2008 Hop Plantations

[drsmurto]

FFS.

Seeing what a real crop from these plants should be has me wondering if i should dig them all up and plant them in a place that gets a lot more sun.

Or are those who are getting big crops allowing only 4-6 bines to grow? At last count my chinook has >12 bines growing so its spending a lot of energy on that rather than cone production.

My 2nd year chinook looks like producing <100g dry. I have 50g dry in the freezer and a tad less than that drying and still on the plant. Lots of effort and money have gone into these little bastards but i'm not seeing the return.

 

[fraser_john]

FFS.

Seeing what a real crop from these plants should be has me wondering if i should dig them all up and plant them in a place that gets a lot more sun.

Or are those who are getting big crops allowing only 4-6 bines to grow? At last count my chinook has >12 bines growing so its spending a lot of energy on that rather than cone production.

My 2nd year chinook looks like producing <100g dry. I have 50g dry in the freezer and a tad less than that drying and still on the plant. Lots of effort and money have gone into these little bastards but i'm not seeing the return.

Keeping it to a limited number of bines might be a point, my goldings had probably 15 bines and produced less than the cascade that only had five bines! I was thinking myself that next year I will prune off any more than say 8 bines. I can imagine they are much like grapes, if you let too many vines shoot, the fruit is less productive, there is a balance that is best both for growth and fruit.

This year over winter I am putting a 20kg bag of composted manure on top of each plant as well. I understand that hops love rich soil.

John

 

[raven19]

FFS.

Seeing what a real crop from these plants should be has me wondering if i should dig them all up and plant them in a place that gets a lot more sun.

Or are those who are getting big crops allowing only 4-6 bines to grow? At last count my chinook has >12 bines growing so its spending a lot of energy on that rather than cone production.

My 2nd year chinook looks like producing <100g dry. I have 50g dry in the freezer and a tad less than that drying and still on the plant. Lots of effort and money have gone into these little bastards but i'm not seeing the return.

From a video I saw during the TAFE mashing course a while ago, in Europe they limit bine numbers to 4 per plant. They must know what they are doing as they produce commercially. Mind you their plants may have been in the ground for 30+ years too!

Mine are only 1st year plants hence only have 1 or 2 bines from each at this stage... and no sign of flowers yet either...

 

[Josh]

I heard on the a podcast somewhere that you shouldn't cut back the number of bines. They do that in a commercial setting for ease of harvesting.

 

[Fents]

im in the same boat guys albeit mine are in pots. > 10 bines on each plant but not a single cone to be seen. really need to find somewhere i can throw them in the ground i think but its bloody hard with such a small backyard.

 

[Bizier]

I have 7 strings for each plant and full sun and mine are ape. I would move them to the sunniest spot you have Doc.
ED: and no pruning bines back at all here, I honestly can't see how less bines would produce more than more, except for maybe the little wimpy ones. Mine have mostly reached max potential height on trellis, and I doubt that less bines would shorten the length between laterals. I could be wrong though.

 

[fraser_john]

This is one of the best documents I have found for growing hops and it talks about pruning excess weaker shoots off, but does not talk of exactly how many to leave on! Though it does talk about three or four strings for them to grow on and several bines per string

linky

 

[jbirbeck]

had a shocker of a year this year, they started early and died back were on their way back strongly when the the 40+ degrees days here in Adelaide killed them off. They are back again but with shorter days they have all but stopped. From 100g of Chinook, 20g Columbus and 30g of cluster last year, all first year, to 20g wet of columbus this year.

here's hoping for a better year next year.

 

[HoppingMad]

You guys are really pissin me off with those pics :icon_drool2:

+1 ! Us Victorians have shrivelled bines just limping up the ropes again and you guys have enough hop flowers to collapse a trestle table? It aint fair! Ah well, always next season for me I guess.

Hopper.

 

[unterberg]

My POR is doing quite well for a first year and I only have one bine ~5m long.
Had 400g wet so far with still more to come.

 

[drsmurto]

This is one of the best documents I have found for growing hops and it talks about pruning excess weaker shoots off, but does not talk of exactly how many to leave on! Though it does talk about three or four strings for them to grow on and several bines per string

linky

Had a good read of that and it mentions that the rhizome will produce new shoots all the way thru summer and that you should be ruthless in cutting them back down to the soil. I read that before on oz.craftbrewer.org where it was suggested that 4-6 bones per plant maximises cone production.

New shoots will emerge from the hops throughout the growing season, and must be cut back to the soil. Otherwise, they will compete with the bines you have already selected for this year's harvest.

 

[chappo1970]

You guys are really pissin me off with those pics :icon_drool2:

Ditto Mantis...

Actually I'm Jealous... completely jealous to my core...

Well done guys! I'm waiting with baited breath on reports of the brewing and what a difference it makes? I grow a fair bit of veg and I know I can taste the difference between home and bought. Can't image what home grown fresh hops would do?

 

[reviled]

Ditto Mantis...

Actually I'm Jealous... completely jealous to my core...

Well done guys! I'm waiting with baited breath on reports of the brewing and what a difference it makes? I grow a fair bit of veg and I know I can taste the difference between home and bought. Can't image what home grown fresh hops would do?

I cant say what its like in a brew, but man, a fresh hop flower or 4 in your pint is just so godamn awesome :icon_drool2:

 

[fraser_john]

I read that before on oz.craftbrewer.org where it was suggested that 4-6 bones per plant maximises cone production.

I reckon that's the plan for next year then!

 

[KHB]

Just harvested my first season of chinnok and didnt even record a weight on the scales! Better next year.

KHB

 

[I like beer]

We picked approx 4kg wet from 4 hop plants for our first year.

All were very slow to start, but in the last month or so shoots are popping up all over the garden beds, saves layering for new cuttings.

The worst performer was a POR in a small pot ( ran out of room in the garden beds). This has plenty of bines but they are all spindly although it did produce some flowers.

Best performer was a POR which produced about 2.5 kg.

Now that the flowers have been picked most of the bines are producing new shoots so with any luck we will get a second crop.

Tried to add aphoto of the hops drying but it won't work, maybe I should have stuck to webshots that I know instead of starting a photobucket for the beer photos.

\'The Mrs\'
I say we as for some silly reason I picked the majority of the flowers, even though hops stinks and [font="#092Comic Sans MS#092"]\'all beer tastes the same\'[/font]

 

[jsan]

Yeah I thought I would try this method too, just need to find a longer pot as mine aren't in the ground.

In regards to propagation from the bine;

do you cut the Bine into peices and plant in the ground, or do you layer the whole bine whilst still attached to the roots?

 

[fraser_john]

In regards to propagation from the bine;

do you cut the Bine into peices and plant in the ground, or do you layer the whole bine whilst still attached to the roots?

According to the link I posted above, just dig a trench and lay the bine down in it after harvesting, leave attached to roots. Mark the position and dig it up in spring for propagation/distribution. When cutting up in the spring, make sure there is a "node" or leave bud on each segment.

My cascade has a perfect bine for this and I just may try it.

John

 

[Bizier]

We picked approx 4kg wet from 4 hop plants for our first year.

Yeeeeah boiii!!!! Any pics of the setup?

I just harvested and vac-packed/froze my Hersbruker (about 3/4 of a shopping bag) & Columbus (about 1/3 of a shopping bag). The columbus smelled bloody fantastic, lots of passionfruit.

I am bummed that I prematurely harvested the bulk of these two. I also have a pretty high percentage that have brown 'burnt' areas of the cones.

I aim to use all of these as either 5-0 min additions or dry (wet) hop in simple beers.

I cleaned the bottom sections of the bines, which is a tedious task. I layered any thick bines that weren't large enough to be flowering, a few per plant.

After listening to the Vinnie Cilurzo hop show on the BN, I am totally amped for some wet hop goodness.

 

[I like beer]

would post pics but i dont know how to