2015 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[CapnK]

You didn't wait to see how many bines you got? Being first year youvmay not get 'loads'

No... A lesson for next time. :unsure:
And I guess the Victoria rizome won't magically sprout next season, as it didn't have this season to get established

 

[Pilchard]

Ok guys, by now you must have read the requirements for hops? A small 10 or 20litre pot will not grow them to their guesstimated grow height. It will grow them but at a shadow of their actual growth.it will give flowers, but not as many as garden grown.

Keep feeding weekly at half strength after watering to keep and promote new growths. I am seeing some starting to climb but they seem to be lacking nitrogen, they are not emerald green. Keep the fert up to them through the growing period but wTer and make the area wet first so there is no burning of the roots. Heavily water one day and feed the next.

By watering the day before you are making vascular movements within the soil and channeling nutrients to the roots feeding off these vascular areas. The watered down nutrients are better than straight feed as they will nurture your plants for longer.

You can also use a foliage feed of 1/4 strength fert to give them a kick along. Wet down first then folia feed, make sure it is less than 1/4 strength as it will burn them. Use the same 20/10/20 feed at 1/2 to 1/4 strength. This is a quick hit feed when the leaves look yellow or off green, feed the roots first to get best results but folia feeding will get you through the missed feelings

 

[BottloBill]

They are really starting to pump along nowB)

 

[GrantSpatchcock]

Wondering if I can get some advice from guys that have grown them before?

I've got first year Ashfield Goldings coming up, and am in the process of setting up 4m of tomato trellis for them to wind on. It's the Bunnings Three pronged tomato cage.

Now, I've had 4 shoots come up thus far, and have started pulling any new ones out, leaving me with 3 nice and very quickly growing bines. Is this too much to ask of a first year plant? Should I pinch it down to two to stress it less and potentially increase yeild, or try for 3. Water and nutrients are no problem as it's in a giant plastic washing basket pot with brilliant soil and I give seasol a couple of times a week. What'dya reckon, push for 3 bines or play it safe with two?

 

[Camo6]

Pretty sure in my first year of growing hops I let them grow as many bines as they could push up. I trimmed any late bines but otherwise let it grow free. I got decent yields for a first season and they weren't in full sun. My por went gangbusters. Trim em, don't trim, they're a weed, they'll cope. Like mentioned above, you can easily allow 2-3 bines per string. They look cooler that way too!

 

[Yob]

My Canterbury goldings has a bine nudging on 6ft.. Astonished, hadn't really looked at it on the front verandah, had to rapidly chuck a line in

 

[Yob]

http://youtu.be/d71GKKbgDeQ

 

[BottloBill]

http://youtu.be/d71GKKbgDeQ

Very nice! thanks for sharing Yob. How fresh and glossy does the end product look using that drying methodB)

 

[620rossco]

Here are some pics of our garden. I have included a few because we all seem to like them.
This is our first attempt, but my mrs MP is an enthusiastic gardener who is never short of ideas.

The pots are to keep dog #3 and dog #5 out. Dog #5 is a one year old bluey who suffers from itchy teeth.

Pride of Ringwood and Chinook going good for a week or so since transplanting.
Cheers Dave.

Cascade in the foreground and tettnanger in the background. Goldings not ready to transplant yet.
Wot do ya recon?

Rossco

 

[SpiroZ]

Here is my Cascade in a 20lt paint tin climbing along left over cat5 cable attached to the front fence...

 

[sgtpinky]

Haha, good repurposing of spare CAT-5! I have a huge roll of black co-ax under the house, you're giving me ideas...

 

[Mardoo]

POSSUMS!!!!

Okay, this may be helpful! Last year, many possums, zero possum problems. This year, many possums, many problems, except for two plants, my Goldings and my Hersbrucker, even though the plants right next to them have all been cleanly tipped as soon as they're up. I was thinking it must be related to the variety then I realized: they are the two closest to the front and back doors.

Which means I pee in them regularly.

Last year I peed in all my hops equally because they were all in one place, having heard a podcast where a commercial hop grower recommended it as a way to add nutrients, as well as loving to exercise my male prerogative. This year they're spread out, so I've only peed only in those two plants. Hopefully this may be something that will help those of us with possum problems. I have heard in the past that having some big meaty meals and marking out your property can help with predatory pests, but haven't tried it. It is possible it's working on the possums. More meat please!!! Hope they hate pepperoni pizza as much as my stomach did. First, my new Willamette! Which was my great-grandmother's name, Willametta, named for the Willamette river near where the hop was developed. But...yeah, anyway :blink:

OK guys, my People PeePee Possum Postulate has well and truly been proven wrong. Damn. But hell, urine is still an excellent plant fertilizer, used in moderation.




Ever hear the song ? I'm thinking of changing the lyrics to "Take the Possums Swimming".

 

[CrookedFingers]

Damn it mardoo. !!!

Hahaha.

I went out and peed all over my little babies just the other night based on your recommendation !!!

Haha !


CF

 

[Mardoo]

Golden showers make healthy flowers, so no loss there

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Urine should really be used on your compost heap, what it does it makes the heap break down quicker, hence the reasoning of a layer of stable straw then a layer of green and so on, piss is acidic and will burn plants.
If you have trouble with possums it will be on the growing tips as they get higher, I tried synthetic tiger piss last year and it didn't work.

 

[CrookedFingers]

Im not surprised it didn't work WEAL.
I have it on good authority that possums are not afraid of synthetic tigers.


CF

 

[Mardoo]

Yeah, been wanting to try the fox piss, either to scare off the possums or bring on the foxes, but am now losing patience. THEY ATE MY WILLAMETTE, THE BASTARDS!!! :huh:

 

[Lochem]

Yeah, been wanting to try the fox piss, either to scare off the possums or bring on the foxes, but am now losing patience. THEY ATE MY WILLAMETTE, THE BASTARDS!!! :huh:

shit mate. sorry to hear. maybe you can live on knowing your Cluster is thriving in my backyard

 

[Mardoo]

HA! I will survive knowing this thusly. Cheers Lochem. It's just one variety, albeit one close to my heart for many reasons.

It's frustrating being in a country with vermin that will eat - and kill - anything that grows, yet are protected by law as a native animal. I either let them destroy my garden or break the law. I also don't particularly like killing animals unless it's for food. I mean, one year they they ate all the peel off about a hundred lemons but left the naked flesh of the fruit hanging on the stem. The next year they ate all the bark off the same lemon tree, of course killing it. That's not a native animal in my book. That's just fucked up. That's vermin.

Edited for vermin.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

One thing you could try Mardoo is solar lights, I have them on the top of my runner bean trellis and it stops them from tipping the beans, I have an owl protecting a similar crop to hops which they walk along the fence and tip the buds and the leaves so the owl works about as good as the synthetic tiger piss.
I haven't got any Williamette but I have an EKG or a Challenger you can have if that's any good.