2010 Hop Plantations

[unrealeous]

Impressive crop there Newguy.

I was wondering how the hell these hops climb a support as they don't have tendrils like pumpkins and beans - and after a bit of reading have just discovered if you touch one side of the plant - it bends in that direction. So every time some part of it comes in contact with an object, it bends towards the object at that point.

I just gave it a go - takes less than an hour to see it. Clever little vines...

 

[Nick JD]

Clever little vines...

Whats you gots there is Thigmotropism. Sounds like a made up word but I shit you not. The cells on the side of the stem that aren't touching are told to grow longer (by the ones on the touching side), causing the stem to curl around the object.

 

[JestersDarts]

OK an update because I cant help myself

Was at the farm on the weekend, and checked out the Cascade and Hallertau

Both seem to be going well, although not much movement in the Cascade since 2 weeks ago... but I forgive you because it is still cold
cascade

hallertau


JD

 

[cdbrown]

I've neglected my hop plants ever since I got them from gryphon - still in the small pots. Noticed the other day there's a few green shoots coming up from the 3 plants which have had some good sunshine and none from the one that seems to be shaded by a tree. I'm going to put these in to bigger pots and have got myself a wine barrel which I originally intended to cut in half and plant two of the hops. However I'm thinking of keeping the barrel intact and using it in the bar.

I might try and get to the big green shed tonight and get some large pots (hopefully larger than 50cm diam which is the min recommended), some good potting mix with slow release fertiliser and some twine (anyone happen to know what section twine might be, or if there's a particular type I should get?). When I pull them out of the existing pot should I do anything to the rhizome and roots apart from clear off the old soil? I'll try to take some pics to add to the thread.

 

[big78sam]

I might try and get to the big green shed tonight and get some large pots (hopefully larger than 50cm diam which is the min recommended), some good potting mix with slow release fertiliser and some twine (anyone happen to know what section twine might be, or if there's a particular type I should get?). When I pull them out of the existing pot should I do anything to the rhizome and roots apart from clear off the old soil? I'll try to take some pics to add to the thread.

The big green shed had 55cm pots for $12 a couple of weeks ago. There is a similar product at the reject shop.

I didn't even use twine, I just got a roll of the stuff you use to tie up plastic bags, you know thin wire thread through the middle, covered in a thin layer of flat plastic. You can get rolls of it that you can cut to whatever length you want. They did the job no problems. I'm not recommending this as "best practice" just pointing out that in my experience there are heaps of things that will work. I'm sure if you ask they'll point you in the direction of something that will do the job

 

[kelbygreen]

i put my posts in for the trellis and dug all the grass out of the soon to be hop bed also threw heap really old lawn clippings in they mostly turned to dirt as they been there so long, thats all been turned in and will do more prep work this weekend.

my POR is growing good considering i keep leaving it in the shed all week, when you go to work at 5am its hard to remember to put them back out again lol doesnt seem to fase them though

 

[MarkBastard]

You can use any twine.

 

[white.grant]

I'm looking at using nylon cord for my hops again this year, it weather's well and is relatively inexpensive. Last year I attached it to the pots and containers I was using, but now my hops are in the ground, I'm wondering what's the best way to anchor the cord to the ground. Should I just hammer in a stake and tie off on that or is there a clevererer way?

cheers

grant

 

[kelbygreen]

I just got 6mm rope i think it is or could be 8mm hope its not to big. I am just going to hammer a peg into the ground there will be no weight pulling up so peg should be fine.

 

[jakub76]

I had birds chomp off the first few shoots while we were away so I bodged together some old chicken wire to protect the little suckers until they're a few feet high.


Here's one of my two pots...I've rigged 4 lines climbing onto a palm tree. Any extra shoots I'll train onto the metal railing behind.


The healthy hallertauer shoots ready to climb that palm.


This is my POR, smaller rhizome less shoots but it's growing really fast.


Maybe I'm lazy but I'm planning to just let this one climb the tree it's next to.

 

[pk.sax]

Both the hallertau rhizmoes I planted now have ~1.5 inch shoots with tiny tiny leaves starting up Need to get a move on and string some wire.

Is SS wire considered OK to train hops up on? I'll only probably have 2.7-3 metres from ground to where I'm gonna tie the cables to but there would be scope to train the bines horizontally towards the house from there on for another couple of metres. Q here, if at that point, I trim the bines to prevent them growing wild, would it negatively affect the hops in any way? I'm guessing that ~5 metres of total growth per bine per plant would give me enough hops between two plants...... hmnnnnn

 

[JestersDarts]

Nice job mate!

 

[drsmurto]

Went for a look at the hops this morning as i let the chooks out. Noticed they made a beeline for the fence right in front of the goldings and proceeded to scratch away.

On closer inspection there were more than a dozen shoots poking their heads out of the ground on the chooks side of the fence and the chooks had dug all around them looking for grubs but hadnt touched the shoots themselves.

Guess i better adjust the fence asap. <_<

The rest of the hops are still asleep and given the frost yesterday morning i dont blame them.

 

[sim]

Stainless probably isnt the best because it would be a bit slippery for the fellas to hold on too, something fiborours would be better. I use sisal twine. easy to get from the harware and biodegrades in a season or two.

 

[chestynuts]

I went and checked out my hops on the weekend. They are planted at my dads farm as it is in the south of WA which has a nice climate and he has plenty of room. He planted them but I had to come down and help put up the trellis. They are only shoots as it is still a little cold down there. I have a Cascade, Saaz and Perle.

 

[raven19]

Guess i better adjust the fence asap. <_<

So what are we building to grow them on this season mate?

I have a new plan for mine, but it requires me to build the fence to support a telescopic support post first!

 

[newguy]

I've been using jute (plant fiber) twine and next year I'm changing to small diameter nylon rope. The twine can't support the weight of a fully grown hop vine, nor can it support the lateral loading of a stiff wind. I also have to rethink/change the hooks I use for support, as well as what they're screwed into.

DrSmurto: don't worry about frost. This is my second year with hops and both years my hops all sprouted, got about 30cm tall, and then it 1) snowed, 2) got down to -10C to -15C, and 3) stayed that way for a week. The shoots didn't even change colour - they didn't get any frost damage whatsoever.

 

[gibbocore]

question for those in the know.

I had recently all but killed my biggish chinook rhizome by leaving it in the fridge for to long and drying it out, after i eventually planted it i watered it and it simply rot all except a thumb length section that i have cut away that has some buds forming and did have a white fresh root growing out (that i accidentally broke off) that i have replanted near the surface. Now i have heard of guys getting the cuttings to turn into rhizomes and using root food or some such to encourage root growth and various other fertilisers, or should i just leave the poor buggar be?

 

[Frank]

Went for a look at the hops this morning as i let the chooks out. Noticed they made a beeline for the fence right in front of the goldings and proceeded to scratch away.

On closer inspection there were more than a dozen shoots poking their heads out of the ground on the chooks side of the fence and the chooks had dug all around them looking for grubs but hadnt touched the shoots themselves.

Guess i better adjust the fence asap. <_<

The rest of the hops are still asleep and given the frost yesterday morning i dont blame them.

I guess it is time for me to pay attention to mine again. I will dig some up soon to split the rhizomes.

 

[drsmurto]

DrSmurto: don't worry about frost. This is my second year with hops and both years my hops all sprouted, got about 30cm tall, and then it 1) snowed, 2) got down to -10C to -15C, and 3) stayed that way for a week. The shoots didn't even change colour - they didn't get any frost damage whatsoever.

4th year for hops for me so frosts are the norm. As you noted, it doesn't harm them.

If they can grow hops in NZ and Tassie i can grow them here. :icon_cheers:

Goldings is always first (insert joke about poms being premature), chinook always last (insert joke about slow yanks).

It's been a wet winter and looks to be a wet spring so i am hoping for big crops this year.

Raven - i have some ideas for the trellis that involve no cutting or welding. Given my status as the worlds biggest tool tard i figure this is a wise move.