2007 Hop Plantations

[mfdes]

You'll be fine. They wouldn't deteriorate frozen, I'd think.
MFS

 

[masculator002]

If you want to improve the outcome of the hops a proper curing and drying process will make a big difference. This is something I have learned from curing other related herbs over the years. it goes a little some thing like this. :
first of all hang in a warm room for 2 to 3 days or until you see the bright dark green start to dull prefferably still in collas.
At this stage the stems should be starting to become brittleish. then using an esky or poly styrene broccolli box with a lid lay them in without any kind of compression. (loosely in other words.) in hot weather leave the lid on during the day and remove at night, in cooler weather reverse this. allow to cure like this for 1 to 2 weeks during 25 to 30 degree heat and up to 3 weeks in cooler conditions.
After this store in GLASS jars NOT plastic bags as there is a dangerous (to your health) chemical reaction between plastic and herbs. Personally I use nescafe coffee jars.

This process will help to draw the deep moisture from the tissues more gently without closing the stomata of the plant tissue and locking in the clorophyll and grassy yucky taste, And will allow the floral, fruity flavenoids and aromatics to come to the fore.

Try it next time, it really works, and I guarantee that you will be throwing the dehydrator to the trash or using it to dry apples like it was designed too. B)

 

[masculator002]

View attachment 17916

is there a male amonst my ranks???

Yes that is a male perenial hemp (humulus lupulus) plant

 

[masculator002]

Yes that is a male perenial hemp (humulus lupulus) plant

It is possible to revert it to female by obtaining some giberellic acid and making a foliar spray of it. This is how they produce all female seeds in holland and other places, They clone a female plant and spray it with the acid which makes what would otherwise be a female plant male. They then use the pollen to produce all female (98% female) seeds by pollenating either another clone or the original mother plant.

 

[barls]

ive done alright tihis year so i thought id share some pics of the last harvest off one bush i got

the box is about a meter square and its about an inch and a half deep when laid out

 

[chovain]

the box is about a meter square and its about an inch and a half deep when laid out

Very nice harvest! Do you know what weight you got?

For the pedants who don't like people mixing units, that's about 4.68 cubic millifurlongs. I'm not sure how many football stadiums it would be though.

 

[barls]

it was about 400g dry which isnt too bad considering its the third harvest off that plant

 

[chovain]

it was about 400g dry which isnt too bad considering its the third harvest off that plant

That's incredible. I managed a whopping 18g dry off my Tardif this year - enough for a basic lager, I suppose. It's only the first year (and it lives in a pot, and it got moved around a bit last year), so hopefully it will do a little better next year.

 

[barls]

its my plants 2nd year but i got 3 harvests of 2 plant and nothing of the third one

 

[Linz]

mine had a late start to the year with a severe lack of water, but now is going off...should it still be producing flowers??

It has some large flowers(size of a 10 cent coin) near the older growth, but some small ones near the tips, but none of the 'bunches' of flowers growing together as in other peoples pics. BTW its a cluster variety

Do I pick the bigger ones and leave the smaller one?? or take the lot in one hit??

 

[barls]

thats what i did linz

 

[KillerRx4]

My plants are about done for this year, only a few new cones popping up now. They have been producing cones solidly since December through to now.

Ive done 5 or so harvests in that time & as of tonight a dry weight of 1.4kg

Mostly came off 1 3rd year cluster.

I have a 2nd year columbus that didnt produce last year. I managed a whopping 50g odd off that. Hopefully next year it will deliver.

Pics>
http://s267.photobucket.com/albums/ii318/k...x4/2008%20hops/

 

[lowtech]

Is it common to get nothing in the first year?

 

[barls]

hell im in the second and still have yet to get anything of my hallertau

 

[capretta]

in wollongong my tettenang produces fairly evenly from decemberish through to late april but probably in total makes about 100g dry.

 

[eric8]

My plants did pretty much nothing at all this year, first year in. When should I be cutting them back down to the ground? Now or closer to winter?

Eric

 

[Lukes]

Got mine picked and dried in the hot weather we had in Melb the other week.
Ended up with a couple of those recycle shopping bags almost full.

Now to find some Harvest Ale brewing time and get a false bottom sorted for the kettle .

Luke

 

[mfdes]

It is possible to revert it to female by obtaining some giberellic acid and making a foliar spray of it. This is how they produce all female seeds in holland and other places, They clone a female plant and spray it with the acid which makes what would otherwise be a female plant male. They then use the pollen to produce all female (98% female) seeds by pollenating either another clone or the original mother plant.

Mate, hop plants are dioecious and have their gender coded genetically. I don't know what this GA spray stuff is you're talking about, but I'd be very doubtful it would work on hops. Have you tried it on this plant?
The only hops plants with both male and female flowers are unstable aneuploids that result from polyploid breeding. Diploid plants and well-selected triploids and tetraploids are either male or female. You can't change that.

MFS.

 

[chovain]

Mate, hop plants are dioecious and have their gender coded genetically. I don't know what this GA spray stuff is you're talking about, but I'd be very doubtful it would work on hops. Have you tried it on this plant?
The only hops plants with both male and female flowers are unstable aneuploids that result from polyploid breeding. Diploid plants and well-selected triploids and tetraploids are either male or female. You can't change that.

A lot of people figure that hops are more like their cousin than they actually are. Hops and hemp have very little in common.

Among the Cannabaceae family exist trees and vines. There are about 170 species, in around a dozen genera. Some produce cones, while others produce nuts. It really is quite a large, and varied family.

 

[beerguide]

I am going to have a crack at growing hops myself this year once they are available for purchase. I was just reading this article which has what appears to be a good pole design for growing 4 varieties.
Can anyone see any problems with it?

Link: http://basementbrewing.blogspot.com/2008/0...-back-yard.html