2015 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[drsmurto]

Thanks for the advice Dr, there are 3 varities in pairs of pots, I am planning on putting a single post in the middle (and a bit behind) each pair which will support the twine from both of the pots so each variety will grow towards its mate and away from its foreign neighbour.

Do you think this will prevent the problem?

Cheers, Matt

The bines will grow up but all the cones are formed on side shoots which you will have to manually train up and away from each other. They'll become entangled in a big mess. So it depends on how much of your time you want to spend each day during the vigorous growing season (where bines can grow 30cm in a single day), making sure the different varieties are kept apart.

This is what 3 (Chinook) rhizomes results in and this was taken at the end of January, the growing season continues in to March for my plants. By the time I remove the net on the nectarine tree in the left of the picture, the hops have climbed all the way to the top of the net and need to be cut out.

 

[Matplat]

I think there is a plant in that photo, but all I can really see is a load of hoppy pale ales :lol:

Point taken, il try and spread them out a bit more. However given the location that I have available, and the amount of daylight hours I have it is a balance against the surrounding shade....

Cheers, Matt

 

[Matplat]

So just went out to water the plants for their weekly feed, and this is what i saw, it looks suspiciously like a hop bine?

If it is, should i let the season start early or snip it off?

Cheers, Matt

 

[Drew]

My vote is that it definitely looks like a hop bine.

Not sure what you should do about it though...

 

[hoppy2B]

So just went out to water the plants for their weekly feed, and this is what i saw, it looks suspiciously like a hop bine?

If it is, should i let the season start early or snip it off?

Cheers, Matt

Looking good Matlap, that is definitely a hop shoot. A lot of people say to cover them up or chop them off but I like to leave them as is.

While hops grow faster in warm weather they generally don't start growing until the days are long enough for their liking, which varies with each variety. They seem to use the shoots on the surface to sense day length.

 

[Matplat]

Awsome, I guess that it is thanks to the unseasonably warm weather we have been enjoying...

I reckon I will leave it as is.... Don't see how it can do any harm

 

[The Judge]

I cut mine last year and suffered a lag in subsequent bine growth. While everyone else was posting and boasting great bines mine were yet to break the surface! In hindsight I'd have left the shoots and let it grow as it wanted to grow.

 

[goatus]

Time to dig up your zomes if you havent already east coastians =P

Antarctic Vortex: This colossal conveyor belt of cold will chill eastern Australia to the bone

Winter is coming...

 

[Matplat]

Surely that is a good thing??? Like an outdoor fridge...

 

[goatus]

Frost / Snow = dead zomes I believe.

..but im from perth, so I may be talking bollocks. *applies sunscreen to hop bines*

 

[goatus]

Ok so did some googling.. Frost = bad for new zomes getting established, should be ok for 2nd year+ plants. Apparently some of the yanks get snow on theirs and they make it through.

 

[Hpal]

First shoots from my cascade found on moving them to bigger pots.

 

[jphowman]

Regarding digging up rhizomes and putting them in the fridge.

I'm just getting into apple growing for cider and came across the concept of necessary chill hours for good fruit set.
The idea is that some apples need more than 1000 hours of ambient temperature below ~7 degrees for them to properly break out of dormancy and begin flowering. This is due to the apple varieties being bred in very cold areas with long winter and if they break dormanccy too soon they can be badly damaged by further cold weather. To these trees a gentle winter seems more like an extended autumn and they can be well into spring before they realize that winter is over.

It's possible hops may react similarly when grown in warmer areas than they are used to. In this case a fridge can be used to simulate a longer, colder winter than they would naturally get.

 

[hoppy2B]

From what I have seen following this forum over the years, hops in Queensland appear to fruit earlier in the season than do hops further down south.

 

[BottloBill]

To dig or not to dig??? For those who dig and refrigerate....what is the process you follow before returning to the ground? ie, straight from the fridge to the ground or allowing to warm up before planting. I only ask this as pure observation based on transplant shock due to temperature spike thus impacting growth, yield or possible loss of the zomes completely.

Bill

 

[hoppy2B]

Established plants grow earlier, more strongly and fruit earlier and better than new plants started from rhizomes, especially if watered properly. Digging up a plant just disturbs its roots, why would you do it? :huh:

 

[jburke]

Hey gang.
I just joined this group a few weeks ago.
Looking forward to growing my hops this year, thanks to mardoo. I found a YouTube channel called hops direct. It's commercial growing but still a great little view to see how they do it during the season.
So is there a discussion made on what is the best rope to use?
Can't wait for growing season and to see everybodys set up this year.
Jason.

 

[hoppy2B]

This is all rhizome - none of it is tubers. This is what I got from a 1 year old Columbus plant grown in a soil of ph 8.5 - 9. The rhizome I started with was a pretty reasonable size but even so it is a pretty good result.

As I was saying, I think hops grow better in alkaline soil. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I'm saying that because despite the results I get and the fact I have grown hops for a number of years, I still get people who have never grown a hop plant professing that hops prefer neutral ph soil because they read it on the net. It might be the case that they do prefer neutral ph but I won't be easily convinced that they do.

 

[Stu Brew]

Clusters 2014 and 2015 023.jpg

This is all rhizome - none of it is tubers. This is what I got from a 1 year old Columbus plant grown in a soil of ph 8.5 - 9. The rhizome I started with was a pretty reasonable size but even so it is a pretty good result.

As I was saying, I think hops grow better in alkaline soil. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I'm saying that because despite the results I get and the fact I have grown hops for a number of years, I still get people who have never grown a hop plant professing that hops prefer neutral ph soil because they read it on the net. It might be the case that they do prefer neutral ph but I won't be easily convinced that they do.

Looks good mate. You may well be right about soil PH. Not a worry as most of the soil here is high ph. That's why brassicas grow well here. I will be experimenting with soil ph etc as we're a little far behind the research here in SA. Keen to start changing that. Very keen on the dwarf stuff and the Columb us too....ill be propagating a lot this year trying to double the size for next season. If anyone else can help out for a semi commercial crop on SA PM me.

 

[Hpal]

First hand experience is the best teacher. Many people read a lot on here and just regurgitate **** that they have read and pretend to be an expert.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Clusters 2014 and 2015 023.jpg

As I was saying, I think hops grow better in alkaline soil. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I'm saying that because despite the results I get and the fact I have grown hops for a number of years, I still get people who have never grown a hop plant professing that hops prefer neutral ph soil because they read it on the net. It might be the case that they do prefer neutral ph but I won't be easily convinced that they do.

What part of pH don't you understand, ask any keen gardener and they will tell you how important pH is 1 point either side of neutral is a good starting point for most plants apart from the acid or alkaline loving plants, plants cannot draw up nutrients and essential minerals if the pH is way off line, and how you contradict yourself when you say (in past posts) a good load of compost and manure if you are following your own advice how come your pH is so high, have you ever checked your pH?

 

[Exile]

Just got home from work and found this

A little early?

 

[Curly79]

Where are you from mate?

 

[Exile]

Gold Coast Curly, But with the weather lately it feels more like melbourne

 

[Curly79]

Ha Ha. Bloody cold down here at the mo. Dunno if it's early fir you guys or not. I just started growing last year. Mine don't pop up until well into spring.

 

[CanMan]

So will you let it grow exile or cut it back? whats the normal thing to be doing this time of the year.

 

[Exile]

Its a first year rhizome, so I think I will just let it go and let it do what it wants this year??

 

[Matplat]

Thats what im doing with my early risers! 5 of 6 have popped up already....

 

[Yob]

just loosely mulch over it, if it pushes through, let it do it's thing.

 

[dblunn]

Yeh, I have a first year Victoria popping it's head up also. I have 5 varieties in pots this year and now I have to sort out my trellis quick smart!