2017 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[Rocker1986]

I haven't noticed much difference between the size of the leaves on my Cascade and Hallertau plants although the Hallertau is second year. They both have some pretty big leaves on them, but the main difference is the shape of them. The Hallertau ones seem to have 'fatter' sections that are closer together, a bit like the Victoria leaf photo, whereas the Cascade leaves seem to have thinner sections that are further apart. None of them is nearly twice the size of my hand though. :lol:

 

[Benn]

I wish I'd never decided to grow hops, they've taken a hold over my mind.

 

[Rocker1986]

The only thing I wish is that the bloody flowers would all be ready to harvest at the same time...

 

[Mardoo]

Ha, Benn, that's why I cut back to two varieties! Easy to get a bit obsessive. But then here is that third variety which started as a volunteer from my scrap pile…which I may or may not have nurtured a bit…

Does setting it up with fertiliser and irrigation count as nurturing?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I wish I'd never decided to grow hops, they've taken a hold over my mind.

At least they are legal.

 

[AJ80]

Cascade starting to burst with burrs and catching up to the Chinook and Mt Hood. Goldings seems to be falling behind again compared with the other three. My first year plants (Victoria and wild Otways goldings) are putting on a late burst of growth, but yet to start throwing laterals. Really hoping to get a small harvest off the wild hops.

 

[Benn]

Mum & Dad live on 100 acres 5 mins from my house, I've already spoken to them about fencing off a little corner for some poles and trellis, its a disease!

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Darn possums again arghh!!!! 3 years they have never gone to the trouble of getting to my hops like this. Curse them for making me chore to prevent this anymore. I even have one of those expensive sonic things pointed at the vulnerable hops. I cant expect much from the Tettnang, they weren't going that strong anyhow now look at them. You couldn't see the sky through the mass of foliage before this. Now mere twigs arghh!!!!
They also ate a good wack of my Aquaponic Cascade the fuzzball scumbags. Hopefull the wire will do the trick not that there's much more they can reach to eat.

 

[Matplat]

******* grasshoppers have eaten off the top growing tips from my cascade and EKG. I feel your pain!

 

[Rocker1986]

I've started seeing grasshoppers on mine now too. They're mostly only small things about 10mm long or so at this point. They've only put holes in some leaves but the tips are mostly fine so far. Some tips that have already reached the top of the trellis have been chewed off but I don't really care about those because they're already up there. They were all over the plants last year too but didn't seem to affect the growth too much. Will monitor the situation, but unfortunately I can't be there 24/7 to kill the fuckers if I see them on there.

 

[Curly79]

P.O.R is going well this year. My Victoria and Cascade are piss poor though. They Havnt had much love over winter the last two years. What is the best way and time to give them a good dose of horse poo? Also I've been away for two weeks and come back to this.
Little buggers been munching the hell out of it. Can only see small black insects on it? Gunna mix up some Vasili's special pest spray and see how that goes. Cheers lads[emoji481]

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I wouldn't be worrying to much about leaf damage, the best time to fertilise is some all purpose in the winter, and then some nitrogenrich fertiliser as they come up in spring how big are they now?

 

[Curly79]

About 10 ft tall I Spose. I normally give them a bit of Seasol once a fortnight.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

If there is no sign of any buds yet give them some Power Feed, Seasol is no a fertiliser but it is good for keeping your plant and the root system healthy.

 

[Curly79]

Will do. Thanks

 

[wide eyed and legless]

One thing I forgot to mention if you are in Melbourne don't be out fertilising the hops while it is hot, below 27 degrees. DO NOT FERTILISE YOUR PLANTS ABOVE THAT TEMP.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Can there be anything bad about spraying SKAT (Aluminium Ammonium Sulphate) over my hop bines and foliage? I really don't like the idea. I would spray them at dusk.
Otherwise any way I can stop possums. I am at a loss. They have practically destroyed my Tettnang and Aquaponic Cascade. They have a taste for them now and keep hacking it more every night. They've never climbed out over the bines and strings before. Now they are and breaking kinking all the bines and eating all tips and foliage. I'm now worried there going to find ways to all my other hops as well.

 

[Mardoo]

I was advised to use blood and bone meal to repel possums. Worked a treat! They decimated my plants one year not long ago, totally out of the blue. Never had before. They stopped immediately when I did the following.

Blood and bone scattered on the soil around the base, or for your aquaponics ones in small containers around the base. Old socks with 1/2 cup or more of BB meal in them tied on your trellises or scattered along the route the possums are using to access the hops. Renew it once a week for four weeks, then every second week after that.

They apparently don't like strong smells of rot. Dynamic Lifter pellets seem to work well too. I use a combination of the two now as an occasional top dressing. Haven't had problems since. I also recently heard socks filled with dog hair work great, but haven't tried it. I myself don't think BB meal smells bad, but I'm happy they do!

Good luck, and I hope this works as well for you as it did for me!

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Possums always 'tip' any plant, this year I thought I had covered my bases using the plastic spikes sold in Bunnings to prevent birds from landing where they shouldn't, I put them out so they couldn't reach my Runner Bean tips, worked well, but my first pollinated pumpkin (which I grew vertical) got eaten but now I have protected that walkway with spikes so should be OK. The plastic bottles on your horizontal wires will work as long as the bines are trained around the bottles so they can still spin.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Yeah I've got the Dynamic lifter in socks at all structural access points and in the foliage as well. All around the bases etc. I thought that did the trick but it now doesn't deter them. They must literally step over it. I wet them to make them stink more but it just seems to only be an unpleasant smell to me all around my garden. Fecking possums there's a million other trees for them to eat I cant understand why they're so hell bent on my hops.
My idea of spraying them with skat is so the foliage tastes like **** and they wont eat it. I've tried wire mesh barriers, spikes, a $300 something sonic deterrent. Pretty deflating on the gardening efforts. I really cant see what will work if they really want to eat them they will. Even to climb down the fence, along the ground and up another way. These things are relentless this year more than ever. I've spent a wack on wire mesh to cage up everything else I grow but I cant cage up the entire backyard.
I just don't know. The fecking things are beating me this year.