2009 Hop Plantations

[adam77]

My perle plant has grown to about 3m high (2nd year I think). It has about 10 decent size flowers at the top of the bine already. Is it normal for the plant to flower this early? It has been growing very quickly since I put it in about 2 months ago.

Maybe they grow quickly in Brisbane?

 

[big78sam]

Well I've definitely killed my hops. They popped up got to about 1cm high but have both since withered away and died.

I read here that hops are weeds and need little fertilizer and water but note to self (and others) - they still need some source of nutrients.

The soil they are planted in is crap. It is full of small rocks and was dumped there to level the block where the house would be built. I dug a big hole and filled in with organic potting fix and gave it a fertilizer when I first planted it, plus a couple of seasol waters. I figured a hole big enough for a full bag of potting mix in that soil was no worse than using a pot. However, the soil is so crap that I'm sure this is why they died. They had some nutrients from the poting mix and fertilizer, ie enough to grow to 1cm but little else.

I didn't fertilize directly but did a circle 30cm around the actual rhizome. All that grew properly was a heap of weeds in a circle where I had fertilized. Futher note to self - pull out weeds quickly or they will steal all the nutrients in the soil.

Hopefully they grow back as I've given them another fertilizer and water and pulled all the weeds

 

[MarkBastard]

for what it's worth the pots I used (one rhizome per pot) took about 1.5 bags of 30L potting mix and I think they're the smallest pots I'd use personally.

 

[adam77]

So is anyone else's plant flowering or just mine?

 

[matho]

a few growers have reported getting multiple haverest's so it's not unheard of

 

[drsmurto]

Spent an hour last night removing the bottom 30cm of leaves (to allow air circulation and reduce chance of disease) from my goldings plant, weeding and cutting all of the bines that were yet to reach the string/fence and climb.

Now have several pots of cuttings.

I counted 10 bines that had already reached the top of the fence so i have run twine across to the fence at a 45 degree angle (to the right). One of the bines is already 1m along it!

Another 15 bines still to reach the top.

Before pruning


After pruning


The chinook has at least 25 bines now and they are all very thick. The fastest growing is almost to the top of the fence after giving the goldings a big headstart! Looking forward to a big crop this year - last years pale ale with homegrown chinook was divine (IMHO). In a few weeks i will give it the same treatment as the goldings.

The POR is like the chinook, shoots coming up over a 1m diameter area. Cascade and Victoria have just found the string and are heading skyward.

And for those of you who bought rhizomes off me, i planted a few of each myself on the other side of the fence and they have all taken off.

 

[doon]

just an update on mine and for any others that had the weird hole thing in the leaves happening, soapy water seems to have stopped it for now!

also mulched with spent grain from first AG so they look the part now :icon_cheers:

i am putting fertilizer on mine at least once a week as well as seasol and watering them every 2-3 days they seem to be loving it

 

[BoilerBoy]

Looking forward to a big crop this year - last years pale ale with homegrown chinook was divine (IMHO).

Agreed! and the main reason why I bought a Chinook Rhizome off Boston a few weeks back, which I planted in a pot and now has 4 runners and will more than likely end up in the ground soon at this rate.

Cheers,
BB

 

[stillscottish]

I'm thinking of putting my hop (potted) at the base of a gum tree. It's a mature one with sort of corrugated, rough bark. Dark coloured. It seems to me the bines would be able to grip it or failing that, get some twine as high up as I can get it on the trunk for it to grow up. Has anyone done this?
The only downside I can see is it might grow too high and be out of reach.

Cheers

Campbell

 

[Kleiny]

My palts look like they are suffering so i moved them to a position which gets all the afternoon sun and only misses out on about an hour in the morning.

My biggest problem is something is attcking hte hell out of them and ive used pyretherine and some other spray as well as a concoction of flour, chilli and garlic.

I have a lot of earwigs around could they be chewing up my leaves?

I will try and post picks but i need ideas

Kleiny

 

[MarkBastard]

What are people fertilising with? I have heaps of seasol too. What strength are you mixing seasol at and how often are you applying?

Can you get a fertiliser that's similar to seasol (ie mix in water)

 

[wambesi]

What are people fertilising with? I have heaps of seasol too. What strength are you mixing seasol at and how often are you applying?

Can you get a fertiliser that's similar to seasol (ie mix in water)

I use the concentrated versions of seasol and powerfeed and use in the qty's for vegie garden on the back of the pack.
Worked a treat last year and should go well this year.

 

[MarkBastard]

I use the concentrated versions of seasol and powerfeed and use in the qty's for vegie garden on the back of the pack.
Worked a treat last year and should go well this year.

oh cheers mate, yeah i have the concentrated version too. I couldn't really work it out though because it seems to say how many mL per litre of water but not how many litres of water per plant! Know what I mean?

 

[wambesi]

oh cheers mate, yeah i have the concentrated version too. I couldn't really work it out though because it seems to say how many mL per litre of water but not how many litres of water per plant! Know what I mean?

Ok i gotcha, I do about 9L between 3 plants each fortnight in that case.

 

[MarkBastard]

sounds good mate i think my watering can is 9L and I have 3 plants...so perfect

 

[drsmurto]

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.

Was in the big green shed last night buying root hormone and noticed Beat a Bug. Its very similar to the concoction i used to make when i had a pyrethrum plant - chilli/garlic/pyrtherum and soap, except this had an additive (piperonyl butoxide) which is supposed to increase the potency of the pyrtherins.

Ended up buying it and gave the plants a good spray this morning. A few earwigs and harlequin bugs got a good soaking! Will give the chinese cabbage a spray too as the earwigs are loving that.

What are the beer and barby fat traps? I normally just wipe some newspaper over the bbq plate, roll it up and tie it up. Every morning i opened it up over a bucket of hot soapy water and shook all the earwigs into it. A trap sounds a lot easier.

 

[Doc]

My Chinook (foreground) and Pearle are going great guns.
The other three are lagging a bit behind, but look very healthy.



Doc

 

[Fents]

thats insane doc.

 

[Bizier]

Looking very lush there Doc.

 

[Slimshadey]

So is anyone else's plant flowering or just mine?

I'm in Noosa and my first year cascade rhizome has already started to flower as well.