A Tale Of Two Rhizomes

[geoffi]

Planted one Goldings and one POR about 120cm apart on the same day in late September, same soil (a mound of mulchy, manury goodies). Both looked healthy going into the ground.

Today...

Alas, looks like the Goldings is a goner. But at least the POR is taking off strongly.

 

[MarkBastard]

Wouldn't be happy with either of those personally.

All three of my varieties looked like your POR in just a couple of weeks, in pots.

 

[white.grant]

My POR is loving the Wollongong weather this last couple of weeks. Growing like a good growing thing.....

 

[raven19]

Goldings may have rotted? If its been that long, carefully dig it up for an inspection? One of mine did nothing, and I found it to be rotted and slimy....

 

[HoppingMad]

The more I grow these things the more I think some hop varieties are better suited to Aussie conditions than others. And nothing would be better than an Aussie Hop.

I too have a Goldings that has met the same fate as yours - dead as a door knob. I also have a second Goldings that has modest growth on it at the moment, about 5cm. Meanwhile I have other varieties that are going nuts in the same space.

From my experience, Goldings are tricky buggers. I think this might have something to do with UK derived hops in general. I know of someone I spoke to who had some Fuggles and couldn't get the darn thing to flower or grow much after persisting with them for years and wound up ripping them out. In the same space he had Hallertau, Perle and Vienna Gold that was going bananas. For him, wasting time on a non-producing hop wasn't worth it. I was shocked when he said he'd gotten rid of them, but that was his call.

Another factor to consider on how these things grow is the size of your rhizome. If you got a whimpy little stick, then you're going to have a tougher job growing it and getting it established. One of my hops, a Cluster had a monstrous root ball on it when I got it and is by far the largest hop in the yard. Looks ridiculous next to my Goldings.

Anyhow, take solace in the fact you still have the one hop, and hey, if you want more you can always take cuttings and strike more of them or swap a rhizome off it for something else next season!

Cheers, :icon_cheers:

Hopper.

 

[pdilley]

Both my POR died on me, and both were early growers and the strongest initial growth.. My survivors (barley) of 9 varieties are Hersbruker, a half dead Cascade and Ellaser.

So not sure about Aussie hops being that much better. Big bloody rhizomes seem to be best bet for survival

Cheers,
BP

EDIT: Weather currently looks like dust storm blanketed sky and 38C! ouch!

 

[Bizier]

I have some POR growing from absolutely tiny rhizomes that I gave to a fellow brewer in my apartment block, they are absolutely murdering it, and in tiny pots.

I have Goldings at my other 'hop garden' that is a mass of small wiry growth, but it is alive, and may even flower this year. I suggest you leave your Goldings and it might even just shoot late out of nowhere. They are very temperamental little things. If you insist on seeing what is going on, I suggest washing the dirt from the rhizome with a hose rather than digging, because you might be breaking frail and vital hair roots if it is actually in some slow growth state.

Please note that mine did not come up until late november or something last year, and I planted it quite early.

 

[Darren]

An intersting concept about UK hops growing poorly in Australia.

Given that an Aussie winter is like a UK summer, has anyone tried storing a UK rhizome in the fridge during the summer and then planted out during the autumn/winter months? (this would obviously be possible in the southern states where it does actually cool down over winter).

My thoughts are that hops start to shoot as it warms up. Coming out of the fridge into the soil would be akin to a warming. Perhaps the daylight hours are too short? I dunno. I would be interested if someone had tried this.

cheers

Darren

 

[Bizier]

There is no way I am vernalising a variety...

Australia is not ideal for subtle aromatic hops. We grow big oily bitter hops well.

 

[manticle]

I have hallertau, tettnang, chinook and goldings all growing sweetly.

@ Darren - vaguely related. I have watered some plants with hot/warm water during colder months to encourage growth (usually when I've planted too late). Seems to have worked but obvioously impossible to tell definitively.