2013 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[philmud]

Chinook starting to take off! Bit of an experiment - I'll have to try and grow them horizontal after a bout 1.5 meters.

 

[Danwood]

I tried that last year, Phil. Doesn't work.

Lack of space forced me to train my fuggles sideways last year.

It had very small leaves and only grew 2 metre bines. The root system became quite well established though, so if you find more room for it next year, it should take off well. Just don't expect much this season, I'm afraid.

I'm assuming it's a first year plant? If it's not, and already has good roots, you might do better.

 

[Mardoo]

Chinook starting to take off! Bit of an experiment - I'll have to try and grow them horizontal after a bout 1.5 meters.

Three of the hop growing podcasts I've listened to have professional growers saying that hops need a certain amount of vertical growth before they will produce cones. At least two meters was bandied about a bit. Once the top starts to bend over they will produce the side growth where most of the cones are produced, but it sounds as if the vertical growth is almost a switch for the cones to come online. Apparently they're vertical growing machines.

Granted this is what I've heard, but it's only my first year of growing, so I can't offer any experience. My Victoria is definitely headed in that direction though. Up.

 

[philmud]

Hmm, maybe I'll get taller stakes while they're not too dependent on them and aim for a couple of meters minimum - I might be in a bit of bother though.

 

[hoppy2B]

I tried that last year, Phil. Doesn't work.

Lack of space forced me to train my fuggles sideways last year.

It had very small leaves and only grew 2 metre bines. The root system became quite well established though, so if you find more room for it next year, it should take off well. Just don't expect much this season, I'm afraid.

I'm assuming it's a first year plant? If it's not, and already has good roots, you might do better.

Fuggles isn't really suited to our climate. Should do better with Chinook. Its more to do with the length the bine grows as to whether they are productive, so if you can get them to grow a fair way sideways you might do ok. They do prefer to grow up though.

 

[JB]

Meanwhile, somewhere down in the Gully, in the Dande foothills: "Hooray!" My chinook has finally broken the surface:

Cascade is taking off, I just need to give them something to grow onto once they reach the top of their wire tomato cages. I'll need to source a good string feeder setup I reckon

 

[JB]

Hmm, maybe I'll get taller stakes while they're not too dependent on them and aim for a couple of meters minimum - I might be in a bit of bother though.

I'm in the same boat Phil. I recall seeing somewhere a large pole with a loop at the top where the the line is fed through, slackening and lowering the line the hops has grown onto as it grows towards the top - I'm sure someone has already posted it here, I haven't really looked for it so just a matter of locating it

 

[mmmyummybeer]

The hop garden, Hard to see but that's actually peas growing on the trellis at the moment, I grow then on there over winter, while the hops are dormant.




Hops are shooting.

 

[Yob]

Looking forward to the harvest party yummy

 

[mmmyummybeer]

Me too

 

[punkin]

I'm in the same boat Phil. I recall seeing somewhere a large pole with a loop at the top where the the line is fed through, slackening and lowering the line the hops has grown onto as it grows towards the top - I'm sure someone has already posted it here, I haven't really looked for it so just a matter of locating it

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/66807-how-to-build-a-hop-trellis/

 

[technobabble66]

Hey,
Has anyone tried trimming the top out of the main bines to trick the plant into growing laterals before it turns into a 5m high behemoth?

I thought i'd read some industry stuff a few months ago suggesting you could trim off the "apical meristem" at the top of the plant when it was only a 8-10ft high, after the 20-25th node (branching point). This would cause a change in the hormones being produced in the plant & initiate the growing of laterals, rather than waiting until it reached it's full height of several metres before doing so. (i think the flowers are all produced on the laterals?).
It was a technique being proposed to promote "low trellis" commercial growing of hops - it was meant to be able to lower costs for large scale producers.

Basically it was saying this apical meristem (top tip of plant) controls the lateral growth, and the length of days/sunlight hours controls the flower production.

I was wondering if we could do the same, & if some AHB'ers already were doing this?

I downloaded the main file i discovered, but can't find the research papers, nor upload this main file.
However, a google of "Oregon Hop Report on Low Trellis" should find it. (Maybe also add "2011")
And the main research being quoted was by "Shepherd et al, 2000"

PS: there's also a reference to Dwarf hops in there i thought Yob might be keen on: apparently there are no true "dwarf hops" outside the UK (in 2011, at least) h34r:

 

[Danwood]

That's interesting about the laterals starting once the top thinks it has gone as high as it can.

Mine are doing this as they've hit the guttering.

Also, if you did nip the tips out, how far would laterals grow?

Just wondering if you let heaps of bines grow, as opposed to limiting them, and made them put most of their effort into laterals once you'd nipped to he tips out, would you get comparable yeilds?

Just thinking out loud. I'll read the above report aswell, but very interested to know if anyone grows like this.

 

[Yob]

Bit of discussion >HERE< Technobabble.. Must be noted that I spent the hottest part of the summer out of the state with my Mother in Hospital and as a result I had a terrible Hop year being unable to water them..

I do plan on tipping again this year.

....anyone who thinks they have dwarf varieties here in australia perhaps should do a bit of light reading on Hop Stunt Viroid.

:icon_cheers:

 

[technobabble66]

Hey Yob

Thanks for the link. Read it all. Lots of very interesting discussion.
No real conclusions or findings reported, unfortunately - especially after bongchitis lost most of his growth to scorching. :mellow:
And similarly with your plantation, sadly

Has anyone else done comparisons with tipping/no-tipping?
And tipping at low height vs high height?
Single trim of bines vs multiple/sequential trims?

I'm keen to hear more on this, as my 1st year Chinook is in a 1m high planter box. So even if i can keep it to 2m height, it's going to be 3m off the ground...
I was hoping to espalier it or train it sideways, but now i'm not sure.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Where I planted one of mine there is a plant coming up the looks a lot like a strawberry plant.

But it is growing pretty quick.

Am I a fool to think that the leaves of the hop plant look like those of the strawberry???

And....

Do the leave shapes varies from type to type?
I planted POR and Tettnanger.

 

[Danwood]

Where I planted one of mine there is a plant coming up the looks a lot like a strawberry plant.

But it is growing pretty quick.

Am I a fool to think that the leaves of the hop plant look like those of the strawberry???

And....

Do the leave shapes varies from type to type?
I planted POR and Tettnanger.

Here's my strawbs, not very similar to hops. Much rounder leaves.

My Fuggles have 3, sometimes 4, distinct lobes (I'm sure someone knows the correct botanical term) to the leaves. The Goldings and Cascade have 5.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Photo one. Definitely strawberries.



Photo two. Hopefully hops.

leaves look the same, but there are the compared to one on the strawberry plant.

 

[hoppy2B]

My Dwarfs don't suffer any Chlorosis so I doubt they are stunted Yob.
Anyways, I recall reading some time ago that true Cluster don't grow much over 3 metres. I think it may have been in the Sunday Mail paper we get hear in Adelaide in the gardening section. And also that South Africa have a similar Cluster variety to ours.
Cluster were mass selected back in the 1960's which may be the reason for the larger more vigorous strain that is around. Mine taste nothing like the blackcurrant attributed to it.
Pic is from early last November.

 

[hoppy2B]

You should see shoots before you see leaves Grumpy. Yours look like strawberries.