2011 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hops!

[Malted]

This thread has got me super keen for next season. When should I be on the look out for rhizomes?

Mid-to-late Winter. That is when people will divide the dormant rhizomes for planting in spring.


@ Grain Stain.
You may not have to give up yet. If you maintain the water and nutrients (a bigger issue for pots than in the soil) they could throw lots more laterals or even new bines. They still have some good growing weather left up their sleeves.

 

[Yob]

Winter when they are dormant,

 

[hoppy2B]

Mid-to-late Winter. That is when people will divide the dormant rhizomes for planting in spring.


@ Grain Stain.
You may not have to give up yet. If you maintain the water and nutrients (a bigger issue for pots than in the soil) they could throw lots more laterals or even new bines. They still have some good growing weather left up their sleeves.

I second that. My Saaz is wanting to put up lots of new growth but I am over it. I want to get rid of the Saaz and Goldings and stick with my Cluster and maybe something else that puts out large cones.
I was examining my Cluster hops yesterday and couldn't believe how sweet and fruity their aroma is. Saaz is like cat piss in comparison and Goldings has no aroma whatsoever! May be a bit early for the Goldings.

 

[kelbygreen]

both my plants have like 100 new shoots off the main bines, they are climbing anything they can get there hands on! but I guess summer only started about 5 days ago!

 

[Malted]

I second that. My Saaz is wanting to put up lots of new growth but I am over it. I want to get rid of the Saaz and Goldings and stick with my Cluster and maybe something else that puts out large cones.
I was examining my Cluster hops yesterday and couldn't believe how sweet and fruity their aroma is. Saaz is like cat piss in comparison and Goldings has no aroma whatsoever! May be a bit early for the Goldings.

Don't judge a hop cone by it's size. Who says bigger is better?
They will be more aromatic/pungent when dried.
In my yard Saaz appears to be a later developing variety compared to others such as Chinook (late growing but early flowering).
It seems to me that you want the lupulin a nice golden orange colour. A weak/light yellow colour means they are not ready yet.

 

[oaf]

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Guess the NSW south coast climate is good for Saaz's. If I hadn't of mulched with grass clippings and starved the rhizome, I would've expected more 4 - 5cm cones!
A good Saaz cone is more like a large catterpillar than an acorn shape I've found...

That's Saaz on the bottom, Mt.Hood on top

The Saaz cones were all hiding under the leafy folliage - even the big ones.
Didn't think I had many, but a dried 95g is a good start... many a new shoot arriving too, like yours KG

This look like I may be in another circle, but I've vac sealed 450g Mt.Hood and 95g of Saaz.



Should keep me going for a while!

Can't wait for next season - will definately be sprinkling garbage bins full of soil and rhizomes all over the yard with trellis totem poles like some of you ideas men out there...




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[ledgenko]

I have seen other folks grow cones bigger than mine; like I said, these are the biggest I have grown in my yard
View attachment 52302

Malted ... is that a mini lighter ????


LOL

 

[hoppy2B]

Don't judge a hop cone by it's size. Who says bigger is better?
They will be more aromatic/pungent when dried.
In my yard Saaz appears to be a later developing variety compared to others such as Chinook (late growing but early flowering).
It seems to me that you want the lupulin a nice golden orange colour. A weak/light yellow colour means they are not ready yet.

Saaz was the first thing up in my yard. I figured that was typical of its habit so it could grow long and spindly.

 

[Malted]

Saaz was the first thing up in my yard. I figured that was typical of its habit so it could grow long and spindly.

Yes me too. Early to grow, later to develop cones. Later developing cones than others is what I meant.

 

[Malted]

Malted ... is that a mini lighter ????

LOL

No No it is full size
h34r:



if you were a midget.



I was wondering when I would get busted.

 

[Rubix]

Heap of Perle this year. The Fuggles really struggled though!

 

[petesbrew]

While drying them, I had to chase a silverfish out of the rack.
Apart from aphids on the vines, has anyone else had any issues with pests?

So far I'm up to 80g of dried Perle and there's another lot of buds coming through. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Malted]

Apart from aphids on the vines, has anyone else had any issues with pests?

Just catepillars chewing the heck out of the leaves early in the growth season. I was earlier with the bioinsecticide this year.
"Dipel" fixed them http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-cont...r-killer-dipel/

 

[DJR]

This thread has got me super keen for next season. When should I be on the look out for rhizomes?

Usual timing's about June/July to pick them up, keep them in the fridge wrapped in some damp cloth and then plant around early August, depends on whereabouts you are.

Plenty of brewers here sell them off, and Hopco in tassie get some in too.

 

[kaspa07]

If anyone wants a Sazz or hersbruker rhizome, I'll have plenty after the season, just come and pick them up. I didnt dig the sazz up last year so the roots are taking over my veggie patch, the hersbrucker is the same even though I dug it up chopped it in half and replanted.

I'll post some pics of my plants later

 

[petesbrew]

I've got a little plant here at work. I'm pretty certain it's Perle, but it could be a Chinook.
It's suprisingly lived over a year in a pot but the recent move to the new building hasn't treated it kindly, so I'm happy to pass it off.

If you're in the Sydney CBD (I'm next to Town Hall Stn) and are willing to take a plant in a pot it's all yours.
Hey I'll even provide a few plastic bags to carry it in.
First in first served.
Pete
ps. no it hasn't produced any hops... stick it in the ground and it may.

 

[hoppy2B]

Just catepillars chewing the heck out of the leaves early in the growth season. I was earlier with the bioinsecticide this year.
"Dipel" fixed them http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-cont...r-killer-dipel/

I had a rabbit take a few shoot tips off the Goldings, but as there were plenty of tips it didn't really make any difference.

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Have been harvesting my first year POR over the last 4 days, finishing up tonight with a total of 2.8kg wet.
So aiming to translate 20% of that dry, if a little less i will not be worried

Chinook has lots of flowers starting to form, looks like they will be more uniform in size and maturity which will be good.

Heres some happy snaps

POR smells really nice, a little fruity - kinda like a fresh ripe pineapple, a little bit of spice.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

what reduction rate are people getting I picked some of the earlier hops 400g and dried in dehydrator to 80g a 20% reduction. I was expecting more as heard 10% is the go but when checking weight 8 hours later it hadn't changed so guessed it was done. What's the problems with drying to much anyways ?

 

[goid]

what reduction rate are people getting I picked some of the earlier hops 400g and dried in dehydrator to 80g a 20% reduction. I was expecting more as heard 10% is the go but when checking weight 8 hours later it hadn't changed so guessed it was done. What's the problems with drying to much anyways ?

Hey man,

They are as dry as they need to be. The 10% you heard, is there final weight in water not the reduction %. They start at about 80% then down to 10%.

I am going to run with a reduction to approx 33% of Original Weight with mine. First Year harvest.

Cheers

 

[kelbygreen]

Wow nice beer.what the hell did you put on them? That's a massive crop for first year

 

[drsmurto]

@ Beer4U - first year harvest of how much? :blink:

You must have some amazing soil and the perfect growing conditions! :beerbang:

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Wow nice beer.what the hell did you put on them? That's a massive crop for first year

@ Beer4U - first year harvest of how much?

You must have some amazing soil and the perfect growing conditions!

Cheers, yeah i was quite surprised by how many i have got so far, the POR is still pushing out a few small late bloomers as well. I think the conditions here are very suited to weeds, something unfortunately i know too well about

They are in a plot about 4 square meters, about 3/4 of that is soil a bit over a foot deep, with a drainage channel behind. Underneath its a bit of gritty stuff mostly lots of gypsum which i put there, as its solid clay after that, hence the concrete around the house, it goes to **** when it rains.

I have a massive compost pile that everything goes on, i feed it at one end and take from the other, so its constantly going through a cycle. Any non meat kitchen scraps, grass clippings, horse ****, used bedding hay- mostly from geese, any crap i get out of the gutters, dead plants anything that will rot.

I used mostly compost then thinned it out with a few bags of the cheapest generic soil i could find at bunnings.
A sprinkling of lime when mixing.
I mulched with more used bedding hay, 3 times over the course of the growing cycle mostly grass and some weeds would take over the soil surface, i gently dug all this up then piled it back on around the base of the hops.
I actually was a bit lazy at one stage and was chucking kitchen compost with any sweepings, leaves, dirt ect from around the house in the drainage channel which rotted pretty quick(lots of worms) and would mix that in when i dug the weeds and grass.
In essence there was always a cycle of decaying organic matter happening, so the soil is "alive"

In reality i really did not do much at all other than put up a few half arsed strings for them to climb, just left them to do their thing, no pest sprays, no fertilizers, i had some aphids in the early stages but the hops grew to quick for them to do any damage, then beneficial insects took up residence and they out-competed any bad bugs. I felt bad i de- homed a lot of spiders.

Overall i quite like the big green factor they add to around the house, its a shame they have to die off over winter
All these hops are a big bonus, looking forward to making an ALL AUSSIE ale, Aussie malt, maybe coopers yeast?, home grown POR lots of late additions!

 

[Liam_snorkel]

that's it. I'm getting a compost bin.

 

[drsmurto]

I put a bag of horse manure on top of them every year several cms thick and I don't get that sort of yield from first year plants.....

How big were the rhizomes?

Despite having 2 compost bins and 2 extra compost piles none of the compost has ever made it on to the hops, i use that for vegies and new plants. Meat composts just as an FYI as do crab shells. Only thing that doesn't (that i have tried) are oyster shells.

 

[Steve@PMF82]

I put a bag of horse manure on top of them every year several cms thick and I don't get that sort of yield from first year plants.....

How big were the rhizomes?

Despite having 2 compost bins and 2 extra compost piles none of the compost has ever made it on to the hops, i use that for vegies and new plants. Meat composts just as an FYI as do crab shells. Only thing that doesn't (that i have tried) are oyster shells.

The POR was one straight piece id guess about 25cm length, with many shoots a few cm long coming from it.
The chinook was much bigger, many more shoots but in a gnarled ball, looks like i will get plenty from it, but not sure if will be near the same weight, depends how big the cones end up i guess?

Yeah i primarily don't like putting meat scraps outside because it attracts the foxes, any dead animals here get buried quite deep.

EDIT: FWIW - horse manure on its own is lacking in most elements, makes a good soil conditioner / Filler. Cow and chicken manure is much better for adding nutrients.
Also if anyone is interested i planted my rhizomes on 15th August 2011.

 

[chefeffect]

Growing good .

Mt Hood and Cascade

Look great!! Mine are finally on the go, I have a few cones on the Cascade you gave me and the Mt Hood are starting to get some good root growth!!!

These are my Saaz going awesome better that the other 5 varieties:

 

[chefeffect]

Close up of the Saaz, not sure how to put multiple photos up?

 

[Tony]

Picked most of my goldings today..... they only seem to flower on the side that gets sun. Will need to move them to get a good yield next year i think.

Still got about 100g.

Below is 60g once dried, and i picked a heap a week ago and kegged my IPA onto them. Its nice too

260g wet goldings hops

they are a good looking hop!

 

[matho]

looks good tony, you can really see why the are called goldings