Growing Hops In Pots

[MarkBastard]

I did a search but didn't find any results.

Does anyone here have some advice on growing hops in pots? Is it possible? What size pot is recommended at a minimum? Obviously needs to be well drained. What watering and composting regime should be followed?

 

[raven19]

I have 2 POR's and a Chinook in Pots from last year. Being first year plants they grew well but no flowers.

Basicly as bigger pot as you can get, half a wine barrel would be best. I found mine dried out in the summer heat but still grew 2-3 m in height. My pots would be maybe 300 - 400mm in diameter.

I used basic potting mix and some seasol every now and then.

Being weeds they will grow well with little care, just water and sun!

There is a good hop growing article on AHB somewhere.... will see if I can find it...

 

[raven19]

Here it tis...

Linky

 

[Batz]

BYO magazine did a good article on growing hops in pots.

http://www.byo.com/component/resource/arti...s-in-containers


Batz

 

[Fents]

there was a very good article in the mra/apr issue of BYO about a pot plant hop trellis. had a look on their site and cant see it but its def in that issue and theres no way i can re type the whole article.

 

[QldKev]

I've had mine in pots for 3 years, and get very good growth out of them.

Large as pot as you can get, and I use decent potting mix Searls. I find I have to give them a good soaking every morning in summer. Last season, mine grew to the roof line and about 3m along it. I'm getting good yeilds (maybe not commercial quantities) of them.

QldKev

 

[Fents]

thats the article, batz knows.

 

[MarkBastard]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately I have a small courtyard only so 'as big as I can get' won't really work for me. I sort of need to find a sweet point between size of pot and yield. I don't really mind if I don't get a crazy amount of hops because I'll only be using them for me and it's more about novelty value / having fresh hops. I have bought three rhizomes. I guess if I only had one I could get a decent sized pot but not with three of them!

Also I'm going to basically have the pots at ground level and grow them upwards on to my balcony which is made of many horizontal aluminium rails, so it should love that and grow all over it, though I'll have to train them sideways.

I think I'll just use a string between the pots and the balcony.

I was thinking of maybe buying those aluminium drink cooler things on stands you can get and making them into pots. That way they're off the ground a bit and won't seem to take up as much room.

 

[MarkBastard]

BYO magazine did a good article on growing hops in pots.

http://www.byo.com/component/resource/arti...s-in-containers


Batz

That article had everything I needed. The best part was that it recommended in warmer climates to set it up so that it is shaded at the hottest parts of the day but gets plenty of sun in the morning and afternoon, this is exactly what my courtyard is like!

 

[Barramundi]

i grew mine in pots last year and will do so again this year , pots are about 500mm diameter and i simply drilled a hole in the back lip of the pot and put three strings through it and tied them to a structure about 3 metres above the pots for the plant to climb on , this worked well , only down fall of it all was my location as there are two large peach tress in the yard when they got into leaf it cut out a lot of the sun to the hops and they slowed right down , hoping i can move them somewhere different this year but i dont know .. also have two half wine barrels that i think i might plant two of my rhizomes into this year as well ..

 

[technocat]

I have a Goldings which was given to me a few months ago. I have put it in a pot but it is that cold down south it is not doing much. Not sure whether to plant it out in late spring when it warms up a bit or leave it as it is. Never had anything to do with a hop plant so it will be a learning curve here on in.

 

[kram]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately I have a small courtyard only so 'as big as I can get' won't really work for me. I sort of need to find a sweet point between size of pot and yield. I don't really mind if I don't get a crazy amount of hops because I'll only be using them for me and it's more about novelty value / having fresh hops. I have bought three rhizomes. I guess if I only had one I could get a decent sized pot but not with three of them!

Also I'm going to basically have the pots at ground level and grow them upwards on to my balcony which is made of many horizontal aluminium rails, so it should love that and grow all over it, though I'll have to train them sideways.

I think I'll just use a string between the pots and the balcony.

I was thinking of maybe buying those aluminium drink cooler things on stands you can get and making them into pots. That way they're off the ground a bit and won't seem to take up as much room.

Which rhizomes did you get mark? I'll probably be going the pot route as well.

 

[HoppingMad]

Am considering the container option myself too.

Soil seems to be the key as to whether you go for putting in the ground or a container. Have some fresh zomes I'm looking at putting in in addtion to ones I put in the ground last year. The heavy clay soil in my area and the intense heat didn't help me in the growing season. I got zero flowers. With any luck a well positioned pot in good well drained soil will improve my chances of getting a yield.

I'm considering 50 cm or larger pots like barramundi but am still on the lookout for some wine barrels that I can cut in half and use. Might make my hops look prettier Looking at low trellises or ropes off the pot that will be around 2.6-3m high. Don't really want to piss off the neighbours with the sort of 'hop towers' that BYO mag has - but it would be funny to watch their faces if I put them in!

Hopper.

 

[tumi2]

I was in the Derwent Valley just north of Hobart last year where they grow all the hops for cascade and others brewries. My friend who lived there new of a hops plant that the year before crawled about 10 m up a power line on the side of the raod. So i went down there with a shovel and got myself a part of the root about 30 cm long. Assume it is POR since that is the main hops traditionally grown in that area and i think this is a very old plant.

Came back to Sydney and planted it immediately (about 1 month ago) and within 3 weeks i now have 2 little shoots about 30cm tall coming out of the pot. The pot is about 60 cm in diameter and it is not getting much sun now but come summer it will be baking in it.

So planting them now seems to be OK if your in Sydney.

I have ordered a chinook from a guy on this site and will also plant it immediately.

 

[MarkBastard]

Which rhizomes did you get mark? I'll probably be going the pot route as well.

chinook, pride of ringwood, tettnanger

have you got yours yet?

if you want we can work something out, like split the hop growing and split the yield.

 

[QldKev]

The pot I use would be ok for a smaller area, 500mm wide, 400mm deep.

In the last pic of the first post you can see one of my plants, and a bit of the orange pot.
Linky This was not at full size for the season. The runs ended up about twice that length.

QldKev

 

[thylacine]

I did a search but didn't find any results.

Does anyone here have some advice on growing hops in pots? Is it possible? What size pot is recommended at a minimum? Obviously needs to be well drained. What watering and composting regime should be followed?

Lots of info here... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grow-Hops/

A number of past episodes deal with hop growing... http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

Can't remember the source, but one 'confined space' grower had pots lining his driveway. Each barrel/pot had a two metre stake with an eyelat at the top. He fed a few metres of cord/rope up and threw the eye. when the hop grew up to the top he would untie the rope and let in drop to the ground. He kept repeating this until the rope was fully 'covered'. He stated he was initially worried about heat/bugs/ect but he didn't have any problems and had a harvest.

Hmmm....

 

[A3k]

I put mine in pots a few weeks ago. Unfortunately the pots are only 400mm diameter. I'm guessing i'd probably do more damange than good.
Any thoughts?

 

[kram]

chinook, pride of ringwood, tettnanger

have you got yours yet?

if you want we can work something out, like split the hop growing and split the yield.

Yeah got mine, same lot too! I'll have a beer made with gilbrews chinook flowers soon so i'll save some for you.

I'm thinking of getting something similar to those large plastic storage containers and drilling a few holes in the bottom, to enable some horizontal growth. Any bad reason for this? plastics etc?

 

[QldKev]

I put mine in pots a few weeks ago. Unfortunately the pots are only 400mm diameter. I'm guessing i'd probably do more damange than good.
Any thoughts?

My first season I had mine in 400mm pots. Thet still did ok, but not quite as bushy as the last 2 years. But I guess that could also just be because they are a couple more years older.

QldKev