2010 Hop Plantations

[AussieJosh]

THATS CRAZY! now im thinking maybe i should not have planted six!?

 

[kenworthy]

Here's some pics as promised.

Below is a close up shot of the root that I saw when I moved the pot slightly. As you can see the pot was about two inches from the edge of the paving. Not sure where all that soil came from! Maybe the ants did help the hops out by bringing all that soil up to the side like that.
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Below is a zoomed out photo of the same. Notice the root just at the top of the pot handle.
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This shot below shows where I've started digging to investigate where the root leads to. I was pissing myself laughing at this point that it even found its way to the garden, little did I know just how far into the garden the ******* got!
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After I'd cut off some of the rhizome and tipped the pot over this is what the underside looked like.
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This is the hole where the main downwards travelling root went into. It was growing literally against the concrete and kept on going. Hopefully it won't survive as I couldn't dig it all up. I had to remove two of my border plants to dig this far down.
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This is the money shot. Can you see that trunk in the back ground? And sort of a trench running up to it? Well that trench has the main lateral. It split into two just before the tree with the smaller split going to the left of the trunk and the bigger one going to the right. I'm guessing rhizomes in the wild can't grow up twine so they travel themselves to the nearest and biggest tree they can find to grow up? This is a good 2 metres or so from the pot!
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All this one year after planting a tiny rhizome...

What the Baby!

 

[Malted]

Wakkatoo,

I was going to grow the hops up and along the wire, rather than the V formation. This is my first time growing hops - do you rackon it is better to grow in V??

Feedback:

(1) Looks like you are using (not sure of proper name) screw with a hook into timber and then turnbuckles to cable.
Might be cheaper to just use an eye bolt to secure AND tension the cables (if putting up more cables), and also saves on eyelets. An eye bolt is a long threaded rod with a hook on the end (you can see on mine below that running the nut up pulls the bolt through the hole and tensions the cable).
# I also just noticed a fault with mine: the top horizontal line pressure is on the centre bolt; I should have put the horizontal arm behind the upright (i.e. to the left) so that the tension is on the upright and not just the center bolt. #

(2) I am planning on growing mine in a V pattern for reasons that others have pointed out: easier to pick, easier to remove if on strings going up, but I figure it is also for hygiene reasons too.
What's that you ask? I am hoping that air flow and air circulation will be better in a V formation. This is my first time growing hops but I am thinking about general horticulture principles. Where air flow is low, dust accumulates on plants (not good for them) and this is also where you'll get the greatest concentration of pest bugs. Good airflow usually means fewer pest bugs.

(3) doesn't look like your backyard has too many height restrictions, a bit more height may have been better but I get your idea of them growing horizontally. Why not make it into a bit of a green gazebo: maybe go wider, another row of poles beside it with conecting cables and you can then sit under it in summer drinking beer and admiring your hops? Plenty of people do this with grape vines.

 

[batemanbrewer]

Why not make it into a bit of a green gazebo: maybe go wider, another row of poles beside it with conecting cables and you can then sit under it in summer drinking beer and admiring your hops? Plenty of people do this with grape vines.

The "Hoparium"

sounds glorious, if only i had the space. Might be time for a move!!

p.s.- mark your plant's gone ballistic. Glad I have my plants potted with solid guards underneath, looks like you lost a day or 2 there

 

[Wolfy]

Due to issues with the camera this is the only photo I took when I finished planting all the hops weekend before last.
All were 1st year plants, on the right is the POR that grew poorly in a pot in my back yard, the mutant at the back is last year's Chinook plant.
3 months ago they were dug up, wrapped in newspaper packed with some compost, watered, wrapped in a shopping bag or two and put in the bottom of the fridge.
I think they even got frozen once or twice, but as you can see even that rough treatment did not stop them.

After another day digging holes and planting, all the rhizomes and companion plants are now in the ground, each plant was mulched with the remaining mushroom compost and given a dose of either blood and bone or Brunnings complete fertilizer (fertilized now so that the nutrients are available when the plant will be growing, if you fertilize when they are in full growth the nutrietns cannot be taken into the soil and then the plant in time to be useful) and had snail-pellets scattered around.
Its been raining most every day since so that should help them get established I hope.

Since the planting is are aligned north-to-south, I tried to plant the less vigorous ones to the North (with the expectation they'll get ample sunlight):
North
----------
2x Golding
~ Saaz
~ Halleratu
~ Fuggle
~ Perle
2x Tettnang
- -
- Challenger
- Liberty
- Unknown
2x Hersbrucker
2x Mt Hood
Williamette
~ Target
Cluster Nugget
2x Cascade
2x Columbus
2x POR
Chinook Victoria
----------
South

There are enough 'poles' to bill 5 or 6 uprights, and they're off getting welded together, right now they are 2.8m lengths of galvanized pipe (stuff that flag poles or goal post/uprights are made from).

 

[DKS]

My first yr hop plants are still just dirt! cant wait to see the first shoots come through

Arrrh.....My first baby Chinooks have just poked their heads out. I'm a proud father too.

NOW GROW YOU *******S, GROW!
Daz
(Thanks Mantis :icon_cheers: )

 

[Bribie G]

I'm going to espalier mine along a long 2m high timber fence using wires. Any recommendations about going 2, 3 or even 4 wires?

 

[brewmasterz]

I've got no idea to be honest. Mine are about 3m high which was a compromise between giving the hops all the height they need and still keeping the wires at a workable height. As its my first year also, maybe we need to do a comparison over summer to see which design works best?

I'm just glad 4 of my 5 have sent out shoots given the huge amount of water we've had in the last 6 weeks, which coincidently is the same amount of time they've been planted <_<

Mt hood is the most advanced with a few little but very dodgy looking leaves. Can't wait till my next door neighbour spots them :lol:

I think a comparrison would be good, anyone else who has anything different, please share...

I spoke with Mr John Cozens Last night - who is the mastermind behind Crown Ambassador - at a masterclass held at the RACV Club, he and 3 other blokes picked the hops for the beer - Galaxy, 25 kgs in one day from the hop gardens in Mrytleford - within hours they were turned into pellets and driven to melbourne & into the beer at Dandenong, Vic. I did not know this, but the window of opportunity to get the freshest hops is only 1 day a year- this year it was on the 9th of March. The reason for this is that the plant cuts off the water supply to the cone, and at this stage, that is where it is at its strongest aroma & Flavour.

I also bought a bottle of the Ambassador :beerbang:

 

[MarkBastard]

That's strange, I was led to believe hops should 'ripen' on the vine before picking.

 

[Fents]

I also bought a bottle of the Ambassador :beerbang:

lol. how much? you have read the review of it yes?

 

[brewmasterz]

lol. how much? you have read the review of it yes?

$87.00 a bottle. The aroma was very much resemblance of hay, however - I would expect that to change over the next 12 months, as its only been in the bottle since June!!
Yeah, a lot of mixed reactions about it!! I also tried the 2009 vintage last night, it was like rich caramel stout!!

Hops are better if you pick them just before they ripe and dry them, then you will get more out of them in terms of flavour and amora!

 

[MarkBastard]

Hops are better if you pick them just before they ripe and dry them, then you will get more out of them in terms of flavour and amora!

did they give you any tips as to when to know when they are exactly right?

 

[drsmurto]

$87.00 a bottle. The aroma was very much resemblance of hay, however - I would expect that to change over the next 12 months, as its only been in the bottle since June!!
Yeah, a lot of mixed reactions about it!! I also tried the 2009 vintage last night, it was like rich caramel stout!!

Hops are better if you pick them just before they ripe and dry them, then you will get more out of them in terms of flavour and amora!

You can never have too much amora in beer.....

 

[brewmasterz]

did they give you any tips as to when to know when they are exactly right?

The guy did say that as they grow you can physically see them growing!! - By measuring the hop cones are starting to dry out slightly, its time to pick them. they also should "rebound" to it's basic shape. Another way to tell is when they pollinate - the aroma becomes strong - when you notice the amora they should be picked within 24 hours. Hope this helps... Explained it to the best of my ablity!!

 

[praxis178]

The guy did say that as they grow you can physically see them growing!! - By measuring the hop cones are starting to dry out slightly, its time to pick them. they also should "rebound" to it's basic shape. Another way to tell is when they pollinate - the aroma becomes strong - when you notice the amora they should be picked within 24 hours. Hope this helps... Explained it to the best of my ablity!!

But only the male flowers have pollen and these are useless in brewing anyway, and definite no-no in the hop yard if you want to get any cones for your brewing. Me thinks this might be a bit of red-herring..... But then I wasn't there so just my $0.02.

 

[cdbrown]

Repotted my plants from small tree bags into the wooden pots just like Marks. Unfortunately have no idea which is which.

Before
cluster or tettnanger

cluster or tettnanger

what came out of the last tree bag

POR

Goldings

Thought I'd taken the photos of them in the new pots, but apparently not. Need to put the twine in place and will take some photos and post the transformation. Hopefully they look good when growing otherwise there will be significant pressure from SWMBO to relocate them.

 

[Wolfy]

I did not know this, but the window of opportunity to get the freshest hops is only 1 day a year- this year it was on the 9th of March.

The 'best' day/time to pick the hops depends on many factors, including the plant, location, growing conditions etc etc.
It seems that the plants in question were closely and carefully monitored, and so while the 9th of March would have been the 'ideal' time for them, it does not mean is true for any other hop-plants.
Also that kind of close monitoring is only possible for that kind of 'lab' situation (if for example you are going to charge $90/bottle).
With most growers (home and commercial) and most plants, the cones ripen over time, the top ones maturing first and then the ones further down later, commercial growers usually trim the bines earlier in the season to get most of the plant mostly cropping at all of the same time, but then there is always a compromise between when it's 'best' to pick.
The 'best' way is to do what many home-brewers do, and to pick individual cone as they get ripe, however this is labor and time intensive and not possible for a commercial setup or even for most home growers.

 

[newguy]

The 'best' day/time to pick the hops depends on many factors, including the plant, location, growing conditions etc etc.
[snip]
The 'best' way is to do what many home-brewers do, and to pick individual cone as they get ripe, however this is labor and time intensive and not possible for a commercial setup or even for most home growers.

+1

I picked my hops last year at the "best" time but that was their 1st year and the yield was low (and manageable). This year? I picked (and will pick) when it's convenient for me.

My Hallertauer, which yielded 140g last year (the highest), produced 705g this year. Dry weight, of course. The Willamette was just harvested yesterday and produced approx 5-6kg wet. There's just way too many cones for me to 'cherry pick' the ripest ones here & there.

 

[Nick JD]

Chinook cranking.

 

[jakub76]

All this one year after planting a tiny rhizome...

Lucky you got to it now...imagine if it had gone another year...