2009 Hop Plantations

[drsmurto]

Cheers for the reply's fellas, I got rid of the mulch once it poked it's head through, although there's still a tiny bit there, doubt it'll make any difference though. Could be too damp like you mention, and I'll obviously have to back off with the seasol. Not sure If I should cut it back as there's really only one shoot growing, with a second one only about 5cm high (which has been like that for a while). I have it in a pot with potting mix, which is the same potting mix I've been using for years with other plants and they seem to go pretty well. Here's a piccy anyway so you can see just how bad it looks

When you say the same potting mix you have been using for 5 years i assume its the same brand, not the same potting mix you put into the pot 5 years ago.

 

[Pennywise]

When you say the same potting mix you have been using for 5 years i assume its the same brand, not the same potting mix you put into the pot 5 years ago.

:lol: Yeah same brand, not 5 year old stuff

 

[drsmurto]

Got me stumped then.

Could be just a small 1st year rhizome spending more time building a root system rather than spending energy on bines.

My cascade and victoria last year only grew 1/2 metre with 2 bines. This year the cascade is already that height and has >6 bines. The victoria is the same height but with only 2 bines at this stage.

 

[MarkBastard]

My Tettnang and POR are growing multiple bines, about 5 each, but are certainly lagging well behind the Chinook.

Interestingly though the Chinook has only ever had one bine. That one bine is going pretty crazy and I just noticed yesterday laterals are growing down the bottom.

Is this just a characteristic of Chinook or is it growing laterals because it's given up on producing any more bines off the rhizome?

Would you string laterals up on different strings or do they only grow a few inches then stop? Are they just there to grab more light by pushing leaves out sideways or do they become their own bine?

 

[Pennywise]

It was only a small rhizome, about 15cm from memory. I'll just back off the seasol and see how it goes, I think if it doesn't fire up within another month I'll cut it back to the ground and let it do it's thing. When I bought it I was sent an extra rhizome and I though to myself "should I put this one in too, nah ones enough", bugger bugger bugger. Oh well cheers, I'll post up if it decides to get some life back into it.

 

[Darkman]

It was only a small rhizome, about 15cm from memory. I'll just back off the seasol and see how it goes, I think if it doesn't fire up within another month I'll cut it back to the ground and let it do it's thing. When I bought it I was sent an extra rhizome and I though to myself "should I put this one in too, nah ones enough", bugger bugger bugger. Oh well cheers, I'll post up if it decides to get some life back into it.

Looking at the photo posted I think your plant is being over watered. To much fertilizer will also cause the leaves to wilt but the leaves will also burn and turn brown. Its probably worth buying a moisture meter from Bunnings for about $10 to test the moisture of your soil below before you water or just use a skewer.

 

[Kleiny]

To much fertilizer will also cause the leaves to wilt but the leaves will also burn and turn brown.

I think that ive done this, i use seasol, some blood and bone and some potash. Now my leaves are wilted and burnt. I fixed the earwig problem with Beat a bug but what can i do if my plants are over fert.

Kleiny

 

[Leigh]

For over-fertilising issues., wait it out, or re-pot.

Simple gardeners tests my grandmother taught me years ago:

For watering, stick your finger in the dirt, if its cold to the touch, it has enough water, if it is warm and crumbly, it needs a drink! Wilting leaves probably means you waited too long. In the ground this will normally be every third day in the height of summer, and every day for a pot (again in the height of summer).

For fertiliser, apart from the initial addition on planting, let the plant "ask" for fertiliser...if the leaves are bright and green, no need to add more. If they are beginning to yellow, apply some more. This usually means every 2-3 weeks at a maximum!

 

[Midnight Brew]

hey hey

I have three chinook rhimzones and planted them in the second week of september. One in the ground and two in pots. The hole has good drainage and I used the same potting mix and fertilizers on all three and the same amount and I water them all once a day. What I cant figure out is that the two in the pot are going great and have popped up in the last three weeks but the one in the ground has still yet to say hello. Could anyone explain this to me, i've searched through the recent posts in this thread but I cant find anything and was wondering if anyone could help.

dicko

 

[MarkBastard]

potting mix is generally a lot better than dirt in the ground.

I'd say if you dug a hole in the ground about the size of your pots, and filled that with potting mix, you'd achieve similar results.

 

[Midnight Brew]

potting mix is generally a lot better than dirt in the ground.

I'd say if you dug a hole in the ground about the size of your pots, and filled that with potting mix, you'd achieve similar results.

That is excatly what I did as well as losen the dirt under that so it would be easier for its roots and yeah nothings happened yet. Im tempted to dig it up and swap it into the pot and put one of the established ones in the ground instead.

dicko

 

[MarkBastard]

hmm that's weird dicko, only other difference would be drainage and maybe positioning (light)

 

[Midnight Brew]

hmm that's weird dicko, only other difference would be drainage and maybe positioning (light)

yeah i cant quiet figure it out, I'll wait two weeks and see if anything changes and if not then might have a look at it and possibly move it to a pot also.

dicko

 

[rysa555]

yeah i cant quiet figure it out, I'll wait two weeks and see if anything changes and if not then might have a look at it and possibly move it to a pot also.

dicko

The soil in the potting mix would be warmer than that of the potting mix in the ground as the sun heats pots up quicker than soil in the ground. Maybe the warmer soil temp is the reason.

 

[doon]

I just had to take off the spent grain i used as mulch as it was going all moldy!

think i need to lay off on water and fertilizer as leaves look a bit burnt

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

The soil in the potting mix would be warmer than that of the potting mix in the ground as the sun heats pots up quicker than soil in the ground. Maybe the warmer soil temp is the reason.

Hi guys ,

I put spent grain on one of my potted hop plants last year and it did very badly until after I took it off. I think the way to go is to let the grain break down in the compost before putting on plants IMO.

All my plants are in the ground and only recently started doing anything .All popped through the mulch two months ago and then stopped . Hersbrucker has sprouted 300 mm in the last 8 days and the Cascade is starting to go ahead too .Now if only the Perle, Halletau and Cluster would get a move on.

Mitternacht Brauer

 

[Mantis]

I just had to take off the spent grain i used as mulch as it was going all moldy!

think i need to lay off on water and fertilizer as leaves look a bit burnt

Yes lay off the fert but water as normal. Over fertilising can only be corrected slowly by stopping the fertilising and keep watering to leach the excess fert out slowly.
In pots if you over fertilise you can actually put the pot under a running tap or put a hose in the pot and run water through it for a few hours. This is a known way to correct over fertilising bonsai plants.

 

[HoppingMad]

At the moment I have no mulch, pea straw or leaf litter on any of my hops and they're all taking nicely.
As it heats up in melb later in the coming months I will consider some mulch so as not to have the ground dry up too much.
I want to avoid the problem I had in February this year when all my hops got sunstruck and withered away. This time I'm getting some shade cloth in case some crazy weather pops its head up in this part of the world.

Getting good growth on all watering once a week, but only half are first year plantings.

+1 for Loch's comments on Chinook and Columbus. Both my chinook and particularly the Columbus have been fairly reluctant to pop their heads up but now have in the past 3 weeks.

Homebrewer79, the size of your rhizome would definately play a part in the amount of growth. The two chinooks I have (planted in ground this year) both have grown relative to the size of their respective rhizomes. I got a cluster rhizome that was over a foot in size and it is growing like a monster compared to the 12cm Chinook sticks I got so it's all relative.

The Melbourne weather is quite good the moment with rain every 3 days so if you're watering every couple of days I would say that's too much. I'm watering once a week and they're all going great guns. Anyone having issues this early on in Melbourne I would suggest not doing a daily water - I found when I lost an EK Golding last year it was not the heat that did it in, but the thing being overwatered and 'getting wet feet'.

Hopper.

 

[BoilerBoy]

I want to avoid the problem I had in February this year when all my hops got sunstruck and withered away. This time I'm getting some shade cloth in case some crazy weather pops its head up in this part of the world.
Hopper.

Thats exactly what happened to mine earlier this year as well, all going beautifully and in 2 days of plus 40c temps they fried to a crisp. It wasn't from lack of water it was the radiant heat that they just couldn't cope with.

So I will be fixing some shade cloth this time for those inevitable heat waves, hopefully that will fix it.

BB

 

[Pennywise]

Cool, lots of good info here. Sounds like I've been overwatering too as a few of the leaves do look like they've been burnt. Think I'll move the pot under shelter if it rains over the next week, might even try and drill some more holes in the bottom of the pot to help drainage a bit.