2010 Hop Plantations

[kelbygreen]

sweet thats all I needed to know Mark. I have to dig mine up as the soil I have compacts with water so when I water then they run off so plan to dig them up dig a hole prob 500x500x500 and fill with nice top soil and fertiliser and plant them back into that. I guess the roots grow in winter as said my POR at about 3-4 deg grew in the fridge so if you plant them in the ground should be fine. I might even put water crystals and some sort of drainage under the plants so it can drain water away but the crystals hold moisture as here it takes a bit to soak water in but once its in it takes ages to dry

 

[timryan]

how long can the stay in the fridge realistically?

 

[Wolfy]

Personally I'd plant 'new' rhizomes after the chance of frost killing the new shoots have past, and so the plants can grow up in spring without problems. Earlier than that and there is more risk of them rotting in the ground or the shoots dying due to frost, or other things happening to them. The plants are 'used' to being dormant over winter (they are grown in places where the ground is ice and covered with snow during winter) so storing them in the fridge for many months is not a problem.

As for when to fertilize, that would be more related to when the nutrients will be available to the plant, not much is going to happen while it is dormant over the winter, but many fertilizers take some time to break down, so it is best to fertilize so that the nutrients are available when the plant is active and growing. Too early (before spring) or too late (in summer after cones have formed) both do not really help the plant grow at all.

 

[HeavyNova]

My hops died off a while ago and the dead stuff has been chopped back right down to the ground level.

However....thay're starting to grow again! Little shoots are appearing. Is this normal?

 

[under]

After a pretty good yeild for my first year colombus, I totally forgot about the pot and recently discovered it amoungst all the shit leftover from the move. I decided to get it out of the pot and have a go at splitting the rhizome up.

I was suprised at the size of the bugger. It had grown huge since when I planted it originally. I split it in half and am left with two pieces the same size, im just wondering being a novice what the hell do I do with it. Im not sure if its still alive It has a shit load of nodes and still seems moist.

Here they are -

 

[drsmurto]

Looks like a normal, healthy rhizome to me Under.

 

[Golani51]

I have one left in the ground and noticed the same thing. Started sending up shoots. As it is still frosty, I will cover it with a well broken down straw/mulch/mush compost and protect it a while longer whilst still giving it a chance to develop. It will be the second year, so hopefully I'll get at least a single hop flower this time around!

R

 

[under]

I got shedloads first year on the columbus. Its insane

 

[raven19]

The correct 2011 Thread Linky.