2017 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

ScottyDoesntKnow · 22/1/17

I couldn't find the video BB posted but I watched this one yesterday. https://youtu.be/TlsT-x19III

Matplat · 22/1/17

Wow, really? I was not expecting that answer....

Belgrave Brewer · 22/1/17

Matplat said:
Well the results are in... are you ready?

Cascade - 20g
Victoria - 40g
Goldings - 14g

These are wet weights from second year plants I wasnt expecting stellar yields, but at least enough for one brew? Clearly I'm doing something wrong. I suspect it is to do with the pots, getting hot in the sun, and being too small for the appetite of a hop plant. I also think that the chicken shit pellets that most of the growing season rested on were insufficient.

I am going to continue feeding them the powerfeed to see if I can get a second harvest out of them this season.... But I will try getting them in the ground for next year, even in a rental.

Hops also need a cold winter (vernalisation) in order for them to flower well the following season. Might be worth putting them in the fridge over winter.

Belgrave Brewer · 22/1/17

Matplat said:
So I put all those picked i the dehydrator for the afternoon, and I'm bloody glad I did (I was thinking of thowing them in tonights brew wet), open the dehydrator expecting a nice fresh hoppy aroma, but all I get is a vegetal stink, does that mean I picked to early or too late? I was sure to only pick the ones that felt papery, which was quite easy to pick up because I still had some that were fully soft and unripe for comparison.

Either way I'm pretty sure they're headed for the bin?

If you dried them at a lower temperature (under 38C), you won't smell any hop aroma as you have not blown off any volatiles. It's a good thing if they don't have huge aroma coming out of the dehydrator. You may have also picked a bit early. Give one a bot of a rub and smell it. If the aroma comes out in the rub, it's probably fine.

Belgrave Brewer · 22/1/17

ScottyDoesntKnow said:
I couldn't find the video BB posted but I watched this one yesterday. https://youtu.be/TlsT-x19III

That's the one!

Schooner_downunder · 22/1/17

Not sure if anyone in melbourne has being hit by what I think are black flying aphids but just did a major spray of soap and water ( 1 tbs of soap to 3 liters of water) seemed to get rid of them initially but am surprised how fast and hard they hit. Will pull off the bottom 30 cm of plants tomorrow morning... View attachment 94740

Appologies for the slightly out of focus images...

Mardoo · 22/1/17

If you're using a poo-based fertiliser they're probably just harmless little flies that breed in it. Do they sit on the leaves fanning their wings slowly for long periods? Poo flies.

AJ80 · 22/1/17

Mardoo said:
If you're using a poo-based fertiliser they're probably just harmless little flies that breed in it. Do they sit on the leaves fanning their wings slowly for long periods? Poo flies.

Hehehe - poo flies.

Belgrave Brewer · 23/1/17

Schooner_downunder said:
Not sure if anyone in melbourne has being hit by what I think are black flying aphids but just did a major spray of soap and water ( 1 tbs of soap to 3 liters of water) seemed to get rid of them initially but am surprised how fast and hard they hit. Will pull off the bottom 30 cm of plants tomorrow morning...

20170122_185952.jpg

Appologies for the slightly out of focus images...

Wow! That's a SHIT load of poo flies.

Schooner_downunder · 23/1/17

Belgrave Brewer said:
Wow! That's a SHIT load of poo flies.

Yeah there was a bucket load, I use a compost mix of soil & manure, really happy they're not aphids

. Thanks for the info Belgrave Brewer.

Schooner_downunder · 23/1/17

Schooner_downunder said:
Yeah there was a bucket load, I use a compost mix of soil & manure, really happy they're not aphids . Thanks for the info Belgrave Brewer.

Just put two and two together.... just added powerfeed the other night

Sainter1775 · 24/1/17

Good afternoon gents,

I have question about my hops "farm". Back story I live in SE Queensland, gets to -1 in winter and 41 in summer, the hops have good and constant sunlight through out the day and wind protection from the 8ft high fence and house. All are watered/fertilized the same, some are two years in and the other first year crops(looking from left to right on the attached photo. The question is EKG the second from the left is producing "spurs" at the top and then going brown and never developing into cones. Where as the others Hersbrucker I'm at 300 g and counting of dried hops, about half that on my first year Chinook. Any thoughts what maybe the cause or is it simple that i cant grow English varities only US and German. The foliage looks healthy as far as i can see and seems to be no sign of the usual suspects.

Thanks

Sainter1775 · 24/1/17

Update looking at the pic Cascade(2nd),EKG(2nd),Hersbrucker(2nd),Chinook(1st),Fuggles(1st). Cascade was a strong performer last year however it is unhappy with me for the move from "Big black pot" to the ground(to many tap roots got lost in process.)

Rocker1986 · 24/1/17

I've found similar on my 2nd year Fuggle plant to what you're describing. Not so much that the burrs are going brown, but they develop into the tiniest cones. I've just started fertilising it with the flowering stuff as of today, so I'll see how it goes over the next month or two but if it's like last year where it produced hardly anything then I might just leave it. I'll keep it alive, but just not bother with any harvests from it.

My other two are going pretty well. A first year Cascade is producing nicely, and a 2nd year Hallertau is starting to produce some flowers but I haven't harvested any yet. Its biggest production last year was harvested in late March though, so still some time to go.

Benn · 24/1/17

Thought I'd just re-post this article here, http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article91.html
It can easily be found in the (often overlooked) AHB Wiki section.
I'd forgotten about this article and was about to ask a few questions that are answered within. A good read for novice hop growers such as myself.
Cheers.

Danscraftbeer · 24/1/17

All of mine have reached puberty now. The Chinook has flowers to an inch in size and hundreds more to come.
Its gonna be more a mixture big yield in a little space this year. Red Earth and Tettnang are the lowest growth/yielders for me this season.

bronson · 25/1/17

Cascade coming along great

Benn · 26/1/17

Povo Auto Wateter:

With burrs in full swing hopefully this will maintain some additional moisture between deep waterings. Fill it up about twice a day.

Old Fermenter and garden hose.

Bit of calibration tape (drilled too many holes)

Old "Selleys" nozzle to block the end of the hose and the jobs done in 10 minutes.

..just crane your necks to the left for correct photo orientation.

Danscraftbeer · 26/1/17

The oncoming harvests and some cuttings for the sake of it.
Chinook, Cascade, Hallertau, Goldings, Red Earth, and Tettnang.
The poor Tettnang (no photos worthy) that's been the go to diet for possums and I cant seem to defend it, its rediculouse.
I grew Victoria in the same spot last year and it never got touched by the possums.