2016 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[mistermillennia]

... So... It's been a day since I last posted (and almost as long since I last applied insecticide)... But the bugs are already back...

Can anyone identify what these little bastards are?

 

[Spohaw]

Looks like fungus gnat

Is the top of the soil wet all the time mate ?

I'd probably water less frequently and maybe even put a 15 mm top dress of sand , like a free draining sand that doesn't retain moisture ... So it keeps the top part or your soil mix dry and makes it a less attractive home for the fungus gnat larvae

You can also put some beer with a drop or two of dish soap in a small jar and sit it on top of your soil and that should attract and trap the adults

 

[mistermillennia]

Thanks for the ID.

The top of my soil might be wet, I water every second day but I have a rather thick layer of mulch on top which might be retaining some water.

I think I'll remove the mulch and replace with some sand, and if they are still around I'll try the beer and dish soap method.

Glad it's not spider mite infestation though.

 

[Spohaw]

I'd water less often while your hops are this small too

 

[mistermillennia]

Righto, how often and how much to you suggest I should be watering them?

 

[Spohaw]

Try once every three days mate but if the soil still seems wet when you go to water it hold off for another day

You can check just by jamming your finger in the top soil bit ..... You'll know if it's still wet

Don't know how the weathers going in your neck of the woods but it's still cold and wet here so evaporation is pretty much non existent so I only water it once at week ...... That will have to change once the plants get more leaves and the weather fines up

 

[Mardoo]

Rough guide based on my hop watering:

Water once a week, if at all, when the hops are dormant. Unless you're in a very dry area winter rains are enough to take care of dormant hops. Living in Melbourne I've never had to water my hops during their dormant phase. The biggest danger at this point is rot from standing water, so less is more.

Water two to three times a week while they are first establishing themselves in Spring. Spohaws advice about testing soil wetness is good advice. They quite often send up a few shoots that then stop growing much for a bit. This does not mean they need more water. Best theory I've heard is these shoots provide a bit of energy while the rhizomes prepare themselves for the big push. Like morning coffee for the hops

Water about four times a week once they start to stretch. This is when they start growing very noticeably each day, roughly 15 or more centimeteres a day. They need solid watering at this point.

Once they start sending out laterals water every day. I just got a weeping hose and a flow restrictor and left it on very low for about 12 hours a day. You don't want them sitting in water ever, but they use a crapload of water at this point. A couple 40C days without water can destroy your harvest.

Be sure you're giving them a supplemental feed every couple weeks during the lateral and flowering phase, or that your original soil is insanely nutritious.

 

[mistermillennia]

Thanks Spohaw and Mardoo, I will definitely be following your watering advice.

 

[Matplat]

Thanks Mardoo, very useful guide...

However I think you are mis-representing something. Your avatar label says, 'noob what craps on a bit' but I'm not really sure you qualify as a noob anymore considering your post count is over 3k! :lol:

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Thanks for the ID.

The top of my soil might be wet, I water every second day but I have a rather thick layer of mulch on top which might be retaining some water.

I think I'll remove the mulch and replace with some sand, and if they are still around I'll try the beer and dish soap method.

Glad it's not spider mite infestation though.

Don't think its fungus gnat, they look a bit to big, and now with the warmer weather approaching you will need the mulch around the plant, can you get a clearer pic of the insect, it may not be harmful to the hop's, may even be a predator after the harmful insects which may attack your plants.

 

[Spohaw]

Google fungus gnat wide , it will come up with pictures and compare it to that

Thought the picture was zoomed in a fair bit so size wasn't to scale

3-4 mm body size looks right to me

You can always re mulch it when the weather fines up

Do people mulch when they grow them commercially ... Wonder how they get around the absolute need to mulch as people say

Or because they live in the proper area that hops love they just don't need too ?

Maybe their watering schedule is good enough not to need it ?

 

[blekk]

... So... It's been a day since I last posted (and almost as long since I last applied insecticide)... But the bugs are already back...

Can anyone identify what these little bastards are?

Hard to tell from the pics but could be Rutherglen Bugs??

 

[Spohaw]

Yeah I could be wrong haha

Looks pretty similar to FG's

Good way to tell is to look at your top soil and see if there are little white egg looking things there

Says rutherglen bugs reproduce on the plant while FG's reproduce in the soil

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Do people mulch when they grow them commercially ... Wonder how they get around the absolute need to mulch as people say

Or because they live in the proper area that hops love they just don't need too ?

Maybe their watering schedule is good enough not to need it ?

Mulching will save on watering, on a commercial basis I would imagine they would, but there are different procedures on commercial properties, I do know in Kent UK at the end of the season they lime the soil, the only reason they would do that is because the natural pH of the soil is to low (acidic soil).
I would doubt anyone would have to do that in their back yard as long as the pH level is neutral, the ideal level for hop plants.
Back onto the insects here are some images of the bugs that attack hop plants.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=images+of+insects+that+attack+hop+plants&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=653&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDEQ7AlqFQoTCN-B3ujI9ccCFWUupgod-mQI1A

 

[Alex.Tas]

Amazing what one day can do!
photo below was taken yesterday.

Columbus starting to get some leaves

Here it is today

 

[BottloBill]

So I didn't get around to stringing these babies during father's day weekend, I think should very very soon though

 

[osprey brewday]

Made a trellis hope it works any one see a reason it wont. i can lower the top to harvest may be bit over kill in the height but it was the only viable branch to use.

 

[BottloBill]

They could easily nail that with vigorous growth! One thing going off your surroundings, do you see many possums?

Cheers BB

 

[osprey brewday]

They could easily nail that with vigorous growth! One thing going off your surroundings, do you see many possums?

Cheers BB

There are possums do they eat the cones ect

 

[Alex.Tas]

I'm 90% sure possums are responsible for digging up my sugercane mulch. They haven't damaged my plants yet, but i'm pretty sure they will at some stage.

That setup looks brilliant!
The only issue i see with your plan is that if the wind picks up and the branch sways, it may snap your string or snap your anchors.

I cant tell from your photograph if you have one already, but i would include a trampoline spring (or similar) in there. add it where your raising/lowering rope connects to the bridle you have at the top. This way, if the wind picks up and the branch sways, the spring increases in length rather than putting too much strain on the anchors/anchor ropes.

The alternative to this may be to have the ropes loose, so that if the branch pulls on the rope, it doesn't pull on the vine.

I like the spring idea, and I really like over complicating things.