# AHB Articles: Hops - How to Grow Them



## Yeldarb

This is the discussion topic for article: Hops - How to Grow Them


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## manticle

Bloody marvellous.

Thanks guys


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## manticle

Except I'm not sure about 15-18 hours of sunlight. That only leaves 4 hours for night and I need my bedtime.


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## samhighley

Not sure where you live, but down here in Canberra we have 24 hours in every day.


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## manticle

Sammy said:


> Not sure where you live, but down here in Canberra we have 24 hours in every day.



And all of those hours are sunny are they?


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## DUANNE

15 +4 = 19 18+4= 22 i think this is what sammy was refering to .


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## Bizier

OK guys,

I know that some sections are missing. E.g. I don't know enough about hop nutrients or pests (and remedies) yet to give authoratative advice. But I just wanted to get something up to get the ball rolling. Feel free to edit the article or point out areas that need attention or re-writing.

Areas that I would _really _appreciate input:
Australian Pests and Diseases - who has experienced what, and in what area of Aus, and how did you tackle it?
Who has been a ninja at propagation via cuttings?
Who can give good advice for digging and dividing rhizomes?

Can anyone tell me how to get attached images to display inline in a wiki article?
Can anyone suggest any other small-scale hop trellis types than the ones I have illustrated?

ED: I realise that all things hops prefer aren't going to be achievable where most people live, but I thought I would take the road of giving widely accepted 'ideal' growing conditions and then suggest of how you might best gear your home setup. E.g if you don't experience 18 hours of sunlight (and I don't) then take it into consideration that they are genetically expecting light, and plant them in the sunniest spot you have.


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## fraser_john

I have a Goldings and a Cascade I have yet to crown properly this year, so I will try and get some photos of that as I am cutting off the excess rhizome growth.

John


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## Bizier

That would be fantastic fraser_john.


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## I like beer

what are you going to do with the excess rhizomes (if any) after you divid them. I should have chinook, cluster & vienna gold rhizomes for a trade maybe  Dave


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## raven19

Bizier said:


> Areas that I would _really _appreciate input:
> Who has been a ninja at propagation via cuttings?
> Who can give good advice for digging and dividing rhizomes?



Boston is definately a suitable ninja for the above items imo. Maybe PM him for his input?

Great article thus far too.


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## white.grant

Great article Biz, I am learning heaps.

cheers

grant


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## manticle

BEERHOG said:


> 15 +4 = 19 18+4= 22 i think this is what sammy was refering to .



Yes.

I am utterly retarded. I blame Brasserie Dupont.

15 hours of daylight in warmer months is also not really a stretch so I admit complete stupidity.

Back to reading the article, head hung low.


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## white.grant

I checked my rhizomes this morning. I have them stored in snap lock bags filled with moist coir in the fridge and I was surprised to see that eyelets and roots are shooting.

Is this a problem? I'm worried that the rhizome will exhaust itself before spring.

cheers

grant


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## Bizier

I have updated the trellises bit with some pics.

I created a ImageShack account "ahb_hopwiki" and will upload images for people there if they need, I figure this way they are unlikely to be deleted of any hosting accounts used for other purposes.
http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ahb_hopwiki/

If someone wants to clean up my messy HTML nightmare, feel entirely free.


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## Bizier

Grantw said:


> I checked my rhizomes this morning. I have them stored in snap lock bags filled with moist coir in the fridge and I was surprised to see that eyelets and roots are shooting.
> 
> Is this a problem? I'm worried that the rhizome will exhaust itself before spring.
> 
> cheers
> 
> grant



Good sign, put it in a pot over winter if you are overly concerned or if it becomes mushy.
You can draw an analogy here with making a yeast starter.


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## gava

hey.. I've just planted my Hop plant and now I have about 9/10 shoots comming up.. this is the first time I've tried to grow hops so im unsure if to keep them all or cut a few back..


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## Kleiny

save the strongest 3-4 and trim the rest back gava

dont throw them away but, get some rooting compound from the big green shed or a nursery and grow them into new rhizomes by next year you will be able to swap them or grow more hop bines.

Kleiny


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## Jesse

Does anyone in Brisbane grow hops?

I am keen to start growing my own hops but they are outside the desired latitude


Cheers


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## gava

Kleiny said:


> save the strongest 3-4 and trim the rest back gava
> 
> dont throw them away but, get some rooting compound from the big green shed or a nursery and grow them into new rhizomes by next year you will be able to swap them or grow more hop bines.
> 
> Kleiny



Cheers trav,

I finally found out they're hallertau, I'll see if I can make some rhizomes if you dont have hallertau i'll swing one your way next year.

-gav


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## brewercrafter

Awesome article. I would love to grow my own. So many things to get into. I better just start one step at a time though lol


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## Bizier

gava said:


> hey.. I've just planted my Hop plant and now I have about 9/10 shoots comming up.. this is the first time I've tried to grow hops so im unsure if to keep them all or cut a few back..



As far as I know the trimming back is more for manageability on a commercial scale when using mechanical harvesters.

On a home scale you are essentially free to go with 'the more, the merrier' so long as you can support the many bines.

It would be an idea to ensure you trim the lower metre or so of leaves to keep air circulating under the plants if they are especially bushy.


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## Bizier

By the way... if anyone has energy to add to the article in the sections that are blatantly half-finished, feel free. I have not forgotten, but since I started, have a couple of things on my plate, so it is plodding along.


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## matho

hey bizier

this year i have taken four cutting that all took and have just taken four more if they take i might post my method of taking cutting when i get time

cheer's matho


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## Bizier

matho said:


> hey bizier
> 
> this year i have taken four cutting that all took and have just taken four more if they take i might post my method of taking cutting when i get time
> 
> cheer's matho



I would love that if you have time Matho.

I have never taken a hop cutting, so would be just speaking from experience with other plants.


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## gava

hello all,

I've put a hop plant in this year (a little late) but its going.. although in the last week the leaves are being eaten by something.. not sure what it is because there's nothing there when I go out there..

anyone know what I can do to fix this?


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## osanai

Mine are in pots and I sprayed surface spray on the outside of the pots and it has kept everything away so far.


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## Elbow

gava said:


> hello all,
> 
> I've put a hop plant in this year (a little late) but its going.. although in the last week the leaves are being eaten by something.. not sure what it is because there's nothing there when I go out there..
> 
> anyone know what I can do to fix this?



You could try making up a chilli and garlic spray. I think from memory you chop up around 6 red chillies (seeds and all), a couple of cloves of garlic and add them to around 1 litre of water in a plastic drink bottle and leave to soak for 24 hours. Then decant into a water sprayer and maybe add a little washing up liquid to the bottle. You can spray this directly onto your hops vines and leaves.

Just make sure you label the bottle "chilli and garlic water. do not drink" :icon_vomit:


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## martin a

Jesse said:


> Does anyone in Brisbane grow hops?
> 
> I am keen to start growing my own hops but they are outside the desired latitude
> 
> 
> Cheers


I note you didn't get much of a response to your query about growing hops in Brisbane. I am moving to Gold Coast soon and wondered how you're going with this. I have had a couple of hops in this season (in Ballarat, Vic) which have grown like weeds and are now forming small cones - looking good so far! Just a bit concerned about length of daylight in Qld and that it doesn't get very cold in winter - will the hops die back naturally or do we ned to step in and do anything dramatic to help them into their usual cycle?
Any info greatfully received
Cheers


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## martin a

gava said:


> hello all,
> 
> I've put a hop plant in this year (a little late) but its going.. although in the last week the leaves are being eaten by something.. not sure what it is because there's nothing there when I go out there..
> 
> anyone know what I can do to fix this?


I asked a local nursery guy about this as I had similar problems, though on a a relatively small scale. He had no experience of brewing hops, but had personal experience of ornamental hops, which are obviously very similar. He suggested going out at night with a torch to see if you can catch the little bastards - this is likely to be the time that they are damaging the hop. Erawigs are likely culprits, apparently, and there's not much you can do except to try and keep them off the plants. The suggestions already made are obviously designed to do that and sounds worth a try. No longer a big problem for me, thankfulkly, and I just wonder if that's because the bines are now so big that thye can put up with a bit of abuse - more of a problem when they are little.


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## dazadude

I can't seem to get any of my cuttings to take. tried with rooting powder into soil and just in water. Any update on the info Matho ?
Cheers, Daza.


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## Wolfy

dazadude said:


> I can't seem to get any of my cuttings to take. tried with rooting powder into soil and just in water. Any update on the info Matho ?


Using a mix of peat moss and sand (as suggested on the rooting powder packet) I 'planted' about 20-25 cuttings last weekend, one week on I think maybe 3-4 of them will survive. Maybe I'm just bad at it or maybe it's just a numbers thing, plant enough cuttings and at least a few will survive.


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## matho

ok i have just added the procedure that i use to take cutting i have be very succesful using this procedure
its getting closer to the growing season i hope this helps anyone who wants to take cuttings

cheers
matho


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## QSR

Does any know or know of anyone who has had any success in growing hops in Brisbane?


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## praxis178

QSR said:


> Does any know or know of anyone who has had any success in growing hops in Brisbane?



I grow them on the Sunshine Coast, so they should do ok in Brisy too.....


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## QSR

What varieties Thomas J ? Do you find any varieties perform better than others???


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## Wolfy

matho said:


> ok i have just added the procedure that i use to take cutting i have be very succesful using this procedure
> its getting closer to the growing season i hope this helps anyone who wants to take cuttings


Yes ... well maybe.
I had a horrible failure rate with my attempt at taking cuttings this year (they all died, lol).
I did pretty much exactly as outlined in the article, except used cheap/normal rooting powder from KMart.
When I asked various people who know more about plants than I do, they suggested that my failure was due to the fact that I did not leave 1 set of 'buds' for the leaves to grow from and another set of 'buds' to form the roots and that the cuttings should have consisted of two sets of budding points.
If you have been successful with taking cuttings as shown in the picture, then that information is wrong, however if those suggestions are correct then the lower cut should be below the lower 'bud' and leaf stems.

There was nothing written under the "DIVIDING & STORING RHIZOMES" heading so I added my 2c in the hope it helps.

I also added a new sub-section "Hop varieties known to be available in Australia (as of July 2010)" with a list of all hop varieties that I've seen for sale or available here in Australia. The list was complied from what is available from the 3 main hop rhizome sellers (lochrockingbeers/lochrockingbeats, Cannabaceae/HopsWest and [email protected]) as well the AHB: Hop Plant Register.


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## matho

Wolfy
I have never had much success with the powder that's why I use the gel and for semi hardwood it has a higher rate of hormone. For the last two years I have taken cuttings like the way I have described and has worked really well. I think the key to doing it well is to keep the cuttings fairly wet while they are developing roots treat them like a cut flower.

Cheers matho


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## matho

Well thanks to wolfy this article is looking more complete if anybody else has anything to add 
please do. 

cheers matho


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## Nick JD

When taking cuttings the medium and the humidity is very important too. 

I'm having a bit of trouble propagating my coffee bush at the moment.


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## Bizier

OK, just bumping this because of the time of year.

The article could really benefit from the experiences of growers who have successfully dealt with pest and disease problems.

I am also thinking I'll add a section specifically for Australian regions to outline whether hops are fantastically suited to the area, can be grown with some effort, or are an absolute pain in the butt to grow to the point of flowering. Again, any input from other AHB members is appreciated. Thanks to all contributors to date.


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## Bizier

OK, added a section under 'Position' entitled 'Your Region'.

Please add your regional information, however brief, but please indicate source of problems if you think your area is unsuitable for growing hops.


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## kaspa07

Just harvested my first hops I live in Berwick Vic, I didnt have to many issues with my 2 plants (Hersbruker and Sazz) the Hersbruker took off like a rocket so far I've harvested about 500g with probably another 500g to go
the Sazz is a bit of a dissapointment, so far only 50g 

I had something chewing on the leaves early on, got some stuff from Bunnings and sparayed some and managed to slow it down but once the plants got big enough I just let them go, it was still gettin chewd on but it didnt hurt the plants anymore (I think), plenty of water and Seasol, this year's weather also helped 

I'll try to post some pics...Im an noob here so we'l see how we go


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## Bizier

No offense brother, but what are you getting at to make it relative to the article as opposed to this thread?

What were the bugs, and what was the spray from Bunnings?


If they are first year plants, they are great, and you will get much more from them in the future.

Again, if people have experience that they can document and add to the article, it would be awesome.


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## suorama

Hmm.
I just thinking if someone wants to stop me.
I want to translate your awesome guide to finnish and put it to my own forum wiki page?
Ofcourse all stuff not work for us, because we are so north, but I shall apply with were it is possible.

So, would I be approved to do that?


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## Bizier

Absolutely OK by me brother Ari (I don't see how AHB officials or other contributors could have an issue with a benevolent Finn).

To replicate our conditions, where your hops get fried once they start maturing, you might need some serious artificial lighting up there 

Kippis!


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## suorama

Thanks!

Well, we have also local hops with short growing season. But I was harvest also Centennial and Willamette early years. So, it is possible 
But we haven' t any good instructions to written of finnish and finnish conditions, so, I think your article is good base of our own.

干杯


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## kaspa07

Bizier said:


> No offense brother, but what are you getting at to make it relative to the article as opposed to this thread?
> 
> What were the bugs, and what was the spray from Bunnings?
> 
> 
> If they are first year plants, they are great, and you will get much more from them in the future.
> 
> Again, if people have experience that they can document and add to the article, it would be awesome.





Sory I posted on the wrong thread...
Anyhow

I used some confidor and another organic garlic based product, Im a total mess when it comes to plants, everything ive planted sofar has died ecxept my hops plants.
I still have no idea what was chewing on the plants, the guy at bunnings thinks it might have been caterpillers, but I didnt see any. 

Plenty of seasol also helped them grow I think, I watered in about 100ml of seasol every 2 weeks right through the season.


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## Yob

Ive been thinking of a design for a Hop Trellis to go in the Backyard. 

I think they need to be adjustable so you can lower them to harvest, and extendable if/when growth goes off to be able to include more runners.

Here's the design at this stage.







now all I need now is for the current owners to get the hell out of my house <_< 

[edit] The arrangement will be a combination ot these two


(for the second year or additional hops)


intent is to space two of these about 3 meters apart one on each end and additional plants between


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## Yob

Potentially a very stupid question, but...

Can Hops be grafted to another hop plant? Say for example I had a Fuggles Plant, can I graft a Goldings cutting onto it? Can unique hops be created this way?

Searching has only led me to threads about grafting weed onto it... also an interesting experiment for some I expect :unsure:


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## Gormand

iamozziyob said:


> Potentially a very stupid question, but...
> 
> Can Hops be grafted to another hop plant? Say for example I had a Fuggles Plant, can I graft a Goldings cutting onto it? Can unique hops be created this way?
> 
> Searching has only led me to threads about grafting weed onto it... also an interesting experiment for some I expect :unsure:



Quick search found this
http://www.ibabuzz.com/bottomsup/2005/10/3...s-not-a-hybrid/


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## wakkatoo

iamozziyob said:


> Ive been thinking of a design for a Hop Trellis to go in the Backyard.
> 
> I think they need to be adjustable so you can lower them to harvest, and extendable if/when growth goes off to be able to include more runners.
> 
> View attachment 45031
> 
> (for the second year or additional hops)



My trellis is the same as this. From post to post it's 6 metres. Top wires are about 1m apart and 3m off the ground. Rhizomes are planted 1m apart.
As this was my 1st year growing them, this is what I'd suggest:

Allow for greater space between 'zomes. 1m will be okay if I'm vigilant, but I'm considering putting in some kind of barrier. If the hops are all the same, well you can plant them closer.
I wanted to make my top wire 4m off the ground, but settled at three as its got some good height, and I can safely reach it when on the ladder. I toyed with the idea of something adjustable, but couldn't come up with something I was completely happy with. 

At this stage I have 5 varieties and 'space' for one more. Got bugger all this year but expecting bigger things next season. If I wanted to, I could extend my trellis to add more varieties but pretty happy with the 6.


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## barls

wakkatoo said:


> My trellis is the same as this. From post to post it's 6 metres. Top wires are about 1m apart and 3m off the ground. Rhizomes are planted 1m apart.
> As this was my 1st year growing them, this is what I'd suggest:
> 
> Allow for greater space between 'zomes. 1m will be okay if I'm vigilant, but I'm considering putting in some kind of barrier. If the hops are all the same, well you can plant them closer.
> I wanted to make my top wire 4m off the ground, but settled at three as its got some good height, and I can safely reach it when on the ladder. I toyed with the idea of something adjustable, but couldn't come up with something I was completely happy with.
> 
> At this stage I have 5 varieties and 'space' for one more. Got bugger all this year but expecting bigger things next season. If I wanted to, I could extend my trellis to add more varieties but pretty happy with the 6.


mine is the same design as this but i have it so the spreader bars can be lowered at ether end.


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## barls

just found this one while cleaning out my email inbox
View attachment Hops___Instructions_for_Growing_pic.pdf


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## Nick JD

I just pulled my Chinook rhizome out to go in the fridge for winter. It got BIG!

Is it okay to chop off all the roots, leaving just the rhizomes?

:icon_cheers:


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## adryargument

Nick JD said:


> I just pulled my Chinook rhizome out to go in the fridge for winter. It got BIG!
> 
> Is it okay to chop off all the roots, leaving just the rhizomes?
> 
> :icon_cheers:



So your first year harvest plant ,you pulled the rhizome to fridge and replant it??... ?
My knowledge is that the roots that have grown will feed next seasons growth for a larger amount of hops.
Cutting them back will make it a first year plant all over again?


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## Nick JD

adryargument said:


> So your first year harvest plant ,you pulled the rhizome to fridge and replant it??... ?



Yup.


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## Wolfy

Nick JD said:


> Is it okay to chop off all the roots, leaving just the rhizomes?


Sure, but why?
It will grow much better next year if you leave it intact (better again if left in the ground).
If you chop it up more you will just be starting from 1st year rhizomes again.


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## Nick JD

So I should refrigerate (to simulate a _real _winter) the thing as is? The soil will be unlikely to get less than 15C all winter. 

Just trying to make this thing (thought that only the actual rhizome(s) survive a 45N winter, the roots shrivel) think it's not living at 28S latitude.

I guess I need the expertise of a sub-tropical hop grower as to what they do over winter... and someone who understands vernalisation relative to hop growing.

http://pw2.netcom.com/~dluzanp/nov.htm

I'm at an equivalent latitude as Florida so am following a lot of their growing info.


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## Nick JD

Bump - anyone know?


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## Camo1234

Hi Guys, I have done a bit of research first so hopefully this isn't a silly question.

Is it too late to plant hops now or should I wait till Spring next year? I understand its probably too late to get a first season harvest but just wondering if I would get benefit of planting some now and get the benefit next season?

Cheers.


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## Yob

Camo1234 said:


> Hi Guys, I have done a bit of research first so hopefully this isn't a silly question.
> 
> Is it too late to plant hops now or should I wait till Spring next year? I understand its probably too late to get a first season harvest but just wondering if I would get benefit of planting some now and get the benefit next season?
> 
> Cheers.



you will probably get some good root development which will be of benifit, if you have rhizome, plant it


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## Camo1234

iamozziyob said:


> you will probably get some good root development which will be of benifit, if you have rhizome, plant it




Unfortunately I don't have any... What's the best place to get them?


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## Yob

it's the wrong time of year unless you can find someone willing to take a cutting for you... 

winter is when rhizomes become available generally.

Yob


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## Spork

Camo1234 said:


> Unfortunately I don't have any... What's the best place to get them?



Right here on AHB I'd say.
Come winter people will have them for sale, or even for free!
Stuffa sent be a bunch a few months ago and they are all growing, although some are still only very little, others have alteady outgrown the trellis I set up for them.

How far north are you? I thought hops needed a cool / cold winter, but I may well be wrong. Perhaps the 'fridge would do instead.


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## colonel

Hello all.
I was pretty happy with my first attempt at growing hops last summer, and now (late August) there are plenty of shoots coming up.
I'm wondering if I should dig them up and put them in the fridge or something until the risk of frost has passed?
Cheers


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## Yob

colonel said:


> Hello all.
> I was pretty happy with my first attempt at growing hops last summer, and now (late August) there are plenty of shoots coming up.
> I'm wondering if I should dig them up and put them in the fridge or something until the risk of frost has passed?
> Cheers



no, if you are worried, just put some mulch over them (lightly) or some straw.. etc


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## colonel

iamozziyob said:


> no, if you are worried, just put some mulch over them (lightly) or some straw.. etc



Ok, Thanks Yob


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## mckenry

Good article.

My only (pedantic) problem with it, is that it starts off stating in the Utter Basics - "hops are basically a weed"

Ask yourself - what is a weed? A weed is a plant out of place - or a wild plant competing with what you want to grow.

A weed is a concept really - not a 'type of plant'
If you want to grow daffodils and a rose bush springs up, then the rose is a weed. Not something most people would associate with a rose.
If by weed, you mean 'doesn't need human nurturing to thrive' just say hops are a hardy plant.

Anything you are trying to grow is not a weed.

Sorry, but this and larger (lager) are my pet hates and I'm at home with the man-flu, so not really happy :lol: 

Still, great article.


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## Muscovy_333

Not trying to challenge or be combative in any form, but I was under the impression that weeds can be classified as such by Council regulations where a plant is deemed out of place or a potential problem if left unattended. I suspect just like Bamboo or English Ivy hop rhizomes could be a disaster if not managed appropriately, hence the arbitary 'weed' statement. 
For example, If you choose to grow English Ivy you are growing a known noxious weed, even if you love it to death.

Hope your man flu gets better soon. I have heard a couple of largers a night are good for a cold (he he).


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## glenwal

Muscovy said:


> For example, If you choose to grow English Ivy you are growing a known *noxious* weed, even if you love it to death.




Important word underlined and bolded. A noxious weed is one defined by some type of governing body.


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## mckenry

Muscovy said:


> Not trying to challenge or be combative in any form, but I was under the impression that weeds can be classified as such by Council regulations where a plant is deemed out of place or a potential problem if left unattended. I suspect just like Bamboo or English Ivy hop rhizomes could be a disaster if not managed appropriately, hence the arbitary 'weed' statement.
> For example, If you choose to grow English Ivy you are growing a known noxious weed, even if you love it to death.
> 
> Hope your man flu gets better soon. I have heard a couple of largers a night are good for a cold (he he).



haha largers, yep, thanks Muscovy.

Councils classify undesirable plants into two categories. Noxious weeds - which they can force you to remove, and Environmental weeds - which they suggest you should remove. These are weeds, because they are out of place 'anywhere', so yes, you are right, but because they have been targeted as unwanted - not because the plant type is a 'weed'. Hope this makes sense.


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## Muscovy_333

mckenry said:


> haha largers, yep, thanks Muscovy.
> 
> Councils classify undesirable plants into two categories. Noxious weeds - which they can force you to remove, and Environmental weeds - which they suggest you should remove. These are weeds, because they are out of place 'anywhere', so yes, you are right, but because they have been targeted as unwanted - not because the plant type is a 'weed'. Hope this makes sense.



I concur.


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## Northside Novice

has anyone thought to use or used co2 to enhance the growth potential of their young bines ?


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## FuzzyDropbear

mckenry said:


> Good article.
> 
> My only (pedantic) problem with it, is that it starts off stating in the Utter Basics - "hops are *basically* a weed"
> 
> Ask yourself - what is a weed? A weed is a plant out of place - or a wild plant competing with what you want to grow.
> 
> A weed is a concept really - not a 'type of plant'
> If...



OOO, an internetz argument. :lol: 

See the word I highlighted. Basically a weed, ie. In our situation the plant doesn't tick all the boxes of a typical 'weed species', ie, we want this plant to grow (my missus and my mum have a different view on hops, they consider them to be a weed, why do you want to grow that? :lol: ) .

I believe the author was referring to the growth habit of hops. ie. if you leave them alone they'll just grow and grow and grow without any input from humans and if they find themselves in this situation, they have the potential to become quite invasive. Compared to growing other plants which require pruning, regular feeding and are susceptible to diseases, hops will basically do their own thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I believe the author was getting at.

And yes, weed is a loosely used term which has a different meaning depending on who you're talking to.

Cheers.


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## mckenry

FuzzyDropbear said:


> OOO, an internetz argument. :lol:
> 
> See the word I highlighted. Basically a weed, ie. In our situation the plant doesn't tick all the boxes of a typical 'weed species', ie, we want this plant to grow (my missus and my mum have a different view on hops, they consider them to be a weed, why do you want to grow that? :lol: ) .
> 
> I believe the author was referring to the growth habit of hops. ie. if you leave them alone they'll just grow and grow and grow without any input from humans and if they find themselves in this situation, they have the potential to become quite invasive. Compared to growing other plants which require pruning, regular feeding and are susceptible to diseases, hops will basically do their own thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I believe the author was getting at.
> 
> And yes, weed is a loosely used term which has a different meaning depending on who you're talking to.
> 
> Cheers.



Yes, yes, yes, I knew this would be a can of worms. I'll try another explanation as to why a weed is a concept, not a species. There are noxious weeds, which your local council will happily supply a list of and same goes for environmental weeds. And yes, these are deemed invasive and can get out of hand. Any other plant that is not on the list is not a weed. If anyone says plant A is a weed, its because it grew where they didnt want it to grow. 
I understand peoples mentality that weeds dont generally need looking after to survive, neither do hops. That doesnt make hops weeds. 


This is the point. Dont call hops a weed, if youre trying to grow hops.


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## FuzzyDropbear

But he didn't call them weeds, he said 'hops are basically a weed'.

Yes a weed is a concept, I think everyone agrees with this. But he's used it as a descriptor, that was all I was saying. It's like saying a Commodore is basically a Falcon, which it is to a degree, same sort of car (Family Sedan), similar build quality (some will argue this), they're made in Australia etc. it's not saying it IS a Falcon though.

Anyway, this is getting OT so it's the last I'll say on it. 

Cheers.


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## mckenry

FuzzyDropbear said:


> But he didn't call them weeds, he said 'hops are basically a weed'.
> 
> Yes a weed is a concept, I think everyone agrees with this. But he's used it as a descriptor, that was all I was saying. It's like saying a Commodore is basically a Falcon, which it is to a degree, same sort of car (Family Sedan), similar build quality (some will argue this), they're made in Australia etc. it's not saying it IS a Falcon though.
> 
> Anyway, this is getting OT so it's the last I'll say on it.
> 
> Cheers.



Sure, but its not just this thread - its all over AHB that "hops are weeds", or "basically weeds", or "just weeds" or "only weeds" etc. It really gives people the wrong idea.

Agreed _Anyway, this is getting OT so it's the last I'll say on it._


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## Muscovy_333

colloquially hops is related to "weed"...
Sorry I just cant help myself, it's like an itch i have to scratch!
Sorry McKenry, i'm siding with you on this one...


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## Wolfy

The saying that a plant "_grows like a weed_" is used to describe a plant (any plant if it's wanted or not) that grows vigorously without any direct human care or maintenance and has the capability to spread, grow and essentially 'take over' without human assistance. Hops are exactly that, even if they might not be 'weeds' according to some pedantic proper dictionary definition.

PS, Hops are weeds in my mother's vegie garden, I planed them there for the first year and then tried to remove them to move elsewhere, however they still continue to grow 3 years later and despite being pulled out, dug up and attempts to eliminate them.


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## hoppy2B

Hops are actually a difficult plant to grow in my opinion. B)


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## Wolfy

hoppy2B said:


> Hops are actually a difficult plant to grow in my opinion. B)


I visited and maintained my hops 3 times last year; at the start of spring to weed the garden beds, then to provide the strings for them to grow up and finally to harvest them.
The rest of the season they had no attention or maintenance at all, they may have done better with more care and attention but they did mostly all the work themselves ... much like weeds do.


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## Bizier

mckenry said:


> My only (pedantic) problem with it, is that it starts off stating in the Utter Basics - "hops are basically a weed"



This is actually a thin veil to mask your hated of me for moving state with your flasks right?

If I recall, the beginning of the article was designed to dissipate the apprehension that seemed to exist in all of the 'can I grow hops?' questions. The fact is that they are easy, and I wanted to state it definitively.

Now that I see that you are irked, you pedant, I will re-write history to say that it was designed to draw forth a useless discussion of Commodores, Falcons and literal definitions of the word weed and, more importantly, what it means in the context of our society. Having done that, it is a raving success.

I would say that there are many plants that could make seriously sub-standard weeds, a ghost orchid for instance. Hops, on the other hand, will spread and be difficult to remove if you wanted to get rid of them.

To further derail the thread, I liked the movie Adaptation.


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## hoppy2B

Wolfy said:


> I visited and maintained my hops 3 times last year; at the start of spring to weed the garden beds, then to provide the strings for them to grow up and finally to harvest them.
> The rest of the season they had no attention or maintenance at all, they may have done better with more care and attention but they did mostly all the work themselves ... much like weeds do.




Yeah I noticed your pics in the 2011 hops thread Wolfy. I assume they are being watered for you? If you are unable to have them liquid manured during the growing season at least dump a heap of manure around them. I think you could do a lot better than the yield you took in if that's what you're after. Manure might improve the quality of the product as well.
I put a lot of work into growing my hops last year in my first season. It takes a fair effort to erect a good trellis, and I spent a lot of time watering my hops. I've made bigger mounds around my hops to make it quicker and easier to water them this season. 
If you compare growing a field of hops to growing a field of wheat you soon realize just how much effort it takes to grow hops.


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## Malted

hoppy2B said:


> Hops are actually a difficult plant to grow in my opinion. location



Corrected it for you.


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## Yob

interesting Article for Southeners.. Ive sent an email with the hope of getting out there to dig up some 100 year old hops


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## SJW

I have a Chinook and Cascade that I planted this season in very large pots. They have both shot and are growing very well. The reason I put them in pots was that we are only renting at the moment and we should be moving to our new house in about april next year. Perfect timing. Then I was going to plant them in the ground. But I am having second thoughts now. Are the roots really that invasive? I dont want to create a monster that I can never tame. As I am not growing hops to save money or for commercial reasons (just out of interest really) should I just leave them in the pots?
I suspect I could get flamed for this comment but instead of planting them in the ground in my yard would it be irisponsible of me to plant them in a public bush reserve acroos the road? Are these things native? I suspect not. Would they do damage if let go wild? are there any growing wild?

Steve


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## Wolfy

hoppy2B said:


> Yeah I noticed your pics in the 2011 hops thread Wolfy. I assume they are being watered for you? If you are unable to have them liquid manured during the growing season at least dump a heap of manure around them.


They got no care other than what I gave them.
Giving them a dose of manure would be a good idea, but it would mean more work and introduce more weeds into the garden bed, maybe I'll do it after they go dormant next year.
But they still produced more hops than I'm likely to use in a year, so that's good enough for me.


SJW said:


> I suspect I could get flamed for this comment but instead of planting them in the ground in my yard would it be irisponsible of me to plant them in a public bush reserve acroos the road? Are these things native? I suspect not. Would they do damage if let go wild? are there any growing wild?


They're not native, and they need stuff to grow up and lots of sunlight to do well.
In a bush reserve they'd only be able to grow up trees and then not have many nutrients or sunlight and likely not do as well as they could.

Yes there are 'wild' hops growing in Australia.
_*Edit*, see Yob's link above for info about what I said below, I didn't read the link until after I had posted it._
Prickly Moses (in Otway) make a special batch of beer with wild hops, I have a plant that was re-grown from some 'wild' hops down that way too.
Likely the hops were introduced when the area was a hop-growing district (some 100 years ago) but there are still plants growing there and there are some photos (on these forums I think) somewhere that shows hops growing in a fern-river-gully in a native-forest area, climbing up trees etc.


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## Muscovy_333

I have built large timber planter boxes lined with thick plastic at the base. My intention is to kerb them from sending runners everywhere.
I have removed mine from the ground at this point in time as my first year hops went nuts and threw runners everywhere. It's not a real problem, but I am on a quarter acre block with 8 varieties on the go so want to keep a handle on them. Easy to move if i need to.

Dont plant them in a nature reserve. Apart from the obvious lack of control you may end up poisoning someones pooch.


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## SJW

Muscovy said:


> Dont plant them in a nature reserve. Apart from the obvious lack of control you may end up poisoning someones pooch.



Good point, I would not do that anyway. On the topic of dogs...when we move we plan on getting a German Shepherd pup. So does anyone else have dogs and hops growing in the same yard?


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## tricache

Article printed!!! Great one!


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## hoppy2B

iamozziyob said:


> interesting Article for Southeners.. Ive sent an email with the hope of getting out there to dig up some 100 year old hops



Yeah read that a while ago Yob. The subject of the Ottaway wild hops came up on a thread about 'Pride of Kent' hops, which someone was trying to locate rhizomes of.
Going on Prickly Moses Brewery's pics, the main hop growing wild appears to be Fuggle with a lesser amount of Golding. I was also interested in heading out there to try and see if I could find a wild Golding that had mutated, or different variety of Golding, which maybe had more of a closed cone structure than the one I am growing, as well as a lighter coloured bine.
Would be interested in knowing which wild hop Wolfy has growing and if he'd be willing to part with a bit of zome.


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## Malted

SJW said:


> So does anyone else have dogs and hops growing in the same yard?



Over the years we have planted a few dogs in our yards but the dammed things never grow. Maybe we buried them too deep but I suspect when they die you have to move on and buy a new one. I must admit we never tried planting a dogwood tree though.


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## hoppy2B

Malted said:


> Corrected it for you.



Actually you made it incorrect.


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## Yob

your'e missing the point... 

:icon_offtopic: how the hell do you add people to an 'ignore' list


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## hoppy2B

What's the point? A person only has to make a comment for nob head to be an expert on everything and put them down. <_<


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## Yob

Heavy fuckin sigh.

will spell it out for you numpty..

These hops have been unattended for a hundred fuckin years and continue to grow.

Cant be that hard can it? Thats the point.


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## hoppy2B

iamozziyob said:


> Heavy fuckin sigh.
> 
> will spell it out for you numpty..
> 
> These hops have been unattended for a hundred fuckin years and continue to grow.
> 
> Cant be that hard can it? Thats the point.




The point I don't get is why you think you have reason to make derogatory comment. I have in no way invalidated that point if that is the point you wish to get across. I too am interested in having a look at them.
I was merely pointing out that they are very much a Fuggle type. Fuggle will grow in shady conditions, so its these that survive and continue on. They may or may not have mutated. 
As I pointed out I'm interested in Goldings.


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## Batz

I don't find hops hard to grow but I don't expect the yields that a tassie grower would get either. Bananas are easy for me to grow and I get heaps of fruit, and I would not expect a tassie grower to do so well.
As it has been said before it's all about location, but hell don't let that stop you having a go.

My little tip,
I make up a chook poo liquid fertilizer and feed them a couple of times a week. This in my opinion makes all the difference, we use this on all our veggie gardens it wonderful stuff.

batz


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## Wolfy

SJW said:


> Good point, I would not do that anyway. On the topic of dogs...when we move we plan on getting a German Shepherd pup. So does anyone else have dogs and hops growing in the same yard?


I have about 30x hop plants growing at my sister's place, she has 2 black labs - not an issue (other than the dogs sometimes like to dig-up the mulch, but then so do the chickens).


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## SJW

Wolfy said:


> I have about 30x hop plants growing at my sister's place, she has 2 black labs - not an issue (other than the dogs sometimes like to dig-up the mulch, but then so do the chickens).


Thank you, finally a serious response.


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## Phoney

Question; After planting rhizomes, how long would one expect to have to wait until they see a shoot through the soil at this time of year?


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## Bizier

Depends on health and size of your rhizome and conditions like moisture and temp. Relax and let them do their thing. Second year rhizomes will probably shoot earlier depending on variety, they will be on time with season.


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## JDW81

Yeldarb said:


> This is the discussion topic for article: Hops - How to Grow Them


Just tried to access this link and it appears to no longer exist. I'm guessing this is an upgrade hitch and will be got to in due course, in the mean time does anyone happen to have the article on file? Just bought a house and one of the first jobs is find a spot to grow some hops.

Cheers,

JD


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## mrTbeer

Yeah unfortunately that link doesn't work.
Anyone know another way to find it??
Got given some rhizomes today and keen to give them best chance in the dirt.


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## Bizier

Plant with as much access to light as possible, if you have a trellis with multiple strings on it, ensure that they face north, so that the bines shade each other as little as possible. Dig in some manure and get them in the ground. Beware they are pretty invasive, so if you are worried, you can bury corrugated iron or similar around them to prevent them wandering too far (or dig them up each year and trim back.


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## shaunous

mrTbeer said:


> Yeah unfortunately that link doesn't work.
> Anyone know another way to find it??
> Got given some rhizomes today and keen to give them best chance in the dirt.


+1 on the cannot get it to work...


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## Mardoo

Bizier said:


> Plant with as much access to light as possible, if you have a trellis with multiple strings on it, ensure that they face north, so that the bines shade each other as little as possible.


Unfortunately the Wiki is still off line, which is a HUGE bummer. Such good local advice in there. 

Otherwise, I'm a brand new hop farmer (dammit, I told myself when I got back into brewing that I wouldn't do hops). I have heard on Brewing Network podcasts that some English varieties are more heat-sensitive than others. (The ones I have are Australian grown rhizomes.) Has anyone found that to be true?

Having a couple new UK hop plants I was thinking of planting them on the East side of the house, so they get solid morning sun for about 6 hours but are out of direct sunlight for the hottest part of the day. Am I just being an old Nan or is this reasonable?


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## tricache

I found mine loved getting half a days sun and that is it, otherwise you have to keep the water up and sometimes they get burnt. I loved mine being in pots, made it easy to move around


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## shaunous

tricache said:


> I found mine loved getting half a days sun and that is it, otherwise you have to keep the water up and sometimes they get burnt. I loved mine being in pots, made it easy to move around


How big of pots are you using tricache, and are you just using potting mix for soil and adding the required nutrients?


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## tricache

shaunous said:


> How big of pots are you using tricache, and are you just using potting mix for soil and adding the required nutrients?


Roughly 40cm diameter ones (I'm at work so can't measure them) and yep potting mix in the pot and just add plant food ect


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## Mardoo

shaunous said:


> How big of pots are you using tricache, and are you just using potting mix for soil and adding the required nutrients?


I bought some of these barrels for only $15 each: http://bit.ly/1ce20xl

I cut them in half and Bob's your uncle, 4x110 liter pots for $30 bucks. Don't forget to drill the bottoms well, big enough holes so they drain well. Let's just say I won't be moving them much though. 

No affiliation, etc. they ain't pretty but they sure are easy


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## carniebrew

Good blog on growing hops in pots here, even if they didn't do that well (due to his location/climate).
http://www.hopsinpots.com/search?updated-max=2009-05-27T19:28:00-05:00&max-results=20&start=20&by-date=false

I'm using eco-kegs with this guy's trellis idea (in my case a couple of 2m tomato stakes joined together to get extra height, with 4 x 800mm wide cross-bars, with eye-hooks on either end). That way I can move them around depending on how much sun they need. I planted mine two weeks ago (a Cascade & a Hersbrucker), and the first shoot is just about to break the surface.

The eco-kegs took a little over 2 x 25kg potting mix bags each...I got the potting mix from Masters, their $5 bags (they say 4 for $20, but if you buy 1 they're still $5). Here's a pic I took before finishing the trellis:


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## Bizier

I love the use of Eco Kegs Carnie!

h34r: probably better than using them for beer  h34r:


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## mrTbeer

Yeah good call re-using 1-way plastic kegs.


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## lukiferj

Picked up 6 eco kegs today. Great idea carniebrew.


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## carniebrew

Can't claim it as my own I'm afraid, a guy I met recently at a brew day at a friend's pub put me onto it, and provided me with the kegs.

Here's mine with the second tomato stake bolted to the first, giving me 3m or so of upright. And a photo of my first hersbrucker shoot peeking through on the weekend. The cascade also has a single shoot that's just broken the soil.



I dunno why it's sideways, it's not when I open it on my PC.


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## A.B.

just a note to bump this thread, I had 5 hop plants growing successfully in Canberra region, but not once in 4 years did they flower!
Then someone told me I've probably got all male plants...could this be true or is there someother factor stopping the flowers?

They were planted in a section of my vege patch where I can control their spread, got heaps of sun and water, and good soil...


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## wide eyed and legless

False, male hop plants have flowers, that's how they pollinate the female.


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## A.B.

cheers, I must be doing something else wrong then. might test the soil...


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## yochris77

Does this Wiki topic exist anywhere? Link still not working.


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## wide eyed and legless

Here you go yochris.
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/ahb-articles-hops-how-to-grow-them.33296/
Sorry mate same thread, I will have a look for it.


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## wide eyed and legless

Here are a couple of links.
https://www.growveg.com.au/plants/australia-and-nz/how-to-grow-hops/
https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Hops-for-Brewing-Beer


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## fungrel

I also found this an immense help (explains the why as well as the how):

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/712717/hops-guide-for-new-growers.pdf


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