2012 Hop Plantations

[Lecterfan]

My plants look a bit sad and sorry this year. We had a very dry spring, and summer has been no better. I kept the water up but not the feeding regime from previous years in their early days (too busy with Uni).

Still, I'll get two harvests from my cascade and this is the first one done just now with a blend of two average pommy browns making a slightly better than average pommy brown. I haven't weighed it, but it will be great at flameout in a rye APA. Finished a saison brew day, talked shit with Billygoat, half cut at 2.30pm, cranking early Whitesnake, harvesting my own hops (good Chi!), bloody good day.

Can't wait for chinook and colombus to be ready!

 

[punkin]

Picked my first little harvest from one bine that had a few cones ready today. Got 45gms wet :lol:

Anyway, i've vaccuum packed and frozen them like that, when i pick some more i'll try a wet hop at flameout to see how they go frozen wet.
Then dry some and compare.

On the plus side, my pole works brilliantly for just lowering the bine to pick and then raising it back up again via the rope from the ground. No ladders needed.

 

[drsmurto]

Almost time to harvest, the plantation is, as always, attempting to take over the world. Not too bad giving i don't fertilise, spray or do anything to the hops other than water during the growing season and several bags of horse manure in winter after cutting them back.

Chinook

Chinook close-up

Victoria - my favourite and I'll be expanding this from 3 rhizomes to 6-7 next season to ensure my rye victoria golden ale is permanently on tap

 

[Malted]

... i don't fertilise... several bags of horse manure....

I see, I think. Maybe I am confused?

 

[Northside Novice]

I see, I think. Maybe I am confused?

maybe try bullshit ??

nice crop smurto .

hops only need love anyway :wub:

 

[Malted]

I see, I think. Maybe I am confused?

maybe try bullshit ??

I have more of that than I can poke a stick at. Doesn't seem to stimulate my hops though.

 

[drsmurto]

Sorry, i meant to say I don't fertilise during the growing season as so many seem to do. Missed out that crucial piece of information.

 

[tigertunes]

Nice crop there DrSmurto. Been enjoying DSGA recipe with various hops and keen to try with victoria hops. Are you selling rizomes this year as i will be keen to grab some? In the meantime can you recomend a commercial hop similar to victoria?

 

[ramu_gupta]

First time growing hops - cascade on the left and chinook on the right as you look at the brewery. Same watering schedule and soil etc but for some reason, chinook looking much better.

Looking forward to whatever crop I get...

 

[kalbarluke]

This year has been a bit of a bugger for my hops. Firstly it was so dry and hot so they really struggled until late January. They were finally starting to go okay but the wind from ex TC Oswald has put a stop to that. Many of my bines snapped off about an inch from the top. As soon as that happens (as many of you probably know) that section stops growing. I almost cried when I examined them the other day.
Oh well. There are a few flowers forming. With any luck I might get something to put in my brews. It's good to see the huge yields some people down south are getting.

 

[Batz]

Almost time to harvest, the plantation is, as always, attempting to take over the world. Not too bad giving i don't fertilise, spray or do anything to the hops other than water during the growing season and several bags of horse manure in winter after cutting them back.

Chinook

Chinook close-up

Victoria - my favourite and I'll be expanding this from 3 rhizomes to 6-7 next season to ensure my rye victoria golden ale is permanently on tap

Hells Bells, look at that !

They don't grow like that in the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands.

Batz

 

[jc64]

Little bit of Cascade and Chinook, going along quite well

 

[hoppy2B]

Some of my Victoria hop cones on my first year Victoria. I have completely gone off the idea of growing them the way Smurto does on mesh. They need light to produce a good crop. Smurto's look like they are all leaf with limited conage.

 

[felten]

No laterals on my willamette this year, just single cones on each side of the bine where there should be laterals.

 

[Yob]

the builders decimated 3 of mine this year, POR, Tett, and Fuggles when I had the new roof put on

a friends kid snapped the producing Cascade bines/string yesterday running around the yard

EKG looks pretty sick as does the Chinook from the heat wave and from me being out of the state a bit

Victoria has about 100 flowers :beerbang:

Next year, enter the irrigation drip feed system / raised garden bed upgrade

 

[billygoat]

Second year Goldings.
By the way, how do you post big pictures like the ones Dr Smurto posted?

 

[Lecterfan]

You must have a dedicated mate to go out and keep those plants watered on 37c days to have that many burrhs kicking off! Also, when I click on the photos they become huge.

 

[billygoat]

You must have a dedicated mate to go out and keep those plants watered on 37c days to have that many burrhs kicking off! Also, when I click on the photos they become huge.

Thank you Lecterfan for doing that, I might shout you a beer.

 

[drsmurto]

Nice crop there DrSmurto. Been enjoying DSGA recipe with various hops and keen to try with victoria hops. Are you selling rizomes this year as i will be keen to grab some? In the meantime can you recomend a commercial hop similar to victoria?

Yes, I will be selling Victoria and Chinook rhizomes again this year. Not sure of a hop close to Victoria. I've been told it is grown commercially in Australia but I have never seen it for sale so i suspect it all goes to extract/isohop? Would be nice to get my hands on some commercially grown to compare.

@Hoppy2B - leaf envy? I can give you the number of a good psychiatrist if that help?

 

[Malted]

Will 50oC for 5hrs in the outdoor oven/smoker dry them nicely or will they smell like pork? (Theory being no smoke pellets, vent wide open and hopefully too low a heat for residulas to take effect).
There is one way to find out!