frosty overnight.

I'm hoping this is the right thing to do.


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## Mitternacht Brauer (17/8/09)

I have a 4200 liter water tank for the purpose of hop garden and I am working on some diverters from downpipes at either end of garden .

Buster


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## eric8 (17/8/09)

raven19 said:


> Keep in mind it will need a lot of water and be proned to drying out if on the wall in the sun.


Very true Raven, and i have learn't that already from another plant that is in the garden bed but in front of the wall. The lack of water has dried it out and some of the leaves are burnt, so I will make sure that it gets water probably twice a day.


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## wambesi (29/8/09)

Well here's a pic of my Tettnang. They've enjoyed the nice weather here in Sydney recently and decided they just don't want to stay down.
The other plants are not doing alot yet but this little bugger is flying. I have to move froward my new trellis plans now...





EDIT: There is about two inches of that hay/mulch below you can't see as well.


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## glennheinzel (29/8/09)

My chinook is showing signs of life, despite Rukh Jr taking off layers of soil (when trying to help of course)...


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## NickB (30/8/09)

With the recent hot spell up here in SE Qld (over 30 for the last week or so), my hops have taken off something fierce! Growing like weeds ATM! All are first year hops in 40cm diameter pots.


View attachment 30254

Tettnang Pot 1


View attachment 30256

Tettnang Pot 2


View attachment 30257

POR


View attachment 30258

Chinook


View attachment 30259

The whole setup with lines run to the top of the fence. Have 10m of line attached to each pot - when they reach the top of the fence, the idea is to lower the bines to the ground and let the bines grow to the top again. Either that, or move the pots closer to the house and let them grow diagonally. The yard gets sun from about 6am - 5-5:30pm.


View attachment 30261

The butterfly I saw in the yard near the hops (hand for scale)




Cheers!


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## WobblyBoot (31/8/09)

HoppingMad said:


> Never seen them for sale. But they grow them down in Tassie. More likely to be closer to NZ Saaz than the true Czech Saaz. They also have a variety down there called 'Summer Saaz' that the breweries pounced on last year - supposed to be very tasty. Never seen Amarillo for sale in rhizomes either - don't think it's grown in Oz yet due to quarantine. Now if only someone could lay their hands on some Galaxy :icon_drool2: that would be something!
> 
> Hopper.



Bought a Saaz rhizome off ebay a few months ago. Not cheap, but really wanted Saaz. :icon_cheers: Lochrockinbeers was the seller, I think he's an AHB member too.

The Saaz hasn't taken off just yet - I have one little bud popping out, but my Hallertau (bought elsewhere on ebay) is loving life.

(August 17)




[EDIT - fixed photo link]

(August 29)





WB


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## O'Henry (2/9/09)

Have some chinook rhizomes I planted in a large pot last week. They had a bit of root growth on them and they were also sprouting nicely. I planted two inches below the soil and then mulched. How much water should I be giving them? Am super paranoid as my last plant rotted in the winter and I never saw growth. It is in full sun from about 8-5.


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## Mitternacht Brauer (2/9/09)

I have had a couple rot over winter . That is half the reason I take lots of cuttings during the early growth period. When they are growing I give them a drink mostly twice a day . but none during winter .

Buster


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## mckenry (2/9/09)

Just like clockwork. 1st day of spring yesterday and my cascade has poked its head out. 2nd yr for this plant, so hopefully some cones this year. Chinook - maybe she doesnt know its spring yet? She'll be right, gave me a bumper crop last year.


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## Mantis (2/9/09)

Took two chinook rhizomes out of the fridge a couple of weeks ago and put them in potting mix. One has roots shooting so I will put them into big pots this weekend.
Chinook in the garden from last year hasnt shown yet


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## Hashie (2/9/09)

My Hallertauer has green growth around 20 mm high. Tettnang has a couple of purple shoots just out of the ground and I'm still waiting on Mt Hood to surface.

All the same, I wouldn't mind if they stayed in bed a while longer. If they shoot to early a late frost will pull them up pretty quick.


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## sqyre (2/9/09)

Found my Rhizome trying to grow its way out of the Fridge...
So its been spliced 4 ways and been tossed into some potting mix...
se how she goes... :unsure: 

Sqyre... :icon_cheers:


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## roddersf (2/9/09)

Just started a thread here, but looks like this is the place to be!

Good to see heaps of potted hops everywhere, I dont feel so innapropriate anymore... :lol: .


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## daemon (2/9/09)

roddersf: Bought the same deal as you with similar hops, looking forward to growing a few different varieties this year. Hopefully they'll arrive before Friday so I can plant them on the weekend. I'm lucky enough to have a good size block so I have a number of garden beds dedicated to hops 

My rhizomes from last year haven't poked their head above the mulch yet (plenty of shoots ready to go though) however the new Tettnang rhizome is already through the mulch. I'll have 6 different varieties going this year, looking forward to more fresh hops over the next few years!!


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## Hutch (2/9/09)

My Chinook and Columbus are still idle, but the large-rhizome Hallertau has gone from shoots to about 60cm in the space of a week! Must be the chook-poo! No wonder these things grow >10 metres at that growth rate.


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## Mantis (3/9/09)

Had a close look at my chinook from last year and it is shooting. Must put some mulch over it as frosts are likely here for the next two months


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## HoppingMad (3/9/09)

WobblyBoot said:


> Bought a Saaz rhizome off ebay a few months ago. Not cheap, but really wanted Saaz.



Heaps of chatter on here about the parentage of this new Saaz that's popped up on ebay this year. (New Zealand, Tassie, Czech - no one seems to know)

Might need to quiz lochrockinbeers here on this one now that he's got some and is selling them. 

Be interested in what kind of flavours you get from the flowers. Think Czech Saaz has a bit of spiciness to them compared to stuff more locally grown (more grassy). But wouldn't know as haven't done a side by side comparison. Have noted that there are two Tassie Saaz varieties now appearing around the traps, The "Southern Saaz" (which has spice) and "Summer Saaz" (no spice, and subtle fruit characteristic).

Have heard from a hop supplier that the Summer Saaz (Tas) is being ripped out of the ground by some commercial growers due to poor yields and its temperamental nature. We might not see much of this hop around much in pelletised form soon methinks. Be interested to see how yours grows WB. If it does well and produces some spiciness it could be Southern Saaz.

Hopper.


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## white.grant (3/9/09)

Potted my POR, Tett and Hallertau this morning. They had all made a good head start in the fridge, with 2-4cm sprouts and roots forming nicely. Its a nice cloudy/rainy day today, perfect for them to aclimatise to the big world.

cheers

Grant


----------



## lochrockingbeers (4/9/09)

HoppingMad said:


> Heaps of chatter on here about the parentage of this new Saaz that's popped up on ebay this year. (New Zealand, Tassie, Czech - no one seems to know)
> 
> Might need to quiz lochrockinbeers here on this one now that he's got some and is selling them.
> 
> Hopper.





The saaz I have is of Czech parentage as stated. I doubt you'll be able to get any of the NZ saaz variants or the new Aussie saaz varieties because of breeder rights, patents, grower agreements etc. Maybe in 10 or 20 years. I'd be curious to hear how people go with saaz. I've found it to be much more vigorous than I expected but nothing like chinook. I expect yields will be low for most places as with Hallertau.


----------



## HoppingMad (4/9/09)

lochrockingbeers said:


> The saaz I have is of Czech parentage as stated. I doubt you'll be able to get any of the NZ saaz variants or the new Aussie saaz varieties because of breeder rights, patents, grower agreements etc. Maybe in 10 or 20 years. I'd be curious to hear how people go with saaz. I've found it to be much more vigorous than I expected but nothing like chinook. I expect yields will be low for most places as with Hallertau.



Sweet Loch. Good to know. 

Now if someone could climb a fence and get a cutting of galaxy for me.... :icon_drool2: That would be something! Sounds like that won't enter backyard distribution for a good while yet either - but we can all live in hope. (sigh)

Hopper.


----------



## Bizier (4/9/09)

HoppingMad said:


> Now if someone could climb a fence and get a cutting of galaxy for me.... :icon_drool2: That would be something!



If you are into Galaxy, you should plant up big on (easily available) Coumbus, they are pretty similar. Lots of fertiliser and sun and you will get those stanky stanky flowers cranking.


----------



## sqyre (7/9/09)

Going to see if i can get those lovely plants covering the verandah of my shed for the Swap this year..
So i've taken my Cluster Rhizome which went Nuts last year and chopped it up into 4 chunks and planted it in Bottomless "Pots" under the Shed verandah...
I've run 3 stringers from each "Pot" and will hopefully get it trained up to travel up to the Verandah where it can then branch out sideways..(hopefully)
I was going to do some window box style pots just under the upstairs verandah but i thought i'd give this a go first...

Anyhoo, heres a few pics of whats going on...





3 stringers for each Plant..



Should make a nice covered area too.. hopefully the Summer storms wont destroy it.. 
(ran out of string.. 4 more to go up when Renae gets back from the Hardware..  )



Little Fella sprouting after only 4 days being out of the fridge....

Sqyre..


----------



## A3k (7/9/09)

Hey fellas,

My Hallertauer WAS dooing pretty good, but it's been getting eaten by something recently 

It looks to me like caterpillars, but i haven't seen any around the plant or pot. (see pics)
I've also sprayed it with caterpillar killer stuff, so if it is caterpillars, the plant should recover.

Any Ideas?

Cheers
Al


----------



## raven19 (7/9/09)

A3k said:


> Any Ideas?
> 
> Cheers
> Al



Al - could be spider mites or similar.

Checking the 2008 Hops thread, Dr S recommended a chilli / soap spray to get rid of them. 

Edit - linkies Here and Here


----------



## A3k (7/9/09)

Cheers Raven,
I knew about spider mites, so i looked on the back of the leaves, but didn't know they were so small.

That pic looks pretty similar to the holes in mine (but mine are a little worse. I'll do the Chilli and soap (or oil and soap) tomorrow. That way i'll cover two bases (caterpillars and spider mites).

Thanks again,
Al


----------



## eric8 (7/9/09)

^^You might find it hard to see the caterpillars as they are probably green and almost the same colour as the leaves.

Sqyre, you sure will have a fair bit of height thereand the bottomless pots are a great idea. I bet they will go mental.


----------



## lochrockingbeers (8/9/09)

Guys

Spider mites don't cause leaf holes and defoliation like that!

If you can't find the culprit during daylight hours, have a look at night as some of the possibles like earwigs and caterpillars might only feed at night. Slugs and snails will leave the characteristic trail behind.

Some of the suggested control methods won't achieve much on some pests so it pays to find the pest before the cure. Most insecticides (natural or synthetic) work by contact so you need to spray when the pest is there.

Personally I wouldn't worry as the damage is minimal - it will grow through it. Defoliated plants respond well to fertiliser but not too much as the plant is still small.


----------



## Pennywise (8/9/09)

My Chinook has been in the pot for 2 1/2 weeks, nothing yet  . Hopefully she comes out to play soon.


----------



## drsmurto (8/9/09)

Spider mites tend to hand around the growing tips and dont cause damage like that.

As Lochy said, its probably either caterpillars or maybe earwigs. Check them at night as the critters may be night feeders.

Chilli/garlic/soap spray works well for mites but not earwigs/caterpillars. 

So far only my goldings have poked through the ground. 20 shoots already. Its going to be prolific this year!

Time to build that trellis.......


----------



## KillerRx4 (8/9/09)

eric8 said:


> ^^You might find it hard to see the caterpillars as they are probably green and almost the same colour as the leaves.



Yeah Looks like the damage Ive had from caterpillars. Bloody things are hard to spot, they camo themselves exactly same colour as the leaves & start off tiny. They grow pretty big if left to chow down.
Ive had success with pyrethrum to kill the damn things.


----------



## drsmurto (8/9/09)

KillerRx4 said:


> Yeah Looks like the damage Ive had from caterpillars. Bloody things are hard to spot, they camo themselves exactly same colour as the leaves & start off tiny. They grow pretty big if left to chow down.
> Ive had success with pyrethrum to kill the damn things.



Pyrethrum works a treat, i have some growing in the garden and crush up a handful of flowers when i make up my chilli/garlic/soap spray.

Just be sure to do it when the air is still, pyrethrum, whilst being organic, kills bees and other good insects.


----------



## Cannabaceae (8/9/09)

A3k said:


> Hey fellas,
> 
> My Hallertauer WAS dooing pretty good, but it's been getting eaten by something recently
> 
> ...


These caterpillars are very hard to spot, they are very small initially and match the leaf colour perfectly.
Here is a mature one that I caught chomping on my hop, I reckon it is around 50 times the size of the little ones. 




I checked my leaves for the source of the mysterious damage many times before I found the small caterpillars. 

They are always found on the underside of the leaves.

If you find them you could use Dipel made by Yates which contains a bacteria that is poisonous only to caterpillars, very safe and used by organic gardeners. A very cheap caterpillar deterrent is garlic spray.

Regards,
Rupert.


----------



## A3k (8/9/09)

Hi Guys,
I managed to find a caterpillar tonight. Exactly the same as yours *Cannabaceae. Mine was in a web (see pic). I only found it because two leaves were stuck together.

I'd already sprayed with that Yates Bacteria stuff ages ago, but i went to town on it tonight. 

Hopefully it fixes the problem, but i'll give it a dose of chilli and garlic anyway for good measure.

Cheers All*


----------



## RetsamHsam (9/9/09)

Just got in on the 4 for $48 special!! Let's hope I don't kill the little fellas


----------



## drsmurto (9/9/09)

Plenty of good pics here with trellis ideas but it appears most of you have your growing against solid looking fences or up wires/string to higher structures.

I am looking to build something that allows them to grow ca 5-6m straight up. Was thinking 25 mm 'tubular' iron (yes, i am crap at DIY and even worse at describing what to use) that will be bolted to the large perma pine posts that surround the chook yard. Then i can run a wire between the posts. I can then attach wire/string to this that runs down the ground to pegs in the ground next to the hops. 

Any ideas how i make sure that the wires that run down to the ground don't slide along the wire between the posts?


----------



## sqyre (9/9/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Plenty of good pics here with trellis ideas but it appears most of you have your growing against solid looking fences or up wires/string to higher structures.
> 
> I am looking to build something that allows them to grow ca 5-6m straight up. Was thinking 25 mm 'tubular' iron (yes, i am crap at DIY and even worse at describing what to use) that will be bolted to the large perma pine posts that surround the chook yard. Then i can run a wire between the posts. I can then attach wire/string to this that runs down the ground to pegs in the ground next to the hops.
> 
> Any ideas how i make sure that the wires that run down to the ground don't slide along the wire between the posts?




I supose it going to depend on what wire/rope your going to use...
I would use something a bit chunky for the main line between the posts like Telecom Rope or similar then you coould use any thiner rope or wire to tie on to that... 
Using a little bit of fencing wire tighted by twisting over the knots will help "crimp" them in to place.
or even small cable ties woud do a good job...

Ive never grown hops straight up before myself but i'm guessing they would still need to be trained to the wires for most of the journey up.. :huh: 
Hope you have a decent ladder...

Sqyre..


----------



## Mantis (9/9/09)

sqyre said:


> Going to see if i can get those lovely plants covering the verandah of my shed for the Swap this year..
> So i've taken my Cluster Rhizome which went Nuts last year and chopped it up into 4 chunks and planted it in Bottomless "Pots" under the Shed verandah...
> I've run 3 stringers from each "Pot" and will hopefully get it trained up to travel up to the Verandah where it can then branch out sideways..(hopefully)
> I was going to do some window box style pots just under the upstairs verandah but i thought i'd give this a go first...
> ...



That looks like a fantastic setup Sqyre. Bottomless pots work a treat for me with my tomatoes
:super:


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## ~MikE (9/9/09)

Smurto, grow them at an angle and you won't need the posts to be as high to get the same length of bine.


----------



## newguy (9/9/09)

My first year growing hops and I'm pretty happy with the results.




This is a picture of the back of the house with a Centennial, Willamette and Cascade from L-R. I just harvested the cones from the Centennial and Willamette today. The Cascade has a lot of cones but they're still pretty small right now. The aroma of fresh Centennial on my fingers was heavenly. I have an APA planned for them. :icon_drool2: 




Mt Hood winding its way up the arbour with the Cascade in the background. It has quite a few burrs (no cones yet).




A Golding. No cones at all, but that's not surprising.




Fuggle on the left and Hallertauer on the right. I harvested the Hallertauer last week and got 140g dried. I just picked the cones off of the Fuggle today and there wasn't much. Maybe 30 - 50g once they're dry. The Hallertauer is missing the bottom leaves due to a massive spider mite infestation. Once I finished picking the cones, I sprayed it with Sevin and that seems to have knocked them back.




My Sterling - the runt of the litter. From what I've read, this is supposed to be normal for their first year.




Another Centennial. It didn't do as well as the other one at the back of the house but it still produced cones. I just picked them today.

Things I've learned:
- I should be more patient. I dug up the Mt Hood, Sterling and the smaller Centennial because they were taking so long to come up. I broke shoots off of the rhizomes when I did.
- Aphids need to attacked as soon as I discover them. I made my own nicotine spray from boiled pipe tobacco and some dish soap and it worked very well to at least slow them down enough for the ladybugs to catch up.
- Spider mites are real bastards. They also need to be attacked early by removal of the affected leaves.
- I need to lay off the fertiliser. I actually slightly burned the Golding and Hallertauer by overfertilising. Luckily I caught the signs of damage early and watered the hell out of them which kept the burning to a minimum.
- I have to hang the hops using a detachable clasp so that I can lower the entire plant to the ground for picking, then raise it again.


----------



## drsmurto (9/9/09)

sqyre said:


> I supose it going to depend on what wire/rope your going to use...
> I would use something a bit chunky for the main line between the posts like Telecom Rope or similar then you coould use any thiner rope or wire to tie on to that...
> Using a little bit of fencing wire tighted by twisting over the knots will help "crimp" them in to place.
> or even small cable ties woud do a good job...
> ...



They seemed to wind themselves up the strings last year. All of 2m. Ladder is good but was hoping i could either build something that detaches or i could pull the bines down come harvest time.

Cheers for the tips though. I like the crimping idea. Can i use plain fencing wire for the vertical wire or does it need to be rough so the plant has somehting to grip?



~MikE said:


> Smurto, grow them at an angle and you won't need the posts to be as high to get the same length of bine.



Ok, so its not perfectly vertical. The peg in the ground next to the rhizome is ~1m from the fence line. 

With the goldings already unfurling leaves its time to pull the finger out, make a decision and just do it.


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## BennyBrewster (9/9/09)

My setup for this year.







There is a stainless cable across the top that runs over a pully and down to a tensioner bloted to the sleeper on the left hand side. The poles have a little flex though it seems to help keep the cable nice a taught.






Pride of Ringwood




The POR took off fast but has not grown much this week.

Chinook




Fast catching the POR even though it started 2 weeks later.

Hallertauer




Just starting to get going. Rhizome was alot smaller than the others.


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## drsmurto (9/9/09)

Love the setup Benny, thats pretty much what i am looking at doing.

Was is the rope/wire that runs down to the ground for the hops to climb up?


----------



## BennyBrewster (9/9/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Love the setup Benny, thats pretty much what i am looking at doing.
> 
> Was is the rope/wire that runs down to the ground for the hops to climb up?



Cheers Smurto, I hope it fills to a solid wall of hops!

It's Sisal twine that I got from bunnings. I havent used it before however the "Small Scale & Organic Hops Production" book has reference to it and says that it works quite well as long as you dont bury it as it is biodegradable and will rot.


----------



## Jye (9/9/09)

First yr columbus with 6 shoots. The tallest is about 40 cm and within 24 hrs of hooking up the string it has wrapped around twice... fast growing/moving little buggers


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## winkle (9/9/09)

I was going to use a poly pipe arch (3.3 meter lenght 50mm Poly pipe wedged on 2 x 6ft star iron pickerts times 4 along the west side of the house) but ran out of poly pipe halfway through  . The bloody hop shoot has shrivelled up too - I'd better repot the bugger with some fresh soil.


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## Bizier (9/9/09)

Killer stuff Benny! You will definitely reap something.

My city chinook + some tiny POR plants are taking off here in the recent warm. The speed is scary considering how tiny the twig was.


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## Pennywise (11/9/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> My Chinook has been in the pot for 2 1/2 weeks, nothing yet  . Hopefully she comes out to play soon.




Yay, I have a sprout. Bloody quick buggers aren't they, yesterday morning there was nothing, now I have a sprout about 5cm long. looks like I'll be building something for it to climb up this weekend before it gets too big.


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## Fents (11/9/09)

note to self must plant chinook zomes this weekend.


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## fraser_john (13/9/09)

Upgraded trellis system this year. POR has jumped out of the ground, other hops are Tettnang and Goldings. For both of these, I have already had to start pinching off the excess shoots, probably 20 pinched off the Goldings already.

Trellis is now about 18 feet tall, plenty of grow room! Each of my five hops now has this extended pole system. Each cross beam has a loop at the end, onto which I shall hang a string via a hook. To harvest I should be able to just unhook it and then lay the bine on the ground to harvest. Hmmm......"should".

This idea come from the hop growing guide.


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## devo (13/9/09)

Come back home after 4 weeks holiday to find encouraging signs of things to come for 2009. This is the second year since planting this Tettnang rhizome and the shoots are noticeably more robust in appearance than the previous year.




Fingers crossed :unsure:


----------



## manticle (13/9/09)

Tettnanger has sprouted two shoots. Still waiting on any sign of activity from my chinook.

Spent grain makes good mulch.


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## matt white (13/9/09)

Chinook usually shoots late, and then....kaboom....the most vigorous of them all!!!


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## notung (13/9/09)

gilbrew said:


> Chinook usually shoots late, and then....kaboom....the most vigorous of them all!!!



I put in 3 cascade, 1 goldings and a hersbrucker rhizome a week ago - still understandably no activity from them. A shoot from last year's chinook has just broken the surface. (May have done so sooner if I hadn't shoveled a pile of compost on top of it last Friday.) Looking forward to cones this year, hopefully...


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## Fourstar (13/9/09)

My chinook are beginning to sprout. the wired thing is the sprouts are eggplant purple! WTF?!?!


----------



## Bizier (13/9/09)

Fourstar said:


> My chinook are beginning to sprout. the wired thing is the sprouts are eggplant purple! WTF?!?!



That is normal.

My (purple stemmed) chinook is starting to go off, and is looking for my non-existent trellis.


----------



## white.grant (13/9/09)

Potted my Por, Tett and Hallertau 2 weeks ago and now have 5 cm sprouting above the pea strw mulch on all of them.
Gardening is great.

cheers

grant 



edit spell


----------



## Mantis (13/9/09)

Fourstar said:


> My chinook are beginning to sprout. the wired thing is the sprouts are eggplant purple! WTF?!?!



Ditto here 4* :blink:


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## Fourstar (13/9/09)

Mantis said:


> Ditto here 4* :blink:



Going to hit em with a great big boost of powerfeed and seasol later on... hoping to awake to jack and the beanstalk! :lol:


----------



## Maschenbrau (13/9/09)

Getting ahead a bit I know, but who has advice on storing hops once they've harvested them? Freeze 'em? Vacuum seal em? What's the go?!


----------



## ~MikE (13/9/09)

dry them, then bag them and freeze them. vacuum seal is good if you have it 

EDIT: just to clarify, you don't want to freeze them if you haven't dried them so i hear.


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## jyo (13/9/09)

fraser_john said:


> Upgraded trellis system this year. POR has jumped out of the ground, other hops are Tettnang and Goldings. For both of these, I have already had to start pinching off the excess shoots, probably 20 pinched off the Goldings already.
> 
> Trellis is now about 18 feet tall, plenty of grow room! Each of my five hops now has this extended pole system. Each cross beam has a loop at the end, onto which I shall hang a string via a hook. To harvest I should be able to just unhook it and then lay the bine on the ground to harvest. Hmmm......"should".
> 
> ...


----------



## HoppingMad (13/9/09)

Bizier said:


> If you are into Galaxy, you should plant up big on (easily available) Coumbus, they are pretty similar. Lots of fertiliser and sun and you will get those stanky stanky flowers cranking.



Great news Bizier :super: Planted a Columbus last year. Did very little in the spot it was in so no flowers. Maybe this year I'll get to see what their yummy flowers are like! Might have to move it into a primo spot.

Have shoots happening on my EK Goldings, Hallertau, Hersbrucker and good growth on a Willamette. Lots of little purple asparagus heads popping up! No action on the others yet.

Hopper.


----------



## benno1973 (13/9/09)

jyo said:


> You blokes in Victoria must've benefited from the unseasonal warmth goin on over there. Here in Perth (still freezin our balls off) my Cascade and Hersbrucker have only just popped a few purple shoots up, my mates Chinook and Hall are the same.



Yep, me too. My Mt Hood has just broken the surface with the sunshine today. It's about 1cm, but there's more cold weather and rain for the rest of the week...


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (15/9/09)

Well, I haven't been able to resist.

Thanks to a generous donation from AHBer O'Henry I've just put my already-sprouting Cascase in the ground, after adding a fresh 60L of compost to the soil. I've mulched with lucerne, and have promised myself to water and feed this baby like I have no plant before.

Expect to hear me asking noobish hop-related questions in this thread - it's my first season, afterall.


----------



## drsmurto (16/9/09)

JonnyAnchovy said:


> Well, I haven't been able to resist.
> 
> Thanks to a generous donation from AHBer O'Henry I've just put my already-sprouting Cascase in the ground, after adding a fresh 60L of compost to the soil. I've mulched with lucerne, and have promised myself to water and feed this baby like I have no plant before.
> 
> Expect to hear me asking noobish hop-related questions in this thread - it's my first season, afterall.




If you feed it and water it like no plant before you will kill it.

Overwatering and fertilising would be the #1 reason people kill their 1st year plants.

Hops are weeds!


----------



## mckenry (16/9/09)

Fourstar said:


> My chinook are beginning to sprout. the wired thing is the sprouts are eggplant purple! WTF?!?!



Same here. My chinook gave a bumper crop for its first year, last year and its poking up 5 or 6 shoots just now. 2 weeks behind my cascade.

My cascade sprouted 1st Sept. This plant was small and was first year last year. No flowers. This year, it's looking mighty strong. 

Fingers crossed.


----------



## ~MikE (16/9/09)

mine are in pots and i made sure the soil was well drained so i couldn't physically over-water 

the fertiliser i've been very paranoid about...

EDIT: mine start off purple as well, just chillax, it's fine


----------



## therook (16/9/09)

What size pots are you blokes using?
What would be the minimum size to use?

Rook


----------



## ~MikE (16/9/09)

50cm diameter minimum and i'm only letting 2 bines grow this year per plant. half wine barrels are ideal but not exactly cheap...

with pots, the root system will be limited by space, so what little it has needs to be well watered and fertilised.


----------



## apd (16/9/09)

therook said:


> What size pots are you blokes using?
> What would be the minimum size to use?
> Rook



50cm like Mike said.

Mine is 60x30x60cm, built from some fence palings and is on wheels. Hops on wheels!

There is a tiny Hallertau shoot in amongst the mulch.


----------



## Shortstraw (16/9/09)

Anyone have a problem with dogs eating their plants? I have Chinook PoR and Tettnang and my dog keeps eating my PoR. Its gotten over 3' tall twice and she managed to get through mesh to eat it the second timebut she ignores the unprotected chinook and tettnang. Any anti dog ideas?


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (16/9/09)

DrSmurto said:


> If you feed it and water it like no plant before you will kill it.
> 
> Overwatering and fertilising would be the #1 reason people kill their 1st year plants.



A cock-up before I even begin! thanks Dr. 

By fertilise - i actually mean condition with sea-sol. I'll be careful not to overstress it with piles of nitrogen-based fertiliser. 

I'm hanging out to see those little shoots!


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (16/9/09)

Shortstraw said:


> Anyone have a problem with dogs eating their plants? I have Chinook PoR and Tettnang and my dog keeps eating my PoR. Its gotten over 3' tall twice and she managed to get through mesh to eat it the second timebut she ignores the unprotected chinook and tettnang. Any anti dog ideas?



I'm paranoid about this - expecially since hops are so toxic to dogs. I'm building a makeshift chicken-wire fence.


----------



## suorama (16/9/09)

hmm. Speaking about fertilise.
I live in finnish woods so our soil is quite sour I think.
I planted my rhizomes with compost and give some ashes and very little chicken manure. Well first year my Centennial and Willamette grow about 4-5m and not make any cones. But I remember, if hops leafs start turn lighter green I give some fertilizer with water and leafs go back greener and plant grow more faster.
This year I not give that much fertilizer and hops grow about same lenght pretty fast and stop growing. It took ~1,5 - 2 months. After that hapens nothing at long time. There was something like 4 - 8 week before i saw first signs of burrs. Well if we have warm autumn, maybe cones maturing well. But soon we have first frosty mornings...

My local nameless hops are makes they cones long time ago.

Question is.
What You think, must I fertilize more or need to change soil or what?


----------



## Greg Lawrence (16/9/09)

JonnyAnchovy said:


> expecially since hops are so toxic to dogs.



Im sure thart I read somewhere (here on AHB) that this is all a myth, but Im not going to search it.


----------



## Sprungmonkey (16/9/09)

I'm not willing to risk it that why i planted my at the old folks hehehe


----------



## Screwtop (16/9/09)

JonnyAnchovy said:


> I'm paranoid about this - expecially since hops are so toxic to dogs. I'm building a makeshift chicken-wire fence.






Gregor said:


> Im sure thart I read somewhere (here on AHB) that this is all a myth, but Im not going to search it.



Had a dog nearly die from Marijuana poisoning a few years ago. Vet said it was fairly common occurance in parts hereabouts :lol: Same family, so I'd be doing whatever to prevent the dog from getting at them. 

Screwy


----------



## Greg Lawrence (16/9/09)

Screwtop said:


> Had a dog nearly die from Marijuana poisoning a few years ago. Vet said it was fairly common occurance in parts hereabouts :lol: Same family, so I'd be doing whatever to prevent the dog from getting at them.
> 
> Screwy



Yeah same family so they say, maybe a distant distant cousin. Ive grown both in the past and fail to see the anything in common between the two.
One grows from a rhyzome, the other from a seed. One is a vine, the other a shrub/tree.
There is a slight similarity in the smell (of some varieties), and maybe the stickness of the cones is similar, but thats about it.
My dog isnt interested in my hops unless the tennis ball lands in the pot., so Im not too worried either way.


----------



## Kleiny (16/9/09)

therook said:


> What size pots are you blokes using?
> What would be the minimum size to use?
> 
> Rook



An old wine barrel i picked up sheap cut in half. 2 pots

Should give them a good bit of room to grow into.

On your block rook you wouldnt need pots judt put them in the ground.

Kleiny


----------



## newguy (17/9/09)

Suorama said:


> hmm. Speaking about fertilise.
> I live in finnish woods so our soil is quite sour I think.
> I planted my rhizomes with compost and give some ashes and very little chicken manure. Well first year my Centennial and Willamette grow about 4-5m and not make any cones. But I remember, if hops leafs start turn lighter green I give some fertilizer with water and leafs go back greener and plant grow more faster.
> This year I not give that much fertilizer and hops grow about same lenght pretty fast and stop growing. It took ~1,5 - 2 months. After that hapens nothing at long time. There was something like 4 - 8 week before i saw first signs of burrs. Well if we have warm autumn, maybe cones maturing well. But soon we have first frosty mornings...
> ...



If you have a lot of pine/spruce trees then it's possible that your soil is too acidic, as you mentioned. Have you added lime to the soil to raise the pH? I've added some lime to the soil in my front yard because I have a huge blue spruce tree in the front and it's slowly killing the grass under it. The two hops I have planted there have done well so far.

You can also try digging cattle or horse manure into your soil. One last thing, I read somewhere that if the soil is lacking calcium that that can interfere with nutrient absorption by the hop. I actually watered my hops with watered down expired milk. One of them wasn't doing that well - very pale green leaves on the new growth and pale veiny patterns on the older leaves. Within a week of using the milk the plant had very deep green leaves everywhere.


----------



## roddersf (18/9/09)

Heres mine so far - I planted them on Monday 7th Sept, and I got the first shoots on the 16th!! Must be doing something right...  




From 2009 Hop Plantation">Hallertau - first shoot​All the others havent come up yet - you can see a little slideshow here.


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## roddersf (19/9/09)

I cut 3 buds off this morning and allowing 2 to grow - not sure if this is the right thing to do but dont want to overstress the little bundle of goodness.

:icon_offtopic: PS: Sorry for the bad quality pics - all taken on my phone which has the worst camera ever!!


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## manticle (19/9/09)

Chinook said hello a couple of days ago.


----------



## raven19 (19/9/09)

Took the mulch off my hops in both pots and in the garden, all are starting to shoot with the Cluster winning so far. Will need that trellis within a week or so I reckon!


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## Pennywise (20/9/09)

Spotted a 2nd shoot yesterday, first one has found it's little climbing wire. Just gotta keep an eye on it cause i'm trying to grow it horizontally


----------



## O'Henry (20/9/09)

I still have no action on my chinook and it has been at least 3 weeks. Should I be removing the mulch and replacing it once it is on its way?


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## wambesi (21/9/09)

I grew my chinook horizontally after about 2.5m high last year, it's instincts are to keep going up but it started learning and a quick reminder helped it out every now and then.

About the mulch, I just removed all mine even though we're still going to have some cold mornings. My chinook has just poked its heads out and I mean only just.
The POR on the other hand is going nuts, had to put my wire up on the weekend so it can grow across the yard as its almost at the top of the stake I put up.


----------



## jbirbeck (21/9/09)

Finally starting to see some action on my plants.

cascade was first out of the blocks but stalled. Now its sending up decent shoots. The Cluster is starting to make a concerted effort to catch up followed by the fuggles. But the Columbus and Chinook haven't decided to make any real effort...yet. It won't be long though there are early signs of some good growth. I'll try and get photos up.


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## matt white (21/9/09)

Patience O'Henry....they all have different shooting times and tend to sprout green leaves then stop for a few weeks while they send the nutrition from the sun into producing a good root system, especially in the first year.

Leave the mulch on the chinook as they are generally slow off the blocks and will make there way through the mulch layer (assuming it is only an inch or two thick).

Stop looking at them for a fortnight and you should see results. The more you prod and poke them the more chance of damaging the tender first shoots.

Dont overwater or overfertilise them. They are weeds and are extremely hardy. They hate being mollycoddled!


----------



## raven19 (21/9/09)

gilbrew said:


> The more you prod and poke them the more chance of damaging the tender first shoots.



+1. While I was removing some mulch I broke a very small shoot off of one of my plants.

Patience indeed is a virtue.


----------



## Doc (21/9/09)

Three of my five varieties are kicking in.

The Chinook which did well last year is coming through nicely.




The Perle is looking pretty good too.



The Columbus is the one going gangbusters.



The Hersbrucker and Tettnanger are just starting to poke through, although they don't get as much sun.

Doc


----------



## suorama (21/9/09)

newguy said:


> If you have a lot of pine/spruce trees then it's possible that your soil is too acidic, as you mentioned. Have you added lime to the soil to raise the pH? I've added some lime to the soil in my front yard because I have a huge blue spruce tree in the front and it's slowly killing the grass under it. The two hops I have planted there have done well so far.
> 
> You can also try digging cattle or horse manure into your soil. One last thing, I read somewhere that if the soil is lacking calcium that that can interfere with nutrient absorption by the hop. I actually watered my hops with watered down expired milk. One of them wasn't doing that well - very pale green leaves on the new growth and pale veiny patterns on the older leaves. Within a week of using the milk the plant had very deep green leaves everywhere.



Thanks newguy.

Yes, there are lots of spruce trees, few pines and junipers, but also many birch and few maple and basswoods (lime-tree?) (Oak and many others). But I use some leafy tree ash when I plant and later I use pinch of lime too. I put also handfull of chicken manure each hole. 

I think it helps little bit now, I give "autumn PK fertilizer" (straight traslate of finnish "syksyn PK lannoite" =) ) So it could be that lacking calcium problem. Now cones grow littlebit faster and maybe I can collect them soon.

What you think. Next spring, could I need dig up my hop plants and make bigger example 50cm diam. round hole and 50cm deep (it was 20 x 20 before). First put horse manure to hole and fill it whit new soil (I can buy from shop or use my own compost) and plant my hops again?


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## roddersf (21/9/09)

Doc said:


> Three of my five varieties are kicking in.
> 
> The Chinook which did well last year is coming through nicely.
> View attachment 31186
> ...



Doc - Looks like your in for a good crop this year.

Something I did seemed to spur them on a little: I gave them all a teaspoon of *fish emulsion* diluted in 5 litres of water and the Cascade decided it was time to come up, also the Hallertau has doubled in size almost overnight!! :excl:


----------



## Doc (22/9/09)

roddersf said:


> Doc - Looks like your in for a good crop this year.
> 
> Something I did seemed to spur them on a little: I gave them all a teaspoon of *fish emulsion* diluted in 5 litres of water and the Cascade decided it was time to come up, also the Hallertau has doubled in size almost overnight!! :excl:



A spot of gardening yesterday arvo, opened up the other two varieties to some more light.
They also all got a dose of Nitrosol on Sunday growth should start to kick in when we get some more sunlight.

Doc


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## jdsaint (22/9/09)

Are hops easy enough to grow guys?
been looking on ebay to grab a couple?


----------



## Bizier (22/9/09)

jdsaint said:


> Are hops easy enough to grow guys?
> been looking on ebay to grab a couple?



PM sent... YES, easy, fun and tasty. Plus current ebay prices are bargain basement.


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## Pennywise (22/9/09)

jdsaint said:


> Are hops easy enough to grow guys?
> been looking on ebay to grab a couple?




Well mine's growing and I manage to kill almost everything I grow. Funny, the only thing's I've ever been good at growing is veggies and weeds <_< and even sometimes my veggies don't do what they're supposed to


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## drsmurto (22/9/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Well mine's growing and I manage to kill almost everything I grow. Funny, the only thing's I've ever been good at growing is veggies and weeds <_< and even sometimes my veggies don't do what they're supposed to



Lucky for you hops are weeds so you should be fine  

Seriously.

Like bulbs, rhizomes have a store of energy so they don't need constant attention. Apart from some occasional watering, a feed once or twice during the growing season i don't give these plants much attention. 

During the height of summer when the mercury hits high 30s, low 40s then you need to water daily but apart from that the best advice is....

RDWHAHB

If you can kill a hop plant you should give up gardening full stop. Stick to plastic indoor plants. :lol:


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## Midnight Brew (22/9/09)

hey hey

I'm a bit confused after reading over a few threads on how hops are planted. I planted my hops at the start of the month with the white shoot looking things facing down, after realised this was the wrong way I've just pulled them out and planning on turning them around so the shoots face up like they are supose to. My question is a bit silly but I'm unsure and can't find an answer anywhere but here it goes

Do you plant the entire rhimzone under the ground or do you have some of it above ground so there is a stick looking thing poking out?

Just after looking at all your fantastic pictures I'm a bit confused cause mine looks like a stick in the ground.

dicko


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## roddersf (22/9/09)

Dickman said:


> Do you plant the entire rhimzone under the ground or do you have some of it above ground so there is a stick looking thing poking out?
> 
> dicko



G'day Dicko,

The usual practice is to plant them horizontally, with the bud ends about 2-3cm from the top and the root ends about 3-4cm.

*HopsWest* on ebay give you a really good set of instructions - you can see the planting side of these instructions in pics here.

EDIT: You could allow the buds to stick out of the soil so long as you plant the "rhizome proper" in this way.

Cheers,
Rod.


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## peter.brandon (22/9/09)

Just bought some hop rhizomes from ebay last week ... waiting for the packages either today or tomorrow .... cant wait!!!!

As per "Roddersf"'s post yes ebay is so cheap at the moment i picked up the following:

2x cascade, 1x hersbruker, 1x goldings - $48 + $10 postage

Chinook - $12 + $5.50 postage

I remeber seeing Chinook & cascade going for $50 about a month or so ago.

Yes these rhizomes may be a bit smaller but i am not expecting the best results out of my hops in the first harvest anyway. I am growing for next year!!!!

Cheers
Plyers


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## scott_penno (22/9/09)

I planted two rhizomes in August - Tettnang in a pot and Chinook in the ground. The Tettnang popped it's head up first about four weeks ago, threw six leaves and promptly stopped. I hope Gilbrew's right about stopping for a few weeks... The Chinook started growing about two to three weeks ago and has been heading vertical ever since. Currently one meter tall with a second bine just starting to take off. Thanks to fraser_john for the rhizomes...

sap.





​


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## BennyBrewster (22/9/09)

Big storms to hit sydney tonight, high winds and hail!! 

I have covered my hops in stacks of hay to try and protect them. Hope its not to harsh!


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## drsmurto (22/9/09)

Goldings going gangbusters!


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## Mantis (22/9/09)

Looking good but you might want to pull some weeds eh <_<


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## drsmurto (23/9/09)

Mantis said:


> Looking good but you might want to pull some weeds eh <_<



I did! You should have seen it before the photo..... :lol: 

I treat my hops like weeds. Hence the last piece of attention they got was when i cut down the bines and dumped a load of horse shit on them before winter. 

The rest of the vegie patch is knee high weeds! So they should consider themselves truly spoilt.  

My chilli plants on the other hand, they get all the love


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## Mantis (23/9/09)

Yeah the weeds are a problem this time of year. I dont bother weeding under my broad beans and they dont seem to mind. But around the tomatoes/peppers etc they get a good going over.

The chooks love them


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## I like beer (23/9/09)

got a question about last years hop plants, some of mine have shoots popping up about 60cm away from the main crown.They popped up last year and had small bines coming off them so should I just leave them to do their thing and dig them up next year. Will try to post photo to show what I mean later


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## O'Henry (23/9/09)

Saw some action while removing mulch to put elsewhere in the garden. Was quite excited. Thanks for all your words of relax, seems to have done the trick. Will post a pick If I ever get a camera...


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## drsmurto (23/9/09)

I like beer said:


> got a question about last years hop plants, some of mine have shoots popping up about 60cm away from the main crown.They popped up last year and had small bines coming off them so should I just leave them to do their thing and dig them up next year. Will try to post photo to show what I mean later



Have a look at my photo above.

The width of that photo is ~1m. And last year i had shoots appearing next to the fence, another 50cm away and a few 20 cm to the left of that shot. I cut those back when i cut the bines back and sold them. I suspect i will be able to do that every year or 2.

Hop roots spread like blackberries, dont be surprised if you find shoots appearing up to a few metres away.

I was digging up my veg patch to plant a winter feed crop of peas and discovered one of the other hop plants (chinook) has roots ~2m from the rhizome. 

Plan this year is to let all the bines you see in the above pic grow. Any later shoots will be cut back. Will also trim the leaves at least 50cm off the ground to allow air to circulate.


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## mckenry (23/9/09)

Why do people keep referring to hops as weeds? 
A weed as I learnt it, is a plant out of place. Or it is a plant that is detrimental / nuisance to the crop you are trying to grow.
If you want to grow hops, then they're not weeds. If a hop plant appears amongst your rose garden, then its a weed.
Being hardy does not make it a weed either.


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## drsmurto (23/9/09)

mckenry said:


> Why do people keep referring to hops as weeds?
> A weed as I learnt it, is a plant out of place. Or it is a plant that is detrimental / nuisance to the crop you are trying to grow.
> If you want to grow hops, then they're not weeds. If a hop plant appears amongst your rose garden, then its a weed.
> Being hardy does not make it a weed either.



Ah, a fellow pedant. :icon_cheers: 

I refer to them as weeds not in the literal sense but as as they show the same growth habit as weeds in my garden. I don't water them or feed them yet they still grow. If i showed the same lack of attention to my vegie patch it would die.

So yes, they are a very hardy plant. 

They are rhizomes so have their own energy store and therefore don't have the same energy requirements as say a tomato plant.


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## BoilerBoy (23/9/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Have a look at my photo above.
> 
> Plan this year is to let all the bines you see in the above pic grow. Any later shoots will be cut back. Will also trim the leaves at least 50cm off the ground to allow air to circulate.



Interesting DR S, I'm going to to the same with a 3 year old Tardif de bogogne which doesn't seem to flower much and what flowers it has produced have been fried in the sun. I'm thinking the standard commercial practice of 3-4 bines is a practical consideration for hop farms and then I read that Denny Conn (US) let a Cascade go unattended one year and got the best yield He'd ever had!

Its got about 16 runners appearing so far so I guess I'll have to settle for a number some point.

Cheers,
BB


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## hoppinmad (23/9/09)

Here's my Chinook, POW and Tettnang. All three rhizomes were accidentally frozen solid for a couple of weeks in an old fridge with a busted thermostat! They certainly must be tough little buggers!


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## big78sam (23/9/09)

well I think I might have killed my chinook rhizomes I planted 2 rhizomes at home about 8 weeks ago, one in the ground, the other in a 20-25L pot. After 2 to 3 weeks they sprouted. The birds took the first 2 shoots of both so for the last 2 weeks I've had them covered in net but nothing has moved. No new shoots and no growth on the remaining few mm's of the ones the birds got to. I've watered lightly every second day and fertilized once with an all purpose fertilizer, not on the hops directly but in a circle around the shoots about 20cm away and given them a water with seasol a couple of times. They get plenty of sun and conditions have been quite warm in Melbourne over the last 2 to 3 weeks. The inlaws planted a 3rd rhizome from the same batch at their place about 2 weeks after mine and it's going well.

I had expected mine to be about where sappas' is in his picture as they were planted the same time.

Anyway I'll just wait and see.

Oh and lochrockinbeats I ordered and transferred the money for a chinook rhizome off ebay from you. It might be a bit late to plant but I wanted to try another even if the others do live to tell the tale.


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## mckenry (23/9/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Ah, a fellow pedant. :icon_cheers:
> 
> I refer to them as weeds not in the literal sense but as as they show the same growth habit as weeds in my garden. I don't water them or feed them yet they still grow. If i showed the same lack of attention to my vegie patch it would die.
> 
> ...



OK - fair enough.


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## Fourstar (23/9/09)

HoppinMad said:


> Here's my Chinook, _*POW *_and Tettnang.



Is that Prisoner of War hops or hops with a lisp? Pride of Wingwood! hahaha! :lol:


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## hoppinmad (23/9/09)

Fourstar said:


> Is that Prisoner of War hops or hops with a lisp? Pride of Wingwood! hahaha! :lol:


  whoops... yes that would be POR


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## roddersf (23/9/09)

big78sam said:


> ...The birds took the first 2 shoots of both so for the last 2 weeks I've had them covered in net but nothing has moved. No new shoots and no growth on the remaining few mm's of the ones the birds got to....



What - now I have to watch out for birds too?! First Dogs now birds want *My Precious*...






I'll have to sleep next to them with a shot gun... MR FRODO!!!


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## Fourstar (23/9/09)

I went outside earlier, my growth 10 days ago was merely an inch, now both plants are around 1- 1.5 ft tall!  

Looks like i better run some lines to the Trellis ASAP!


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## roddersf (24/9/09)

Q: Whats the best hop string to use? Or does it matter? - looks like they're growing at about 5cm a day!!





My Preessshioussssssssss...... (Ok so I need to get out more...)


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## marlow_coates (24/9/09)

Quick question as I didn't want to read through all this thread (getting long).

My tettnang started a nice green colour, but has slowed and now has quite pale looking leaves that are small and seem underdeveloped.

Is it from too much fertiliser?
Not enough fertiliser?

Year one plant, planted in large pot, with compost and mulch mix for the soil. Watered daily.
Took off like a rocket but has slowed to this miserable looking thing.

Any ideas?

Cheers
Marlow


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## Pennywise (24/9/09)

Don't know much about hop plants yet, but you may be overwatering it if you're watering it every day. I spose it depends on how hot it is up there ATM


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## matt white (24/9/09)

First guess...too much water.

Water once weekly or if it dries out maybe twice.


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## marlow_coates (24/9/09)

Cheers guys

Have been watering daily, but it is pretty hot, and I watered last years plant daily and got awsome results.

Of course this is a different variety, so will give it a go.

Hard to not 'over-love' these plants I reckon.

Marlow


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## Pennywise (24/9/09)

I've been going by the rule that it doesn't get watered till the soil looks like it's drying out. Mine's about 20cm high now with a 2nd shoot starting a few days ago


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## RetsamHsam (24/9/09)

Fourstar said:


> I went outside earlier, my growth 10 days ago was merely an inch..
> 
> both plants are around 1- 1.5 ft tall!



Wow your growth is only an inch...  I've got an email somewhere that can help you with that.

Glad to hear your plants are doing well though.

I put 4 varieties in the ground last saturday. Woke up Sunday morning to find that my dog had dug up the two Chinook rhizomes :angry: So I replanted them and put some of those dog repellant crystals ontop, so far so good.

One of the shoots were broken, and I didn't cut it back. Will I have any problems because of this?


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## roddersf (24/9/09)

marlow_coates said:


> Quick question as I didn't want to read through all this thread (getting long).
> 
> My tettnang started a nice green colour, but has slowed and now has quite pale looking leaves that are small and seem underdeveloped.
> 
> ...



Hey Marlow, how big is the pot and how many shoots did you allow to grow? Attach a pic if you can.

Growing hops in a container is a little different (I'm told) to growing them on the ground as they wont be able to establish the root system they would normally have. So maybe its got soemthing to do with not enough root system to sustain the shoots??


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## marlow_coates (24/9/09)

Pot is 50cm across (or near enough). Certainly wont encumber the roots for a while yet, as was only a small rhizome with shoot when planted. And only one shoot has taken off and was growing well till now. Can't get a photo now sorry.

Used the same sized pot last year for a different first year hop. Grew 150gms (dried weight of hops) in the first season, and when taken out of the pot had filled almost the whole thing.  

The reason I am miffed is that I am treating this new one the same as I did the last one.
Same soil composition to begin with, same place in the garden. Same watering routine.
Just seems to be struggling with a pigmentation problem currently. :lol: 
Will try not watering for a couple of days to see what happens.

Cheers

Marlow


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## ~MikE (24/9/09)

relax, it'll be fine. i'm assuming (i have some first year plants doing the same thing) it's expended all it's stored energy producing what it has and now has to develop it's root stock and make it's own food.


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## roddersf (24/9/09)

~MikE said:


> relax, it'll be fine. i'm assuming (i have some first year plants doing the same thing) it's expended all it's stored energy producing what it has and now has to develop it's root stock and make it's own food.



+1 Looks like you havent done anything wrong so just wait it out, its still early days anyway.


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## marlow_coates (24/9/09)

That actually makes a lot of sense. Cheers.

From such a small root a pretty impressive plant has grown very quickly. Make sense it would need to get some roots to continue.

The plant last year spent a couple of months growing roots first, with only dismal growth of the shoots.
Suppose this one is just going about it a different way.

Marlow


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## devo (24/9/09)

One of my tettnanger shoots has gone nuts and has already climbed about 1.5m up the wire!


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## white.grant (24/9/09)

devo said:


> One of my tettnanger shoots has gone nuts and has already climbed about 1.5m up the wire!




You stole my new avatar


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## Hutch (24/9/09)

marlow_coates said:


> That actually makes a lot of sense. Cheers.
> 
> From such a small root a pretty impressive plant has grown very quickly. Make sense it would need to get some roots to continue.
> 
> ...


mc, my Tettnanger is behaving very similarly, and I've done the same thing as you (small rhizome in a 50cm pot). I got it free from Fraser_john some months ago, and it was the first to shoot of 4 diff varieties, and now it's the smallest of the lot. 

The Hallertau (large rhizome) already has 2 shoots about 1.5 metres, and I'm only giving them a soak once a week at the moment. I certainly didn't expect such rapid growth this soon after winter.


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## Wonderwoman (24/9/09)

woohoo! :icon_chickcheers: 

one of my hops (both planted about 2 months ago) has finally poked it's head above the dirt

I was avoiding reading this thread for so long because I was upset that my hops didn't have any shoots. I had even given up checking the pots... so I was very surprised to see a 5 cm shoot this morning


----------



## HoppingMad (24/9/09)

Grantw said:


> You stole my new avatar



:icon_offtopic: Plenty of avatars for all here folks! 

Link: Ocktoberfest Pics


Wish I was there enjoying the festivities. Some day <sigh!>. 

Back on topic here's a hop update:

- Willamette: 22cm
- EK Goldings - 5cm
- Cluster - 3cm
- Hallertau - 2cm
- Vienna Gold, Chinook, Columbus and Hersbrucker all have small shoots but no serious action yet! Grow my pretties...grow!!!

Hopper.

Edit - forgot link. oops. now added!


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## marlow_coates (24/9/09)

:icon_offtopic: How do I get my avatar to show on my posts?

It is of a motorbike, and I see it in my profile page, but it doesn't show up on posts  

FYI I am pretty computer illterate.

Marlow


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (24/9/09)

wonderwoman said:


> woohoo! :icon_chickcheers:
> 
> one of my hops (both planted about 2 months ago) has finally poked it's head above the dirt
> 
> I was avoiding reading this thread for so long because I was upset that my hops didn't have any shoots. I had even given up checking the pots... so I was very surprised to see a 5 cm shoot this morning



Hey Wonderwoman, 

I hope the one poking up is the Mt hood . My Hersbrucker has the purple knobs just showing but hasn't moved in weeks . 

Cascade has a small bush about 5cm high .

Cluster also has small bush slightly bigger than the Cascade . 

Hallertau Has two small bushes . I also found that this one has sent out two other shoots that have popped up 30 odd cm from the main plant . If only they would start to get some height .

Mitternacht Brauer ( formerly Buster3931 )


----------



## devo (24/9/09)

Grantw said:


> You stole my new avatar



haha mine shows just a tad more of the right boob.


----------



## white.grant (25/9/09)

devo said:


> haha mine shows just a tad more of the right boob.



 


Back to the hops.

My Hall, Tet and Por are now 20-30cm up and about to start climbing up the string. 

I've potted another POR which I have growing in the back garden of work up in C'Town. It seems to be growing more vigorously and has two bines coming through the mulch now. Its a fair bit hotter up there compared to the 'gong and the growing position probably gets a few hours more sun each day. I'll be interested to compare the two plants once they mature.






Hallertau




Pride of Ringwood




Tettnanger

cheers

grant


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## RetsamHsam (26/9/09)

My Hallertau poked its head above the ground over night. Only one week after planting


----------



## lobo (26/9/09)

my cascade has been up for well over 3 weeks. they are only 5cm and have done nothing. anything i can do to help kick them along? they are in a half wine barrel w/potting mix and cow manure (old).

Cheers,

Lobo


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## Simon W (26/9/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> My Hallertau poked its head above the ground over night. Only one week after planting



Same, mine broke thru on Wed after less than a week in the pot.


----------



## raven19 (26/9/09)

lobo said:


> my cascade has been up for well over 3 weeks. they are only 5cm and have done nothing. anything i can do to help kick them along? they are in a half wine barrel w/potting mix and cow manure (old).



I think you will find that the initial growth can stall if temps get cooler and/or its putting energy into the rhizome instead.

I am sure they will be fine, give it time!


----------



## manticle (26/9/09)

Anyone having trouble with birds - buy a rubber snake or two. Place one near your precious plants, move every couple of days. Works a treat on tomatoes and strawberries so I assume it works for hops too.


----------



## Back Yard Brewer (26/9/09)

This is my Mt Hood popping its bines. This one is only in its second season now and I reckon its going to be a monster. Reminds ATM of something from the movie Alien. Mind you we have had a very wet winter and so far spring has not been much better.

BYB


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## devo (28/9/09)

Still coming along nicely.


----------



## Bizier (28/9/09)

My city Chinook has basically had all of the leaved rattled off it over the weekend. I think I have also lost a tiny POR that was being nursed into existence. I think a cat has broken the growing tip off chasing the many skinks about in the area. The rhizome looks swollen and healthy, but I am unsure if it had sufficient nodes to produce more shoots. Oh well.


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## I like beer (29/9/09)

Cluster-second year





Vienna Gold- second year





POR- second year


Last years Chinook is just popping shoots out, but it was slow to grow last year too.

We got 4kg from these plants last year so it will be interesting to see what we get this year.


We have Golding and Cascade new this year. Goldings has one shoot and Cascade has 3 different shoots all with leaves.


Mrs I like beer

( I like beer wanted the photos up but has no idea what to do)


----------



## Wonderwoman (29/9/09)

Mitternacht Brauer said:


> Hey Wonderwoman,
> 
> I hope the one poking up is the Mt hood . My Hersbrucker has the purple knobs just showing but hasn't moved in weeks .
> 
> ...



Hey MB... yes it is the Mt Hood. The hersbrucker isn't doing much on the surface, but hopefully is spreading its beautiful roots below the ground.


----------



## peter.brandon (29/9/09)

I just planted 6 plants roughly a week ago, the Chinook is the only one so far to raise its head. My question is when should i cut back some of the bines and how many bines should i cut back to? (i have read some where 2-3 bines per plant for a first year plant). These are all first year plants.

Cheers,
Plyers


----------



## newguy (30/9/09)

Suorama said:


> Thanks newguy.
> 
> Yes, there are lots of spruce trees, few pines and junipers, but also many birch and few maple and basswoods (lime-tree?) (Oak and many others). But I use some leafy tree ash when I plant and later I use pinch of lime too. I put also handfull of chicken manure each hole.
> 
> ...



I suppose you could try that but it would be easier to simply place a pile (perhaps 30-40cm high) of manure and new soil on top of each hop before it sprouts. You don't risk damaging the roots this way.


----------



## Screwtop (30/9/09)

roddersf said:


> Q: Whats the best hop string to use? Or does it matter? - looks like they're growing at about 5cm a day!!
> 
> View attachment 31274
> 
> ...



Baling Twine



Mitternacht Brauer said:


> Cascade has a small bush about 5cm high .
> Cluster also has small bush slightly bigger than the Cascade .
> Hallertau Has two small bushes . I also found that this one has sent out two other shoots that have popped up 30 odd cm from the main plant . If only they would start to get some height .



All sounds normal to me Midnight, they will get going in their own sweet time, depending upon your local conditions. I prefer if they shoot late, always seem much stronger. After planting a new rhizome it gets all excited and takes off without aclimatising and sometimes they suffer from the early burst, heat dry or whatever. Following seasons once they are familiar with their location they will shoot when the time/season/climate/hrs of daylight dictates, then they grow like weeds. Sounds like your Hallertau is happy in it's location, sending a shoot off 30cm away.

Screwy


----------



## scott_penno (30/9/09)

OK guys, I need a hand. First time growing hops so unsure of what to do...

First, my Chinook has now hit the top of the fence. Should I create some trellis roughly 5m tall for it to climb on, or is it OK just to let it run along the fence? What are the pro's and con's?

Second, I only had two bines on the Chinook, but upon closer inspection this afternoon, I found a couple of other bines that are just shooting roughly 50cm across the garden from where I planted the rhizome. Should I cut these off or just let them do whatever they're going to do?

Thanks in advance.

sap.


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (30/9/09)

I like beer said:


>



Good to see you have the sledge hammer there incase of any _Day of the Typhoids _type contingency arises.... Can never be too cautious....


----------



## Kleiny (30/9/09)

Ive currently got a tettnang and a mt hood in the mt hood is going crazy.

I have a problem in the leaves seem to be getting attacked by something, i can not see the culprite.

i used some pyretherin on them i hope it works. I will post a pic soon,

Has anybody tried a mix of garlic and chilly boiled and then strained, i was talking to my Greek neighbor and he uses this mix on his vege crop every year.


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (30/9/09)

JonnyAnchovy said:


> Good to see you have the sledge hammer there incase of any _Day of the Typhoids _type contingency arises.... Can never be too cautious....



and of course i mean triffids. Auto-spell check + Amarillo ale = spelling fail.


----------



## raven19 (30/9/09)

Plyers said:


> I just planted 6 plants roughly a week ago, the Chinook is the only one so far to raise its head. My question is when should i cut back some of the bines and how many bines should i cut back to? (i have read some where 2-3 bines per plant for a first year plant). These are all first year plants.



Up to 4 bines is usually what the commercial hop farms suggest.
Being a first year plant I would keep it to say 6 bines - they can be wound around each other on the same string though.

First year plants will be putting most of their growth into the Rhizome.



sappas said:


> First, my Chinook has now hit the top of the fence. Should I create some trellis roughly 5m tall for it to climb on, or is it OK just to let it run along the fence? What are the pro's and con's?
> 
> Second, I only had two bines on the Chinook, but upon closer inspection this afternoon, I found a couple of other bines that are just shooting roughly 50cm across the garden from where I planted the rhizome. Should I cut these off or just let them do whatever they're going to do?



I would add more trellis or guy wires/twine to let it continue to grow vertical.

They shall spread and shoot, you can dig it up and pot it separately or leave as is. Dig up at seasons end and sell/swap/pass on the leftovers to another brewer?


----------



## raven19 (30/9/09)

Kleiny said:


> Ive currently got a tettnang and a mt hood in the mt hood is going crazy.
> 
> I have a problem in the leaves seem to be getting attacked by something, i can not see the culprite.
> 
> ...



Mate it works a treat, use a little soap in there too to help it stick to the plants leaves.

Dr S uses this amongst other methods depending on whether its spider mites or other pests.

Have a look through earlier posts on this thread or the 2008 Hop thread for other solutions to these little critters.


----------



## I like beer (1/10/09)

QUOTE (JonnyAnchovy @ Sep 30 2009, 06:04 PM) *
Good to see you have the sledge hammer there incase of any Day of the Typhoids type contingency arises.... Can never be too cautious....


and of course i mean triffids. Auto-spell check + Amarillo ale = spelling fail. 

That is there for a visual warning  

Its what you cant see in the photo that you need to worry about


----------



## doon (1/10/09)

Need to take a photo of my Chinook's

I am amazed how these things grow everyday when i go to have a look they are bigger, my wife is sick of me dragging her over going "Look! Look!"


----------



## gunbrew (1/10/09)

Bought a large Chinook from e-bay, $25+11 express post from waggawagga on 22.9.09.
Arrived + Planted on 23.9.09.
Sprouted 24.9.09.
About 4 shoots are out and one grew to about 5 cm yesterday.
Poor quality mobile phone pics supplied.
Looking forward to further progress!


----------



## Screwtop (1/10/09)

Pretty sure Chinook is Native American for a wind (Chinook Wind) They grow so well all over Australia I think we need to look for a Native Australian name for our Chinook Hops :lol: 

Hows about Camira


----------



## newguy (2/10/09)

Screwtop said:


> Pretty sure Chinook is Native American for a wind (Chinook Wind).



Not sure you'd find a literal aboriginal equivalent as chinook means "snow eater".  It's the warm wind that comes out of the mountains in the winter in southern Alberta.


----------



## Screwtop (2/10/09)

newguy said:


> Not sure you'd find a literal aboriginal equivalent as chinook means "snow eater".  It's the warm wind that comes out of the mountains in the winter in southern Alberta.



:lol: Thanks for that Newguy

We have "Crow Eaters" here in AU  

Might have to search around some of the southern aboriginal dialects then!

Cheers,

Screwy


----------



## rysa555 (2/10/09)

Here are mine

Chinook doing well





POR is having some difficulties though, it shot off quickly to start with but completely stalled and didn't grow for 5 weeks, so i put a bit of dynamic lifter around it a few weeks ago to help get it going, now it has developed some spots, anyone know what this is and any advice to stop it?


----------



## bullsneck (2/10/09)

I'll echo what others have said already; the stalled growth may be the plant temporarily diverting it's energy to developing roots.

Mine have done the same, I'm not too concerned.

I can't wait to make some fresh hop beer!


----------



## drsmurto (2/10/09)

rysa555 said:


> Here are mine
> 
> 
> POR is having some difficulties though, it shot off quickly to start with but completely stalled and didn't grow for 5 weeks, so i put a bit of dynamic lifter around it a few weeks ago to help get it going, now it has developed some spots, anyone know what this is and any advice to stop it?



Premature.......errr, sprouting.

Happened to one of mine last year, grew 10 cm and then we had a good frost so it sat there sulking for damn near 2 months. Then it took off again.

All of mine have now broken the surface, goldings way out in front with the longest bine now ~1m. Cascade is just poking its head up to see what all the fuss is about.

Thought i could get away without extra trellis work this year but at this rate the goldings with be at the top of the fence in 2 weeks. 

AMB working bee........


----------



## I like beer (2/10/09)

do you have to trim all the bines back to 3or 4 or can you just let it go feral and see what happens(one of mine has over 40 bines coming out of it)


----------



## newguy (2/10/09)

I like beer said:


> do you have to trim all the bines back to 3or 4 or can you just let it go feral and see what happens(one of mine has over 40 bines coming out of it)



Just finishing my first year with hops and I didn't trim any bines. I figure that in the first year the plant needs all the sun energy it can get. Commercial growers will trim them back to 4-5 bines as that forces the plant to put all of its energy into just a few bines which (supposedly) equals more flowers. One of the guys in my club told me he trims his back to only 2 bines and his yearly harvest is more than he can use.


----------



## Fourstar (6/10/09)

Holy crap mine are going at full tilt at the moment. Ive been neglecting to run some lines to the trellis, turns out last night all i had todo was lift em up and give them a few wraps around the trellis myself. Self supporting already at around 2M since poking their heads out when i got back from my travels 3 weeks ago! I have a sneaky feeling im going to have a BUMPER crop this season. 

Pics will come soon...


----------



## sbidese (6/10/09)

First Time Hop Grower - Hi Gents,
I bought and planted three rhyzomes 2 weeks ago and have not yet seen and sign of life.
Should i be concerned?
Living in Melbourne


----------



## Fourstar (6/10/09)

Simon1 said:


> First Time Hop Grower - Hi Gents,
> I bought and planted three rhyzomes 2 weeks ago and have not yet seen and sign of life.
> Should i be concerned?
> Living in Melbourne



Most likely they are still dormant. Give them some time, food and loving and you will soon to see them sprouting. Younger rhizomes usually take a little for them to sprout and sprout well as they focus alot of energy into building a decent root system. A decent water in with some powerfeed and seasol will give them a little 'giddyup'.


----------



## matho (6/10/09)

Simon1 said:


> First Time Hop Grower - Hi Gents,
> I bought and planted three rhyzomes 2 weeks ago and have not yet seen and sign of life.
> Should i be concerned?
> Living in Melbourne




no just wait it all takes time


----------



## sbidese (6/10/09)

matho said:


> no just wait it all takes time



Not one of my strong points, thanks for the reply


----------



## Pennywise (6/10/09)

Yeah my first year Chinook took a few weeks to pop it's head out, went like a rocket for a week or two but now seems to have stalled, hasn't moved for almost a week.


----------



## peter.brandon (6/10/09)

Simon1 said:


> Not one of my strong points, thanks for the reply




Simon,

I am in Sydney but in the same boat i.e. bought some Rhizomes 3 weeks ago and planted 2 weeks ago. I have had the Chinook raise its head and now have a 10cm high bine and the hersbrucker has just raised its head but the cascade nothing as yet.

Like you i am impatient but understand (like others in the forum have stated) the Rhizome is establishing its root system. Hold in their mate i am sure you will have bine's coming out your ears soon.

Cheers,
Plyers


----------



## MarkBastard (6/10/09)

I bought some hops back in like July and I got them about 1-2 days before I was getting married and going on a honeymoon so I chucked them in the crisper of the fridge. I pulled them out about a week ago and planted them all together just to see if they're still alive. Funnily enough they looked like they'd been growing in the fridge. Some of them had 10cm long and very fertile looking shoots, as well as some small thin roots.

If they show signs of live I'm going to transplant them to separate pots. There's currently three in a medium sized pot.

Anyone think that's a good idea? At what stage would you move them? First signs of life ie green breaking through the soil, or would you wait for them to get a big bigger/stronger?


----------



## MarkBastard (6/10/09)

Have you guys thought about doing a sort of intentional public hop weed process?

Maybe plant a few rhizomes next to telegraph poles and see how they go, if they make a crop you can go and pinch some hops later on.

Next to railway fences would be even better.

Good for people that don't have suitable space at home perhaps?

We should all do it and make notes of where we've put them haha, and then we can make threads like "any public service Willamette growing in the Brisbane area?"


----------



## HoppingMad (6/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Have you guys thought about doing a sort of intentional public hop weed process?
> 
> Maybe plant a few rhizomes next to telegraph poles and see how they go, if they make a crop you can go and pinch some hops later on.
> 
> ...



Guerilla Gardening! h34r: I like it!


----------



## benno1973 (6/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Have you guys thought about doing a sort of intentional public hop weed process?
> 
> Maybe plant a few rhizomes next to telegraph poles and see how they go, if they make a crop you can go and pinch some hops later on.
> 
> ...



Councils often do weed spraying next to railway fence lines and on other council property. Having said that, I have a telephone pole on my front verge with good soil - would it be too thick to train a hop bine up?


----------



## MarkBastard (6/10/09)

Kaiser Soze said:


> Councils often do weed spraying next to railway fence lines and on other council property. Having said that, I have a telephone pole on my front verge with good soil - would it be too thick to train a hop bine up?



On the same token I've seen heaps of public areas that are already severely neglected, with growing plants all over fences etc. These places would be perfect candidates.

I don't know much about hops, but can they grow up wooden poles / brick walls etc?


----------



## HoppingMad (6/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> On the same token I've seen heaps of public areas that are already severely neglected, with growing plants all over fences etc. These places would be perfect candidates.
> 
> I don't know much about hops, but can they grow up wooden poles / brick walls etc?



Chain link fences would be perfect. My hops are surrounded by chicken wire to keep possums out. Every day they grow a bit more and have to untwine them off the wire. It's like they love the stuff. 

Hopper.


----------



## MarkBastard (7/10/09)

Nice.

Well if I have some excess Rhizome after this season I think I may just have to start this up. It'd be good if it got to the stage where we had a website where you could search for hop locations etc.


----------



## kram (7/10/09)

Hey Mark did you get potting/soil mix from bunnings for your pots? If so, what did you get? I need to get mine in the ground asap. Something was mentioned in a huge thread last year, I should've written it down.


----------



## MarkBastard (7/10/09)

I have my 4 rhizomes (I got 2 of the same type for some reason) in a fairly small metal 'drinks cooler' I'm using as a pot. The potting mix I'm using is just a potting mix I bought from kmart.

I have three big empty 'half wine barrel' style pots (they're not literally half wine barrels, a bit smaller, and are designed as pots). I've also got a few bags of the cheapest potting mix from bunnings.

I really think anything classified as potting mix will be just fine for hops. Just get whatever is cheap I reckon.

---

BTW I already have shoots from my hops, looks like they survived or possibly enjoyed the crisper. I think I planted them last Friday. Can't remember but yeah think it was only 5 days ago.


----------



## RetsamHsam (7/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Nice.
> 
> Well if I have some excess Rhizome after this season I think I may just have to start this up. It'd be good if it got to the stage where we had a website where you could search for hop locations etc.



Top idea.. I'll be in on this next year!!


----------



## QldKev (7/10/09)

My MT Hood up here in Bundy is powering along necely. It grew over 3 foot this week; it's now twisting its way along the patio roof line. mmm, lookimng forward to freshly hopped beers again.

QldKev


----------



## BennyBrewster (7/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Have you guys thought about doing a sort of intentional public hop weed process?
> 
> Maybe plant a few rhizomes next to telegraph poles and see how they go, if they make a crop you can go and pinch some hops later on.
> 
> ...



I have been planning on doing this for quite a while, growing up leaf cuttins as we speak to plan all over the place


----------



## MarkBastard (7/10/09)

Good work Benny. Keep some good notes. We could make a google maps style thing with all the locations marked out.


----------



## Fourstar (7/10/09)

Well here they are, my Chinook are going bezerk! I just realised i have a Cluster rhizome at my folks place. i should really see how its progressing. Will find out this weekend and make shure shes gettin a feed.

On the 12th of September they where nothing more than around 1/2 cm of shoots... look where it is today!




My POR baby i got from Boston... i pray she's growin a decent root system! B) Cheers bud!



Cheers! :beerbang:


----------



## sqyre (7/10/09)

Thought i'd better chuck on an update of how mine are going...

Here is my cluster with the bottomless pots...






And some i got from Hopwest.. (Rupert)





Sqyre..


----------



## scott_penno (11/10/09)

Does everyone dig up their rhizomes and store them over winter or is it OK to leave them in the ground?

sap.


----------



## NickB (11/10/09)

Hmmm, my plants (2x Tettnang, 1x Chinook, 1x POR) have stalled this past couple of weeks. The Tettnang were growing by far the fastest, and are both about 40cm long. The Chinook and POR however are still little bushes, maybe 10-15cm high, and the Chinook especially is looking quite yellow, and the ends of the leaves are browning. I'm watering these maybe every third or fourth day (basically when the ground seems bone dry), and they get the sun from about 10am - sundown. Any ideas on what the problem could be? Also noticed that the bigger Tettnang plant that has three bines growing, have all climbed up the same rope, and that one of the tips has browned and died off....


Help!!

Cheers

PS: All are first year plants in 45cm pots here in SE QLD


----------



## devo (11/10/09)

Tettnang has slowed a little but still managing an inch or two a day.


----------



## bullsneck (11/10/09)

I've got a Perle (2nd year) at about 1m.

Chinook from Les the Weisguy growing at about 10cm with four shoots.

Cascade from HopsWest with two bines have just sprouted after about 6 weeks in the ground.

It's all very exciting.

Perhaps we can start a thread of recipes using our fresh, green hops.


----------



## manticle (11/10/09)

Found a little shoot of the recently planted hallertau today.

Dug around very gently as I was worried about garden position and revealed a couple of tiny goldings shoots (ekg). With the chinook, hallertau, tettnanger and goldings I should be well sorted. If only I could find some amarillo and fuggles rhizomes I'd be set for a complete international brewing experience.

Pictures sometime but basically it all looks like a little green plant.


----------



## raven19 (11/10/09)

NickB said:


> Hmmm, my plants (2x Tettnang, 1x Chinook, 1x POR) have stalled this past couple of weeks. The Tettnang were growing by far the fastest, and are both about 40cm long. The Chinook and POR however are still little bushes, maybe 10-15cm high, and the Chinook especially is looking quite yellow, and the ends of the leaves are browning. I'm watering these maybe every third or fourth day (basically when the ground seems bone dry), and they get the sun from about 10am - sundown. Any ideas on what the problem could be? Also noticed that the bigger Tettnang plant that has three bines growing, have all climbed up the same rope, and that one of the tips has browned and died off....



Not sure on the weather up north, but I would be adding some mulch (pea straw or simalar) to keep moisture in the soil.

Dont feel like you have to water them too often, they should continue to thrive.

The leaves on my plants last season only browned off when they were finished and 'dying' back so to speak.

1st year plants in pots - hope for good rhizome growth, and hopefully flowers next season.


----------



## MarkBastard (11/10/09)

Is it actually possible to kill a rhizome?

I got two rhizomes of the one variety in one of my orders, I guess as a bonus from the seller. One looked like what I'd consider a proper rhizome, it was ugly like ginger with little hairy roots, but also there was what looked like a plain old stick. Dry, no roots, no shoots.

A week later that stick is breaking the surface of the soil with a few shoots!

The funny thing is it showed up as a dry stick, was left around the house for weeks, then put in the crisper for weeks, and then planted. I was almost going to just throw it away because I wasn't expecting anything.

These things really do grow like weeds. Incredible.

One thing I'm worried about though is if I go away at christmas time. I'd probably be away for up to two weeks. Is there a temporary watering alternative one can do? They're in pots.


----------



## drsmurto (12/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Is it actually possible to kill a rhizome?
> 
> I got two rhizomes of the one variety in one of my orders, I guess as a bonus from the seller. One looked like what I'd consider a proper rhizome, it was ugly like ginger with little hairy roots, but also there was what looked like a plain old stick. Dry, no roots, no shoots.
> 
> ...



Very hard to kill these buggers!

If you are away for 2 weeks maybe look at water crystals or even a water bag - Link


----------



## raven19 (12/10/09)

Cover in lots of mulch before you go away. That will help protect them somewhat.

If in pots, maybe provide some protection around the pot circumference from drying from the sun by using some insulation of any kind (foam, carboard, etc).

Get the neighbour to water them once a week if really worried.


----------



## Tim (12/10/09)

I have several hop plants down at my parents farm. I pretty much neglect these, poor soil, never water them etc and they are fine. I wouldnt worry about leaving them unwatered for 2 weeks.


----------



## MarkBastard (12/10/09)

Cheers guys, mulch and water crystals look the go.

I don't know any of my neighbours!


----------



## peter.brandon (12/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> I have my 4 rhizomes (I got 2 of the same type for some reason) in a fairly small metal 'drinks cooler' I'm using as a pot. The potting mix I'm using is just a potting mix I bought from kmart.
> 
> I have three big empty 'half wine barrel' style pots (they're not literally half wine barrels, a bit smaller, and are designed as pots). I've also got a few bags of the cheapest potting mix from bunnings.
> 
> ...



I did the same .... potting mix from bunnings approx $6 a bag then bough some cow manure approx $6 a bag and added 1 bag of maure to 5 bags of potting mix. 

My hop plants (cascade x 2, chinook, goldings, hersbrucker) are all first year small stick like rhizomes (not a large established rhizome) and in pots. They are all doing great and all have shoots after approx 3 weeks, the constant rain in Sydney has helped.

Chinook is the leader at about 40cm high, the rest approx 5-10 cm high.

Note: i bough a low-mid range potting mix and its fine - could be the manure thats helping the potting mix though. I havent hit them yet with seasol put plan to when the rain slows down.

For anyone that considering growing hops .... its easy ... do it!

Cheers,
Pete


----------



## MarkBastard (12/10/09)

Yeah it really is easy.

My potting mix said on the packet that it should contain enough food for 4 months. I figure most potting mixes are sort of pre-fertalised so I'm not going to feed these hops until they've all grown a bit.


----------



## lobo (12/10/09)

i have a cascade which has been slow growing since about 4 or 5 shoots popped up. i have since noticed that all the tips have been eaten. has anyone had anything similar? birds? its in a half wine barrel against the shed.

Lobo


----------



## sqyre (12/10/09)

lobo said:


> i have a cascade which has been slow growing since about 4 or 5 shoots popped up. i have since noticed that all the tips have been eaten. has anyone had anything similar? birds? its in a half wine barrel against the shed.
> 
> Lobo



Dont have chooks do you?? <_< 
My chooks are now in lockdown untill all the shoots grow at least 2 foot...

Sqyre...


----------



## lobo (12/10/09)

no chooks sqyre, but plenty of wood pidgeons etc on the back lawn. maybe i should cover them up. i havnt read anything on this or any other thread about birds eating the shoots.

Lobo


----------



## manticle (12/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Cheers guys, mulch and water crystals look the go.
> 
> I don't know any of my neighbours!



Offer them some beer?

Can vouch for water crystals and mulch though.


----------



## manticle (12/10/09)

lobo said:


> i have a cascade which has been slow growing since about 4 or 5 shoots popped up. i have since noticed that all the tips have been eaten. has anyone had anything similar? birds? its in a half wine barrel against the shed.
> 
> Lobo



Rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 
rubber snake scares away the birds, 


rubber snake scares away the birds.


----------



## MarkBastard (12/10/09)

Do rubber snakes really scare away birds?

I have annoying crows that I wish I could shoot, if a snake would get rid of them I'd definitely buy one!!


----------



## manticle (12/10/09)

I was sceptical when first told about it but my strawberries and tomatoes last year couldn't have survived without them. I believe you need to move them every couple of days.


----------



## jbirbeck (13/10/09)

My Columbus about to go...


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (13/10/09)

Rooting Kings said:


> View attachment 31871
> 
> 
> My Columbus about to go...



I thought exactly the same thing about 5 weeks ago . They have all popped up their heads and are about the head up . 

Three have sprouted leaves and I hope they are shooting roots out all over the place but I would love to see some height on any of them. The hersbrucker still has just the sprouts poking through . 

Be patient .


----------



## drsmurto (13/10/09)

lobo said:


> i have a cascade which has been slow growing since about 4 or 5 shoots popped up. i have since noticed that all the tips have been eaten. has anyone had anything similar? birds? its in a half wine barrel against the shed.
> 
> Lobo



Earwigs, spider mites or maybe even caterpillars.

If its mites they are very hard to see and their webs are so fine that unless you get the perfect reflection you cant see them. Spray the tips and leaves with either a commercial pyrethrum mix (or use pyrtherum flowers if you have it in your garden) or make up a chilli and garlic spray.

Caterpillars should be visible. Kill them manually.

Earwigs feed at night. Get several pieces of newspaper and rub them over the bbq till they are nice and greasy. Roll them up nice and tight and tie them up with string. Place them next to your plants. Every morning unroll it over a bucket of hot, soapy water. If its earwigs, they will be in the newspaper.


----------



## MarkBastard (13/10/09)

All of my hops have now at least one shoot that's broken the surface.

The POR has about 6! Bit of a shame though because it's the least desirable hop. Has anyone done anything with these that doesn't taste like aussie lager? Would they work alright green in a pale ale perhaps?


----------



## drsmurto (13/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> All of my hops have now at least one shoot that's broken the surface.
> 
> The POR has about 6! Bit of a shame though because it's the least desirable hop. Has anyone done anything with these that doesn't taste like aussie lager? Would they work alright green in a pale ale perhaps?



Bigh made a POR ale for an AMB single hop challenge. Used fresh season POR flowers from memory and it completely changed my opinion of this hop. Its what i will be brewing with my POR flowers although i will still dry them before use.


----------



## peter.brandon (13/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Yeah it really is easy.
> 
> My potting mix said on the packet that it should contain enough food for 4 months. I figure most potting mixes are sort of pre-fertalised so I'm not going to feed these hops until they've all grown a bit.




My plants after 3 weeks ....
From left to right - Hersbrucker, Cascade, Chinook, Cascade .... the Goldings is not pictured put has two shoots 10cm high.



Cheers,
Pete


----------



## MarkBastard (13/10/09)

Wow look at the chinook go!


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## kram (13/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> All of my hops have now at least one shoot that's broken the surface.
> 
> The POR has about 6! Bit of a shame though because it's the least desirable hop. Has anyone done anything with these that doesn't taste like aussie lager? Would they work alright green in a pale ale perhaps?


Coopers is POR isn't it? Works well in that.

I've used POR flowers in a couple of beers but I had an assortment of issues with them, nothing to do with POR though. As long as it's fresh you'll be sweet and I guess you won't know what your POR is like until you brew with it. Did a dark ale with it (pellets) a year ago and the beer turned out great.


----------



## MarkBastard (13/10/09)

Hmm a dark beer, I like your thinking, is POR used in Tooheys Old?


----------



## kram (13/10/09)

I think so, just for bittering I'd imagine. I've got an 'old' dark ale sitting in a cube to be fermented that used POR bittering only. Also got a beer with gilbrews chinook flowers sitting in a cube to be fermented. When I get around to fermenting them and if they don't die on me like the rest of my beers this year I'll save some for you.


----------



## Screwtop (13/10/09)

My girls (Wurtemberger, Perle, Chinook and Cluster) are all still sleepy, just thinking about summer and throwing new bines at present. 









In May I dug out the POR due to the shed placement in the yard. Popped it in the fridge along with two new rhizomes Cascade and Hallertau. Planted them out today all had nice shoots. Will see now in a few weeks what they are all up to.

Screwy


----------



## sqyre (13/10/09)

manticle said:


> Rubber snake scares away the birds,
> rubber snake scares away the birds,
> rubber snake scares away the birds,
> rubber snake scares away the birds,
> ...



We have real snakes here... and the Birds attack them... 
thats how we know there is a snake in the grass down the back the little birds with the Yellow eyes peck the shit out of them.
Not to mention the Kookaburra's are often seen smashing one against a tree trunk to kill it.. :blink: 

City Birds need to HTFU!!! :lol: 

Sqyre..


----------



## bconnery (13/10/09)

manticle said:


> I was sceptical when first told about it but my strawberries and tomatoes last year couldn't have survived without them. I believe you need to move them every couple of days.



If you don't the birds get use to them and come and shit on your deck anyway...


----------



## Mantis (13/10/09)

lobo said:


> i have a cascade which has been slow growing since about 4 or 5 shoots popped up. i have since noticed that all the tips have been eaten. has anyone had anything similar? birds? its in a half wine barrel against the shed.
> 
> Lobo



Could be earwigs. Traps can be made by mixing some barby fat with some beer and placing it around in old marg containers. The wigs cant resist the stuff and drown in the hundreds

This is the only thing that saved my seedlings of all sorts last year. The wigs were eating the new shoots of carrots, passionfruit in fact any new green shoot.

I reduced their number greatly using the above


----------



## fraser_john (13/10/09)

Mantis said:


> Could be earwigs. Traps can be made by mixing some barby fat with some beer and placing it around in old marg containers. The wigs cant resist the stuff and drown in the hundreds
> 
> This is the only thing that saved my seedlings of all sorts last year. The wigs were eating the new shoots of carrots, passionfruit in fact any new green shoot.
> 
> I reduced their number greatly using the above



You leave the lid off the marg tub? Or cut holes around the side they can then climb up and drop in?


----------



## Mantis (13/10/09)

Just leave the lid off. I think its the beer that attracts them and the fat that buggers them up somehow, but it works a treat


----------



## Mantis (13/10/09)

bconnery said:


> If you don't the birds get use to them and come and shit on your deck anyway...




Prolly a dumb question but where would one buy a rubber snake (please no sex toy jokes here <_< )


----------



## brendo (13/10/09)

Mantis said:


> Prolly a dumb question but where would one buy a rubber snake (please no sex toy jokes here <_< )




I would think that a toy shop would be a good place to start...


----------



## manticle (13/10/09)

sqyre said:


> We have real snakes here... and the Birds attack them...
> thats how we know there is a snake in the grass down the back the little birds with the Yellow eyes peck the shit out of them.
> Not to mention the Kookaburra's are often seen smashing one against a tree trunk to kill it.. :blink:
> 
> ...



Maybe the city birds are simply in awe of The Snake That Can't Be Killed?


----------



## manticle (13/10/09)

brendo said:


> I would think that a toy shop would be a good place to start...



$2 shop, reject shop, fetes and fairs, magic shops, toy shops, op shops.


----------



## lobo (13/10/09)

thanks for all the info guys. i will try some of the above.

cheers,

Lobo


----------



## Simon W (13/10/09)

Mine are starting to take off.
1st year, 40L pots.
Front to back-- Hallertau, Goldings, Cascade, Hersbruker.
The Hallertau was the first up then stopped, but seems to be on it's way again.
Now I need to find homes for them and string up some twine.


----------



## Damian44 (14/10/09)

Hi. Im visiting my mum in Bathurst, and looking for a spot to plant my hops. Unfortunatly she lives on top of a hill and its very windy. Is the wind going to be a problem? TYVM.


----------



## [email protected] (14/10/09)

Here is my "plantation". Six hop plants at my in-laws place. 

The Tardif de Borgogne, Goldings and a Cascade have sprouted. Waiting on the other Cascade and the Hallertau to get moving.


----------



## newguy (14/10/09)

Damian44 said:


> Hi. Im visiting my mum in Bathurst, and looking for a spot to plant my hops. Unfortunatly she lives on top of a hill and its very windy. Is the wind going to be a problem? TYVM.



Just finishing my first season with hops (northern hemisphere) and all of mine survived the windstorms, including 4 that were strong enough to break trees all over the city. Just make sure they're properly trained on some sort of twine/rope/trellis and they're pretty much immune to the wind in my experience.


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## MarkBastard (14/10/09)

How do hops go growing near the ocean? Like right next to it? Does the salt spray affect them?


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## raven19 (14/10/09)

Cluster going nicely... need that hop trellis pronto!!!!


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## raven19 (14/10/09)

Chinook coming to life after doing not much at all for the last few months...





POR always growing... even in pots!


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## wambesi (15/10/09)

Quick update on my hops.
POR is growing like crazy, the Tettnang is slow and steady and my Chinook has finally surfaced!


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## MarkBastard (19/10/09)

my little baby... aww






Anyone know why these things have two different types of leaves?


----------



## Fourstar (20/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> my little baby... aww
> Anyone know why these things have two different types of leaves?



Plloooiiiiseee Explian?


----------



## Maple (20/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> my little baby... aww
> 
> 
> Anyone know why these things have two different types of leaves?


mmm... must be a columbus, or closely related.... makes for great fresh-hopping...


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## MarkBastard (20/10/09)

Fourstar said:


> Plloooiiiiseee Explian?



See in the picture how you have the normal leaves that look like pot leaves, but there's also those two tiny tear drop ones closer to the stem in the middle?

(It's Chinook btw)


----------



## Maple (20/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> (It's Chinook btw)


I loved a bit of 'chinook' back in the uni days...


----------



## Fourstar (20/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> See in the picture how you have the normal leaves that look like pot leaves, but there's also those two tiny tear drop ones closer to the stem in the middle?
> 
> (It's Chinook btw)



Oh yeah i know what you mean, I think thats where the side runners usually sprout(where the hop cones grow).


----------



## I like beer (25/10/09)

Just been out in the garden with the wife looking at my hops, 4 from last year & 2 from this year when she said what are those shoots there, turns out they are from last years vienna gold (1.2mts) away and going mad. decided to pull them out as they are growing like weeds on steroids. Go over to last years chinook which is only just getting away when the missus says whats that one there, looks like its coming from a goldings rhizome put in the ground in August over a meter from the chinook. Might have dig everthing up next year & put tin gaurds down in the ground


----------



## bullsneck (25/10/09)

My Chinook that I got from Les the Weizguy for a Perle.


----------



## doon (25/10/09)

what pest sprays do you guys use? my leaves seem to be getting eaten by some invisible bug was thinking it was aphids?


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## doon (25/10/09)

actually i can see your plant Bullsneck has the same holes on the leaves as my Chinook


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## bullsneck (25/10/09)

Yeah, I wasn't sure what was eating them.

What I'll do is try 5 or 6 things to deter these little critters. I vaguely remember a chilli mix that people spray on their leave to ward off any unwelcome insects. You might have to do a search for that. (Check out previous years 'Hop Plantation' threads)

In the picture you can see blue pellets. They are snail pellets.

If the holes are getting worse, I'll try something else.


Edit: missing parentheses.


----------



## Midnight Brew (25/10/09)

hey hey

My chinook popped up and said hello yesterday. I went out this morning to have another look and it has grown more over night! Can't wait for this beauty to boom on up!

Cheers 

Dicko


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## NickB (25/10/09)

Can hops have too much sun? Mine get sun pretty much all day, and the leaves and shoots have wilted and gone brown  One plant has started a new sprout, but the others appear gone. No holes on the leaves, so doesn't look like pests.

Will be moving house in a week or so, and transplanting into the ground (currently in 45cm pots).

What is the correct amount of sunlight for hops, or more importantly, hops in SE QLD?

Cheers


----------



## QldKev (25/10/09)

Couple of pics for Hops (Mt Hood) in Queensland - Bundy.

These are growing along East-West, house is on the southern side. 

First pic was taken 1 Oct 2009



Second pic was taken quickly tonight. 25 Oct 2009. The end of the bine is actually of the pic, overall the main bine is about 16 foot long. This is growing along the patio roof. As you can see in the pic there are several side shoots starting.




You want the most sun hours you can get a day for best flower development.

Sorry about the poor pic quality, but it was a last minute idea.

QldKev


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## MarkBastard (25/10/09)

NickB said:


> Can hops have too much sun? Mine get sun pretty much all day, and the leaves and shoots have wilted and gone brown  One plant has started a new sprout, but the others appear gone. No holes on the leaves, so doesn't look like pests.
> 
> Will be moving house in a week or so, and transplanting into the ground (currently in 45cm pots).
> 
> ...



Nick, something I read a while back suggested that in hot climates like SEQ, hops are best to be shaded during the hottest parts of the day. For example getting indirect sun only from 11am to 2pm or something like that.


----------



## raven19 (25/10/09)

Chinook going strong, 1m high now.

Tettnang did not shoot, dug around - and the rhizome had rotted away!  

POR's, Goldings both going great too, around 0.5m tall.


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## MarkBastard (26/10/09)

My chinook is getting big now and needs to be strung up. Anyone got any tips? I have some white twine at home that seems waterproof and relatively strong, would this be okay?


----------



## Pennywise (26/10/09)

My Chinook hasn't moved for weeks  It's only about 20cm high. I know they tend to stall sometimes and put energy into growing roots, but how long (on average) do they normally stall for?


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## BennyBrewster (26/10/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> My Chinook hasn't moved for weeks  It's only about 20cm high. I know they tend to stall sometimes and put energy into growing roots, but how long (on average) do they normally stall for?



My chinook took off like a rocket shooting 3 bines to 1 metre each, however it has now stalled for 3 weeks with very little growth. POR shot up to about 30 cms and then stalled for a good 4 weeks before comming back on the boil and climbing. 

Both of these plants are fist year... So I would say 3 or 4 week stall after the initial shoots is norma in young plantsl.

Ben


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## Back Yard Brewer (26/10/09)

My Mt Hood initially was neglected over the winter but since it has raised its eyebrow's I have been giving it lots of TLC. I did have problems with some pesky pests but I soon nipped them in the bud.





The remnants of the early pest days




And now, a very angry Mt Hood  


BYB


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## raven19 (26/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> My chinook is getting big now and needs to be strung up. Anyone got any tips? I have some white twine at home that seems waterproof and relatively strong, would this be okay?



I currently use similar twine which I presume is also used for tieing chickens prior to roasting (?) ... not sure though.

I used that last year with no issues, however I had no flowers due to young plants.


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## drsmurto (26/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> My chinook is getting big now and needs to be strung up. Anyone got any tips? I have some white twine at home that seems waterproof and relatively strong, would this be okay?



I just use everyday garden twine, the same stuff you would use to tie up tomato plants etc.

Run them from the ground tied to a tent peg.

Mine have already shot all the way up the twine (2m) and there is ~60cm waving in the breeze. I need to decide whether to pull the finger out and build the extension trellis i keep talking about or do the same thing i did last year and run twine across to the other side of the chook run and manually run the bines along it.

Or do nothing and let it wave in the breeze? I am guessing it will break off eventually?


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## raven19 (26/10/09)

If its high enough to get a good crop off of, nip the ends and place the cutting in a pot for cultivation?

I reckon at that height un restrained it is going to break off in time. Especially with more weight from any flowers that form...?


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## Mantis (26/10/09)

My second year chinook has 6 bines at about 5ft with 2 bines running up each of 3 strings. I must have pruned off 10 or more shoots at ground level , as I reckon 6 is enough and maybe too many. 
We have a warm week ahead so it should get a move on then
My strings go up to about 10ft and are tied to a cross string that runs from a post that is one of my shade sail posts back to the greenhouse roof. 
If we look like getting stinking hot summer days I will throw the shade sail up and run the bines on strings beneath it. 

Already pulled the shadecloth over the greenhouse


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## MarkBastard (26/10/09)

DrSmurto said:


> I just use everyday garden twine, the same stuff you would use to tie up tomato plants etc.
> 
> Run them from the ground tied to a tent peg.
> 
> ...



Cheers mate, does it have to be a tent peg? I was thinking I'd attach string to the side of the pot, as the pot is half wine barrel style so I can just make a loop over one of the pieces of wood and pull through the cracks.


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## drsmurto (26/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Cheers mate, does it have to be a tent peg? I was thinking I'd attach string to the side of the pot, as the pot is half wine barrel style so I can just make a loop over one of the pieces of wood and pull through the cracks.



Use whatever you want, mine are in the ground so there is nothing to attach the twine to! 

I used garden obelisks(?) last year but have them around the tomatoes this year.


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## KHB (26/10/09)

My goldings is going ok its a 1st year rhizome and its about 30cm

My por is 2nd year and about 40cm

My Mount Hood is 2nd year and 1meter high.

But my chinook is 2nd year and still shows no signs of growing, it has a massive root base, should i be trying something to get it going?

Cheers


----------



## fraser_john (26/10/09)

Scotsman06 said:


> But my chinook is 2nd year and still shows no signs of growing, it has a massive root base, should i be trying something to get it going?
> 
> Cheers



If it has a good rhizome, patience is your best bet.


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## MarkBastard (27/10/09)

Hmm, one of my hops is being eaten on the leaves. Just some small holes. Can't seem to find what's eating it. Only a couple of leaves are affected.

I'm guessing it's no good spraying it with the same stuff I use generally in my garden as this is for human consumption. So what are some affective methods?


----------



## Tim (27/10/09)

Give them a spray with some soapy water - thats usually enough to deter most pests from sticking around


----------



## drsmurto (27/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Hmm, one of my hops is being eaten on the leaves. Just some small holes. Can't seem to find what's eating it. Only a couple of leaves are affected.
> 
> I'm guessing it's no good spraying it with the same stuff I use generally in my garden as this is for human consumption. So what are some affective methods?



Could be a number of things. Earwigs, caterpillars, spider mites to name a few. My main problems are earwigs, harlequin bugs and sometimes spider mites.

Mites are easy, pyrethrum or a chilli/garlic spray fix their little red wagon. Or white oil. Or even fly spray h34r: 

Earwigs require the patience of a saint using traps (see an earlier post of mine re rolled up newspaper and bbq grease) or you can go nuclear on their arses and drown the place in carbaryl..... although you don't really want this stuff near any fruit or veg. 

As for the issue of human consumption, most sprays have a withholding period. As long as the hops aren't flowering this _shouldn't_ be an issue

Cheers
DrSmurto

EDIT - beathen to it by Tim, soapy water also works for most pests (as it apparently breaks down their waxy outer coating causing them to dehydrate???), spraying earwigs with soapy water does nothing, in fact i suspect they find it amusing. They need to be drowned in hot, soapy water.


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## Mantis (27/10/09)

There is a good organic product around called Beat a Bug if you can find it. 
Works really well but you need to spray it on every second evening. Its kept the earwigs etc off my seedlings in the vegie patch.
Although by beer and barby fat traps nearly wiped out the earwigs last spring, the buggers are back.


----------



## WitWonder (27/10/09)

Man my first year tett broke through the soil probably 4-6 weeks ago and sprouted a few leaves but to this day remain about 1cm in height  
The leaves are still green so I'm not going to panic .... yet.


----------



## RetsamHsam (27/10/09)

My cascade broke through afew weeks ago, and about two weeks ago the dog got into the garden to do some digging, she managed to snap the shoot at ground level. Whatever was left died off and I haven't seen any new shoots yet.

Do I have a problem??


----------



## Jazzafish (27/10/09)

I like beer said:


> Just been out in the garden with the wife looking at my hops, 4 from last year & 2 from this year when she said what are those shoots there, turns out they are from last years vienna gold (1.2mts) away and going mad. decided to pull them out as they are growing like weeds on steroids. Go over to last years chinook which is only just getting away when the missus says whats that one there, looks like its coming from a goldings rhizome put in the ground in August over a meter from the chinook. Might have dig everthing up next year & put tin gaurds down in the ground



Blasphamy!


----------



## Mantis (27/10/09)

WitWonder said:


> Man my first year tett broke through the soil probably 4-6 weeks ago and sprouted a few leaves but to this day remain about 1cm in height
> The leaves are still green so I'm not going to panic .... yet.




My first year chinook is doing just the same and the older one that has 6 bines 6ft high did the same in its first year last year. They need to make roots before they take off properly eh


----------



## I like beer (27/10/09)

jazzafish i'm not joking, we picked approx 4kg wet hops last year from 4 plants, and at the rate these are going I am hoping for more this season. Will dig each rhizome up and put iron around each rhizome to try to control the runners. Probably have some rhizomes to give away when I do. As I have been pulling some more out today i have been dipping them in clonex and putting in seed raising mix if they grow they gtow if not bad luck


----------



## notung (27/10/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> My cascade broke through afew weeks ago, and about two weeks ago the dog got into the garden to do some digging, she managed to snap the shoot at ground level. Whatever was left died off and I haven't seen any new shoots yet.
> 
> Do I have a problem??



I don't think you should worry. A few weeks back the only shoot on a cascade plant was frostbitten off and withered away at ground level. I've had 2 healthy shoots since, growing better than the first. The things want to grow - that is their whole purpose. Keep the water up and they'll be right!


----------



## adam77 (28/10/09)

My perle plant has grown to about 3m high (2nd year I think). It has about 10 decent size flowers at the top of the bine already. Is it normal for the plant to flower this early? It has been growing very quickly since I put it in about 2 months ago.

Maybe they grow quickly in Brisbane?


----------



## big78sam (28/10/09)

Well I've definitely killed my hops. They popped up got to about 1cm high but have both since withered away and died. 

I read here that hops are weeds and need little fertilizer and water but note to self (and others) - they still need some source of nutrients. 

The soil they are planted in is crap. It is full of small rocks and was dumped there to level the block where the house would be built. I dug a big hole and filled in with organic potting fix and gave it a fertilizer when I first planted it, plus a couple of seasol waters. I figured a hole big enough for a full bag of potting mix in that soil was no worse than using a pot. However, the soil is so crap that I'm sure this is why they died. They had some nutrients from the poting mix and fertilizer, ie enough to grow to 1cm but little else.

I didn't fertilize directly but did a circle 30cm around the actual rhizome. All that grew properly was a heap of weeds in a circle where I had fertilized. Futher note to self - pull out weeds quickly or they will steal all the nutrients in the soil.

Hopefully they grow back as I've given them another fertilizer and water and pulled all the weeds


----------



## MarkBastard (28/10/09)

for what it's worth the pots I used (one rhizome per pot) took about 1.5 bags of 30L potting mix and I think they're the smallest pots I'd use personally.


----------



## adam77 (28/10/09)

So is anyone else's plant flowering or just mine?


----------



## matho (28/10/09)

a few growers have reported getting multiple haverest's so it's not unheard of


----------



## drsmurto (29/10/09)

Spent an hour last night removing the bottom 30cm of leaves (to allow air circulation and reduce chance of disease) from my goldings plant, weeding and cutting all of the bines that were yet to reach the string/fence and climb.

Now have several pots of cuttings.

I counted 10 bines that had already reached the top of the fence so i have run twine across to the fence at a 45 degree angle (to the right). One of the bines is already 1m along it!

Another 15 bines still to reach the top.

Before pruning




After pruning



The chinook has at least 25 bines now and they are all very thick. The fastest growing is almost to the top of the fence after giving the goldings a big headstart! Looking forward to a big crop this year - last years pale ale with homegrown chinook was divine (IMHO). In a few weeks i will give it the same treatment as the goldings.

The POR is like the chinook, shoots coming up over a 1m diameter area. Cascade and Victoria have just found the string and are heading skyward.

And for those of you who bought rhizomes off me, i planted a few of each myself on the other side of the fence and they have all taken off.


----------



## doon (29/10/09)

just an update on mine and for any others that had the weird hole thing in the leaves happening, soapy water seems to have stopped it for now!

also mulched with spent grain from first AG so they look the part now :icon_cheers: 

i am putting fertilizer on mine at least once a week as well as seasol and watering them every 2-3 days they seem to be loving it


----------



## BoilerBoy (29/10/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Looking forward to a big crop this year - last years pale ale with homegrown chinook was divine (IMHO).



Agreed! and the main reason why I bought a Chinook Rhizome off Boston a few weeks back, which I planted in a pot and now has 4 runners and will more than likely end up in the ground soon at this rate.

Cheers,
BB


----------



## stillscottish (29/10/09)

I'm thinking of putting my hop (potted) at the base of a gum tree. It's a mature one with sort of corrugated, rough bark. Dark coloured. It seems to me the bines would be able to grip it or failing that, get some twine as high up as I can get it on the trunk for it to grow up. Has anyone done this?
The only downside I can see is it might grow too high and be out of reach.

Cheers

Campbell


----------



## Kleiny (29/10/09)

My palts look like they are suffering so i moved them to a position which gets all the afternoon sun and only misses out on about an hour in the morning.

My biggest problem is something is attcking hte hell out of them and ive used pyretherine and some other spray as well as a concoction of flour, chilli and garlic. 

I have a lot of earwigs around could they be chewing up my leaves?

I will try and post picks but i need ideas

Kleiny


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## MarkBastard (29/10/09)

What are people fertilising with? I have heaps of seasol too. What strength are you mixing seasol at and how often are you applying?

Can you get a fertiliser that's similar to seasol (ie mix in water)


----------



## wambesi (29/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> What are people fertilising with? I have heaps of seasol too. What strength are you mixing seasol at and how often are you applying?
> 
> Can you get a fertiliser that's similar to seasol (ie mix in water)



I use the concentrated versions of seasol and powerfeed and use in the qty's for vegie garden on the back of the pack.
Worked a treat last year and should go well this year.


----------



## MarkBastard (29/10/09)

wambesi said:


> I use the concentrated versions of seasol and powerfeed and use in the qty's for vegie garden on the back of the pack.
> Worked a treat last year and should go well this year.




oh cheers mate, yeah i have the concentrated version too. I couldn't really work it out though because it seems to say how many mL per litre of water but not how many litres of water per plant! Know what I mean?


----------



## wambesi (29/10/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> oh cheers mate, yeah i have the concentrated version too. I couldn't really work it out though because it seems to say how many mL per litre of water but not how many litres of water per plant! Know what I mean?



Ok i gotcha, I do about 9L between 3 plants each fortnight in that case.


----------



## MarkBastard (29/10/09)

sounds good mate i think my watering can is 9L and I have 3 plants...so perfect


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## drsmurto (30/10/09)

Mantis said:


> There is a good organic product around called Beat a Bug if you can find it.
> Works really well but you need to spray it on every second evening. Its kept the earwigs etc off my seedlings in the vegie patch.
> Although by beer and barby fat traps nearly wiped out the earwigs last spring, the buggers are back.



Was in the big green shed last night buying root hormone and noticed Beat a Bug. Its very similar to the concoction i used to make when i had a pyrethrum plant - chilli/garlic/pyrtherum and soap, except this had an additive (piperonyl butoxide) which is supposed to increase the potency of the pyrtherins.

Ended up buying it and gave the plants a good spray this morning. A few earwigs and harlequin bugs got a good soaking! Will give the chinese cabbage a spray too as the earwigs are loving that.

What are the beer and barby fat traps? I normally just wipe some newspaper over the bbq plate, roll it up and tie it up. Every morning i opened it up over a bucket of hot soapy water and shook all the earwigs into it. A trap sounds a lot easier.


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## Doc (30/10/09)

My Chinook (foreground) and Pearle are going great guns.
The other three are lagging a bit behind, but look very healthy.




Doc


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## Fents (31/10/09)

thats insane doc.


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## Bizier (31/10/09)

Looking very lush there Doc.


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## Slimshadey (1/11/09)

adam77 said:


> So is anyone else's plant flowering or just mine?




I'm in Noosa and my first year cascade rhizome has already started to flower as well.


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## Back Yard Brewer (1/11/09)

Doc said:


> My Chinook (foreground) and Pearle are going great guns.
> The other three are lagging a bit behind, but look very healthy.
> 
> View attachment 32444
> ...




I had a thought the other day and that is if you plant different varieties close to each other how hard is it to separate / identify the rhizomes when it comes time to dig up.
In a previous part of this thread you will see my Mt Hood going nuts. The Hood is only in its second season and I am looking at doing a bit of culling when it is finished. I do have room for another 1 or 2 varieties but am concerned about trying to keep them seperate under the ground.

BYB


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## raven19 (1/11/09)

Chinook is level with the top of the shed. Others are progressing nicely. Expecting more significant growth with this hotter weather too.








First year potted Victoria and Goldings.


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## Mantis (1/11/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Was in the big green shed last night buying root hormone and noticed Beat a Bug. Its very similar to the concoction i used to make when i had a pyrethrum plant - chilli/garlic/pyrtherum and soap, except this had an additive (piperonyl butoxide) which is supposed to increase the potency of the pyrtherins.
> 
> Ended up buying it and gave the plants a good spray this morning. A few earwigs and harlequin bugs got a good soaking! Will give the chinese cabbage a spray too as the earwigs are loving that.
> 
> What are the beer and barby fat traps? I normally just wipe some newspaper over the bbq plate, roll it up and tie it up. Every morning i opened it up over a bucket of hot soapy water and shook all the earwigs into it. A trap sounds a lot easier.



Not so much traps as they are just old marg containers with the beer and barby fat mixture in them. The earwigs love the stuff and get in and drown
I have tried tubs of left over trub from the kettle for tonight to see if that works. But i think it might be the yeast they are attracted too, but not sure.


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## drsmurto (2/11/09)

Mantis said:


> Not so much traps as they are just old marg containers with the beer and barby fat mixture in them. The earwigs love the stuff and get in and drown
> I have tried tubs of left over trub from the kettle for tonight to see if that works. But i think it might be the yeast they are attracted too, but not sure.



Finally a use for Hahn ice (I think, or maybe carlton cold). 6 pack sitting in my shed for nearly 2 years now when a mate rocked up with it and then chose to drink my beer. 

Set up the irrigation system for the vegie patch and the hops so now 1 timer tap drip irrigates the entire garden. The slow soak combined with the weekend heat and my chinook grew 6 inches overnight.


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## MarkBastard (2/11/09)

Mate my Chinook grew about that much too. I gave them a seasol and then there was some erratic heavy rain / heavy sun / heavy rain style weather. The hops loved it.


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## Luka (2/11/09)

Mantis said:


> Not so much traps as they are just old marg containers with the beer and barby fat mixture in them. The earwigs love the stuff and get in and drown
> I have tried tubs of left over trub from the kettle for tonight to see if that works. But i think it might be the yeast they are attracted too, but not sure.



The guys I work with are organic/bio-dynamic gardeners and they use the shallow take-away containers, like the ones you get at a supermarket deli. You cut some slots in the top, half fill with used cooking oil and the earwigs love the stuff!


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## Pennywise (2/11/09)

My Chinook is not doing well at all I don't think, has started to go real pale and limp. Looking at most others Chinook palnts I'm quite jelous


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## MarkBastard (2/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> My Chinook is not doing well at all I don't think, has started to go real pale and limp. Looking at most others Chinook palnts I'm quite jelous



If it's going pale doesn't it need some food or something?


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## glennheinzel (2/11/09)

My son decided to pick some "treasure" over the weekend so my hops took a beating.


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## Pennywise (3/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> If it's going pale doesn't it need some food or something?



Dunno, I have been giving it some seasol once a week, maybe my solution is too weak. I'll up the strength, realyl I don't have much to loose now, woke up thismorning to find a couple of leaves in real trouble. Not looking good


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## raven19 (3/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Dunno, I have been giving it some seasol once a week, maybe my solution is too weak. I'll up the strength, realyl I don't have much to loose now, woke up thismorning to find a couple of leaves in real trouble. Not looking good



Have you got it covered in mulch? Is the soil really damp (wet when finger stuck into the soil?)
If so, I would remove the mulch and let it dry out.

Go easy on the seasonl, and just use water imo, they are essentially weeds.

If it is dry give them a good soak every 3 or so days.

If you are really worried, cut one or two of the offending bines back so the plant can concentrate on just one or two bines per plant...


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## drsmurto (3/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Dunno, I have been giving it some seasol once a week, maybe my solution is too weak. I'll up the strength, realyl I don't have much to loose now, woke up thismorning to find a couple of leaves in real trouble. Not looking good



What you may be doing is actually over feeding them. Yellowing of leaves is sometimes of sign of 'burning' from too much fertiliser. My partner did that once to a few of our plants. She was out by a decimal place and used 10 times as much fertiliser. The leaves turned yellow and a few of them died.

Hops grow like weeds, all they need is water and sun. Giving them a feed every now and then is fine but once a week is overkill. Once a month would be fine. I've fed mine once since they first emerged from the soil and the largest is now >2m in height. I have simply been keeping the water up.

Are they in pots or in the ground? 

If in pots they could be drying out too quickly and simply increasing the water (not fertiliser) could be the solution. I assume you used potting mix not soil.

If in the ground, do you have similar problems growing any other plants?


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## Tim (3/11/09)

My 4 year old columbus seems to be still deciding what it wants to do. There are plenty of leaves coming out of the crown but its yet to send up a shoot which wants to climb. Anyone else had this problem? Should I pull most of the leaves off except the buds which I think may climb??


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## jbirbeck (3/11/09)

Tim said:


> My 4 year old columbus seems to be still deciding what it wants to do. There are plenty of leaves coming out of the crown but its yet to send up a shoot which wants to climb. Anyone else had this problem? Should I pull most of the leaves off except the buds which I think may climb??



sure have...all my mature plants have only just started to go after sitting there waiting for ages with just a few leaves. Leave them be and they will come when they are ready. only my more immature plants started early.


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## luckyeatwell (3/11/09)

All of my first year rhizomes have stalled for the last month or so. My Hersbruker in particular only grew 3 shoots, all of 10cm long before stopping.

Then last week, I found the Hersbruker completely uprooted and upside down in a pile of potting mix, no-thanks to one of the local rabbits (my chicken-wire cage was burrowed under). The leaves were un-eaten though damaged and the rhizome looked to be bigger than when I planted it (I assume this is what the "stalled" bine growth was about), though some smaller sections were snapped in the uprooting.

I replanted the Hersbruker and while it's looking sad, it's not dead yet.

The same can't be said for the rabbit. Yesterday, I found a rabbit, lying out in the open on the grass, no bite or claw damage, just dead and lying in the open. Would the Hersbruker roots have poisoned the rabbit that dug it up looking for a tasty root to chew on ?

Surely if the Hersbruker survives to flower there's a tribute brew to be had. "Dead Rabbit Doppelbock" ?

Cheers,

Lucky.


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## raven19 (3/11/09)

Rooting Kings said:


> sure have...all my mature plants have only just started to go after sitting there waiting for ages with just a few leaves. Leave them be and they will come when they are ready. only my more immature plants started early.



+1. The first few shoots are there to take in energy to grow the rhizome, then once the rhizome has grown some more, the shoots start growing again... at least thats my understanding of how these weeds grow!


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## lochrockingbeers (3/11/09)

Columbus and chinook tend to be later shooting varieties, but once they go, they'll pass just about all other varieties in a matter of days or weeks. My chinooks have gone from nothing to 3m in 1-2 weeks and the columbus is only just starting to emerge.



Tim said:


> My 4 year old columbus seems to be still deciding what it wants to do. There are plenty of leaves coming out of the crown but its yet to send up a shoot which wants to climb. Anyone else had this problem? Should I pull most of the leaves off except the buds which I think may climb??


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## OzMick (3/11/09)

raven19 said:


> +1. The first few shoots are there to take in energy to grow the rhizome, then once the rhizome has grown some more, the shoots start growing again... at least thats my understanding of how these weeds grow!




I've had some strange behaviour on mine, I don't know if it is that straightforward that it can just be put down to root development. I got a rather scrawny (but solid, not fibrous) Hersbrucker rhizome off ebay (think something about the width of a ballpoint, maybe 20cm long), noticing two buds and being a cheapass (and late into season and not expecting a harvest first year anyway), cut it into two to try my luck and focus on root growth for next year's crop. Without stalling at all, these have absolutely taken off and are each well over 1m tall, one has a second bine rapidly catching up to the first too.

I also got a significantly healthier looking Chinook, about the thickness of a permanent marker (but more fibrous), and having two viable buds cut it into two as well. One has grown slow and steady to about 60cm, the other poked its head out to about 5cm and threw out a few leaves and has just stopped. Leaves aren't dying off and are a very healthy green, but not going anywhere either. 

I'm new to all this myself, but I think it might also have something to do with how the rhizome was overwintered and dormancy broken, along with age of rhizome material. Older growth might be more fussy and succeptable to transplant shock and not have as much useful starch built up. I'm sure many a person has dedicated their lives to understanding and growing these beasts and still don't ultimately know much more than what has and hasn't worked for them in the past...


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## Pennywise (4/11/09)

raven19 said:


> Have you got it covered in mulch? Is the soil really damp (wet when finger stuck into the soil?)
> If so, I would remove the mulch and let it dry out.
> 
> Go easy on the seasonl, and just use water imo, they are essentially weeds.
> ...






DrSmurto said:


> What you may be doing is actually over feeding them. Yellowing of leaves is sometimes of sign of 'burning' from too much fertiliser. My partner did that once to a few of our plants. She was out by a decimal place and used 10 times as much fertiliser. The leaves turned yellow and a few of them died.
> 
> Hops grow like weeds, all they need is water and sun. Giving them a feed every now and then is fine but once a week is overkill. Once a month would be fine. I've fed mine once since they first emerged from the soil and the largest is now >2m in height. I have simply been keeping the water up.
> 
> ...



Cheers for the reply's fellas, I got rid of the mulch once it poked it's head through, although there's still a tiny bit there, doubt it'll make any difference though. Could be too damp like you mention, and I'll obviously have to back off with the seasol. Not sure If I should cut it back as there's really only one shoot growing, with a second one only about 5cm high (which has been like that for a while). I have it in a pot with potting mix, which is the same potting mix I've been using for years with other plants and they seem to go pretty well. Here's a piccy anyway so you can see just how bad it looks


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## tez (4/11/09)

I was watering my Victoria yesterday and the bloody thing snapped off from the water. What a friggin coward of a plant.
Thats a fitting name for it... Victoria, coz its soft! haha


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## drsmurto (4/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Cheers for the reply's fellas, I got rid of the mulch once it poked it's head through, although there's still a tiny bit there, doubt it'll make any difference though. Could be too damp like you mention, and I'll obviously have to back off with the seasol. Not sure If I should cut it back as there's really only one shoot growing, with a second one only about 5cm high (which has been like that for a while). I have it in a pot with potting mix, which is the same potting mix I've been using for years with other plants and they seem to go pretty well. Here's a piccy anyway so you can see just how bad it looks




When you say the same potting mix you have been using for 5 years i assume its the same brand, not the same potting mix you put into the pot 5 years ago.


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## Pennywise (4/11/09)

DrSmurto said:


> When you say the same potting mix you have been using for 5 years i assume its the same brand, not the same potting mix you put into the pot 5 years ago.



:lol: Yeah same brand, not 5 year old stuff


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## drsmurto (4/11/09)

Got me stumped then.  

Could be just a small 1st year rhizome spending more time building a root system rather than spending energy on bines.

My cascade and victoria last year only grew 1/2 metre with 2 bines. This year the cascade is already that height and has >6 bines. The victoria is the same height but with only 2 bines at this stage.


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## MarkBastard (4/11/09)

My Tettnang and POR are growing multiple bines, about 5 each, but are certainly lagging well behind the Chinook.

Interestingly though the Chinook has only ever had one bine. That one bine is going pretty crazy and I just noticed yesterday laterals are growing down the bottom.

Is this just a characteristic of Chinook or is it growing laterals because it's given up on producing any more bines off the rhizome?

Would you string laterals up on different strings or do they only grow a few inches then stop? Are they just there to grab more light by pushing leaves out sideways or do they become their own bine?


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## Pennywise (4/11/09)

It was only a small rhizome, about 15cm from memory. I'll just back off the seasol and see how it goes, I think if it doesn't fire up within another month I'll cut it back to the ground and let it do it's thing. When I bought it I was sent an extra rhizome and I though to myself "should I put this one in too, nah ones enough", bugger bugger bugger. Oh well cheers, I'll post up if it decides to get some life back into it.


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## Darkman (4/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> It was only a small rhizome, about 15cm from memory. I'll just back off the seasol and see how it goes, I think if it doesn't fire up within another month I'll cut it back to the ground and let it do it's thing. When I bought it I was sent an extra rhizome and I though to myself "should I put this one in too, nah ones enough", bugger bugger bugger. Oh well cheers, I'll post up if it decides to get some life back into it.



Looking at the photo posted I think your plant is being over watered. To much fertilizer will also cause the leaves to wilt but the leaves will also burn and turn brown. Its probably worth buying a moisture meter from Bunnings for about $10 to test the moisture of your soil below before you water or just use a skewer.


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## Kleiny (4/11/09)

Darkman said:


> To much fertilizer will also cause the leaves to wilt but the leaves will also burn and turn brown.



I think that ive done this, i use seasol, some blood and bone and some potash. Now my leaves are wilted and burnt. I fixed the earwig problem with Beat a bug but what can i do if my plants are over fert.

Kleiny


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## Leigh (4/11/09)

For over-fertilising issues., wait it out, or re-pot. 

Simple gardeners tests my grandmother taught me years ago:

For watering, stick your finger in the dirt, if its cold to the touch, it has enough water, if it is warm and crumbly, it needs a drink! Wilting leaves probably means you waited too long. In the ground this will normally be every third day in the height of summer, and every day for a pot (again in the height of summer).

For fertiliser, apart from the initial addition on planting, let the plant "ask" for fertiliser...if the leaves are bright and green, no need to add more. If they are beginning to yellow, apply some more. This usually means every 2-3 weeks at a maximum!


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## Midnight Brew (4/11/09)

hey hey

I have three chinook rhimzones and planted them in the second week of september. One in the ground and two in pots. The hole has good drainage and I used the same potting mix and fertilizers on all three and the same amount and I water them all once a day. What I cant figure out is that the two in the pot are going great and have popped up in the last three weeks but the one in the ground has still yet to say hello. Could anyone explain this to me, i've searched through the recent posts in this thread but I cant find anything and was wondering if anyone could help.

dicko


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## MarkBastard (4/11/09)

potting mix is generally a lot better than dirt in the ground.

I'd say if you dug a hole in the ground about the size of your pots, and filled that with potting mix, you'd achieve similar results.


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## Midnight Brew (4/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> potting mix is generally a lot better than dirt in the ground.
> 
> I'd say if you dug a hole in the ground about the size of your pots, and filled that with potting mix, you'd achieve similar results.




That is excatly what I did as well as losen the dirt under that so it would be easier for its roots and yeah nothings happened yet. Im tempted to dig it up and swap it into the pot and put one of the established ones in the ground instead.

dicko


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## MarkBastard (4/11/09)

hmm that's weird dicko, only other difference would be drainage and maybe positioning (light)


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## Midnight Brew (4/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> hmm that's weird dicko, only other difference would be drainage and maybe positioning (light)



yeah i cant quiet figure it out, I'll wait two weeks and see if anything changes and if not then might have a look at it and possibly move it to a pot also.

dicko


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## rysa555 (4/11/09)

Dickman said:


> yeah i cant quiet figure it out, I'll wait two weeks and see if anything changes and if not then might have a look at it and possibly move it to a pot also.
> 
> dicko



The soil in the potting mix would be warmer than that of the potting mix in the ground as the sun heats pots up quicker than soil in the ground. Maybe the warmer soil temp is the reason.


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## doon (4/11/09)

I just had to take off the spent grain i used as mulch as it was going all moldy!

think i need to lay off on water and fertilizer as leaves look a bit burnt


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## Mitternacht Brauer (4/11/09)

rysa555 said:


> The soil in the potting mix would be warmer than that of the potting mix in the ground as the sun heats pots up quicker than soil in the ground. Maybe the warmer soil temp is the reason.



Hi guys ,

I put spent grain on one of my potted hop plants last year and it did very badly until after I took it off. I think the way to go is to let the grain break down in the compost before putting on plants IMO.

All my plants are in the ground and only recently started doing anything .All popped through the mulch two months ago and then stopped . Hersbrucker has sprouted 300 mm in the last 8 days and the Cascade is starting to go ahead too .Now if only the Perle, Halletau and Cluster would get a move on.

Mitternacht Brauer


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## Mantis (4/11/09)

doon said:


> I just had to take off the spent grain i used as mulch as it was going all moldy!
> 
> think i need to lay off on water and fertilizer as leaves look a bit burnt



Yes lay off the fert but water as normal. Over fertilising can only be corrected slowly by stopping the fertilising and keep watering to leach the excess fert out slowly. 
In pots if you over fertilise you can actually put the pot under a running tap or put a hose in the pot and run water through it for a few hours. This is a known way to correct over fertilising bonsai plants.


----------



## HoppingMad (4/11/09)

At the moment I have no mulch, pea straw or leaf litter on any of my hops and they're all taking nicely. 
As it heats up in melb later in the coming months I will consider some mulch so as not to have the ground dry up too much. 
I want to avoid the problem I had in February this year when all my hops got sunstruck and withered away. This time I'm getting some shade cloth in case some crazy weather pops its head up in this part of the world.

Getting good growth on all watering once a week, but only half are first year plantings.

+1 for Loch's comments on Chinook and Columbus. Both my chinook and particularly the Columbus have been fairly reluctant to pop their heads up but now have in the past 3 weeks.

Homebrewer79, the size of your rhizome would definately play a part in the amount of growth. The two chinooks I have (planted in ground this year) both have grown relative to the size of their respective rhizomes. I got a cluster rhizome that was over a foot in size and it is growing like a monster compared to the 12cm Chinook sticks I got so it's all relative.

The Melbourne weather is quite good the moment with rain every 3 days so if you're watering every couple of days I would say that's too much. I'm watering once a week and they're all going great guns. Anyone having issues this early on in Melbourne I would suggest not doing a daily water - I found when I lost an EK Golding last year it was not the heat that did it in, but the thing being overwatered and 'getting wet feet'.

Hopper.


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## BoilerBoy (4/11/09)

HoppingMad said:


> I want to avoid the problem I had in February this year when all my hops got sunstruck and withered away. This time I'm getting some shade cloth in case some crazy weather pops its head up in this part of the world.
> Hopper.



Thats exactly what happened to mine earlier this year as well, all going beautifully and in 2 days of plus 40c temps they fried to a crisp. It wasn't from lack of water it was the radiant heat that they just couldn't cope with.

So I will be fixing some shade cloth this time for those inevitable heat waves, hopefully that will fix it.

BB


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## Pennywise (5/11/09)

Cool, lots of good info here. Sounds like I've been overwatering too as a few of the leaves do look like they've been burnt. Think I'll move the pot under shelter if it rains over the next week, might even try and drill some more holes in the bottom of the pot to help drainage a bit.


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## Bizier (5/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Would you string laterals up on different strings or do they only grow a few inches then stop? Are they just there to grab more light by pushing leaves out sideways or do they become their own bine?



Leave them... they are the arms that your flower grow on, and won't grow longer than a foot or at most a metre and don't try to climb as far as I know.


----------



## Leigh (5/11/09)

Dickman said:


> That is excatly what I did as well as losen the dirt under that so it would be easier for its roots and yeah nothings happened yet. Im tempted to dig it up and swap it into the pot and put one of the established ones in the ground instead.
> 
> dicko



Depending on your soil type, you can actually dig a "dam" that you fill with potting mix...so by watering daily you could be creating a bog at the bottom of the hole. This will depend on soil type though...usually this occurs with clays.

Also, pots dry out quicker than the ground, so adding more water actually keeps the ground "cooler".

I think quite a few people in this thread are trying to kill their hops with too much lovin'. RDWAHAHB


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## RetsamHsam (6/11/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> My cascade broke through afew weeks ago, and about two weeks ago the dog got into the garden to do some digging, she managed to snap the shoot at ground level. Whatever was left died off and I haven't seen any new shoots yet.
> 
> Do I have a problem??



Just dug this one up after beingpatien for acoupleof weeks didn't work out.. The rhizome was limp and rotting in the middle, So I cut it in half and removed the rotted section, also trimmed the broken shoots back. 

Have I done the right thing or will the rhizome only rot again where I have cut it???


----------



## Fourstar (6/11/09)

ive just noticed my hops seem to have random bines dying off. They are in their second season, growth has stalled over the last fortnight and ive got around 3-4 bines on each starting to wither. Any cause for concern or its just weeding itself out of excess growth? and no, the plants are not being over or under cared for. especically with the crappy weather we have had in melbourne as of late.

Cheers

Oh while im at it, here is the current heights.

Chinook/s




POR (Thanks Boston!)


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## Mantis (6/11/09)

With the next 7 days going to be mid to high 30's every day I am going to put up the shade sail tommorow morning. 
My chinook bines are nearly up to the top horizontal string thats about 9ft.


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## Midnight Brew (7/11/09)

hey hey

my third chinook (the one in the ground) has finally poked its head through  . I wanted to plant my other two chinooks in the ground and was wondering the right procedure of moving it would be? Atm im using a pot with the diamater of about 40 to 45 cm and can tell in a few weeks that the pot will be too small. So was wondering whats the best way of doing it was.

cheers

dicko


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## raven19 (7/11/09)

Procedure for moving into the ground is no different to any other plant from a pot imo.

Dig a good sized hole, add some composted soil / manure / potting mix and plant the rhizome. Keep it intact with as much soil from the pot as possible to avoid shocking the plant too much.

Water it in, but dont overkill it with kindness.

If its warm, throw some mulch over the plant.


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## [email protected] (7/11/09)

Checked on my six plants last week - the Goldings is taking off, with the Tardif and Hersbrucker not far behind. The Cascades are a little slow off the mark.


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## RetsamHsam (8/11/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> Just dug this one up after beingpatien for acoupleof weeks didn't work out.. The rhizome was limp and rotting in the middle, So I cut it in half and removed the rotted section, also trimmed the broken shoots back.
> 
> Have I done the right thing or will the rhizome only rot again where I have cut it???


bump


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## Frank (8/11/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> bump


You might be lucky. I would leave it in a pot though not the ground, bring it into the house to keep the temperatures stable.
Edit: Once rot sets in, it is hard to remove. You will need to work out why it got rot. Was it a new rhizome? If you put it straight back into the same location, rot will continue.


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## WobblyBoot (8/11/09)

My hops have taken off, particularly my Saaz - it's loving life at the moment.






Aaaah, what a supermodel.

Unfortunately my Hallertau started strong but hasn't been growing much lately.






Upon closer inspection, some of its leaves have yellow edges.






Any idea what that would be from?

In a rush of something other than blood to the head a few weeks ago I put some washing machine grey water on both plants. Would that have something to do with the Hallertau's lack of performance lately?

Other than that, I can't think of what the problem would be. I water them every few days, or daily when it's hot. I haven't put any fertiliser in since I potted them in August.

Thoughts?


----------



## raven19 (8/11/09)

Water the pots only when the soil is dry would be my recommendation.


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## big78sam (8/11/09)

A couple of questions... 

I planted some Chinook Rhizomes a couple of months ago and they came up then died. I gave it a few weeks then pulled up the Rhizome today and I'm pretty sure it's 'dead'. There are some roots but no new growth. It feels lighter and looks like it's starting to rot a bit. Is it worth trying to keep and do something with or does it sound really dead and should be ditched? I can post photos if this would assist.

I have another Rhizome planted a month later as an afterthought that is growing. It's shot up in the last week and there are now 4 shoots. The tallest is almost 10cm. I'm going away for 5 days next week and the forecast is for 35 and 36 in Melbourne on the weekend. I have no drip or timer set up. What are the chances of this dying if left unattended for 5 days in the heat? Is some shadecloth a good idea or is the sun more important during this early stage? FYI Due to the setup and size of our block the best spot I could do is in shade from about 3 or 4 pm.

Cheers, Sam.


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## MarkBastard (8/11/09)

Bloody hell my Chinook grew about a foot over the weekend. It made it to the end of the stake/string I had, went up in the air about 6 inches, then bent over and started wrapping around itself. I unwrapped it and pulled it out and holy crap it was long. Urgently making a structure for it. Would recommend anyone else plan ahead, plan for things to grow faster than you could possibly imagine.


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## raven19 (8/11/09)

big78sam said:


> What are the chances of this dying if left unattended for 5 days in the heat? Is some shadecloth a good idea or is the sun more important during this early stage? FYI Due to the setup and size of our block the best spot I could do is in shade from about 3 or 4 pm.



First Q - Yep sounds like its rotted. I lost one this season too for some reason!  

2nd Q - Introduce some mulch, give it a good soak before you head off, then it should be fine upon your return. If its in a pot, then maybe add some insulation around the pot if you are really concerned - but they are hardy weeds and should be fine.


----------



## winkle (10/11/09)

I've got two perle plants that have rocketed off & reached 7/8ft in just a few weeks, however something has decided to bite off every growing tip over the last 2 days. Two of my (4 inch high) goldings plants got bitten off at ground level as well, not happy at all.
Any idea of the culprit?


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## MarkBastard (10/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Bloody hell my Chinook grew about a foot over the weekend. It made it to the end of the stake/string I had, went up in the air about 6 inches, then bent over and started wrapping around itself. I unwrapped it and pulled it out and holy crap it was long. Urgently making a structure for it. Would recommend anyone else plan ahead, plan for things to grow faster than you could possibly imagine.



Can't stress this enough. I was a day late making the structure. The longest bine is damaged now and looks like it'll stop growing. Not quite sure how it happened but it got a kink in it and all the leaves above the kink wilted.


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## QldKev (11/11/09)

Here is my 2009 hop plant, loving it in sunny Qld




To give you an idea of scale, the main bine is about 2m tall and then another 6m along the roof line. You cannot see it in the photo, but I have trained two other bines up around the corner of the roof heading towards the house.


Can't weight for the fresh hop beers again.

Also in my last set of pics I mentioned 
"These are growing along East-West, house is on the southern side. "
these are growing along East towards the West, but on the Northern side of my house, doh!

QldKev


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## Yeldarb (11/11/09)

My hop tower...about 4.5 metres tall. All plants seem very healthy. Thanks to gilbrew for quality rhizomes...I fertilised pretty well to begin with...started with good soil, lots of compost and well rotted horse poo...have a 60ltr bin of "cow poo tea" that I dilute further and water in avery couple of weeks. Some of the smaller plants you see here are actually strawberries...







Chinook and POR





Tettnang and POR


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## drsmurto (12/11/09)

Hops are loving the Adelaide heatwave, i swear they are growing in front of my eyes!

Not sure why people are putting up shade sails, ever see shadecloth on a hop farm?

If you keep the water up they will love it! I'm only watering them ever 2nd day despite the temps hitting 38-39 and they look as happy as pigs in shit.


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## bullsneck (12/11/09)

It was the 40deg+ heat on Black Saturday that burnt my hop leaves.

I'd picked a week earlier, so the cones were safe from the sun.


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## gregs (12/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Cheers for the reply's fellas, I got rid of the mulch once it poked it's head through, although there's still a tiny bit there, doubt it'll make any difference though. Could be too damp like you mention, and I'll obviously have to back off with the seasol. Not sure If I should cut it back as there's really only one shoot growing, with a second one only about 5cm high (which has been like that for a while). I have it in a pot with potting mix, which is the same potting mix I've been using for years with other plants and they seem to go pretty well. Here's a piccy anyway so you can see just how bad it looks



Plants that are over fertilised suffer and produced a similar look to plants that suffer minor salt damage; that is leaf margin burning. In other words the outer edge of the leaf turns yellow and browns off. And in extreme cases the entire plant wilts and dies. This is not the case from what I can see in the photo. Can you send a pic of the dyeing tip and a clear pic of the top surface of some of the leaves? Cant promise anything but Ill try.


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## raven19 (13/11/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Hops are loving the Adelaide heatwave, i swear they are growing in front of my eyes!
> 
> Not sure why people are putting up shade sails, ever see shadecloth on a hop farm?
> 
> If you keep the water up they will love it! I'm only watering them ever 2nd day despite the temps hitting 38-39 and they look as happy as pigs in shit.



+1 the Chinook is almost to the top of my 4m Trellis now!


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## blublurag (14/11/09)

This is my first year growing hops. Planted 4 varieties about 6 weeks ago and a Chinook about 2 weeks ago.

Seem to be surviving the hot spell OK so far...

Here is the progress, going OK I think...

Here is my setup...



Right to left, Chinook (only planted 2 weeks ago)...



Goldings



Cascade



Perle



Hersbrucker


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## MarkBastard (14/11/09)

Why am I not growing Cascade? Why am I growing POR? Silly me.


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## white.grant (14/11/09)

I fertilised the hops last week and over the last couple of days they have gone beserk. It's actually possible to watch them grow.


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## Bizier (16/11/09)

My second year plants have just all taken off at my non-backyard hop garden in the mountains.

Sheesh! the Hersbruker (early cultivar it seems) is seriously growing a foot per day with no water or fertiliser... the thing is so voracious, it is like a head of hungry serpents.


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## MarkBastard (16/11/09)

My broken bine is really thickening up now. When it knows it can't grow up it really grows more laterals and leaves very quickly. Hopefully this will be good for the rhizome for next year and maybe I'll get some amount of hops anyway.


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## arogers (16/11/09)

i think im another victim of the heatwave... my chinook shoot was going well (maybe an inch) but has since browned off and appears to be dead. i did have three shoots above ground but the first two died pretty much when i planted it, the third i thought would survice but sadly not.

the rhizome had a few more shoots i think but not expecting much now.... spewing :-(


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## matho (16/11/09)

mark the broken of bine will start to send of laterals the will grow just like the main bine so alls not lost

regulator my chinook is only just getting leaves now its a first year rhizome whats your's? 

If it doesn't work out in a few weeks i might have a cascade cutting i can give you.

cheer's matho


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## arogers (16/11/09)

she is (was?) a first year chinook. the third (good) shoot had just sprouted three leaves from what i could tell before it bit the dust. im really confused, everyone says these things are weeds and that you cant kill them, and this is the second year running ive tryed to get a chinook vine going. no wonder i never became a market gardener lol....

im going to keep watering it just in case she decides to have another attempt but geez, i seasol'ed, i used potting mix and some dirt/blood and bone from last years tomato patch.... what more can a guy do!

guys whats the chances its will send more shoots up (there were more under the surface) this late in the year and with this heat? (an my totally inept green thumb!)


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## Online Brewing Supplies (16/11/09)

regulator said:


> she is (was?) a first year chinook. the third (good) shoot had just sprouted three leaves from what i could tell before it bit the dust. im really confused, everyone says these things are weeds and that you cant kill them, and this is the second year running ive tryed to get a chinook vine going. no wonder i never became a market gardener lol....
> 
> im going to keep watering it just in case she decides to have another attempt but geez, i seasol'ed, i used potting mix and some dirt/blood and bone from last years tomato patch.... what more can a guy do!
> 
> guys whats the chances its will send more shoots up (there were more under the surface) this late in the year and with this heat? (an my totally inept green thumb!)


I found that here in Perth I can only plant/grow them in places that get direct sun (early morning and evening) for about 4-5 hours a day or they get toasted. A good lesson I have learnt. They like the light but not the sun's heat.
GB


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## matho (16/11/09)

is there any green left on the shoots if so there might be hope.
its not that late, last year i took a cutting of my cluster about this time and it produced more flowers than the parent plant.
don't water too much just keep the soil slightly damp and the rhizome doesn't need to much fertilizer to begin with

cheer's matho


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## Bizier (16/11/09)

regulator said:


> guys whats the chances its will send more shoots up (there were more under the surface) this late in the year and with this heat? (an my totally inept green thumb!)



Quite reasonable.

Even if you don't get a killer harvest, which there is still a chance of, you can nurse it into the next year. Chinook is a late one anyway, so you might have a bunch more to come. Do not give up and don't either under-water it nor over-water it.


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## KHB (16/11/09)

My hops are second years in pots have all been fertilised and grown to 2 metres but now they have stalled havnt budged for a few weeks. Wish i put them in ground will next year. Also my 2nd yr chinook still hasnt grown at all.


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## white.grant (16/11/09)

regulator said:


> i think im another victim of the heatwave...




Heatwave??? In Camden... NSW ???? Not yet I fear.....

My c'town plant is still doing better than my W'gong plants and I haven't fertilised it yet. Bring on the heat I say!


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## arogers (16/11/09)

maybe something else is killing the plant then? hrmmm..... last years just failed to fire and rotted out i think. ive used different soil etc this time though, and i have moved house...


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## MarkBastard (17/11/09)

matho said:


> mark the broken of bine will start to send of laterals the will grow just like the main bine so alls not lost
> 
> regulator my chinook is only just getting leaves now its a first year rhizome whats your's?
> 
> ...



It definitely is sending out laterals that look like bines rather than the normal laterals. They have the same tip as bines if you know what I mean. Are you saying these will keep growing?


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## matho (17/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> It definitely is sending out laterals that look like bines rather than the normal laterals. They have the same tip as bines if you know what I mean. Are you saying these will keep growing?




thats what i have found, when i have taken cuttings, the new growth on the cutting start from where the laterals starts and they grow into full sized bines, also you'll find the you will get new shoots poping up all thru the growing season so you might get another bine growing soon. You are also growing a first year rhizome so you won't get much yeild off it any way, i got 6 grams off two plant's last year  

cheer's matho


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## blublurag (17/11/09)

So, has anyone got any suggestions as to what I should do when my hop bines get to the top of the fence (about 11 foot high). I reckon one might get there by the weekend.


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## MarkBastard (17/11/09)

Stick a pole in the corner of that yard and string from the fence back to the pole horizontally, they'll grow along it.


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## blublurag (17/11/09)

Thanks M^B.

I might have to do that. Only problem is it is the neighbours driveway the other side of the fence and that corner is close to the street (we live on a corner block).

Not sure what the neighbours might think I'm growing. Not to worry. 

Also, they are all different varieties so I was hoping to keep them separate to some degree.


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## MarkBastard (18/11/09)

If you have a T-Bar etc set up at the top of the pole you can grow them back towards themselves as well, or at least keep the strings sufficiently separated.

You could also set up three poles and two cross rods to mimic the fence and then string onto that.


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## Pennywise (18/11/09)

gregs said:


> Plants that are over fertilised suffer and produced a similar look to plants that suffer minor salt damage; that is leaf margin burning. In other words the outer edge of the leaf turns yellow and browns off. And in extreme cases the entire plant wilts and dies. This is not the case from what I can see in the photo. Can you send a pic of the dyeing tip and a clear pic of the top surface of some of the leaves? Can't promise anything but I'll try.




Sorry I missed this one, unfortunatly there aren't many leaves left  , But I'll post one up when I get home. I don't think it will make it though, all the leaves on the top half are gone, the top of the stem is brown. I'm tempted to plant another one, but fear I've missed out on that train.


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## HoppingMad (18/11/09)

DrSmurto said:


> Hops are loving the Adelaide heatwave, i swear they are growing in front of my eyes!
> 
> Not sure why people are putting up shade sails, ever see shadecloth on a hop farm?
> 
> If you keep the water up they will love it! I'm only watering them ever 2nd day despite the temps hitting 38-39 and they look as happy as pigs in shit.



Agree with you on one hand Smurts - Hops do love the sun. That's why places like tassie do well as they get more hours of sunlight in a day apparently. 

But your rhizomes are older and established yeah? 

If your plants are establishing themselves as new rhizomes, then a ton of sunlight and the hottest kind and be tough on them, particularly if your initial zome was a small stick and not covered in heaps of healthy shoots.

Found out the hard way with my first year plantings in 2008. Lots of them withering on the hop string, and my smallest rhizome, an EKG passing away.

Hopper.


----------



## big78sam (18/11/09)

Tim said:


> Give them a spray with some soapy water - thats usually enough to deter most pests from sticking around




I have something eating my leaves as well so set up a fat/beer trap and sprayed with soapy water to cover my bases. How often should I spray?


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## apd (18/11/09)

blublurag said:


> So, has anyone got any suggestions as to what I should do when my hop bines get to the top of the fence (about 11 foot high)...



You could try an adjustable trellis.

The idea is that you run your string/wire from the base of your plant, up through an eyelet (at the top of a pole a couple of metres tall) with enough extra to handle the entire hop bine length. Tie off the end of the string loosely. As the bine approaches the eyelet, let out a bit more string. You could loop the trailing bine around something like a hose.

Here's some more info, mainly relating to container growing in this BYO article.


Andrew


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## beerbrewer76543 (18/11/09)

Some pics of mine:

Left to right: Cascade, Chinook, Goldings, Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Pride of Ringwood, Tettnang





Hallertau




Hersbrucker




Pride of Ringwood (I think)


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (18/11/09)

L_Bomb said:


> Some pics of mine:
> 
> Left to right: Cascade, Chinook, Goldings, Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Pride of Ringwood, Tettnang
> View attachment 33163
> ...


I could tell it was Perth straight away super 6 fence and F.cking sand LOL.My sand is like water off a ducks back !
GB
GB


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## j1gsaw (18/11/09)

We seem to have these mangy red coloured flying bugs hanging around at the moment, they wont bugger off and have already eaten one hop plant, (goodbye POR)
and the cluster plant was very badly stripped of leaves, and is just hanging in. Wish i knew of something to spray around the plant to keep them at bay.


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## WobblyBoot (18/11/09)

blublurag said:


> So, has anyone got any suggestions as to what I should do when my hop bines get to the top of the fence (about 11 foot high). I reckon one might get there by the weekend.
> View attachment 33141



I saw your photos the other day and thought 'jeez, that structure's not gonna be tall enough'. I've got my bines climbing up rope attached to the tops of stakes, and this weekend I had to make the stakes taller, and the rope longer, cos my Saaz was close to the top already.

For you, I'd suggest attaching nice tall stakes to the fence, tie more rope onto the end of that you have, and tie that to the top. Oh, and hope your neighbours don't mind!

Cheers.


----------



## blublurag (18/11/09)

Thanks for the replies on my "height" problem. I reckon I might try the adjustable trellis. Thanks for that APD.

Is it OK if the trailing bine sits on the ground? The BYO article suggests that it would be OK. I might put a few nails into the sleepers and hang it in loops or something.

I also have an option of running some string horizontally back to the pergola, basically where I took the photo from.


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## peter.brandon (18/11/09)

I learnt a very hard lesson last week.

Leaves had some small holes, couldnt see what had eaten them. Decides to fertilise and keep the water up. Two week later leaves turning brown ........ found large green catterpillars!!!!!

Keep an eye on your hops lads! I didnt keep a keen enough eye and have lost a shit load of yield in the process.

Cheers
Plyers


----------



## Pennywise (19/11/09)




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## raven19 (19/11/09)

HB79 - they are looking a little sick still! Not ideal at all, maybe stop watering them and put them in part shade.

Trimming the top off the bine may encourage new growth and shoots? However it does look a little sick imo.

Is the soil wet when poking your finger into the soil?

I would expect a darker green colour for the stalk and leaves.


I trimmed the tip off of my Chinook last night as the first bine had reached the top of the trellis, and put it into a pot to see if it will grow as a cutting for someone next season... fingers crossed.


----------



## Pennywise (19/11/09)

It is indeed looking quite sick, Every morning I poke my finger into the soil and it's dry, so I water it. I tried not watering for a few days at first but the soil got way too bone dry. I'll move it into the shade. Do you think the fence could be throwing off some extreme heat, causeing it's demise, it's a colorbond fence.


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## HoppingMad (19/11/09)

Plyers said:


> I learnt a very hard lesson last week.
> 
> Leaves had some small holes, couldnt see what had eaten them. Decides to fertilise and keep the water up. Two week later leaves turning brown ........ found large green catterpillars!!!!!
> 
> ...



Finding some holes in mine. Either catterpillars or spider mites. Gotta make up some of that organic spray that I think someone here mentioned in the Hop Plantations 2008 or 2007 thread. Can't find the recipe though. Found something similar on the web that could go ok in a spray bottle:



> Soak four garlic cloves for several days in one litre of cold water and then blend. This will kill ants, caterpillars and cabbage worms. A stronger brew can be made by using hot water and adding several red peppers, ground up, and adding two tablespoons of pure soap to help the spray stick. Use spray when solution has cooled.



Anyone using something with garlic/chilli that is keeping all the hop eating nasties at bay?

Hopper.


----------



## A3k (19/11/09)

HoppingMad said:


> Anyone using something with garlic/chilli that is keeping all the hop eating nasties at bay?


Hi Hopping Mad,

I had a hallertauer plant that seemed to be going strong, but then the leaves started getting eaten badly. I found a caterpiller even after trying two types of caterpiller spray. i also had earwigs and reckon i had spidermites too. So i thought i'd try some chilli/garlic. I also heard that a soap/oil mix was the go.

I mixed the lot together. Garlic, chilli, soap and oil.
The leaves all went black and fell off. The plant looked much HB79s, but darker.

Long story short. My mix didn't work and seemed to kill the bines. Good news is that 3 shoots have just surfaced about 3-4 weeks later.

Now i'm pretty sure i've got spidermites on my Chinook as it's got a slight web under the leaves. It's discolouring and getting some holes. 

Let me know how you go HoppingMad

Cheers,
Al


----------



## arogers (19/11/09)

OK, well the death of all three above ground shoots on my Chinook pissed me off, so I gently tipped the soil off it to give it an inspection.

A lot of the root system had begun to perish and go all soft/rotted however there were another three white shoots coming off it so i re-planted it a little shallower and left them poking their heads out in the sun (ie the body of the rhizome is slightly exposed now.

The rhizome itself was also looking a little sad in places, strange its been bloody hot and i only gave it a few litres every arfternoon for the first week and a half.

Odds the other shoots will spring to life and establish themselves? Not worried about a harvest this year, just want a healthy plant for next year onwards.

Beers. :beer:


----------



## gunbrew (19/11/09)

Just a progress report.
This chinook has been in the ground 2 months.
2 of the 8 bines have reached the top of my frame and are just looping around the top.
Have watered every 2nd day or so usually at about 6am in the morning.
A couple of holes in leaves here and there from pests.
Will give the garlic mix a go as suggested.
Can see small hops growing on the bine.
Cheers


----------



## HoppingMad (19/11/09)

A3k said:


> Hi Hopping Mad,
> 
> I had a hallertauer plant that seemed to be going strong, but then the leaves started getting eaten badly. I found a caterpiller even after trying two types of caterpiller spray. i also had earwigs and reckon i had spidermites too. So i thought i'd try some chilli/garlic. I also heard that a soap/oil mix was the go.
> 
> ...



Hmmm, that doesn't sound so good! Leaves falling off?! 

Might try a weaker solution to start with and see how I go as I don't want that happening! If I get a mix that works I'll post the recipe here guys.

Cheers!

Hopper.


----------



## doon (19/11/09)

my Chinooks have gone apeshit over the last two weeks probably grown 3 foot i reckon. Two have reach the roof, have just put string horizontally along roof line for them to grow onto


----------



## adam77 (20/11/09)

My perle is about 4-5 metres hight. It started flowering a few weeks ago and then stopped. It is still growing fairly quickly. Should I pick the flowers or wait until they dry some more?

I think the flowers are ready to be picked as most of the moisture has gone out of them.


----------



## Bizier (20/11/09)

adam77 said:


> My perle is about 4-5 metres hight. It started flowering a few weeks ago and then stopped. It is still growing fairly quickly. Should I pick the flowers or wait until they dry some more?
> 
> I think the flowers are ready to be picked as most of the moisture has gone out of them.



Wow that is early. I think if they are dried out, then you are not going to get anything more per cone in terms of AA yield.
How old are your rhizomes?


----------



## drsmurto (21/11/09)

HoppingMad said:


> Agree with you on one hand Smurts - Hops do love the sun. That's why places like tassie do well as they get more hours of sunlight in a day apparently.
> 
> But your rhizomes are older and established yeah?
> 
> ...



The 2nd and 3rd year rhizomes are definitely thriving (well in excess of 4m now) but when i dug up part of them in winter, divided them up and sold them i kept a few for myself.

Partly as an insurance policy so i knew that what i had sold was viable but also to expand my hop garden.

The new rhizomes were maybe 10cm long at best and not much thicker than a pencil. All are going gangbusters with bines now >2m high.

Up in the Adelaide Hills i don't get as hot a day as the plains dwellers (3-4 C cooler) but they do cop the full whack of the afternoon sun with no protection. I've been away for the past 4 days and left them in my partners care. In that time they've grown >30cm and are the picture of health.

I will admit to giving them a liquid potash drink on Monday when i was feeding the tomatoes before i left :icon_cheers:


----------



## adam77 (21/11/09)

Bizier said:


> Wow that is early. I think if they are dried out, then you are not going to get anything more per cone in terms of AA yield.
> How old are your rhizomes?



2 year old rhizome. It is the first year I have grown it. I bought if off the guy from Albany. It was a very big rhizome. Might pick these ones and see if others grow in the new year.


----------



## Steve (21/11/09)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Do you think the fence could be throwing off some extreme heat, causeing it's demise, it's a colorbond fence.



Very possible. Build a semi circle shield of shade cloth round the pot thats closest to the fence.


----------



## drsmurto (21/11/09)

About time i took some pics of my babies.....

Chinook






Goldings





POR (if you look closely you can see the Victoria to the left of the POR)





And a reverse angle to show the doubling up of chinook and goldings as well as the horizontal string i have trained them along over the chook run.





What heatwave? :icon_cheers:


----------



## matho (21/11/09)

hey drsmurto i have heard that there are wild hops still growing up in adelaide hills is that true?

i too like to be up in the hills when the plains are at 40 deg we would be lucky to be nudging 35 

hope alls going well

cheer's matho


----------



## NickB (21/11/09)

Have I mentioned DrSmurto, that with your hops going great guns, and a Landlord on tap, how much I actually hate you right now.... h34r:
















Cheers


----------



## HoppingMad (23/11/09)

A3k said:


> Hi Hopping Mad,
> 
> I had a hallertauer plant that seemed to be going strong, but then the leaves started getting eaten badly. I found a caterpiller even after trying two types of caterpiller spray. i also had earwigs and reckon i had spidermites too. So i thought i'd try some chilli/garlic. I also heard that a soap/oil mix was the go.
> 
> ...



Well I tried to create some organic spray, and I'm not sure about what I created but time will tell. It hasn't discoloured the leaves or anything.

This is what I used:
- One fresh chilli (10cm long)
- Two crushed cloves Garlic
- A tablespoon of Canola Oil
- 1cm of soap cut off a bar and finely chopped (didn't have any liquid soap)
- 1 litre of water

Blended all the ingredients in a blender and emptied into a spray bottle. Damn spray bottle got jammed on the little bits of chilli. 
I don't know whether I recommend my approach! Have to keep opening up the bottle to remove chilli particles. Maybe use dried chilli. 

After I'd done mine I actually found a recipe that Dr Smurto put down on a previous thread some time ago. His recipe suggests using garlic, 40 dried chillies, liquid soap, pyrantheum and a litre of water blended. Didn't exactly say the exact quantities of everything. 40 chillies seems like a lot though.

Anyhow, after all that stuffing around I think something like a straight Pyrantheum spray or some of that white powder people use for tomatoes might be way simpler than what I've done!  Think I will use this spray then get some commercial stuff when it's finished.

Hopper.


----------



## Spoonta (23/11/09)

I have been using white oil on my hops seemsto be working


----------



## raven19 (23/11/09)

matho said:


> hey drsmurto i have heard that there are wild hops still growing up in adelaide hills is that true?



I believe there are 'wild' POR plants that grow all over the place through the hills from hop farms many years ago.

Have not seen any wild ones myself yet though.


----------



## drsmurto (23/11/09)

NickB said:


> Have I mentioned DrSmurto, that with your hops going great guns, and a Landlord on tap, how much I actually hate you right now.... h34r:
> 
> 
> Cheers



You'll be pleased to know that when i got up the next morning the Landlord kegged had leaked out of the beer out post. In my haste to get the beer on tap i clearly didnt check the disconnect was on properly. Could smell Styrian goldings as i walked into the bar. Thankfully i have only lost a few pints but i still shed a tear......

Clearly showing off my hop garden and pint of Landlord came back to bite me on the arse! :lol: 

As for the wild hops, i've not seen any around Lobethal which is where i have heard they grow.

The 40 chillies in the home made spray isnt meant to be subtle. Burn the bastards i say!


----------



## MarkBastard (23/11/09)

I've found that I've only had little holes eaten into the very lowest lot of leaves on my hop plants, so I haven't bothered spraying anything at all on the plants. All natural!


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## Hutch (23/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> I've found that I've only had little holes eaten into the very lowest lot of leaves on my hop plants, so I haven't bothered spraying anything at all on the plants. All natural!


Earwigs seem to be in plague proportions down here, so I've not been able to avoid using sprays. Garlic/Pyrethrum seems to be working, though the little bastards are still everywhere. Can't seem to kill them with any spray, just deter them from destroying the leaves.


----------



## HoppingMad (23/11/09)

> As for the wild hops, i've not seen any around Lobethal which is where i have heard they grow.



I too have heard about the Lobethal rumour. Found it on another forum and posted it here a year or so back. Never had it confirmed. On the subject a startup micro brewery in 'Forrest' in the Otways in Vic claims to be using 'wild hops' in their beer that they are developing. Whether that one is true and they grow wild around there or is simply a clever marketing ploy is yet to be seen.



> The 40 chillies in the home made spray isnt meant to be subtle. Burn the bastards i say!


 :lol: 

Hopper.


----------



## fraser_john (23/11/09)

Hutch said:


> Earwigs seem to be in plague proportions down here, so I've not been able to avoid using sprays. Garlic/Pyrethrum seems to be working, though the little bastards are still everywhere. Can't seem to kill them with any spray, just deter them from destroying the leaves.



crunch up two sheets of newspaper into a rough ball and set in amongst the bines, about 6 inches off the ground. Come back a week later and dump the critters into a bucket of hot soapy water. I get about 30 each time I do it. Gets the numbers down fast.


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## BennyBrewster (23/11/09)

fraser_john said:


> crunch up two sheets of newspaper into a rough ball and set in amongst the bines, about 6 inches off the ground. Come back a week later and dump the critters into a bucket of hot soapy water. I get about 30 each time I do it. Gets the numbers down fast.



Are you putting anything in the newspaper ? fat from the bbq ?


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## Mantis (23/11/09)

I'll get some pics of my traps tonight but beleive me, old marg, meat trays and the like with a bit of beer in and some barby fat or even I have found lately, a covering of oil used in the kitchen, works a treat. 
The oil covering stops the beer from evaporating as well
Catching hundreds of the blighters who just get in and drown.

Just make sure the dog doesnt find them. I had a very happy Jack Russell a few weeks ago after he drained one of larger traps :lol: 

I reckon we are making conditions ideal for the pricks by putting down mulch everywhere

Edit: afterthought


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## Hutch (23/11/09)

Mantis said:


> I reckon we are making conditions ideal for the pricks by putting down mulch everywhere



Totally agree. They hardly have to go anywhere to find daytime shelter with all the mulch around.

As for trapping them, I was using some BBQ-fat-covered rolled-up newspaper for a while, and catching a dozen per night, but it didn't seem to be making any real difference to their numbers, they're in such plague proportions. I swear if it wasn't going to end up in my beer, I'd be spraying the crap out of them with some serious insecticide.

...so much for hop bines being like a weed - I've never seen bugs eat weeds like this before!


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## Mantis (23/11/09)

The pics arent great but
This trap has been here for a week or more. Must have several hundred wigs dead in it and still they come. This was oil from a bottle of dried tomatoes 





This is a new one I just put down near our front window tonight after work. Several deaths already and they are cueing up


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## fraser_john (24/11/09)

BennyBrewster said:


> Are you putting anything in the newspaper ? fat from the bbq ?



Nope, nothing. They just like a place to hide during the day and the paper really suits them.


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## philipwebb (24/11/09)

Hi

A question for all you experience growers, the tip of one of my bines has broken off and it appears not to be growing any longer. Should I cut this section off and use one of the new shoots and start another or will it continue growing up the string?

Cheers

Phil


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## MarkBastard (24/11/09)

Phil74 said:


> Hi
> 
> A question for all you experience growers, the tip of one of my bines has broken off and it appears not to be growing any longer. Should I cut this section off and use one of the new shoots and start another or will it continue growing up the string?
> 
> ...



Same thing happened to me. I just left it on the strong, and new laterals started shooting at the bottom of the bine, which I strung up around the existing bine including the dead part. The dead part just gives them something else to cling on to.

I'd almost go as far as saying damaging my original bine was the best thing for the hop plant. It's so thick now, with 4 different shoots curling around each other, heaps of leaves, looking very healthy and each lateral growing 6 inches a day.


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## HoppingMad (24/11/09)

Yep. A few threads here about 'tipping' bines. Some say trimming the top off at the right stage actually leads to better yields. Haven't tried it myself.

Hopper.


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## Spoonta (24/11/09)

thats good to know as my little boy stepped on my hop plant yesterday and snapped of one bine


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## Lachlan (24/11/09)

For the guys using Pyrethrum it is UV sensitive so it is best to spray early morning and late evening for best results.

Lachlan


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## philipwebb (24/11/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Same thing happened to me. I just left it on the strong, and new laterals started shooting at the bottom of the bine, which I strung up around the existing bine including the dead part. The dead part just gives them something else to cling on to.
> 
> I'd almost go as far as saying damaging my original bine was the best thing for the hop plant. It's so thick now, with 4 different shoots curling around each other, heaps of leaves, looking very healthy and each lateral growing 6 inches a day.




Thanks for your advice.

It has started shooting new laterals so I will do as suggested.

Thanks

Phil


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## RetsamHsam (24/11/09)

Here are some photos of my crop.. I have got chinook, goldings, and Hallertau going strong.. With some cascade shoots poking their heads above ground.


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## drsmurto (24/11/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> Here are some photos of my crop.. I have got chinook, goldings, and Hallertau going strong.. With some cascade shoots poking their heads above ground.



How close have you planted your hops? 

Any closer than 2m and you are going to get yourself into trouble as they spread out. I have shoots coming up more than 1m from the rhizomes!

EDIT - looking nice and healthy though!


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## raven19 (24/11/09)

I found some culprits eating some of my hop leaves.... caterpillars! They are exactly the same colour as the green leaves, hence just about impossible to detect!

Interestingly though the POR's of mine are hardly affected - a more hardy Aussie plant could be the factor?

In any case I gave all plants a thorough grooming last night, and also trimmed all lower leaves to aid in circulation similar to Dr S'.

Please keep a look out on your plants, one caterpillar can [email protected] and pillage a single bine in a short period of time!


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## RetsamHsam (24/11/09)

DrSmurto said:


> How close have you planted your hops?
> 
> Any closer than 2m and you are going to get yourself into trouble as they spread out. I have shoots coming up more than 1m from the rhizomes!
> 
> EDIT - looking nice and healthy though!



They are pretty close together, but the rhizomes were only tiny when I got them and I am only expecting 1-2 shoots from each of them this year. 
I plan on digging them up and expanding into a garden on the other side of the gate next year.. 

Hopefully the roots don't get tangled up like the christmas lights seem to throughout the year <_<


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## Online Brewing Supplies (24/11/09)

I have just had a look at my plants and was very happy to see a wasp going over the plants to see if there was and bush tucker for him to eat.  
GB


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## MarkBastard (24/11/09)

My hops have got a few little black ants on them. They don't seem to be doing anything to it though. I guess they're patrolling the hops for me and eating anything stray and fighting off any would be attackers. Go ants! I hope they don't eat the flowers though when it starts to flower.


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## WobblyBoot (25/11/09)

I've had a few leaf issues recently I thought I'd run past this forum.

I've had leaf discolouration of a couple of different types.






The brown on the outer edges of the bottom leaves has stopped, and I put that down to poor nutrition, possibly from watering with washing machine grey water once. It really knocked that plant for six and it only started recovering after some Seasol.

The newer leaves have a bit of yellow/brown happening in the middle of the leaf, as you can see on the leaves on the left above, or clearer here:






Any idea what that could be? I've watered regularly, with Seasol every couple of weeks, and mixed some extra Osmocote into the soil a week ago.

Finally, in the last few days I've noticed some black spots:






From what I've found in google searches it seems to be some kind of mould. What should I do?

Well, enough complaining. Life's still good, and beer's still great.


----------



## Leigh (25/11/09)

Looks like hops and washing machine grey water don't mix...there's been a few pics of edge burning of leaves after grey water was applied.

Not sure of the discoloration in the second pic, but the black spots, are they raised and only on one side? If so they are probably eggs or bugs of some description.


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## BennyBrewster (29/11/09)

Worried about the wind in the arvos! My hops are loving the heat and have made it to the top of my 3 meter trellis but due to them being out in the open in full sun they are getting blown around hard.

What you guys reckon ? 

I'm watching the leaves blow all over the place atm though they seem to be standing up to it.


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## Mantis (29/11/09)

I can see the tips of mine popping out of the rampit grape vines that are loving all the rain we are getting this year. 
If it does flower and it should being a second year plant, I hope I can find all the flowers.
:huh:


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## raven19 (30/11/09)

My Chinook is going nicely on the main bine. Others are very slowly trying to catch up. Signs of flowers forming up top on this main bine only.



Following on from when my bine ends all got burnt off in the 43 degree day, the side shoots immediately below have since grown - so nothing lost apart from the continued good growth of the main bine. From all appearances, it could even be better with two main shoots heading up!

Here is an example... I have manually wrapped the side shoots around the twine.


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## big_dazza27 (1/12/09)

Bought 2 rhizomes off ebay that were about 100mm long each, 1 Chinook, 1 Columbus about 2 months ago.

Both are about 3m high and the Columbus has about a dozen flowers!


----------



## absinthe (1/12/09)

WobblyBoot said:


> I've had a few leaf issues recently I thought I'd run past this forum.
> 
> I've had leaf discolouration of a couple of different types.
> 
> ...


i dont see why gray water would hurt em as long as you are using detergents that have no phosphates and a low salt content.. you may have affected the ph and lowered the plants ability to get the nutrients, it could be from the salt in gray water, but it also looks like a potassium deficiency, give it some blood and bone with potash, if it is mold spray with one part milk in ten parts water it might help (thats what "the homebrewers garden" says anyway)


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## barls (1/12/09)

heres mine this year. ill start with the monster my mt hood, and this is after i trimmed it back in the winter




then my wurtenburger




my chinook




my hallertau even though i thought i got rid of it.


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## Kodos (2/12/09)

My Elsasser and Hallertau are having their best seasons yet. After several years of no success, I put a bit of work into soil and planting conditions, and built a couple of 3.5m poles. The bines (I've allowed four from each plant) grow up the back of the veggie patch (haven't gotten around to planting veggies this year - too busy tending to the hops  )

I've stripped the foliage off the bottom couple of feet of both plants. Both have started growing lateral bines, the Elsasser much more vigorous than the Hallertau.

Most exciting is they've both started producing flowers!! This seems quite early but from searching the AHB it seems it's common for the main bines to flower first, followed by a second (more substantial) flowering on the laterals. Does this match others' experiences?

Here are the pics:
Elsasser on the left, Hallertau on the right:





Closer shot of the Elsasser looking lush:




close ups of the Elsasser cones (left) and the Hallertau (right). Sorry they're blurry, the bines were swinging in the breeze so my stupid camera couldn't get a decent pic.


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## WobblyBoot (2/12/09)

Cheers, yeah, that's what I thought too. Not so much anything bad in the water, but just removing good stuff from the soil.

I think the black spots may be mold. To answer Leigh, they were raised, but visible from the underside. From what I can see now, the spots have gone, leaving holes. Well at least they haven't spread.

My Saaz is now quite a bit taller than me. Awesome!

Might look into the blood & bone or potash thing. I've given them Seasol a few times and a bit of Osmocote but there could be some other goodies the plant is craving. Anyone have any thoughts on that?




absinthe said:


> i dont see why gray water would hurt em as long as you are using detergents that have no phosphates and a low salt content.. you may have affected the ph and lowered the plants ability to get the nutrients, it could be from the salt in gray water, but it also looks like a potassium deficiency, give it some blood and bone with potash, if it is mold spray with one part milk in ten parts water it might help (thats what "the homebrewers garden" says anyway)


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## MarkBastard (2/12/09)

I think I can see the first signs of flowers too. Very small so it's hard to be sure, but they're a third type of leaf and only growing in the top half of the bines.


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## jyo (2/12/09)

barls said:


> heres mine this year. ill start with the monster my mt hood, and this is after i trimmed it back in the winter
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice hoppies, Barls. That dark ale on your water tank could also warrant a further inspection... :icon_drool2:


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## blublurag (2/12/09)

I think I've got some flowers you beauty...


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## Screwtop (2/12/09)

blublurag said:


> I think I've got some flowers you beauty...
> View attachment 33572




Looks like a boy ??

Screwy


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## jbirbeck (3/12/09)

Screwtop said:


> Looks like a boy ??
> 
> Screwy




Look pretty similar to all of the flowers on my hops at early stages and I know mine that are flowering (chinook and Columbus) are female...but I've not seen a male plant yet.


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## drsmurto (3/12/09)

My chinook is covered in baby flowers.

Can almost taste the next batch of Mt Torrens Pale Ale :icon_drool2:


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## mckenry (3/12/09)

DrSmurto said:


> My chinook is covered in baby flowers.
> 
> Can almost taste the next batch of Mt Torrens Pale Ale :icon_drool2:



Same same only different
Can almost taste the next batch of mckenrys Pale Ale :icon_drool2:


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## MarkBastard (3/12/09)

I bought three Rhizomes. Chinook, Tettnang, and POR. All in pots. All grown in a small courtyard that is south facing.

They have all grown incredibly.

The Chinook only threw off one bine but it was a crazy SOB. I accidently broke it at about 1.5 metres, but that didn't faze it one bit. Laterals grew from near the bottom and I now have 4 bines that are really laterals. All are around 3 metres now. Whoever said that once a bine is damaged it won't grow anymore is simply wrong. Whoever said laterals just grow a food is wrong.

I almost ripped all of these out in frustration and chucked them in the bin. Luckily I didn't.

All three of them are covered in little baby flowers from about a foot off the ground, right to the end of the bines.

I've got a hunch that whoever said you don't get anything off first year rhizomes was wrong too. I'm expecting a mighty harvest, and an early one at that. In Queensland. In pots. South facing. Broken bines. Never once have i fertilised them. I've used Seasol 3 times. I have incorporated ZERO anti-bug measures even though a few leaves had some holes in them.

All I can say to anyone thinking about giving hops a go is to just do it. Don't listen to any advice here about all these delicate little procedures and wisdoms passed down because most of it seems just like Chinese whispers. Bullcrap in other words.

Oh and don't be put off by words like 'hop twine'. I don't think hop twine even exists. Just use any string you want, or wire, or even thin bits of bamboo. There's really nothing to it.


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## drsmurto (4/12/09)

Mark^Bastard said:


> I bought three Rhizomes. Chinook, Tettnang, and POR. All in pots. All grown in a small courtyard that is south facing.
> 
> They have all grown incredibly.
> 
> ...



Not sure where this rant has come from, i assume it's built up frustration from several other heated threads floating around AHB at present. Lots of bad feeling floating around this board. Stress during the xmas countdown? Maybe we need a bulk buy on stress balls....... h34r: 

Funny thing about hop flowers, a hundred or so sounds like a huge amount until you dry and weigh them. They are ~90% water. I picked 2 x 9L buckets of flowers off my chinook last year (2nd year plant) and when dried had the grand total of 60g. Enough for 1 keg of Mt Torrens Pale Ale.

The general idea of 1st year rhizomes, particularly those that are small is that any flowers you get in the 1st year is a bonus. Prior to the ebay hop market we bought rhizomes that were quite small, had a few shoots of them and some roots. The first year was all about root growth. The rhizomes now sold on ebay are the size of footballs so you should get a crop in the 1st year. Lots of people have been growing hops in QLD for a few years now. 

I think what you will find in this thread is a lot of brewers in the same position as you, growing hops for the first time and giving us all a running commentary on how they are going. A few tidbits from people (myself included) who have grown hops for a few years now and have a small amount of experience. 

Glad to hear your hops are growing well Mark. You will love the smell of fresh, home-grown chinook flowers when they hit boiling wort. Makes me week at the knees just thinking about it. 

The text above i highlighted is confusing me. What exactly do you think seasol is if it isn't a fertiliser? 

This year i have switched to liquid potash after reading a few of Peter Cundalls articles in Organic Gardener. It is supposed to promote flowering and help the plant better utilise nitrogen. Haven't noticed much difference in my hop plants but my tomatoes are flowering like crazy at the moment.

Cheers
DrSmurto

p.s. did i sell you the chinook and POR? Can't remember who i sold them to. If so, i am doubly pleased at your success.


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## MarkBastard (4/12/09)

Yeah I don't know why I was so pissed last night hahaha, I hadn't been drinking so that doesn't explain it. Just a long day / week / month / year.

I was told you need to religiously fertilise and that seasol wasn't a fertiliser, but instead just a growth agent or something like that. I did read somewhere else not to do anything unless the bines look like they need it. I waited until their colour didn't seem as deep before giving them Seasol. The potting mix itself is full of fertiliser anyway.

I don't expect any more hop flowers than what is physically possible on the bines of course, but all of my bines have baby flowers from pretty much head to toe, and every 8cm or so (corresponding with leaf growth if you know what I mean). So if these are grow into full size flowers, pretty much all of each bine will be covered.

These were fairly small rhizomes, palm of the hand size at best. I also left them in the crisper in the mailing bag for months due to being married / honeymoon / lazy, and planted them 'a bit too late' according to some things I've read here.

I can't remember who I bought them off, but I got the three rhizomes for $50 + postage. I don't think it was you though? I can't wait to use the Chinook in particular. The way you have described it just makes me even more keen :icon_drool2:


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## NickB (4/12/09)

Since moving my hops into a spot getting sun in the morning until maybe 1pm, my previously withered hops have sprung back to life, 2x Tettnang, 1xPOR, and 1x Chinook...However the Chinook have withered away an I have no growth. If I've killed these it will be the second year in a row I've killed the Chinook!

Cheers


----------



## MarkBastard (4/12/09)

My setup is kinda weird. I think the hops get plenty of sun in the morning and evening, but are probably shielded from direct sun for 1-2 hours during the hottest part of the day.

Seems like this is fairly ideal as they seem to be loving it.


----------



## Fourstar (4/12/09)

DrSmurto said:


> The text above i highlighted is confusing me. What exactly do you think seasol is if it isn't a fertiliser?



My understanding was seasol is the equivilant of a 'health tonic' and powerfeed was their fertiliser. Seasol AFAIK is a 'plant strengthener', reducing foilage sun damage, transplant issues, fungal/insect attacks etc.


----------



## drsmurto (4/12/09)

Fourstar said:


> My understanding was seasol is the equivilant of a 'health tonic' and powerfeed was their fertiliser. Seasol AFAIK is a 'plant strengthener', reducing foilage sun damage, transplant issues, fungal/insect attacks etc.




I always assumed seasol was an organic fertiliser whereas powerfeed wasnt.

Had a look and seasol contains bugger all N, P or K. 

I learnt something today :icon_cheers:


----------



## Simon W (6/12/09)

Screwtop said:


> Looks like a boy ??
> 
> Screwy



Nah, definitely fem.

Male flowers look like the ones at the very top left and right of this drawing:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hops--32-l.jpg


----------



## matho (6/12/09)

i was thinking the other day about seasol as it does have potasium in it that promotes flowering, it might just be the reason for the early flowering. people that only use seasol would be increasing the potasium in the soil making the plant want to flower and people that use nitrogen based fertiliser would be promoting leaf growth. so maybe we should use powerfeed in the early phase of growth and then switch to seasol later to get more flowers.

just a thought could be wrong

cheer's matho


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## MarkBastard (9/12/09)

Thought I'd add some pics to this thread.






Left to right, Chinook, Tettnang, P.O.R.





Closer / higher shot of the Chinook. There's about 6 laterals in total all climbing over each other, and I've split them into two semi-horizontal bits of twine.





Close up (bad pic I know) of some Tettnang flowers. Well I presume they're flowers anyway.





Random shot when I was trying to take a photo of flowers.


----------



## Spoonta (9/12/09)

Mate there looking great


----------



## dent (9/12/09)

I thought this was nice, one of the tendrils of chinook working its way up.






I had some trouble with mine. The chinook just about died for some reason after its first big growth spurt up to 500mm or so. After some sheep manure and adjustments to the retic it is now fighting back and the green bits are outnumbering the brown.

I have a tettnang too but that just sits there, doesn't seem to have much ambition.


----------



## MarkBastard (9/12/09)

I don't know if I'm just lucky or not but mine have grown like weeds since I planted them. They had all broken the soil after just a couple of days. I think maybe growing them in pots is easier for the first year? I used brand new potting mix and never have had a brown leaf. I think there's plenty of fertiliser in the potting mix. Also I only water probably twice a week.


----------



## NeilArge (12/12/09)

Went up to inspect my Chinook last night and, man alive  I've got hop cones!
How long before I can harvest, do you think (i.e. before they start to brown off a bit on the bottom)?
Very happy! :icon_cheers:


----------



## barls (12/12/09)

hows the mt hood going tun of grunt?


----------



## NeilArge (12/12/09)

barls said:


> hows the mt hood going tun of grunt?



Hi Barls

Below is a shot of my hop garden, with the Chinook now about 4 metres tall (LHS - cherry tomato is the short thing at far LHS). The Mt Hood is only a bit shorter and is going gangbusters. Unfortunately, it's got itself wrapped up in the Chinook and so I spent quite a bit of time last night tracing it in and around the Chinook bines. So, for it's first year it has done terrifically well. I'm hopeful of some cones off of that too! Thanks to you for an excellent cutting!  

ToG


----------



## NeilArge (12/12/09)

dent said:


> I thought this was nice, one of the tendrils of chinook working its way up.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



My Tettnang was the first rhizome up this season, but has since been dragged off by the Chinook (2nd year rhizome) and my Mt Hood. But over the last week or so, the Tettnang has put on nearly a metre of growth. Don't know why, but there you have it!

Cheers

ToG


----------



## barls (12/12/09)

good to hear mate. ive got to get some more pics of mine this weekend.


----------



## stew.w (13/12/09)

my hop plant isnt going so good, somethings eating it.
what is it? i cant see anything, what should i put on it to protect it?



Cheers,

Stewart


----------



## adam77 (13/12/09)

I have been drying my hop flowers for a few weeks now (flowered early in Brisbane and started flowering again a few weeks ago). How long should I dry them out for prior to using? Also, are they ok to just throw into the fermenter for dry hopping?

Thanks.


----------



## scott_penno (13/12/09)

My Chinook is now about 5.5m tall and still growing as well as throwing laterals out all over the place. My Tettnang has about a dozen leaves and looks a little ordinary next to the Chinook...

sap.

(sorry for the rather crappy photos...)


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## beerDingo (14/12/09)

I've got about 9 varieties atm. I've got a Tetnanger, and a Cluster (I think), that are from cuttings off Fents plants last year. They were late last year, and were not in a good spot. They grew about 1-2 meters, but did not give any hops. This year they took off, and one of them is growing hops already.

The other 7 are going great guns! These are from rhizome's that I got off of other members of AHB. Some are as big as the ones I've had since last year! Spose Rhizome's are probably quicker to establish than a cutting.

Here are some pics:
















The above pic shows the size of the pots that I am using. They all climb up plastic or bamboo poles that are in or next to the pots. I've then put string across the yard, attached to the poles, so that once they get to the top, I then train them along the horizontal strings. Starting to get worried that I will run out of room and have them all growing together. Especially now that they are throwing out laterals at a huge rate.













Above are pics of the plant that is "budding" (or producing hops). They don't currently look very much like hops... I'm looking forward to my first Thornbury ale! Just need to grow the grain and catch some wild yeast :blink: .


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## raven19 (14/12/09)

Its quite exciting the first time you notice flowers forming on the hop bines!

My Chinook has about 40 cones forming now on the main bine. Enough for a pint or two only at this stage...

All other plants are trying to catch up...


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## Fents (14/12/09)

budding! lol rugs.

nice work mate, same me some flowers for a brew, pretty sure im getting zilch again this year!


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## raven19 (14/12/09)

adam77 said:


> I have been drying my hop flowers for a few weeks now (flowered early in Brisbane and started flowering again a few weeks ago). How long should I dry them out for prior to using? Also, are they ok to just throw into the fermenter for dry hopping?



I was under the impression that they should have some oils left in them when squeezed. I dont think you want to dry them out too much, unless long term storage is the plan.

Was there a similar question and answer in last years 2008 hop thread? Will look now... 

Edit: From 2008 Thread - Post Here, thoughts on picking them Here.

I do recall further info somewhere here on ahb...


----------



## beerDingo (14/12/09)

Fents said:


> budding! lol rugs.
> 
> nice work mate, same me some flowers for a brew, pretty sure im getting zilch again this year!



Yeah, I've just gotta work out which is which (of the cutting's I got off of you). One is a tetnang, and one is a cluster? Which of those 2 has the reder stem?


----------



## adam77 (14/12/09)

raven19 said:


> I was under the impression that they should have some oils left in them when squeezed. I dont think you want to dry them out too much, unless long term storage is the plan.
> 
> Was there a similar question and answer in last years 2008 hop thread? Will look now...
> 
> ...




Thanks Raven.

I think they should be dried enough and I with dry hop them in my current batch of lager in the fermenter.


----------



## Fents (15/12/09)

beerDingo said:


> Yeah, I've just gotta work out which is which (of the cutting's I got off of you). One is a tetnang, and one is a cluster? Which of those 2 has the reder stem?



def cluster has the redder steam.


----------



## newguy (15/12/09)

Thought I'd chime in with a pre-emptive answer to the inevitable "will a bit of frost kill my hops?" question which will come in about 4-5 months. Saturday night/Sunday morning we broke some records with a new low of -46.1C. My hops will be fine come spring. Last spring we had a late cold snap, from +22C one day to -14C the next, and it stayed below -10C for a week. A few of my hops had sprouted prior to that cold snap and they didn't even wilt.




When it gets below about -33C or so, the water vapour in car exhaust instantly freezes and won't dissipate, leading to what we call ice fog.



This gentleman had been out for a jog.



-34C? Feels warm.

Note: picture credits to the Edmonton Journal. I don't need them pissed off at me.


----------



## Gout (15/12/09)

My hops which are 4 years old have never given me a single hop flower - i have tried tough love, i have tried seasol, etc etc pots ground and nothing

This year i had words with the buggers grow and give or make room for more veg.... they took off in fear and i was happy then died off to ground level and a month later they have started to grow again - strange

I gave another to my mate and his did the same so maybe its just a local thing or dud hops - soon dead hops


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## ~MikE (15/12/09)

wierd, they dont sound like healthy plants... how much will they typically grow?


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## Gout (15/12/09)

they grow like mental to the roof level (thats as high as they can climb - where the twine stops)

this year tho it was warming up in melbourne then a cold came through now its warming up again. they grew to say 6 feet, then stopped for a long time and then died off however now leaves are growing back on 75% of it

that said when they die, leaves start to turn yellow brown as seen in one of these pics, the other is a nice green.

The brown leave/plant is in an area where the veg wont grow well either even tho i put good dirt in there this year ( this so near by tree is zapping everything out of the area)

quality of the pics are average as i wanted them small enough to post


----------



## BobtheBrewer (15/12/09)

Gout said:


> My hops which are 4 years old have never given me a single hop flower - i have tried tough love, i have tried seasol, etc etc pots ground and nothing
> 
> This year i had words with the buggers grow and give or make room for more veg.... they took off in fear and i was happy then died off to ground level and a month later they have started to grow again - strange
> 
> I gave another to my mate and his did the same so maybe its just a local thing or dud hops - soon dead hops




Maybe they are gay!


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## Gout (15/12/09)

a gay hop plant hey? maybe i should put them together....


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## white.grant (19/12/09)

Noticed that my first year POR is starting to flower this morning. Very exciting.

cheers

grant


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## raven19 (20/12/09)

Assistant brewer observing Victoria Hops growing slowly...


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## daemon (20/12/09)

Well that's one way of keeping the bugs off Raven19!

My hops have been a bit mixed this year, the distinct lack of rain really isn't helping at all. I've lost one plant completely and more disappointingly the two large ones from last year are barely alive (two shoots each only about 10cm long). We've had about 1/2 of the normal annual rainfall here, combined with the hottest summer on record it hasn't helped much at all.

The biggest surprise has been the Goldings, only a first year rhizome but it's going berserk. Same location, same soil but it's outgrown the Cascade and Chinook by about a factor of 4. I expected to have the least growth from it so in that regards I'm happy. 

Just had the first decent rainfall in about 3 months so they should all be happy as can be now, will give them a bit of fertiliser now that I know they can make use of it.


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## WobblyBoot (20/12/09)

After 3.5 months in the pot, I gave my hops plants a little extra Osmocote to help them along and maybe encourage some flower growth.
Bad move.
My Saaz plant, which until recently had been growing like crazy, has gone yellow on most of the lower growth, and a lot of leaves have died.
So I spent an hour or so this afternoon picking little fkn Osmocote pellets out of the soil, then dumped a couple of buckets of water into the pot to flush out all the extra N, P and K.
So much for flowering, it'll be a good thing if I can keep the bugger alive.
Let this serve as a warning!


----------



## jyo (21/12/09)

WobblyBoot said:


> After 3.5 months in the pot, I gave my hops plants a little extra Osmocote to help them along and maybe encourage some flower growth.
> Bad move.
> My Saaz plant, which until recently had been growing like crazy, has gone yellow on most of the lower growth, and a lot of leaves have died.
> So I spent an hour or so this afternoon picking little fkn Osmocote pellets out of the soil, then dumped a couple of buckets of water into the pot to flush out all the extra N, P and K.
> ...




Shame to hear about your hops, mate.

In my limited hop growing experience (2 years) and with all the info I've read, stick to the organic stuff. Plenty of aged cow shit, blood n bone, and occasional seasol (promotes drought tolerance, good bugs in the soil and resistance to diseases). 

I know many on here will be familiar with this, but for heaps of extra info, check this hop growing manual, cheers, John.

View attachment HopsManual.pdf


----------



## Jazzafish (21/12/09)

jyo said:


> Shame to hear about your hops, mate.
> 
> In my limited hop growing experience (2 years) and with all the info I've read, stick to the organic stuff. Plenty of aged cow shit, blood n bone, and occasional seasol (promotes drought tolerance, good bugs in the soil and resistance to diseases).
> 
> ...



Thanks for sharing that pdf, good read!


----------



## raven19 (21/12/09)

The main bine on my chinook has some lovely flowers fattening up now.
Will have to lower the supporting rope to check them this week, there may be enough on there for a pint or two! :chug: 

My Cascade and POR are now catching up and fast approaching the top supporting rope. Figners crossed they keep powering on for some significant growth in the next month prior to flowering time...

Goldings and Victoria sitting there in pots doing not much... at least above the dirt...


----------



## NickB (23/12/09)

Woo-Hoo!

Noticed yesterday that my dead Chinook (had grown to about 40cm, then died back to nothing but three 5cm brown stalks) has sprung back to life. As of this morning, he's grown nearly 5cm (in less than 24 hrs!), and the leaves look bright green and healthy! The other hops are loving the weather up here at the moment too (hot and humid days, lots of storms and rain in the evenings) and are firing. None are that tall yet (the POR is maybe 25-30cm) but they all have multiple bines, and they're really starting to bush up.

Expecting some pretty dramatic growth in the coming weeks! 

Cheers


----------



## winkle (24/12/09)

Effing possums selectively chew off the growing tips at about fence height at our place (bastards), they don't mind tomatoes either  . The Perle and Goldings plants seem to struggle through best, cascade is not happy.
Good luck with yours Nick, and have a good Xmas.


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## drsmurto (24/12/09)

I really should have built that trellis this year - my hops are starting to grow into each other! Spent far too long this morning untangling them and trying to reroute them. I have also been removing any new shoots that are emerging which is damn near a daily job. Partner found a chinook shoot growing in the corn plot which had climbed all the way up a corn plant. Thankfully she understands the rules and untangled it and carefully dug it up and put it next to the main plant. Think i have a keeper  

From the left - POR, Goldings and Chinook (Victoria and Cascade not pictured and a fraction of the size of these 3)





The reverse angle





Chinook from reverse





Flowers on the chinook


----------



## Mantis (24/12/09)

Looking really good DrSmurto. My chinnook is flowering too and putting out shoots everywhere. They are growing up the tomato stakes nearby and anything else they can find


----------



## Greg Lawrence (28/12/09)

Anyone harvesting yet?
Mine are looking like they are ready, but Im not too sure if I should leave them a bit longer or not.
I will post a photo soon.

Gregor


----------



## Gout (28/12/09)

i hate you so much DrSmurto. yours look atleast a million times better than mine. Mine died back and are only knee hight at the moment, they look younge and fresh/bright green but i dont think there will be hop flowers in my garden again this year! 

maybe i should stick to carrots


----------



## mckenry (28/12/09)

Gregor said:


> Anyone harvesting yet?
> Mine are looking like they are ready, but Im not too sure if I should leave them a bit longer or not.
> I will post a photo soon.
> 
> Gregor



Yes. Yesterday I took my first harvest. Chinook had plenty that were ready. There are still lots just started on the same plant. I am trying something new this year. Only dried them for 24hrs, then into the vacuum bag and into the freezer. Not dried out much at all. Going to use some 'wet hops' in 2010.
So I reckon if they're spreading a bit and feeling paperish on the vine, then harvest.
mckenry


----------



## Rossy (28/12/09)

mckenry said:


> Yes. Yesterday I took my first harvest. Chinook had plenty that were ready. There are still lots just started on the same plant. I am trying something new this year. Only dried them for 24hrs, then into the vacuum bag and into the freezer. Not dried out much at all. Going to use some 'wet hops' in 2010.
> So I reckon if they're spreading a bit and feeling paperish on the vine, then harvest.
> mckenry



Go easy on the light drying front, my first go I did the same and the more moist bags went black, fortunately only the first few bags were treated this way
but since then all mine are in the ost oven at 40* for 30 hours


----------



## raven19 (28/12/09)

Been doing some research online and found some more useful blurbs on when to pick hops:

This page:
Linky

3/4 way down this page:
Linky2

I tried a few of my Chinook the other day, no aroma at all and still too wet.


----------



## raven19 (28/12/09)

Progress shot, the Chinook is going crazy in the middle with flowers at varying stages.





A close up of the Chinook flowers, poor photo quality with another green tree in the background.


----------



## kenworthy (28/12/09)

Had the drug squads spotter plane fly over mine the other day, never saw a plane do such a fast u turn,went over them three times,mind you I also have tomato plants growing amongst them so am expecting a visit any day now.


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## Bizier (28/12/09)

Saw my main garden over the last couple of days. They are really stunted from the dry. The Hersbruk is over 4m tall and the cones are half-near ready. My Goldings is still struggling. I lost my little Mt Hood. Next time Gadget.


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## matt white (28/12/09)

I just harvested a couple of kilos of chinook flowers today off my plants. These are big and fat but traditionally are low in AA. The second round of flowers in Feb/March are much better for using in brews....lots more of the yellow crystals that make up the AA.


----------



## Greg Lawrence (29/12/09)

I think they are ready to harvest










Edit: 
Just been back through some earlier posts.
Perhap sthey should be left a bit longer.
My next problem is that I cant remember what they are.
Hey Pete (Petesbrew) can you remember what they were?


----------



## big78sam (29/12/09)

I've got my first flowers (chinook) in my first year! How exciting!


----------



## clarkey7 (5/1/10)

Got mine late in the planting season.....in ground on 10th October 2009.

1st year Chinook and POR left to right.

The rain hasn't hurt growth in the last week. The bines were just at the top of the timber fence on XMAS day.

Looking like I may get some cones in my first year....heres hoping.









Brisvegas sunset there.....nice

PB :icon_cheers: 

PS - yours look really healthy Gregor........


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## barls (5/1/10)

just finished harvesting my wurtenburger. i filled one of my trays with just that one. will be doing the mt hood tomorrow


----------



## Bizier (5/1/10)

Gregor said:


> Perhap sthey should be left a bit longer.



If you pick one and brush the petals against their direction, they should come away pretty easily. They should feel dry and papery and make a noise when you touch them. Yours look a little underdone to me, even though they are first year (I am assuming there) and as such, will be a little smaller.


----------



## Greg Lawrence (6/1/10)

Bizier said:


> If you pick one and brush the petals against their direction, they should come away pretty easily. They should feel dry and papery and make a noise when you touch them. Yours look a little underdone to me, even though they are first year (I am assuming there) and as such, will be a little smaller.



Yes I think they do need a bit longer.
I picked some the other day and took the to a friend for his opinion. I ended up leaving these hops in the car for a day and they ended up rather dry and crispy.
This got me thinking. Maybe when they are ready, I could dry them out in the back of my car (wagon) on an elevated fly screen.
Probably need to leave the windows down a bit so they dont get to hot. 
The car will probably smell like hops for a while, but I see this as an added bonus.

Gregor


----------



## barls (6/1/10)

thats all i do but mine go in the spare laundry and on racks in there.


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## Pennywise (6/1/10)

Would you believe mine has started to kick off again, little f**ker. Once I realised I wasn't going to get anywhere this year I ripped up the rhyzome to check that it hadn't carked it on me, there were sweet FA rootlets but it still looked healthy enough, so back in the ground it went and up it started to grow. Should I cut it back to the ground now, or wait till it goes through the motions and cut it back when it starts to go dorment? Hopefully next season it fires up well to make up for this seasons flop.


----------



## mckenry (6/1/10)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Would you believe mine has started to kick off again, little f**ker. Once I realised I wasn't going to get anywhere this year I ripped up the rhyzome to check that it hadn't carked it on me, there were sweet FA rootlets but it still looked healthy enough, so back in the ground it went and up it started to grow. Should I cut it back to the ground now, or wait till it goes through the motions and cut it back when it starts to go dorment? Hopefully next season it fires up well to make up for this seasons flop.



Let it go through the motions 'Craftbrewer79'


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## Pennywise (6/1/10)

mckenry said:


> 'Craftbrewer79'




Hey :angry: 







:lol: :lol:


----------



## Hutch (6/1/10)

A few photo's of the 6 plants strung across my narrow backyard.
All first-year plants, though some rhyzomes (Chinook, Columbus and Hallertau) were quite large, so you could say they're equivalent to 2nd year plants.



*L->R: Tettnang, POR, Columbus, Chinook, Cluster, Hallertau*



*Chinook Cones forming at top of bines*



*Columbus cones*

Not expecting a huge crop, though I'm stoked if I get anything in my first year.


----------



## matho (6/1/10)

a hail storm came thru here about 1 pm and has stripped about 40% of the leaves of my plants, they look like they will survive the worst hit was a cascade that im growing for regulator. it also put some dents in the car :angry:


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## manticle (6/1/10)

Good to see people have success leaving them in pots. I have 2 varieties in the ground and two in puts. All seem to be going well. Planted this spring so no expectation of flowers.


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## Mantis (6/1/10)

You might get a handful of flowers Manticle. I did last year with the first year chinook


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## manticle (6/1/10)

I'll be stoked if I do.

Have chinook, tettnang, goldings and hallertau. The hallertau seem to be less interested in climbing.

Basically I just let them go (I like functional plants that don't require attention such as potatoes and herbs), use a bit of spent grain as mulch and pour any waste cleaning water from my brewing on them.

They look happy enough.


----------



## dazadude (6/1/10)

Hey guys, just posting some current pics of my POR. I couldn't take a pic of the whole plant, so here is some cones. Pretty good for just putting it in the ground some months back.


----------



## doon (6/1/10)

My first year chinooks have started to get quite a few small flowers on them, some leaves are wilted on the plants but they still seem to be going ok


----------



## daemon (10/1/10)

Here's how my hops are looking (mainly just the Goldings in the photo), I've run some string out from the fence to give some of the longer runners a place to go. Very happy with the Goldings and the Cascade, Chinook and Perle are all a reasonable size for a first year plant.







Lots of flowers on the Goldings and some flowers on all the others. Some of the Chinook is already ready but after drying all I've got so far is 8g  Based on the number of flowers I'll be expecting somewhere around 100g from the Goldings, based on a crop from last year (different hop plant but similar amount of flowers).




Started propagating them as well this year to grow a few more plants and also to share.


----------



## raven19 (10/1/10)

My main POR in the ground has suffered under the heat here (42 here today). Wilted leaves on the top half of the plant.

I have dumped a good 10+ Litres of water onto it in preparation of the 43 degree day due tomorrow... <_<


----------



## barls (11/1/10)

heres my plantation.
my wurtenburger










mt hood










and my chinnook










heres the harvest i did 3 days ago.
mt hood





and the wurtenburger


----------



## BjornJ (11/1/10)

Barls,
that looks awesome!

How are you going to dry them?

thanks
Bjorn


----------



## Fourstar (11/1/10)

well the heat on saturday has frizzled one of my 2nd year chinooks (which seemed to be the strong one) down to around 2 bines and the other is struggling too. Im sure with todays forecast of 43 it will be nothing but a crisp. 

My 1st year POR on the other hand has survived well. Looking rather strong! No hop cones as of yet though... hmmm.


----------



## eric8 (11/1/10)

barls said:


> heres my plantation.


It certainly does look just that, wish mine where half as good as those


----------



## barls (11/1/10)

already done bjorn. thats what the racks are for. 3 days on them in summer and they are perfect. i could cut it down to 1 if i could be bothered setting up the rest of the oust.
ill show you when you come around at the end of the month.


----------



## barls (11/1/10)

hey eric these are also 4th year plants with the exception of the Chinook.


----------



## Hutch (12/1/10)

Fourstar said:


> well the heat on saturday has frizzled one of my 2nd year chinooks (which seemed to be the strong one) down to around 2 bines and the other is struggling too. Im sure with todays forecast of 43 it will be nothing but a crisp.


So how are everyone's plants cope with the heat?
I gave my plants a good soaking late the previous evening, but the POR and Chinook still didn't fair too well - mainly dried leaves and limp laterals.
I think another water during the day is probably required when it gets into the 40's, though god help us if we have a repeat of 48 degrees again


----------



## drsmurto (12/1/10)

Hutch said:


> So how are everyone's plants cope with the heat?
> I gave my plants a good soaking late the previous evening, but the POR and Chinook still didn't fair too well - mainly dried leaves and limp laterals.
> I think another water during the day is probably required when it gets into the 40's, though god help us if we have a repeat of 48 degrees again



Mine have not just survived the latest Adelaide heatwave, they have gone nuts. 

Using a drip irrigation system this year so they get a deep soak once a day when the temp is >35C. Lower than that its every second or third day. 

The entire vegie patch is thriving in this weather compared to last year when i was hand watering it.


----------



## Hutch (12/1/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Mine have not just survived the latest Adelaide heatwave, they have gone nuts.
> 
> Using a drip irrigation system this year so they get a deep soak once a day when the temp is >35C. Lower than that its every second or third day.
> 
> The entire vegie patch is thriving in this weather compared to last year when i was hand watering it.



Good to hear DrS. I'm using a drip irrigation system as well, though in pots they just don't have enough water reserves to last the extreme heat, in addition to their roots getting hot from sun exposure.
I look forward to having some space to plant mine in the ground.


----------



## Fourstar (12/1/10)

Hutch said:


> Good to hear DrS. I'm using a drip irrigation system as well, though in pots they just don't have enough water reserves to last the extreme heat, in addition to their roots getting hot from sun exposure.
> I look forward to having some space to plant mine in the ground.



Fortunatly i didnt have any issues with the 40 deg heat from yesterday. I just hope they survive today.


----------



## Kleiny (12/1/10)

Water has been the prescription for the last few days

Ive kept the water up and they have kept all there leaves with only very few browning off.

I dont have any cones yet but the mt hood should produce soon and the tett may not this year as it was a small rhizome to start with.

kleiny


----------



## Yikes (12/1/10)

mine looks very sad. Kept the soil moist but the leaves are curling up and dropping.


----------



## BoilerBoy (12/1/10)

Hutch said:


> So how are everyone's plants cope with the heat?
> I gave my plants a good soaking late the previous evening, but the POR and Chinook still didn't fair too well - mainly dried leaves and limp laterals.
> I think another water during the day is probably required when it gets into the 40's, though god help us if we have a repeat of 48 degrees again



The heats been intense, but I have made some shade cloth shields up this year after previous disasters and they have made it through ok, still singed and the windburn alone was enough to inflict some peripheral damage.

However, my hersbrucker is flowering well and I may even yet get some flowers of my tardif de bourgogne after waiting 3 years (it doesn't enjoy the heat at all!) and my first year chinook I got off Boston which I was content to let grow in a pot for this year demaned to be put in the ground and has made it to the top of the 3.5 meter trellis and is flowering as well,

Cheers,
BB


----------



## beerDingo (12/1/10)

A few weeks ago on one of the hot days (i'd been slack and not prepared them with a nice water the night before), my Victoria lost the top half (shriveled up), and another also had a bit dry up. But I gave it a nice soak Sunday night, and they were all fine yesterday. My corn however, seemed to dry up a bit, but still tasted great for dinner!

I picked about 1/3 of the hops on my Tettnanger last week, but thought I'd leave some on to see what happens, as this is my first year getting hops. Looking at the others still growing, I'm thinking I should have left them all. they seem to be getting more aroma as they age. All a learning process. I'd probably suggest other first timers do something similar to this, so, for next year you will know when the optimum picking time for your hops actually is. I think I will stagger picking them and compare the difference, in smell/feel/looks.


----------



## Mantis (12/1/10)

Fourstar said:


> Fortunatly i didnt have any issues with the 40 deg heat from yesterday. I just hope they survive today.




You should have rain shortly 4*


----------



## Fourstar (12/1/10)

Mantis said:


> You should have rain shortly 4*



so much for cricket training then!  

Raining out your way atm is it?


----------



## seemax (12/1/10)

My chinook is absolutely loving this heat, growing like mad every day. I've been watering a lot in well drained soil. 

The columbus has a case of stunted growth but did start from a small rhizome. Yellow leaves and only handful of flowers.

I run them East-West on trellis (2m high), then sideways... full sun.


----------



## barls (13/1/10)

here another one of my hops


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## drsmurto (13/1/10)

Some very healthy looking hops there Barls!

Planning on actually building a trellis next year to run them up to a height similar to that.

I am assuming they are a few years old, 3rd or 4th year?


----------



## barls (13/1/10)

4th on the ends with a 1st or 2nd in the middle.
actually got to go and pick some in a minute off my chinnok in the middle, right after i finish tormenting the yanks on the BN.


----------



## syd_03 (13/1/10)

barls said:


> here another one of my hops



Hops look great Barls, but you really do need to mow your lawn 

And no I am not voluntering


----------



## barls (13/1/10)

awww come on you will be here on saturday as well.


----------



## raven19 (13/1/10)

Victoria and Goldings still not doing much in the pots...

The cat is yet again guarding the hops! :lol: 




I trimmed off the dead leaves from the heatwave last week on the POR.


----------



## Mantis (16/1/10)

First harvest, 35g of chinook




There will be maybe 10 times this amount with the second harvest that are still small


----------



## fraser_john (17/1/10)

I have been holding off on posting to this thread this season, not sure why. But just managed to get a few pics. From left to right of the veggie garden, Goldings, Tettnang, Cascade, Chinook & POR


----------



## WitWonder (17/1/10)

First year Chinook. Had a look this morning and whattya know!  They are lovimg the heat atm. 
What sort of fertiliser is best now to encourage flower growth?

Next year I should improve my trelis...


----------



## drsmurto (17/1/10)

fraser_john said:


> I have been holding off on posting to this thread this season, not sure why. But just managed to get a few pics. From left to right of the veggie garden, Goldings, Tettnang, Cascade, Chinook & POR



Nice looking hops (and vegie patch) FJ

I am still throwing around ideas about how to build a trellis system for my hops. 2nd year in a row where i have talked but done nothing :lol: 

Got any more info on that setup of yours? How do you plan on picking the hops? What sort of pole are you using?

Cheers
DrSmurto

p.s. picking the 1st crop of chinook today (if the rain stops)


----------



## fraser_john (17/1/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Nice looking hops (and vegie patch) FJ
> 
> I am still throwing around ideas about how to build a trellis system for my hops. 2nd year in a row where i have talked but done nothing :lol:
> 
> ...



There is a cross member at the top, each end has a wire loop on it. The training rope is attached to this loop by a hook, when I go to harvest, all I do is unhook the training rope, let the bines drop to the ground and harvest at my convenience. Ladders and I tend to have a difficulty coming to an agreement on safety, gravity often wins.

The poles are your basic treated pine post with a star picket screwed to it to get the extra height.

This method was detailed in one of the hop growing guides, but my poles are a little short of what is really needed, but its the best I can do 

John


----------



## WitWonder (22/1/10)

Kleiny said:


> Water has been the prescription for the last few days
> 
> Ive kept the water up and they have kept all there leaves with only very few browning off.
> 
> ...



So is the browning of the outer of the leaves due to lack of water? Quite a few leaves on mine (1st year Chinook) toward the bottom of the plant are going brown around the edges. Would like to know how to fix...


----------



## Pete2501 (22/1/10)

I'm so looking forward growing my own hops. I love seeing all the pictures everyone uploads. Keep em coming


----------



## barls (23/1/10)

i couldnt resist while i was picking


----------



## Greg Lawrence (23/1/10)

I will be picking/harvesting tomorrow.


----------



## barls (23/1/10)

im going for number 3 harvest this year.


----------



## eric8 (24/1/10)

barls said:


> im going for number 3 harvest this year.


Baaahhh shush up you!. My second year Cascade has some flowers, about 10 :lol: . God knows what I will do with them, if they get any bigger than the 5c piece size they are now.


----------



## Midnight Brew (24/1/10)

My two chinook in the pots are starting to form some flowers. The chinook in the ground has hit a growth spurt climbing about 10cm each day for the last few days, maybe has something to do with putting the left over grains on the ground as mulch B)


----------



## manticle (24/1/10)

A couple of tiny flowers have appeared on my plants. A little tingle of excitment was felt.

Just a little one.


----------



## BoilerBoy (24/1/10)

Just thought I'd add a picture of my hiops taken today.





From left Hersbrucker (3rd year) Tardif de bourgogne (also 3rd year) and lastly 1st year Chinnok which has totally surprised me as I bought it off Boston last year, brought it home in a sandwitch sized bag and then potted, thinking I'll plant it in the ground next year.... 2 weeks later its 3 runners were busting out of the pot and roots out the base so I planted it and now its over 3m tall and flowering as well.

Cheers,
BB


----------



## chillimunga (24/1/10)

Well its the 1st year for my hops ( cascade LH and hersbrucker RH) man i wish i had more room  .

I was wondering if they give off any hoppy aroma while flowering????


----------



## Leigh (25/1/10)

BoilerBoy said:


> Just thought I'd add a picture of my hiops taken today.
> 
> 
> From left Hersbrucker (3rd year) Tardif de bourgogne (also 3rd year) and lastly 1st year Chinnok which has totally surprised me as I bought it off Boston last year, brought it home in a sandwitch sized bag and then potted, thinking I'll plant it in the ground next year.... 2 weeks later its 3 runners were busting out of the pot and roots out the base so I planted it and now its over 3m tall and flowering as well.
> ...



Hi BB, I'm interested in the chain you are using to grow the hops up? Do you have any issues with the hops holding on? What size are the links etc? If you started again, would you go smaller or larger links?

Cheers


----------



## BoilerBoy (25/1/10)

Leigh said:


> Hi BB, I'm interested in the chain you are using to grow the hops up? Do you have any issues with the hops holding on? What size are the links etc? If you started again, would you go smaller or larger links?
> 
> Cheers



G'day Leigh,

Its a plastic chain lock I've only seen in one size, its about 10mm width and narrows down to 4mm link, but I haven't looked for smaller or larger sizes so I couldn't tell you.

The hops hold on fine, I used string the first year I grew hops but switched to the chain lock mainly because the mrs and I bought a couple of 50m rolls from a wholesaler North of Adelaide which was way cheaper than buying it from a hardware stores $$$!

We originally bought it to espalier fruit trees, its stable, adjustable, reusable and it just seemed logical to use it on the hop frame as well.

Cheers,
BB


----------



## sbidese (25/1/10)

BoilerBoy said:


> G'day Leigh,
> 
> Its a plastic chain lock I've only seen in one size, its about 10mm width and narrows down to 4mm link, but I haven't looked for smaller or larger sizes so I couldn't tell you.
> 
> ...



I like the look of the chain lock BB, its got me thinking about my winter climbing beans and my hops next summer.

Any idea what Bunning's charges?

Update on my hops -
They have reached the roof of the garage now and have started flowering.
I think they are 3x first year Casade.
I am having fun with a caterpillar atm - slimy bloody thing, he's there and having a feast on my lower leaves.
I went away for 10 days and the plant went crazy in melbourne's heat wave.
The new bines seem to be re-wound back against the main plant - is this a problem???

Pics to follow some stage soon

Cheers

Simon


----------



## Leigh (25/1/10)

Thanks BB. I know the chain you describe.


----------



## BoilerBoy (25/1/10)

[quote name='Simon1' date='Jan 25 2010, 11:36 AM' post='587663'

Any idea what Bunning's charges?

Cheers

Simon
[/quote]

I can't remember, I know they used to sell it in both precut lengths and by the metre off the reel,
next time I'm in there (reasonably often) I'll have a look.

BB


----------



## sbidese (25/1/10)

BoilerBoy said:


> Simon1 said:
> 
> 
> > Cheers,
> > Same if i beat you there i'll post.


----------



## barls (25/1/10)

BoilerBoy said:


> Just thought I'd add a picture of my hiops taken today.
> 
> View attachment 35100
> 
> ...


bugger that hersbrucker rivals my mt hood, note to self must fertilise hops plants again.


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (25/1/10)

Hi guys ,

Just finished the first pickings from my Hersbrucker. I got enough to fill a two liter jug . I am trying out the Aldi dehyrator . Still have plenty of immature cones and flowers on it . 

The Cluster has a heap of cones that are not quite ready and lots of flowers . 

The Cascade has lots flowers , which is OK because it was a very small zome when I got it last year . 

The Hallertau is a bigger plant than the Cascade but hasn't got very many flowers at all.


----------



## Greg Lawrence (26/1/10)

Harvested the 1st lot today. 
There are still more on the vine which are not ready yet and still some flowers which havent turned into full cones yet.
My biggest problem is that I cant remember what type they are.
I think that they are Chinook, but they could be colombus?
Thats just over 300G (wet)



Gregor


----------



## manticle (26/1/10)

Must be almost as satisfying as brewing your fisrt AG.

I'm like a small child rubbing my hands in anticipation.


----------



## sbidese (27/1/10)

manticle said:


> Must be almost as satisfying as brewing your fisrt AG.
> 
> I'm like a small child rubbing my hands in anticipation.



Guys - when do you know the cones are to be picked?
Does anyone have a close up picture?

Cheers,

Simon


----------



## QldKev (27/1/10)

Simon1 said:


> Guys - when do you know the cones are to be picked?
> Does anyone have a close up picture?
> 
> Cheers,
> ...



Break one open and have a look at the lupulin. 
Not ready: Greeny Yellow
Ready: Bight Yellow
Over ripe: Orangish or the bracts start to turn red/brown (Don't let your hops get this way)

QldKev


----------



## sbidese (27/1/10)

QldKev said:


> Break one open and have a look at the lupulin.
> Not ready: Greeny Yellow
> Ready: Bight Yellow
> Over ripe: Orangish or the bracts start to turn red/brown (Don't let your hops get this way)
> ...



Thanks QLDKev for the prompt reply....thats awesome.


----------



## Darkman (27/1/10)

I've noticed everyone people are drying out there cones. I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried wet hopping and whether i't worth trying.


----------



## QldKev (27/1/10)

Darkman said:


> I've noticed everyone people are drying out there cones. I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried wet hopping and whether i't worth trying.





There was a thread a year or two ago about the differences it is one of the most opinionated topics around. IMHO I think there is a definite difference, but it will also come down to the hop variety - I love my MT Hood for wet hopping. For wet hopping I also only do flame out additions; the remaining are normal dried hops. 

I also freeze my hops wet. When they freeze the moisture in the cells cause them to rupture; and they go slimy when you defrost them for use. I personally have not found any issues with this; it is more an appearance issue than a flavour. Geeze I love the smell of opening a bag of wet hops. I no longer dry any of my hops.

You do need to allow that wet hops weigh a lot more than the dried hops when doing you hop additions.

QldKev


----------



## Darkman (27/1/10)

QldKev said:


> There was a thread a year or two ago about the differences it is one of the most opinionated topics around. IMHO I think there is a definite difference, but it will also come down to the hop variety - I love my MT Hood for wet hopping. For wet hopping I also only do flame out additions; the remaining are normal dried hops.
> 
> I also freeze my hops wet. When they freeze the moisture in the cells cause them to rupture; and they go slimy when you defrost them for use. I personally have not found any issues with this; it is more an appearance issue than a flavour. Geeze I love the smell of opening a bag of wet hops. I no longer dry any of my hops.
> 
> ...


Thanks QldKev,

I have a 1st year Mt Hood that has yielded quite well so I'll definately try wet hopping this variety. I've tried dried Cascade cones in my brews last year and was very happy with the results so it will be interesting to compare the two different method this year.


----------



## Mantis (27/1/10)

Second harvest of chinook 140g wet
Got the dehydrator on lowest setting. This is correct isnt it?


----------



## barls (27/1/10)

Darkman said:


> Thanks QldKev,
> 
> I have a 1st year Mt Hood that has yielded quite well so I'll definately try wet hopping this variety. I've tried dried Cascade cones in my brews last year and was very happy with the results so it will be interesting to compare the two different method this year.


im glad its doing so well, this is the second one ive heard from that i sold thats doing really well. ive wet hopped but not with the mt hood only the wurtenburger i also grow.


----------



## sbidese (28/1/10)

Hi Guys,
As stated Photo's added.
Some first year Cascade

Cheers,


Simon


----------



## Darkman (28/1/10)

barls said:


> im glad its doing so well, this is the second one ive heard from that i sold thats doing really well. ive wet hopped but not with the mt hood only the wurtenburger i also grow.




The Mt hood took a while to take off and develop buds compared the some other varieties but I'm extremely happy with the yield this year. I'll have to post some photos tomorrow.


----------



## Darkman (29/1/10)

Here's some hop porn for everyones enjoyment. The first pic is a 1st year Mt Hood while the 2nd pic is also a 1st year Hersbucker


----------



## Darkman (29/1/10)

1st year Chinook with heaps of fuzzy cones.
2nd year Cascade was late to develop cones but looks like will yield very well this year.


----------



## Hutch (29/1/10)

Darkman said:


> View attachment 35284
> 1st year Chinook with heaps of fuzzy cones.View attachment 35285
> 2nd year Cascade was late to develop cones but looks like will yield very well this year.


  Incredible number of cones for first year plants! What have you been feeding them? 

I think my plant's need some serious talking to - got nowhere near this many cones developing on any of them


----------



## drsmurto (29/1/10)

Hutch said:


> Incredible number of cones for first year plants! What have you been feeding them?
> 
> I think my plant's need some serious talking to - got nowhere near this many cones developing on any of them



Only my chinook is covered in flowers. The rest (cascade, POR, goldings and victoria) are only just starting so i wouldn't stress just yet Hutch.

Liquid potash is gold for flower production, much better than fertilisers high in nitrogen. If you take Peter Cundall's word as gospel then it enables the plant to better utilise the nitrogen in the soil promoting higher flowering over leaf production leading to higher fruit yield.

Its worked on my tomatoes which are taller than me and covered in fruit.


----------



## devo (29/1/10)

Although my tettnang started out quite promising they have succumb to spider mite infestation. I have tried using the appropriate sprays as suggested in earlier posts but to no avail. I found my main problem was getting access to the underside of the leaves where to majority of the critters would be.

I will have to try a different trellis set up next year.


----------



## Darkman (29/1/10)

Hutch said:


> Incredible number of cones for first year plants! What have you been feeding them?
> 
> I think my plant's need some serious talking to - got nowhere near this many cones developing on any of them



I feed with any fertilizer high in nitrogen in spring until I see the buds start forming off the laterals which is when I switch to using potash(powdered form)only as a fertilizer.


----------



## Darkman (29/1/10)

devo said:


> Although my tettnang started out quite promising they have succumb to spider mite infestation. I have tried using the appropriate sprays as suggested in earlier posts but to no avail. I found my main problem was getting access to the underside of the leaves where to majority of the critters would be.
> 
> I will have to try a different trellis set up next year.



My first plant I grew was Hallertau which in my experience doesn't handle hot weather to well and always seems to get infested by spider mites. I almost gave up trying to grow hops till I bought a Cascade rhizome which yield high in its first year and found it was more resistant to the heat and being attacked by mites. 

My advice would be to try some other varieties and see what grows best for you in your area.


----------



## Hutch (29/1/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Liquid potash is gold for flower production, much better than fertilisers high in nitrogen. If you take Peter Cundall's word as gospel then it enables the plant to better utilise the nitrogen in the soil promoting higher flowering over leaf production leading to higher fruit yield.





Darkman said:


> I feed with any fertilizer high in nitrogen in spring until I see the buds start forming off the laterals which is when I switch to using potash(powdered form)only as a fertilizer.


Thanks for the info guys,

Would you think it's OK to start the potash treatment now, or does it really need to be earlier in their growth (late spring / early summer)?
I've had them well watered and well feed on compost and powerfeed/seasol mix over the last few months, and they're shooting out plenty of long laterals, so quite healthy plants. Will certainly apply what I learn for next year's harvest.

Cheers,
Hutch.


----------



## Darkman (29/1/10)

Hutch said:


> Thanks for the info guys,
> 
> Would you think it's OK to start the potash treatment now, or does it really need to be earlier in their growth (late spring / early summer)?
> I've had them well watered and well feed on compost and powerfeed/seasol mix over the last few months, and they're shooting out plenty of long laterals, so quite healthy plants. Will certainly apply what I learn for next year's harvest.
> ...



Nows the perfect time to feed your hops potash.

The fertalizer you have been using would be high in nitrogen which is what you need when your plants are growing. Potash is actually potassium which is what your plants need to flower/fruit.


----------



## Hutch (29/1/10)

Darkman said:


> Nows the perfect time to feed your hops potash.
> 
> The fertalizer you have been using would be high in nitrogen which is what you need when your plants are growing. Potash is actually potassium which is what your plants need to flower/fruit.


Just what I wanted to hear! I've picked up some Yates powder, and will get it into action tonight. Thanks for the advice Darkman.
I've always marvelled at the density of cones grown commercially (as seen in this episode of Basic Brewing Video), and expected similar in my own backyard.
They might grow like a weed, but they obviously still need a helping hand to produce a good crop.


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (29/1/10)

Hey Darkman,

Is that the Hersbrucker that I sent you ? Mine Started long after all my other varieties but has come through with flying colours . I took A 2L jug out the other night and filled it and then some . You can't tell that I took any. Still have lots of cones that are not ready and heaps of little flowers coming through. 

Other 4 plants are slowly following .

I gave a Hersbrucker to wonder woman but I think hers was struggling last I heard. Glad to hear yours is doing OK. The Hallertau is coming along nicely.

Mitternacht Brauer ( AKA buster )


----------



## ledgenko (29/1/10)

L&G , fantastic to see such awesome crops of Hops... Has anyone had any luck growing them in either on the Sunshine Coast (QLD) (hinterlands) or in Perth (coastal)??


----------



## ajdougall (29/1/10)

G,Day hop growers,

Just thought I would offer my two bobs worth. I am an an agronomist and may be able to help.

Just check what sort of potash you are using, Potassium sulfate or Potassium chloride.

Potassium chloride has a high salt index and will burn roots if placed to close. In most soils Potassium sulfate is best, particullary if your soil is low in sulfur.

As for the spider mites, well they are tough to kill in any crop. Why not try ordering a bio-control agent. I am pretty sure 'Bugs for Bugs' sells predatory mites www.bugsforbugs.com.au they would do a dynamite job. The is also a species of ladybird that eats mites, they may see that one too.

Cheers

Doogs


----------



## daemon (30/1/10)

Picked some of the Chinook and Cascade a few days ago and ended up with about 80g of each so far (dry), not a lot but not bad for first year. My goldings went crazy and I just picked 600g worth!




The aroma from the Chinook and Cascade is quite strong while the Goldings are much more subtle. Wish I had time to make a brew now, can't wait to try some of these!


----------



## MVZOOM (30/1/10)

Daemon said:


> Picked some of the Chinook and Cascade a few days ago and ended up with about 80g of each so far (dry), not a lot but not bad for first year. My goldings went crazy and I just picked 600g worth!
> 
> View attachment 35320
> 
> ...




Damn - they look delicious! My first year Chinook has popped it's first few flowers - I'm off to get some potash!!


----------



## Mantis (30/1/10)

Great harvest Daemon, am much impressed.

Picked 175g of chinook so far but lots more to come


----------



## drsmurto (31/1/10)

Update on my hop forest..... jaysus these things can take over a garden.

Chinook cones


----------



## Mearesy (31/1/10)

Looking thru this thread makes me want to grow some hops!! One day...one day


----------



## ledgenko (31/1/10)

Doc .. seriously I consider you a DEMI GOD.... freakin awesome beers and now Hops!!!! WOW ... IMPRESSED ...


----------



## raven19 (31/1/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Update on my hop forest..... jaysus these things can take over a garden.
> 
> Chinook cones...



Jaysus indeed. I can confirm the Dr's Chinook flowers are twice the size of my chinook flowers... :huh: 

Some great soil up his way.


----------



## Darkman (2/2/10)

Mitternacht Brauer said:


> Hey Darkman,
> 
> Is that the Hersbrucker that I sent you ? Mine Started long after all my other varieties but has come through with flying colours . I took A 2L jug out the other night and filled it and then some . You can't tell that I took any. Still have lots of cones that are not ready and heaps of little flowers coming through.
> 
> ...


Yes, I think it is. I swapped you for a hallertau variety. I can't believe how well it has grown to be quite honest. Thanks again. 
Have you used Hursbucker cones in your beer?


----------



## MarkBastard (2/2/10)

Doc, correct me if I'm wrong but you don't seem to be growing them 'high' yet you are getting a good harvent. Is that right?

Seems like evidence that short and bushy isn't an issue.


----------



## drsmurto (2/2/10)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Doc, correct me if I'm wrong but you don't seem to be growing them 'high' yet you are getting a good harvent. Is that right?
> 
> Seems like evidence that short and bushy isn't an issue.



They grow ~2m up and then grow horizontal. It _looks like_ i will get a monster harvest by growing them horizontally instead of vertically and not cutting them back to 4-6 main bines. Whether i would have got a bigger crop using the more traditional method is open for debate. 

I do plan on growing them vertically next year. Constantly (every few days) having to manually twist them around the string as well as keep them from growing into each other is a royal PITA. 

I will need to thin/spread them out and probably need to reduce the number again.


----------



## jbirbeck (2/2/10)

Doogs said:


> As for the spider mites, well they are tough to kill in any crop. Why not try ordering a bio-control agent. I am pretty sure 'Bugs for Bugs' sells predatory mites www.bugsforbugs.com.au they would do a dynamite job. The is also a species of ladybird that eats mites, they may see that one too.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Doogs



Top tip...next year I think. 

I've had spider mite infestations knock off each and every regrowth that has come through. I've had two flowering periods so far of most of my hops including the first years (bar two) and on each occasion a spider mite infestation has done the plant in, despite a number of attempts to control them...Its the hops in the hot dry areas that are worst effected, and until the infestations they weren't stressed plants; strong growth and flowers. 

All are on the regrowth path now, and strongly too. May even get a late crop if I can control the mites <_<


----------



## Greg Lawrence (2/2/10)

Gregor said:


> Harvested the 1st lot today.
> There are still more on the vine which are not ready yet and still some flowers which havent turned into full cones yet.
> My biggest problem is that I cant remember what type they are.
> I think that they are Chinook, but they could be colombus?
> ...




Bagged them up last night with my new vacuunm sealer (works a treat).
The 300g wet, ended up 70g once dried.
I would have to plant out my whole section in hops to come anywhere near self sufficient.

Gregor


----------



## drsmurto (2/2/10)

Rooting Kings said:


> Top tip...next year I think.
> 
> I've had spider mite infestations knock off each and every regrowth that has come through. I've had two flowering periods so far of most of my hops including the first years (bar two) and on each occasion a spider mite infestation has done the plant in, despite a number of attempts to control them...Its the hops in the hot dry areas that are worst effected, and until the infestations they weren't stressed plants; strong growth and flowers.
> 
> All are on the regrowth path now, and strongly too. May even get a late crop if I can control the mites <_<



Fly spray h34r:


----------



## Hutch (2/2/10)

Gregor said:


> Bagged them up last night with my new vacuunm sealer (works a treat).
> The 300g wet, ended up 70g once dried.
> I would have to plant out my whole section in hops to come anywhere near self sufficient.
> 
> Gregor


Just looking back at your photo, I think they look like Chinook cones - my Columbus cones are all closed balls (opening slightly when dried), while the Chinook flowers seem much more open (as the ones in your photo).
They both have a similar pungent aroma - can't wait to crank out an APA.

So far I've harvested 40gm (dry - woohoo!), and some much bigger cones now on the way, probably thanks to the Seasol/PowerFeed treatment over the last month.


----------



## jbirbeck (2/2/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Fly spray h34r:



I'll give anything a go...perhaps running naked through the neighbourhood while chanting a anti-spider mite verse or two will do it.


----------



## ~MikE (2/2/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Fly spray h34r:



it can't be as bad as those new insect control systems that are just wall units that constantly inject insecticide into your living space.


----------



## Hutch (2/2/10)

~MikE said:


> it can't be as bad as those new insect control systems that are just wall units that constantly inject insecticide into your living space.


 :icon_offtopic: 
..."Brandpower. Helping us lie better"
What a ludicrous idea - have your livingroom permanantly smelling like insect spray!
Honestly, they could market Agent Orange and put a possitive spin on it...
rant over...


----------



## Mantis (3/2/10)

Third harvest of Chinook. 300g wet so expecting 60 -70g dry  
Still more small ones on the plant and expect another 100-150g which will make around 600g of this second year plant
Dunno if that is good or not but I am happy


----------



## JonnyAnchovy (3/2/10)

I'm harvesting over the next few days but don't have fermenting space for the wet-hopped ale I was planning. 

I've read of people freezing their hops wet - is there any reason I can't/shouldn't do this? aparently they can get a little slimey, but in the accounts I've read it hasn't affected the flavor.


----------



## Mitternacht Brauer (3/2/10)

Darkman
yep the Hal is going well.Not much on it this year but high hopes for next year. 

My hersbrucker which was a cutting from last year like the one I gave you and wonderwoman . I have to date taken about 120g dry in 2 pickings and maybe another to come . 

It is the one to the far left . then the Hallertau then the Cluster and on the far right is the Cascade . Around the side is a Perle.





Close up of the Cluster 




A closeup of the Cascade.


----------



## Greg Lawrence (3/2/10)

Hutch said:


> Just looking back at your photo, I think they look like Chinook cones - my Columbus cones are all closed balls (opening slightly when dried), while the Chinook flowers seem much more open (as the ones in your photo).
> They both have a similar pungent aroma - can't wait to crank out an APA.
> 
> So far I've harvested 40gm (dry - woohoo!), and some much bigger cones now on the way, probably thanks to the Seasol/PowerFeed treatment over the last month.



Cheers for the advise Hutch.
I have 25g of them earmarked for an oatmeal stout (20min addition) hopefully this weekend.


----------



## Gulf (3/2/10)

My Hersbruker is the most advanced at the moment, with the cones developing by the day.

There is a Cascade down in the back corner as well, it has just as many flowers but not as mature:



Some close-ups of the cones... not long now:





These are all first year plants too...


----------



## Mantis (4/2/10)

Looking good guys :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## Fourstar (4/2/10)

kinda jealous, my chinook havnt even blinked at producing cones and my 1st year POR from boston has around 15 flowers on it beginning to sprout. Time for some serious food/tonic i think.


----------



## MarkBastard (4/2/10)

My Tettnang is covered in hops, but the biggest are only about 2cm at the moment, and there's only a couple there. Probably about 100 cones on two bines though (first year).

Other hop plants don't have any, even though they're much stronger. I think the Tettnang has damaged tips and maybe flowered early because of that. The others (POR and Chinook) are still growing by the day.


----------



## beerDingo (4/2/10)

I picked around 150gram of Tettnang. Put that in an APA 2 weeks ago, will check it soon!

But on a bad note, I got slack, and didn't water my plants enough :angry: ! I had a hersbrucker (I think), that was looking awsome with it's uniform small cones, but the leaves, and now the cones are drying up! GRRRRR! If you also have them in pots, then don't do what I did and lose a crop of hops!!!!! Think I will have to set up some sort of watering system and timer for next year.


----------



## drsmurto (4/2/10)

Watering system (drippers) has made all the difference this year for me.

Previously i had to hand water the entire vegie patch plus the hops. Never had the motivation to do it more than twice a week.

Now its all on a timer. They, and the vegie patch, are loving life. My tomato plants are now taller than me, something i have never achieved.


----------



## BoilerBoy (4/2/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Watering system (drippers) has made all the difference this year for me.
> 
> Previously i had to hand water the entire vegie patch plus the hops. Never had the motivation to do it more than twice a week.
> 
> Now its all on a timer. They, and the vegie patch, are loving life. My tomato plants are now taller than me, something i have never achieved.



This has become obvious to me over the summer, I installed drippers in our front garden last October and its survived a hot summer (so far) better than its ever done before, plants and trees that previouly were visibly stressed despite any amount of hand watering are now not only surviving but have new growth.

I will definitely be doing this next year for the fruit trees, vege garden and of course the hops.

BB


----------



## pdilley (7/2/10)

Hersbrucker, 1st year, started as a small rhizome, 1st crop




The only hop of 10 that really survived hottest months on record, earwig insect population explosion, slater explosion.


Cascade died back to a half shrivelled up stem with only 1/2 of a leaf left on it. I rescued it and honestly did not think it would survive.




All my other German and British hop varieties and one French did not make through this years hell conditions (10 plants gone)  
R.I.P.



Cheers,
Brewer Pete


----------



## scott_penno (8/2/10)

OK. Tonight I harvested the first of my five bines and this is what I was left with...



I suppose I was waiting for them to go thin and papery as I'd read somewhere, but they sort of went from green to brown like this:



From left to right, we have nice and green, green with a tinge of brown and, well, fairly well done. My question is, what degree of browning is acceptable in hops that are to be used?

sap.


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## lobo (8/2/10)

thats awesome sappas.

im interested in an answer to your question.

Lobo


----------



## clarkey7 (9/2/10)

Not the bumper crop I was hoping for from my 1st year babys.....but it was fun and I learned more about one of our favourite ingredients..




Hopefully the little buggers will give me one more harvest this year and more in the years to come.

PB


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## dug (9/2/10)

I can't belive you guys are harvesting already. My goldinga only started to flower last week and my chinook a few weeks before that... mind you It is a little cooler down here in Tas.


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## Korev (9/2/10)

Chinook HOP harvest status Wet hop PA beer 365g on Sunday, 2nd crop dried 300g in 50g bags, 3rd crop dried 400g in 100g bags, 4th crop on screens waiting for 30C plus in the sunroom tomorrow - arms cut to shreads, still more on bine! Really good crop for first year photos tomorrow


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## praxis178 (9/2/10)

brando said:


> Here's a noobie question: is it totally out of the question even thinking about growing hops in Brisbane? If so, how about out Stanthorpe way where it's cooler?



Not at all, I'm on the sunshine coast and have just harvested my first crop ~200g dried weight (didn't weight the baggy first) off of one plant the other two are still ripening up.... BTW I'm growing Pearle.

I am a bit worried about it getting cold enough during winter though as mine are in the ground and not in pots. Well I guess time will tell.

Thomas.


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## fraser_john (9/2/10)

sappas said:


> OK. Tonight I harvested the first of my five bines and this is what I was left with...
> 
> I suppose I was waiting for them to go thin and papery as I'd read somewhere, but they sort of went from green to brown like this:
> 
> ...



Thats the chinook from last year? Its doing better than mine


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## scott_penno (9/2/10)

fraser_john said:


> Thats the chinook from last year? Its doing better than mine



Yep. And that was only the first bine. I have another four bines, each with a similar quantity of cones....

It pretty much went nuts as soon as the weather started to warm up...

sap.


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## mintsauce (10/2/10)

Hey Guys - anyone (specially WA Based) who is going to split their Hop rhizome please let me know if you're willing to sell and post me some.

thanks in advance,


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## coopsomulous (11/2/10)

Hi guys

Im feeling jealous. Three of my hops plants are going crazy sending out long laterals, however i still dont have any flowers yet. There are a few small buds forming on the laterals and main bines next to the lateral shoots. 

Is it too late to add potash to stimulate flower production?


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## Peter Wadey (12/2/10)

Korev said:


> Chinook HOP harvest status Wet hop PA beer 365g on Sunday, 2nd crop dried 300g in 50g bags, 3rd crop dried 400g in 100g bags, 4th crop on screens waiting for 30C plus in the sunroom tomorrow - arms cut to shreads, still more on bine! Really good crop for first year photos tomorrow



P1,
Suprising amount for 1st year crop.
Still waiting on your photos.

P3


----------



## eric8 (12/2/10)

Pocket Beers said:


> Not the bumper crop I was hoping for from my 1st year babys.....but it was fun and I learned more about one of our favourite ingredients..
> 
> View attachment 35572
> 
> ...


Not bad for a first year if you ask me. I didn't get any my first year, a couple of my rhizomes died this year and a couple of the smaller plants have done nowt. My best one, Cascade has about 10 cones and thats it, so i would be happy with yours.


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## MarkBastard (12/2/10)

I counted the viable looking hops on my Tettnang (first year, in a pot) and I reckon I may have 100+ flowers.

Only problem is they're not very big at the moment, about 20 cent piece size.


----------



## Mantis (13/2/10)

4 harvest of Chinook today. 425g taking the total off this one plant to 900g with more to come




Very happy with this outcome


----------



## drsmurto (14/2/10)

Have been putting off harvesting for a week or 2 now as i knew it would take a long time.

2 hours later, 2kg of chinook and 375g of cascade.

I have already picked 250g of chinook which is now 45g dry and vac packed in the freezer. A conservative estimate is i should be able to pick another 2kg of chinook. 

Cascade is on the 2 trays, the rest is chinook.


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## NickB (14/2/10)

:icon_drool2:


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## Gout (14/2/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Have been putting off harvesting for a week or 2 now as i knew it would take a long time.
> 
> 2 hours later, 2kg of chinook and 375g of cascade.
> 
> ...




WOW, thats some hops!

mine - now 4 years old have never given me a single hop - they get burnt to death every year.... i have no idea how you guys manage such fine plants - maybe mine are duds ( gave one to a mate and he has not had any luck either)


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## Pete2501 (14/2/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Have been putting off harvesting for a week or 2 now as i knew it would take a long time.
> 
> 2 hours later, 2kg of chinook and 375g of cascade.
> 
> ...



Epic dude! 

I want to see the next harvest for sure.


----------



## daemon (14/2/10)

Wow, now that's a massive harvest! I've got a brew cubed currently that I used a fair amount of my Cascade / Chinook in, here's a quick photo:





I only have a small freezer for my hops and one thing I have noticed is how much room the flowers take up! I need to get a vacuum sealer, just using ziplock bags currently. Does anyone compress the hops before packaging? I'm not thinking pellet type packed but thinking of compressing + vacuum sealing to save space.


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## Bizier (14/2/10)

Nice sized cones you have there Dr S. (geez, that sounded suss).


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## Wolfy (15/2/10)

Here are my first year hops. Gave them to my mom to grow (will take a photo of the poor POR that is in my backyard and you'll understand why I asked mom to grow the others).
This was at Christmas:




And today with lots more cones than I expected in the first year:




Growing them up to the 2nd level balcony sure makes it the easy way to pick them:







They probably need another week or two, but here are a few that were picked today:




(The dog ran through the fly-wire-door so the screen was donated to a better cause).


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## Pete2501 (15/2/10)

Wolfy said:


> Here are my first year hops. Gave them to my mom to grow (will take a photo of the poor POR that is in my backyard and you'll understand why I asked mom to grow the others).
> (The dog ran through the fly-wire-door so the screen was donated to a better cause).




Hahaha Wolfy, that's gold. Keep the posts coming.


----------



## raven19 (15/2/10)

Finally worked out how to take a decent hop plant piccie...

Take with a flash at night... (Chinook...)


----------



## jyo (17/2/10)

Here is my entire harvest from my first year Cascade.

I just need to work out what I want to brew with these.... :wacko:


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## AussieJosh (17/2/10)

Wolfy! Your hop plants look awsome! Where did you get them from?


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## Wolfy (18/2/10)

*@Pete2501*, here's my poor-POR-in-a-pot, and a good reason why I let mum grow the rest of the hops:





*@AussieJosh*, they seem to be doing pretty well for 1st year plantings, and have certainly grown higher/produced more than any of us expected (next year will run string to the top of the house not just to the top balcony).

Most of the hops came from Ebay.
The three plants on the left and in the two close-up photos (Goldings and Nugget) came from 'crusty_04'.
The two plants in the middle (Mt Hood and Chinook) were from 'lochrockingbeats'.
The three smaller-non-flowering plants on the right (Cluster and Hellertauer) were swaps. The guy I got the Hellertauer from was swapping them because they never did well for him either, the Cluster were kept in the fridge longest and I suspect they were a little worse-for-wear when planted.
The poor-POR-in-a-pot was advertised on Ebay as a 'rhizome' by someone from Launching Place, Vic, but when it arrived it was obvious that it was a small plant with just a little root-ball grown from a cutting rather than a well developed rhizome. Hopefully growing it in a pot this year it will let it develop a rhizome for planting out next year.


----------



## slacka (18/2/10)

Daemon said:


> I only have a small freezer for my hops and one thing I have noticed is how much room the flowers take up! I need to get a vacuum sealer, just using ziplock bags currently. Does anyone compress the hops before packaging? I'm not thinking pellet type packed but thinking of compressing + vacuum sealing to save space.




I'd suggest turning them into plugs using some PVC tubing from your local hardware store, a broken broom handle sawn down to size, and possibly using your bottle capper to get that last bit of compression.


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## drsmurto (18/2/10)

Dried all the hops i pictured earlier.

375g cascade wet = 70g dry

2kg chinook wet = 350g dry.

Vac sealed the lot





Noticed quite a bit of lupilin left in the container i was weighing the hops in so i poured in some beer and then back into the pint glass.

Mmmmmm, lupilin :icon_drool2:


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## Darkman (19/2/10)

Wolfy said:


> *@Pete2501*, here's my poor-POR-in-a-pot, and a good reason why I let mum grow the rest of the hops:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hey Wolfy,

Good to here your hops are doing well. By the way the Hallertauer was from me which is still not doing well in it's current position. I'll have to post some pics of this years crop. I think I may have swaped you for a chinook or a cluster which are both doing well...chinook is growing a lot better probably due to the sheltered position.


----------



## Wolfy (19/2/10)

Darkman said:


> Good to here your hops are doing well. By the way the Hallertauer was from me which is still not doing well in it's current position. I'll have to post some pics of this years crop. I think I may have swaped you for a chinook or a cluster which are both doing well...chinook is growing a lot better probably due to the sheltered position.


Hey *Darkman,* I managed to lose last year's emails so had to go by memory as to who/what/where I got things from, but didn't know you were an AHB member. 
Given that the Hallertauer is not doing so well for me either, I'm guessing that maybe that variety/strain/whatever simply does not like our climate ... or something.
I spoke to dad on the 'phone last night and he said that some of the smaller bines are just starting to develop flowers - which is good news, but they're still way behind the others - hopefully something better from them next year.


----------



## bjay (20/2/10)

This one is Perle has only been in the ground 6 mths







Another of the same plant Perle







This one is Cascade also only six mths in ground








This is hallertau was planted and watered the same but didnt do as well maybe next year


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## Big John (20/2/10)

Mine is a first year Hersbrucker.
Should be close to harvesting time.

It is a beautiful plan and grows very fast - 10 cm in a day!
I actually think that it'd look great on a balcony (as long as I can keep it out of the guttering)

I was also suprised at how easy it was to propogate - I now have 4 other little plants ready for next year.


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## mxd (20/2/10)

mmm. they look great guys. as it gets close to planting time I will need to keep on eye out so I can try a POR and a couple of others.


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## Darkman (22/2/10)

Wolfy said:


> Hey *Darkman,* I managed to lose last year's emails so had to go by memory as to who/what/where I got things from, but didn't know you were an AHB member.
> Given that the Hallertauer is not doing so well for me either, I'm guessing that maybe that variety/strain/whatever simply does not like our climate ... or something.
> I spoke to dad on the 'phone last night and he said that some of the smaller bines are just starting to develop flowers - which is good news, but they're still way behind the others - hopefully something better from them next year.





Hey Wolfy,

I did manage to get the same Hallertauer variety for flower in it's first year but I had to move it to a new position when I built the extension on the back of the house. It hasn't done to well in it new position so I have to move it again this year.
Here are some picks of other varieties I swaped and bought last year. The photo is of my first year Chinook
[


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## Darkman (22/2/10)

2nd year Cascade.


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## Darkman (22/2/10)

1st year Mt hood....thanks Barls


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## goomboogo (22/2/10)

Darkman said:


> 1st year Mt hood....thanks Barls
> View attachment 35902



I need more coffee. I looked at the photo and thought, 'they're growing horizontally'. Then I realised.


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## Yeldarb (22/2/10)

Daemon said:


> I only have a small freezer for my hops and one thing I have noticed is how much room the flowers take up! I need to get a vacuum sealer, just using ziplock bags currently. Does anyone compress the hops before packaging? I'm not thinking pellet type packed but thinking of compressing + vacuum sealing to save space.



My Chinook went crazy...two rhizomes turned into about 4kgs of wet cones...have so far dried, ziplocked and frozen 300g. I need some kind of vacuum sealer. 

My POR produced much less...guessing about 150g dry (still drying), and Tettnang negligable, and what cones were produced got distroyed by some very hot weather.

Anyone interested in swapping something for some Chinook?


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## barls (22/2/10)

Darkman said:


> 1st year Mt hood....thanks Barls
> View attachment 35902


not a problem mate glad 2 see its done well. Ill have some more later this year.


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## Moray (28/2/10)

Harvested my hops yesterday.

Columbus



I made a first harvest ale and used 350 gms. probably a bit over the top, but I got excited with all the hops

Recipe is here
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...amp;recipe=1047


The columbus is on the flyscreen here, with the chinook in the box in front.


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## Wolfy (28/2/10)

"_And I sprang from my slumber drenched in sweat like the tears of one million terrified brothers and roared_:"
... today is harvest day.








Cut the hay-bale-string from the top balcony and harvest them on the ground.
Not sure if dad or the dog was a better helper.

We misplaced the identity of a couple of the hop plants, they're either Goldings or Chinook.
If you grow either/both of these varieties would you mind taking a look to see if you can help identify which is which: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showtopic=42538


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## Mantis (28/2/10)

great growing dudes. I hope for more next year from my now two plants


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## dent (1/3/10)

So what is the plan post-harvest? With regards to pruning, water supply, etc?


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## praxis178 (1/3/10)

dent said:


> So what is the plan post-harvest? With regards to pruning, water supply, etc?


Something that has been on my mind too....

I picked the last of my Pearle hops last week (Friday) <yield was ~400g wet from 3 first year mounds, planted in December '09> and now I'm wondering what's next? Do I leave them till the bines start to seness and die back to prune or do I do it now? The other thing is IF I took some cuttings now is it too late in the season to get them to strike before winter? 

I'm on the Sunshine Coast so "winter" might be stretching the concept a bit, but we do get light frosts, so on those nights might-en it be enough if I cover the mounds with crushed ice and some (shudder) foiled insulation? I'd really hate to have to dig up these plants to refrigerate them for their cold conditioning/winter cycle.


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## Wolfy (2/3/10)

dent said:


> So what is the plan post-harvest? With regards to pruning, water supply, etc?


As you can see in the photos above, we cut mine down to harvest them, the bottom 1-2m had lots of small side shoots growing, so I cut them off at that height and will try to take some cuttings and hopefully grow them, by keeping the cuttings protected and growing over winter (mini-hot-house or something) I hope they'll be good in a year or two. Next year we may work out a better way to harvest them and leave the bines growing till later in the year, maybe even get a second crop.


----------



## barls (2/3/10)

i use a pulley system to raise and lower to harvest. ive lost count of the harvests ive done this year.
ill post a final figure in late march after i cut them down.


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## Wolfy (5/3/10)

Using the very technical method of kneeling on a phone book (_the only use the YellowPages will get this year_) while vacuum sealing, turned big fat bags of dried hops... 




... into flat packs of hops to fit into the fridge.




A first year crop of just over 1.2kg probably didn't quite pay off the ebay-rhizome-prices, but it came close and did much better than I expected (_especially since mom did all the hard work growing them_).  Besides they smell great and can't wait to start using them.




2 packs of Goldings, Chinook and Nugget, 1 of Mt Hood, and the bottom big bag is a lucky dip of "_that-looks-ripe-pick-it-now_" (_plus the very-few Cluster and Hellertauer cones_).


----------



## drsmurto (5/3/10)

Wolfy said:


> A first year crop of just over 1.2kg probably didn't quite pay off the ebay-rhizome-prices, but it came close and did much better than I expected (_especially since mom did all the hard work growing them_).  Besides they smell great and can't wait to start using them.
> 
> 2 packs of Goldings, Chinook and Nugget, 1 of Mt Hood, and the bottom big bag is a lucky dip of "_that-looks-ripe-pick-it-now_" (_plus the very-few Cluster and Hellertauer cones_).



1.2kg wet or dry?


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## Wolfy (5/3/10)

DrSmurto said:


> 1.2kg wet or dry?


The kindof dry they get by sitting on fly-wire screen next to an open sliding door for nearly a week until they feel pretty dry to me. No noticeable moisture when squeezed, but probably not as dry as they could be either.


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## Hutch (5/3/10)

Wolfy said:


> The kindof dry they get by sitting on fly-wire screen next to an open sliding door for nearly a week until they feel pretty dry to me. No noticeable moisture when squeezed, but probably not as dry as they could be either.


1st year crop!!! 
I'm gob-smacked. What'd you feed them?


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## drsmurto (5/3/10)

1.2kg dry :beerbang: 

Jaysus mate, you need to teach us all.

My chinook is a 3rd year and if i am lucky i might get 1kg dry and its a bloody forest and a weed. 

Spill the beans!


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## Wolfy (5/3/10)

The 1.2kg is the total weight from the 5 prolific bines and the other 3 that didn't really produce anything (not a per plant count).

I suspect they liked growing in mum's vegie garden, I presume it was well fertilized and well watered, she's been doing compost/recycling/herbs and all that for as long as I can remember.
Unfortunately she's been complaining about how poorly her vegies (tomatoes, corn etc) have grown this year - I've been trying to blame it on the weather or poor-vegie-growing season, but I guess we'll see if the root-system on the hops has taken over the vegie garden later when they are dormant and that may determine if she lets me keep them there next year.


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## MarkBastard (6/3/10)

Mums: surprisingly handy


----------



## fraser_john (6/3/10)

Harvesting the 

Part 2 uploading as I post......curse DoDo and its infinite slowness


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## manticle (6/3/10)

Well I have a couple of flowers that need to grow a bit bigger but I got a grand total of 10 grams of wet hops. I don't even know what they are as my tett plant and chinook plant have grown into each other a bit. I'm guessing it's chinook because everyone seems to have success with that.

I was a bit slack with my plants (really just shoved some posts in the ground for them to climb up, two varieties are still in pots) as I like plants that look after themselves (herbs and cats are very alike).

However when I've finished gathering the other 6 grams worth am I able to cut the plants back so I can work out which is which without killing them off? Then I'll install a proper trellis for next season.


----------



## dug (6/3/10)

I'm troubled. I don't think my Goldings hop plant is in fact a Goldings. The hop cones are very much open, and they really don't have that much aroma. I've used golding hops before, (from a farm up derwent park), and my golding don't look or smell anything like those ones.

are there any sites that have photo's of hop cone charateristics/descriptions of each variety? I tried a breif google search without any luck.

I'm at work atm and I'll post photo's when I get back home


----------



## Spacecapsule (6/3/10)

Can anyone please help?

Good news is that one of my first year plants has just over 400g wet. The other variety has hardly any flowers at all. Bad news is I dont know which one is the goldings and which one is the fuggles. Can anyone tell by these photos? 
Plant 1








Plant 2 A few small cones



Plant 2- Close up of leaves



Thanks


----------



## matt white (6/3/10)

DrSmurto said:


> 1.2kg dry :beerbang:
> 
> Jaysus mate, you need to teach us all.
> 
> ...




With hops, my observation is that it is more about growing region rather than anything else. My 6th year chinook has yielded more than 10kg wet per year since year 2. I live in SE NSW. It is very vigorous and I feed it rarely (pinch of potash in Feb) and water it regularly. It was planted into plenty of composted soil and topped up with mulch every year. Its a regional thing like grape vines I reckon.

Cascade is pumping (1.6kg wet first year) but tettnanger is hopeless (a handful of cones per year - 6th year). Probably depends heavily on country of origin and similarity of yours to that climate.


----------



## matt white (6/3/10)

dug said:


> I'm troubled. I don't think my Goldings hop plant is in fact a Goldings. The hop cones are very much open, and they really don't have that much aroma. I've used golding hops before, (from a farm up derwent park), and my golding don't look or smell anything like those ones.
> 
> are there any sites that have photo's of hop cone charateristics/descriptions of each variety? I tried a breif google search without any luck.
> 
> I'm at work atm and I'll post photo's when I get back home



They are all very similar, physical appearance and smell will give you nothing!!


----------



## sbidese (9/3/10)

A new question guys and sorry in advance if its been answered ini the 35 pages prior.
Q) What do i do once i've harvested my first year Cascade crop. (I live in the SE suburbs Melbourne)?

Thanks,

Simon


----------



## Hutch (9/3/10)

Simon1 said:


> A new question guys and sorry in advance if its been answered ini the 35 pages prior.
> Q) What do i do once i've harvested my first year Cascade crop. (I live in the SE suburbs Melbourne)?
> 
> Thanks,
> ...


make beer with it - badoom tshhh 

...sorry, not very much help to you - do you meen what to do with the harvest, or with the bines?


----------



## pdilley (9/3/10)

Since we are sharing photos.

1st Year Hersbruker

751g weighed harvest. Not bad from a first year rhizome.



Off to dry on screens.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete


----------



## praxis178 (9/3/10)

Brewer Pete said:


> Since we are sharing photos.
> 
> 1st Year Hersbruker
> 
> ...


Well as we're sharing, these are from my first year Pearle rhizomes, got three trays worth all told (as previously mentioned) about 120g dry, not bad considering I'm in Qld and north of Brisbane at that!




Also used about 50g of the wet cones <edit: weight is an estimate I just grabbed a handful or two at flame out> for a harvest ale (bittered with Northern Brewer), the cones were added at flame out and about 50% ended up in the fermenter, damn large bore syphon tube! Not!!! So far it smells divine, but it still has a couple of weeks left to finish conditioning in.


----------



## sbidese (10/3/10)

Hutch said:


> make beer with it - badoom tshhh
> 
> I deserved that :unsure:
> 
> ...sorry, not very much help to you - do you meen what to do with the harvest, or with the bines?



Yes - what to do with the Bines post harvest ?

Thanks

Simon


----------



## gava (10/3/10)

I put my plant in late and oh man it sucked... Dont think I feed it enough... I had probs four hops starting to grow.. I touched one and it fell off.. think it got burnt.. 

better luck next year..


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## raven19 (10/3/10)

Simon1 said:


> Yes - what to do with the Bines post harvest ?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Simon



Either:
1. Leave the bine on the trellis to allow the rhizome to draw back energy from the plant for the winter - this also allows for any additional late flowering if weather conditions get weird! I Left mine up last year till all the leavess had dried up and withered. Then trimmed the bines back to gorund level. Covered in mulch and moved them under the pergola (they were in pots at the time).
2. Bury one of the bines in the ground or a series of pots (making sure the end of the bine is out of the ground) - this will encourage the buried section to shoot out roots = future smaller hop plants for fellow brewers.


----------



## sbidese (10/3/10)

raven19 said:


> Either:
> 1. Leave the bine on the trellis to allow the rhizome to draw back energy from the plant for the winter - this also allows for any additional late flowering if weather conditions get weird! I Left mine up last year till all the leavess had dried up and withered. Then trimmed the bines back to gorund level. Covered in mulch and moved them under the pergola (they were in pots at the time).
> 2. Bury one of the bines in the ground or a series of pots (making sure the end of the bine is out of the ground) - this will encourage the buried section to shoot out roots = future smaller hop plants for fellow brewers.



Thats awesome thanks.

If i was looking to move them from one spot in the ground to another, when is the best time to do this?

Cheers

Simon


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## Bizier (10/3/10)

dug said:


> I'm troubled. I don't think my Goldings hop plant is in fact a Goldings. The hop cones are very much open, and they really don't have that much aroma. I've used golding hops before, (from a farm up derwent park), and my golding don't look or smell anything like those ones.



I am only seeing my Goldings for their first time in two years... it looks like I am better getting them from East Kent.

My flowers are more open and 'delicate' than other more nuggety/downward facing varieties. I have not seen a fuggle flower though. Your description and the following post photos really match my Golding flowers, which also have a very muted aroma compared to everything else.

ED: also Fraser John's video shows the structure of a Goldings cone, and they also have the 'open' curly little 'petal' bits (I know they are not petals).


----------



## Bizier (10/3/10)

Darkman said:


> 1st year Mt hood....thanks Barls
> View attachment 35902



Kicking arse! Those cones rock for first year, good work!


----------



## jsan (11/3/10)

Bizier said:


> I am only seeing my Goldings for their first time in two years... it looks like I am better getting them from East Kent.
> 
> My flowers are more open and 'delicate' than other more nuggety/downward facing varieties. I have not seen a fuggle flower though. Your description and the following post photos really match my Golding flowers, which also have a very muted aroma compared to everything else.
> 
> ED: also Fraser John's video shows the structure of a Goldings cone, and they also have the 'open' curly little 'petal' bits (I know they are not petals).




The flowers from my Goldings are definately more open (like an old pine cone) than the other varieties i have grown and the plant as a whole has turned out to be high yielding. Also the main bines are quite red in comparison to the light green of all the other varieties.


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## Kleiny (15/3/10)

Just picked 45g of Mthood and the Tettnang has produced a couple but they are not worth picking i think i will just let this one dye back this year and see what kind of root system it has for next season.

Kleiny


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## drsmurto (19/3/10)

Running totals

Chinook 4.75kg wet, 835g dry.
Cascade 375g wet, 70g dry.
Goldings 265g wet, 60g dry
Victoria 275 wet, 80g dry.

Still to pick the POR.


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## barls (19/3/10)

nice work m8 im planning 2 do the same this weekend


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## [email protected] (26/3/10)

Since we're sharing photos. Here are my six (first year) plants in the Otways. 

The Goldings seems to have been attacked by something, so no joy there. I've harvested the Hallertau Hersbrucker already, but the Cascades and Tardiff are waiting for Easter. I think I've left it a little late (cones are drying out) but hopefully I should still be able to get something from them. I hope so, 'cos the G&G was out of Cascades when I bought the malt.....  

Oh well, there's always next year! At least I've got a better idea of what I'm doing.


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## Gulf (2/4/10)

Some Cascade drying:



So far have collected approximately 2.75kg of hops (dry) from three plants. Given these were all first year plants, I'm very happy!

If you are in Adelaide and would like to try some of these, please see this thread:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showtopic=43472


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## QldKev (2/4/10)

Here's the hops I picked today, almost a bucket full. Would have had the same again, about about 2 months ago but the bine got the seasons confused and stuffed up the crop. At least I got this pickings and by the look I should get one more harvest before it cools down too much.






QldKev


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## Wolfy (2/4/10)

Gulf said:


> So far have collected approximately 2.75kg of hops (dry) from three plants. Given these were all first year plants, I'm very happy!


Nice going.


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## dkaos (6/4/10)

Hi Guys,
Can anyone please advise where I can buy a hope rhizome plant in Sydney? I've been searching eBay and google but have not had any luck. I'm hoping to get a mature vine so I can harvest sooner rather than later.

Cheers

Clint


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## raven19 (6/4/10)

Clints Gadgets said:


> Hi Guys,
> Can anyone please advise where I can buy a hope rhizome plant in Sydney? I've been searching eBay and google but have not had any luck. I'm hoping to get a mature vine so I can harvest sooner rather than later.
> 
> Cheers
> ...



Ebay or on this forum are good places to start.

Most hops are starting to slow down and die back this time of year, transferring energy back into the rhizome for winter dormancy, give it say 6 months, and there should be plenty of hops ready to split.

Unless brewers are ripping them out of the ground and fridging them - if that is the case then there could be some available within a month or so?


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## GUB (11/4/10)

My 2 cents:

Grabbed some rhizomes last year from some members on here and also a more commerical source. Didn't get a whole lot off this year (first year, not fussed, only about 500g wet from 5 plants) but was enough to make a monster wet hop IPA. We are drinking the results now, and we are very pleased. Very very pleased. We bought pellets for the bittering but used only the flowers at 10 min, 0 min and dry hopping. A real bastard mix of Chinook, Perle, POR and Mt Hood. So impressed are we that we are designing a new trellis (knew they were going to grow big, but not that big!) and looking to score some more rhizomes during winter. 

All I am saying is that if you are looking to give your homebrew another edge, then go for it, grab some rhizomes and get growing. Can't wait for next year.


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## barls (11/4/10)

ok final totals for the year.
mt hood 202g
hallertau 190g
wurtenburger 345g
chinook 327g
thats nearly a kg dry. 
im looking forward to more of a harvest next year.


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## clarkey7 (18/4/10)

Brewed with my limited harvests today.

Bittered my Aussie Sparkling Ale with 30g POR commercial hops then chucked in my Chinook and POR flowers (26g all up) with 5min to go.

Caught some of the historic brewday on camera:












Will increase hop garden next year as I enjoyed growin' em. Hope they taste good too! :icon_cheers: 

PB


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## brando (18/4/10)

Anyone in Brisbane who wants a free POR rhizome, PM me for pick up only (from Wellington Point). I bought it online last season (around Sept 09), and got an ok first year crop. But it's too much work for me (i.e watering, etc).


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## jyo (18/4/10)

brando said:


> Anyone in Brisbane who wants a free POR rhizome, PM me for pick up only (from Wellington Point). I bought it online last season (around Sept 09), and got an ok first year crop. But it's too much work for me (i.e watering, etc).



You're not planning on digging it now are you, Brando?
Leave it till August, mate.


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## brando (18/4/10)

jyo said:


> You're not planning on digging it now are you, Brando?
> Leave it till August, mate.



It'll stay in the pot for now, but I aint watering it anymore, nor caring for it. So if a better home comes along, then off it goes.


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## gava (28/4/10)

so whats the general idea for the plants? I see you suggest to dig up in august.. 

Dig up and store where? and then when is the best time to plant?


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## Steve (28/4/10)

gava said:


> so whats the general idea for the plants? I see you suggest to dig up in august..
> 
> Dig up and store where? and then when is the best time to plant?




If you arent transplanting it or digging it up to give away, sell etc leave them in the ground where it wants to be. The longer they are in the ground the bigger your crop. If you keep digging it up every year you will have the typical first year plant crop.


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## gava (28/4/10)

im going to transplant it to my parents house...


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## cdbrown (28/4/10)

I'm yet to plant mine as I'm not sure where would be best at the new house since I got them from Nev @ Gryphon over a month ago. Small plants with a few shoots on each. Is it worth planting them in the garden somewhere and should I worry about stringing them up? First time of dealing with hop plants so not really sure what to do.


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## Stinger (24/5/10)

Not sure if this has been discussed previously but How have people noticed the difference in taste/aroma/bittering from their home grown hops to the commercially available alternative.

I would think freshness would be a bit factor for one, my local HBS doesn't have their hops in the fridge, they are sealed etc but you wonder when they were grown (and where)

I am sure that there must be some serious differences with people having different soil types, growing in Albany vs Brisbane, how much fertiliser etc people use.

I am planning to grow a couple of different varieties this year for the first time so curiosity will probably drive me to do a couple of split batches to find out for myself, but waiting til next year is a bit long to wait to find out so if anyone has some experience in this...................?


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## clarkey7 (20/6/10)

Hi All,

I bought my first 2 rhizomes from Boston last year......A Chinook and a POR. :icon_cheers: 

I think I they were about 15cm long and I planted them in October.

I realised after my first growing season that I had planted them too close together (maybe 90cm apart).

I had fun looking after them and got a small harvest for my first year.

So I was always going to get more varieties and redesign and increase my hop garden.

Have a look at the POR I dug up today and transplanted to a new location (1 season - 8 months ago).

I was a bit surprised.  




Soil Prep for the transplant:




Transplant Complete:




I also put some freshly cut POR and some freshly purchased rhizomes into pots.....didn't fancy sticking them in the fridge.




Cheers,

PB


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## Wolfy (20/6/10)

Pocket Beers said:


> ...
> I realised after my first growing season that I had planted them too close together (maybe 90cm apart).
> ...
> I also put some freshly cut POR and some freshly purchased rhizomes into pots.....didn't fancy sticking them in the fridge.


I thought that commercial growers usually planted about 1m apart, but I guess they are growing identical plants and so if they spread a bit close to each other it does not really matter.
I know I found a bit over over-lap when digging up the rhizomes last weekend, but it was still easy enough to identify which plant was which.

If you put them in pots, are you sure they won't warm up too early and start growing too early in the season (not that I have much idea bout growing hops in QLD).

If you're planting them for next year, maybe it's time to make a "2010 Hop Plantation" thread.


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## clarkey7 (20/6/10)

Wolfy said:


> If you put them in pots, are you sure they won't warm up too early and start growing too early in the season (not that I have much idea bout growing hops in QLD).
> 
> If you're planting them for next year, maybe it's time to make a "2010 Hop Plantation" thread.


Wolfy,

Your exactly right - I don't really know what the best method is. 

Only what I have read. So I'm going to learn from experience. :icon_cheers: 

AND...It seems you can:

1. Leave in ground until next growing season.....I'm doing that with my Chinook.
2. Transplant to a new location anytime.....I'm doing that with POR (mainly cos they were planted too close).
3. Dig up (or get buy/obtain from someone else) and keep whole crown or rhizome cutting in fridge until spring...then plant...Might try this with the Hallertau rhizome from you.  
4. Grow up in pots to get a head-start on the growing season...negating the "stick in the fridge" method..I'm doing that with Mt Hood and Cascade from AHB members and my own POR cuttings.

By next year I should know a bit more about our mate Mr Hop and growing them in QLD at least.

I'm all ears for other ideas too......hit me with em people,

Cheers,

PB

Edit: I can't start a 2010 Hop Plantation thread yet.....All I've got is some sticks and a shedload of dirt.


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## NickB (11/8/10)

Just noticed that 3 of my plants (2x Tettnang, 1x POR) have started growing again after some crazy weather up here (rain for a couple of days, 27C for a couple, and now 60mm rain again). All are in pots. The Chinook has shown no signs of movement however.

Was planning on transplanting into the ground next month, but not sure wether I should do it now, or wait. Any help greatly appreciated!

Cheers


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## winkle (11/8/10)

NickB said:


> Just noticed that 3 of my plants (2x Tettnang, 1x POR) have started growing again after some crazy weather up here (rain for a couple of days, 27C for a couple, and now 60mm rain again). All are in pots. The Chinook has shown no signs of movement however.
> 
> Was planning on transplanting into the ground next month, but not sure wether I should do it now, or wait. Any help greatly appreciated!
> 
> Cheers



Out of 5 plants in pots, 4 are up. The Goldings has about 10 shoots, the Cascade (which did bugger-all last season) has leaves, and the Hallertau is sprouting as well. One of the Perles is the only one sensible. Miserable damp day today.

Answer to your question Nick - dunno (sorry).


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## NickB (11/8/10)

Geez, great help you are 

At least I know I'm not the only one though! May get out into the garden and dig them in I think......

Cheers


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## cdbrown (11/8/10)

If they've started then why not get them into their final spot. Thankfully there's no signs of growth on any of my plants as I've not got a place to plant them yet.


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## NickB (11/8/10)

Well as the downpour has now stopped, I may as well do that. Was planning on putting in a proper garden bed, but will just dig some holes for the moment, and get onto that later 

Cheers


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## JestersDarts (11/8/10)

Yes - 

My Cascade has started sprouting two weeks ago - even though the frosts havent stopped yet! I have them in glass, but i have to keep raising the top so the sprouts dont touch and get burnt.

The Hallertaur has still realised its too cold to get out of bed just yet, and has sensibly stayed asleep..

Will plant out once the frosts stop..


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## NickB (11/8/10)

No frosts here on the hill at all, so may just bite the bullet and pick a spot to plant them, and deal with the wrath of SWMBO later


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## Midnight Brew (11/8/10)

hey hey

Was just curious on how the hops grow near gum trees. Got a gum tree on council land right behind the fence where I plan on planting them. Will the be fine or will they struggle?

dicko


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## BoilerBoy (11/8/10)

Dickman said:


> hey hey
> 
> Was just curious on how the hops grow near gum trees. Got a gum tree on council land right behind the fence where I plan on planting them. Will the be fine or will they struggle?
> 
> dicko



I'm sure the gum tree will be just fine.  

Cheers,
BB


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## arogers (11/8/10)

Yeah same here (in Sydney).

4 shoots from the Tettnang, 5 from the Goldings, POR has a full little bush going on and about 200mm tall, cascades residual leaves/twigs etc from last season are looking like they are about to move, 5 more waiting for some action.


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## arogers (11/8/10)

Some pics:

(apologies for the crap phone pics)


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## kelbygreen (11/8/10)

yeah my POR is starting to grow will have to plant soon they grow so fast


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## doon (11/8/10)

so i just looked at my chinook bines i had in veg crisper and they have mold growing all over them? should i just chuck them? had them in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag thought this was how they were meant to be stored?


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## Wolfy (11/8/10)

If it's just surface mold wash/rub it off carefully, and if it's not associated with any corresponding rotting/soggy rhizome you should be fine.
I've had some stored in the fridge for a few months now without any problem, but most of those are stored in damp peat-moss, wood shavings, coir or potting mix. It seems to me (and I don't know the reason) that storing them in that kind of media tends to reduce the mold and helps them to last longer in the fridge.


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## jyo (11/8/10)

doon said:


> so i just looked at my chinook bines i had in veg crisper and they have mold growing all over them? should i just chuck them? had them in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag thought this was how they were meant to be stored?



Get them in the ground as soon as you get them, mate. It will give them some extra time to start allowing some of the fine hair roots to develop. Also, if they are exposed to any rain while in the ground (as long as the soil does not become waterlogged), the oxygen rich water promotes growth :icon_cheers: 
Cheers, John.


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## BoilerBoy (11/8/10)

doon said:


> so i just looked at my chinook bines i had in veg crisper and they have mold growing all over them? should i just chuck them? had them in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag thought this was how they were meant to be stored?



Never had any luck storing Rhizomes in the crisper all have failed (just me I guess). 

I now just put new rhizomes in pots (even over winter) and haven't had any issues this way, so I'd be doing that if it were me, then if all goes well when they start shooting and looking strong plant them in the ground.

At least in a pot you can feel how damp it is.

Hope it goes well,
BB


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## arogers (11/8/10)

The ones in my pics were all planted late June (except for the Cascade - the one that looks like a second year plant, thanks matho!) and all pretty much popped their heads up around the same time about 2 weeks ago.

The remaining rhizomes were refrigerated for about 6 weeks and planted 2 weeks ago with no action yet.


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## matho (11/8/10)

Glad it's going well regulator. Looks like your getting a good collection going


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## arogers (11/8/10)

Thanks mate...

I literally have no experience growing ANYTHING, but three years in it finally appears I have at least a few living hop plants. I will be stoked if the other 4 (mt hood, vienna gold, chinook and hallertau) spring to life in the next month or two.

Instead of drowning them in water and seasol I've pretty much just buried them and forgot about them. It's pretty clear to me now the rhizomes were just rotting with all the moisture the last 2 years.

As for soil, I used maybe 2/3rds composted cow manure in the bottom and up the sides of the pot, then the remainder was reasonable grade potting mix with the rhizomes planted about 2 in under that. They seem to like it so far...  

Unfortunately I'm probably moving soon (hence the pots) so I hope I will have a good sunny spot for them after the move.

:beer:

EDIT: Shouldn't we be starting the "2010 Hop Plantations" thread??


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## ekul (11/8/10)

Regulator- I don't have heaps of experience with hops, but i have a lot experience with growing other plants. 2/3 of a pot full of cow manure is probably too much for most things to handle, and well in excess of what a plant needs for nutrients. Half to a full a pat chopped up and distrubuted evenly with some good quality potting mix in a 20L pot would be plenty.

edited to add~ I don't know if a 20L pot would be big enough, just said that for rate with manure.


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## arogers (11/8/10)

Hi ekul...

Not sure if it makes a difference but it wasn't pure cow manure - it was composted cow manure, looked to be a sort of half potting mix/half cow manure type thing.


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