2008 Hop Plantations

[jendres]

Also, what's the best way to make cuttings from hops? I'm keen to try and cultivate a few to share.

I'm impressed with your crop. Mine has stalled AND been hit by spider mites! Maybe I'll get a stubbie's worth of brew out of my crop this season...

I've heard that you can get rhizomes by burying part of a bine in the soil while growing.

the yahoo group is probably the best place to search for this info.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grow-Hops/message/581

 

[andytork]

I hope they are not rotting away from the excesss water/rain?

Is it worth a closer inspection and (only if necessary) maybe moving into pots?

Would hate to hear they have rotted away and no good for next season.

My Hallertau appears to have recovered, nice & green and broke surface in transplant pot

Could be hope for my Cluster & Victoria too.

Only time and TLC will tell.

 

[gibbocore]

so is it advised that i trim back the dead leaves?

Also regarding spider mites, i believe i have some, as mone of my new buds for lateral growth have taken off. Help????

 

[fraser_john]

If you want to take some cuttings, this has worked for me when a bine broke off in the wind.

Make sure it is a somewhat "woody" part of the plant, not a fresh growing tip.
Make sure it has a leaf node on it.
The "twig" should be about 4-6 inches long, with the leaf node at one end.
Dip the non leaf node end into some rooting powder.
Stick in pot with leaf node just above soil level, preferably use seedling mix.
Keep moist, not damp!!!

Leaves should start growing in 4 weeks or so.

 

[matt white]

Has anyone around Melbourne had their Tettnang still stall??? My goldings has gone crazy, my cascade is almost as bad, even my little cuttings are doing well, but my poor tett has grown to four feet and stopped!

I did notice that my watering system might be getting too much water to its roots, so I will remove one of the drippers tonight! But the goldings and cascade have just as much water!

My tettnanger has been growing steadily since september. I will be picking the first cones very soon. It is a five year old plant, see photos earlier in this thread.

It didnt do very well for 4 years, maybe a small bag of flowers each season, and from what I can gather they dont do well generally in Australia. As you know, in June this year I dug up a lot of rhizomes off all my plants to sell to satisfy the hop hunger created by the so called world hop shortage. By removing a lot of underground mass the plants seem reinvigorated and are looking like producing their best yield to date, especially the traditionally poor yielding tettnanger.

Although my tetts stalled for a couple of weeks due to cooler weather, they are now looking very much better than they ever have and are sending out laterals prolifically at the moment.

 

[gibbocore]

Hi All,

here's my chinook plant, its all up got a linear length of abour 4m

I have a few issues though i beleive. And would like a bit of guidance cause i have no fricking idea about plants, AT ALL.

This is the first problem, which i assume is slugs or snails.

Question, pellets? I take it there are dog safe ones around, i have set a trap with a submerged jar with some pure blond in it, but seems not even slugs will drink it. Also, should i cut back these leaves?

Second issue, i think might be mites. Just need some clarification before i declare war.

sorry or the out of focus picture. But the leaves are folded and dont appear to be in the best shape with yellow/brown freckles on them.

Last question, are these little buds the first signs of hop cones?

sorry for the long post, but i'm going to be away for a couple of weeks over december and dont want to come back to a decimated plant.

thanks in advance.

 

[matt white]

Hi All,

here's my chinook plant, its all up got a linear length of abour 4m

I have a few issues though i beleive. And would like a bit of guidance cause i have no fricking idea about plants, AT ALL.

This is the first problem, which i assume is slugs or snails.

Question, pellets? I take it there are dog safe ones around, i have set a trap with a submerged jar with some pure blond in it, but seems not even slugs will drink it. Also, should i cut back these leaves?

Second issue, i think might be mites. Just need some clarification before i declare war.

sorry or the out of focus picture. But the leaves are folded and dont appear to be in the best shape with yellow/brown freckles on them.

Last question, are these little buds the first signs of hop cones?

sorry for the long post, but i'm going to be away for a couple of weeks over december and dont want to come back to a decimated plant.

thanks in advance.

Looks great, actually quite healthy. If you want to go organic, leave it and it should be fine. Otherwise you really need to isolate the problem by finding the culprit. Look for mites, ladybirds, earwigs, aphids etc. If you think its snails, slugs etc they are easy to see. Just use a dose of salt somewhere where the roots wont get sick from it.

Otherwise, find the look for the problem insect and go to the garden centre for the appropriate control method.

 

[head]

Ladybirds??? I thought they were supposed to be beneficial for the garden? What do they do to hurt the plants? If they are a trouble maker, I can see myself waging war in my garden as there are a fair few of both types. The 4 spot and the many spot ladybird.

 

[beersatan]

Ladybirds??? I thought they were supposed to be beneficial for the garden? What do they do to hurt the plants? If they are a trouble maker, I can see myself waging war in my garden as there are a fair few of both types. The 4 spot and the many spot ladybird.

A bit off topic and I'm no Alan ssSeale but I understand there are four main types of ladybirds.
There are three good sorts of ladybug that eat either aphids, mealy bugs or fungus.
Then there's the 28 spotted bugger. It eats plants.
I find them on my raspberry vines so will keep an eye out for them on my hops.

I've found my vines growing against a north facing brick wall are thriving while those in an open trellised garden are really struggling.
I think it works because it keeps the temp around the plant warmer and more constant and also protects from being bashed around as much by the wind. I am finding the wall spot seems to hide more bugs but mulching with sugar cane helps and then I'm spreading coffee grounds around to stuff up the snails and slugs. The one bug I'm due to cop now is the harlequin bug which are those orange things that cruise around in pairs attached at the arse. Mix up some dishwashing liquid in water in a spray bottle. Then on a sunny weekend morning (or lunchtime if you don't have kids) if you can see them, spray them and watch them die! Very rewarding.
And it saves our precious hops!

 

[Frank]

A bit off topic and I'm no Alan ssSeale but I understand there are four main types of ladybirds.
There are three good sorts of ladybug that eat either aphids, mealy bugs or fungus.
Then there's the 28 spotted bugger. It eats plants.
I find them on my raspberry vines so will keep an eye out for them on my hops.

I think you will find it is the larvae of ladybird that does all the eating and killing of aphids and mealy bugs. The 28 spot ladybird is the adult, that does not eat as many pests. To the best of my knowledge adult 28 spot ladybird do no harm to your plants.

 

[beersatan]

I think you will find it is the larvae of ladybird that does all the eating and killing of aphids and mealy bugs. The 28 spot ladybird is the adult, that does not eat as many pests. To the best of my knowledge adult 28 spot ladybird do no harm to your plants.

I sound like a smart arse now but just trying to help...
I saw this on tv last year and locked it in - but I guess these guys are gardening nerds not entomologists...
This is a transcript from the show.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1920251.htm

 

[gibbocore]

Looks great, actually quite healthy. If you want to go organic, leave it and it should be fine. Otherwise you really need to isolate the problem by finding the culprit. Look for mites, ladybirds, earwigs, aphids etc. If you think its snails, slugs etc they are easy to see. Just use a dose of salt somewhere where the roots wont get sick from it.

Otherwise, find the look for the problem insect and go to the garden centre for the appropriate control method.

cheers mate!

So there's no need to be concerned about the folded over leaves? They're held together by a webbing like substance.

 

[matt white]

cheers mate!

So there's no need to be concerned about the folded over leaves? They're held together by a webbing like substance.

Probably spiders or something, but a few curled leaves or whatever shouldnt effect the yield. Check inside the 'web' and see whats in there.

People seem to expect perfect, insect free, blemish free plants. WHY? As I said they look really lush and green and should go well.

 

[KHB]

Sorry to ask but im interested too and no one answered gibbocore's question, if the little buds are the start of hop cones forming??

Cheers KHB

 

[matt white]

One of two things, either lateral shoots or cones. Either way - the good stuff!

 

[gibbocore]

SWEET!!

Cheers mate, they have been there (the little buds) for while now, just waiting for them to do something, i'm just impatient, strange choice for a hoppy, eh, brewing and growing.

 

[lochrockingbeers]

A quickish reply to some queries above.

They are lateral shoots forming - unlikely to be cones yet but they form off the laterals.

Most ladybirds are beneficial by eating pests and some eat fungus. The common garden pest 26 and 28 spotted ladybirds are really the only plant ating ladybirds you are likely to encounter. They are larger and I've never seen them eating hops but if you have cucumbers, zucchinis and pumpkins you will usually encounter them. They are fairly specific feeders.

The folded leaves could be caused by lightbrown apple moth. The caterpillars fold the leaves and cause some minor feeding damage, and the webbing is a good indicator. Spiders are a possibility. Either way it's no big deal - a slightly eaten leaf here or there is not a problem. Some of the other feeding damage looked like it could be earwigs rather than snails. Check at night for earwigs.

 

[gibbocore]

Sweet dude, will do!

I'm pretty sure this is one of your chinooks, second gen now.

Thanks!

 

[drsmurto]

For those of you who have earwig problems like me....

I now have the little bastards under control but i have killed in excess of a 1000 in the last 4 weeks.

I have several rolls of newspaper that i wipe the bbq with.

Each day i unroll them into a bucket of hot water.

The numbers have been dropping over this time and i have noticed my vegie patch is now flourishing. they were eating everything, never seen an established capsicum plant stripped of its leaves overnight.

And now with all the rain i will have to be on the lookout for snails. I think they prefer the full carb goodness of carlton cold, at least thats what i bait them with! Even they turn their noses up at Birrell......

Gibbocore - your plants look very healthy, i would leave them be. My leaves have a lot more holes (caterpillar/mites/snails etc) but its still growing strong. I cant spray/bait as much as most as my vegie/hop garden is right next to a creek...

 

[matt white]

They are lateral shoots forming - unlikely to be cones yet but they form off the laterals.

I harvested the first of my tettnanger cones last night. They are papery and full of lupulin. I usually get two crops per plant per year, the second being the highest yield and best quality.

I get cones forming right in the bit where gibbocore has photographed, and on the laterals, so it could well be cones forming, but as you suggest, more likely laterals. Again, either way - all good