2015 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[Dan Pratt]

I have a cascade and ekg rhizome from last season that appear to be starting new season shoots. Do i need to water, add some kind of mulch or protection for the end of winter cos its near zero overnight still?

 

[Mardoo]

Would they grow along a wire fence? Or is something more vertical better?


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They will grow along a wire fence but apparently need vertical growth to flower, according to the podcasts I've heard interviewing commercial growers and my own and others' experience. See posts 46 through 56 in this thread. I've gotten quite a few flowers from 3m vertical growth, so if you can't do 4 or 5 meters it's not the end of the world.

 

[Camo6]

I had a POR that only grew up maybe 7 feet before I trained it horizontally. It produced more cones in its first year than the other 3 species which climbed a lot higher. A pity because I rarely use por.

 

[Curly79]

Cheers mardoo. Camo. I've decided to put in some nice high steel poles and wires. Gettin rhizomes this week. Can't wait


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[Mardoo]

Yeah, I'm going to try to source some long poles, hopefully from a Melbourne reclaimed materials or scrap dealer.

I had this idea to use bicycle wheels at the top of the poles after watching my hops grow in a small tree last year. Use the wheels to string runners to the ground around the rootball. Also circumference is an easy way to get long growth from the laterals where most of the flowers are said to grow.

Since hops can be sensitive to mildew I plan to trim the leaves to about 40cm above the rootball. The tent effect I'm thinking of may help reduce evaporation, but the trimming may negate any advantage.

Anyone have any experience that says this is a bad idea???

 

[Eagleburger]

I uncovered mine yesterday. Today a neighbours cat has crapped. in the garden. Tonight the cat trap will be set.

 

[Yob]

Anyone have any experience that says this is a bad idea???

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/05/homebrewing-how-to-grow-hops-for-beer.html

and

https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/724-grow-your-own-hops

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Has anyone tried digging up and cooking their whey sprouts? I am on a beer cycling tour in belgium and tonight out dutch guide says he gets E300/kg for the shoots from gourmet resteraunts. Apparently they give and asparagus/bean sprout taste. Once they break earth it's game over.

 

[Yob]

I gave an Asian bloke I work with some Zomes a few years ago, he wants them for the shoots in their salads.. any resulting hops he picks, he brings in to me..

Win Win :super:

 

[The Judge]

He'll probably live to 120 too. Sounds like some herbal medicine sheeez.

 

[mckenry]

Would they grow along a wire fence? Or is something more vertical better?


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Hey Curly79. I have zigzagged mine up a 6ft fence and they flowered no worries at all. Probably 4 or 5 zigs and zags, so maybe 8m but only 6 foot off the ground come harvest time. I have a photo on here somewhere of the harvest.

 

[Curly79]

Ok. Cheers mc Henry. So it's an overall length thing not a height thing.


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[Lochem]

Gonna try this photo thing again now...
You can see the Victoria and the Cluster in separate photos. Big thumbs up to Mardoo for these rhizomes!!

Potted them in 52 litre pots with organic pre-enriched potting mix... Just wondering if I actually have to build any kind of wire trellis at all, with the railing that's right above them.... See photo

 

[Ramps]

could well be that they don't actually need the height but the length.
mine did very little flowering in the first 1.5-1.8m of bine, might still be the same if running horzontal
but I must admit that where I've seen them running "wild" ie 30+ yrs old an uncared for I saw very very few flowers on anything that wasn't growing up a tree ... those were also the bines that almost had there there feet in water
might grow one along the 1.2m high fence just to experiment

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Whenever I've tried to grow even diagonally, they fight it. Horizontal has seemed near impossible - daily training required and it's quite easy to break the tip.

That's what she said.

 

[hoppy2B]

Yeah, I'm going to try to source some long poles, hopefully from a Melbourne reclaimed materials or scrap dealer.

I had this idea to use bicycle wheels at the top of the poles after watching my hops grow in a small tree last year. Use the wheels to string runners to the ground around the rootball. Also circumference is an easy way to get long growth from the laterals where most of the flowers are said to grow.

Since hops can be sensitive to mildew I plan to trim the leaves to about 40cm above the rootball. The tent effect I'm thinking of may help reduce evaporation, but the trimming may negate any advantage.

Anyone have any experience that says this is a bad idea???

I have found that vigorous varieties like POR, Golding and the Tall Cluster tend to put out an abundance of shoots. If not trained up strings these bines will tend to cover the ground around your hop plant like a mat. Rather than act as a mulch this large amount of leaf requires extra water with the resultant hop plant suffering.

High yielding varieties like Victoria, Cascade etc., put up fewer shoots, and for that reason require less water and end up being more productive than the more vigorous varieties growing along side them under the same cultural conditions. Which leads me to conclude that its best to trim off all the excess growth low down on the plant.

Of course once your Victoria and Cascade plant becomes older it will also require more pruning due to the increasing size of the crown and resultant larger number of shoots produced therefrom.

 

[BottloBill]

We have these setup on a wall at work and may suit some growers with wall space to spare. I will be doing something very similar except with the s/s wire also crossing from corner to corner. I guess using clothes line cable and standard electroplated steel eyelets bolted to a wall maybe a cheaper alternative to using all s/s wire and fittings.

 

[Curly79]

Just finished the frame. It's about 3.5 metres high. Just need to run down some strings now. How many strings per plant should I run?


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[Curly79]

Should be a nice view for the neighbour come summer time


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[Yob]

How many strings per plant should I run?

3 is good, first year plants?

use good quality twine as coming home to find your bines on the ground often infuriates...