Free Hop Rhizomes

[proudscum]

OK, I've gone through what I've got and the only 'rhizome' I've got with anything that looks like a node is this piece of chinook:
View attachment 47136
Dr Smurto, or anyone else knowledgeable, do you think that's a viable rhizome?

So sorry to those I've spoken to already, but I don't have any rhizomes to post out now.

yep but you will only really get one plant from that this season,if you want more of that variety you could always do cutting which are easy.

 

[Yob]

im going to go out on a limb here, disclaimer being I have never grown one yet, nor divided a rhyzome... but been doing a power of reading..

What you are looking for to make new rhyzomes is a length of root with a bud coming off it, from that photo, there are a "clump" of buds in the centre knot but sweet FA on the rest of it....

centre piece is the baby that will shoot the bines, you can (probably) trim the roots without these buds..

in short, from the look of this one I wouldnt divide... just trim... however if there are little buds along lengths of the roots then go for it

DANG!!! there are a bucket load of shoots on that sucker!!

:unsure:

+1 and what ^ said... cuttings looks easy to me and alot less diggin

 

[drsmurto]

That rhizome is defintely viable but it's not worth trying to divide it.

 

[MaltyHops]

...
centre piece is the baby that will shoot the bines, you can (probably) trim the roots without these buds.. ...

The rhizomes coming off the main rhizome further away from that crazy
clump of nodes - esp. the more substantial size ones - might be worth
cutting some and planting into pots. It's speculation on my part but I'm
thinking they might grow during the season and develop buds for next
season. Plant them in good fertile soil and don't forget to keep them
moderately watered.

T.

 

[Malted]

Dr Smurto, or anyone else knowledgeable, do you think that's a viable rhizome?

Edit: Hell yeah it is a viable rhizome!

Maybe you could cut the rhizome into two pieces along the red line but chances are it may do more harm than good.
Personally I wouldn't trim the roots - they are currently storing energy for the plant and will later help power the formation of feeder roots. Bury the lot with the section with the yellow lines on it facing upwards. I'd only trim it along either of the yellow lines. This is a section of old bine and might shoot from the 'branches' between the two yellow lines if it is not withered but there are plenty of buds below it ready to come up. If you bury it to a depth of between the two yellow lines you'll find that maybe a lot of those shoots will travel sideways a bit before coming up and might be able to be seperated next year as 'rhizomes' (root section with nodes or buds along it).


Failing that, cuttings are the go! If in pots, the bigger the better.
6th March 2011


17th July 2011 (may not be the same cutting as above as I did quite a few)

 

[davewaldo]

This thread with its pics has been very informative. Thank you everyone!

 

[drsmurto]

The rhizomes coming off the main rhizome further away from that crazy
clump of nodes - esp. the more substantial size ones - might be worth
cutting some and planting into pots. It's speculation on my part but I'm
thinking they might grow during the season and develop buds for next
season. Plant them in good fertile soil and don't forget to keep them
moderately watered.

T.

Sorry Tom but they won't turn into rhizomes.

I bought my goldings rhizomes from one of the major sellers to HBers. They had no nodes but being new to hop growing i had no idea what they should look like.

12 months after planting them and with no above ground growth i dug them up. They were identical in size and appearance to the 'rhizomes' i had planted, no nodes had developed. The seller did the right thing and replaced them with football size rhizomes with dozens of viable nodes at their expense

There is a name for anything attached to the rhizome that doesnt have nodes - roots.

It is also quite easy to tell from the 'feel' of the side shoots as to whether they are roots or 'rhizomes'. Roots feel quite spongy, hardly surprising given their job. The rhizomes feel much woodier and very early on develop the characteristic nodes which when young are very hard to see but like any fruit tree they grow from a junction in the 'branch' and slowly turn white, then purple before shooting and turning green.

 

[MaltyHops]

...
12 months after planting them and with no above ground growth i dug them up. They were identical in size and appearance to the 'rhizomes' i had planted, no nodes had developed. ...

Saves me from doing a 12 month experiment

 

[BrianOR]

Thanks all for the feedback,

I'll plant the whole thing, roots and all, as per Malted's instructions.
Will attach some pics of the results down the track.

 

[Malted]

Roots versus Rhizomes

DrSmurto's description:
"It is also quite easy to tell from the 'feel' of the side shoots as to whether they are roots or 'rhizomes'. Roots feel quite spongy, hardly surprising given their job. The rhizomes feel much woodier and very early on develop the characteristic nodes which when young are very hard to see but like any fruit tree they grow from a junction in the 'branch' and slowly turn white, then purple before shooting and turning green."

To add to this:


Horizontal section = rhizome with buds (atm white with pink tips) where bines will grow from.
Vertical section = tuber-like root
Little hairy whisps = feeder roots

Here is the complete rhizome before I split it. I have circled the MAIN areas of bud growth that you would consider when splitting. All the rest to the right are just roots, not rhizomes.


In the photo above the main rhizome was the two clusters of buds closest to the PET tallie bottle cap. The other budding sections to the left grew from a bine that grew horizontally in the ground before surfacing. This is why 'layering' is another favoured propogation method.

How old is this plant above? Well here is the rhizome last year before it got all grown up. ONE YEAR to go from a piece of rhizome with a couple of buds to something you see above. Individual results may vary.


I grew it in a 1/2 wine barrel full of potting mix. Apparently they grow better in the ground... the mind boggles as to how big they may get or how far they may travel. DrSmurtos says not to plant different varieties any closer than two metres apart. With the growth shown above, maybe it is apparent why DrSmurtos gives this spacing advice...

Edit: What is the moral of the story? I think DrSmurtos still has some rhizomes for sale...

 

[Swanstar]

Hi Fellow HBers,
While we're on the subject, best time to plant, best soil mix and best way to store the rhizomes until planting.
Got a couple of Dr Smurto's, and it's all new and exciting.
Cheers
Swanny
Penrith, NSW

 

[drsmurto]

Hi Fellow HBers,
While we're on the subject, best time to plant, best soil mix and best way to store the rhizomes until planting.
Got a couple of Dr Smurto's, and it's all new and exciting.
Cheers
Swanny
Penrith, NSW

best time to plant - late winter, early spring. If you are in a frost prone district then wait until the last frost.


best soil mix - good draingane is key plus plenty of well rotted compost/manure and some blood and bone.


best way to store the rhizomes until planting - in the bags you received them in at the bottom of your fridge crisper section.

 

[Swanstar]

Ta Doc,
They've been in the crisper since they arrived so that's all good,
did you post somewhere 2 metres apart for different strains?

 

[drsmurto]

Ta Doc,
They've been in the crisper since they arrived so that's all good,
did you post somewhere 2 metres apart for different strains?

Yes, different varieties should be planted at least 2m apart. My chinook and goldings are 3m apart and i still spend a significant portion of the growing season keeping them from growing into each other.