2009 Hop Plantations

[BennyBrewster]

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

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

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

 

[raven19]

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.

 

[drsmurto]

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?

 

[raven19]

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...?

 

[Mantis]

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

 

[MarkBastard]

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?

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.

 

[drsmurto]

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.

 

[KHB]

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]

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.

 

[MarkBastard]

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]

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

 

[drsmurto]

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.

 

[Mantis]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!