Growing Hops In Se Queensland

[Bretto77]

Hi all,
with all the great success stories of this years hop harvest I must say that my first season attempt of growing hops has been a huge disappointment. I know that the southerners in Vic, SA and Tassie have a great advantage and constantly hear of their success stories. I am wondering if any hop growers in SE Queensland have any particular tips for those of us that are trying to grow our crops being latitude challenged? My location is Boonah which is 40km south of Ipswich and about equal lat to the Gold Coast, i.e. west/inland of the Gold Coast.

My method has been in line with the BYO mag article by Chris Colby titled "Container Hop Gardening" March-April 2009. I'm guessing the causes are:
1. Wrong latitude
2. Told hops grow better in the ground than pots (pots are 50cm though i.e. big)
3. Has been a hot summer
4. The container hop method has meant that much of the vines have been coiled at the base of the hop perhaps not good may increase risk of disease.
I know that SE Queenslander on this site have been successful with hop growing, so I'm wondering what is your secret boys? I can't even get flowers forming
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheer
Bretto

 

[QldKev]

Hi all,
with all the great success stories of this years hop harvest I must say that my first season attempt of growing hops has been a huge disappointment. I know that the southerners in Vic, SA and Tassie have a great advantage and constantly hear of their success stories. I am wondering if any hop growers in SE Queensland have any particular tips for those of us that are trying to grow our crops being latitude challenged? My location is Boonah which is 40km south of Ipswich and about equal lat to the Gold Coast, i.e. west/inland of the Gold Coast.

My method has been in line with the BYO mag article by Chris Colby titled "Container Hop Gardening" March-April 2009. I'm guessing the causes are:
1. Wrong latitude
2. Told hops grow better in the ground than pots (pots are 50cm though i.e. big)
3. Has been a hot summer
4. The container hop method has meant that much of the vines have been coiled at the base of the hop perhaps not good may increase risk of disease.
I know that SE Queenslander on this site have been successful with hop growing, so I'm wondering what is your secret boys? I can't even get flowers forming
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheer
Bretto

I've had hops for a few years now; up in Bundy. This year is the first time I have had issues. Looks like mine got confused with day length and tried to mature all the cones at a small size, ie a few mm long. That was about 5-6 weeks ago. The second crop on the bine has come through excellent, so I will be having some fresh hops from this season after all. Up here we will never get huge crops, but will get some fresh flowers, yum.

I grow mine in pots, and use searles potting mix, at the start of every season I try and refresh as much potting mix as I can. I am no green thumb by any means.

QldKev

 

[Bretto77]

Thanks QldKev. They many have just got fried in the summer heat.

Bretto

I've had hops for a few years now; up in Bundy. This year is the first time I have had issues. Looks like mine got confused with day length and tried to mature all the cones at a small size, ie a few mm long. That was about 5-6 weeks ago. The second crop on the bine has come through excellent, so I will be having some fresh hops from this season after all. Up here we will never get huge crops, but will get some fresh flowers, yum.

I grow mine in pots, and use searles potting mix, at the start of every season I try and refresh as much potting mix as I can. I am no green thumb by any means.

QldKev

 

[thesunsettree]

Hi all,
with all the great success stories of this years hop harvest I must say that my first season attempt of growing hops has been a huge disappointment. I know that the southerners in Vic, SA and Tassie have a great advantage and constantly hear of their success stories. I am wondering if any hop growers in SE Queensland have any particular tips for those of us that are trying to grow our crops being latitude challenged? My location is Boonah which is 40km south of Ipswich and about equal lat to the Gold Coast, i.e. west/inland of the Gold Coast.

My method has been in line with the BYO mag article by Chris Colby titled "Container Hop Gardening" March-April 2009. I'm guessing the causes are:
1. Wrong latitude
2. Told hops grow better in the ground than pots (pots are 50cm though i.e. big)
3. Has been a hot summer
4. The container hop method has meant that much of the vines have been coiled at the base of the hop perhaps not good may increase risk of disease.
I know that SE Queenslander on this site have been successful with hop growing, so I'm wondering what is your secret boys? I can't even get flowers forming
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheer
Bretto

hi mate,

this is not a trolling question but do u have grow/hort experience? i know someone in boonah who may be able to help if ur experience in general plant growing is limited

cheers
matt

 

[TidalPete]

Hi all,
with all the great success stories of this years hop harvest I must say that my first season attempt of growing hops has been a huge disappointment. I know that the southerners in Vic, SA and Tassie have a great advantage and constantly hear of their success stories. I am wondering if any hop growers in SE Queensland have any particular tips for those of us that are trying to grow our crops being latitude challenged? My location is Boonah which is 40km south of Ipswich and about equal lat to the Gold Coast, i.e. west/inland of the Gold Coast.

My method has been in line with the BYO mag article by Chris Colby titled "Container Hop Gardening" March-April 2009. I'm guessing the causes are:
1. Wrong latitude
2. Told hops grow better in the ground than pots (pots are 50cm though i.e. big)
3. Has been a hot summer
4. The container hop method has meant that much of the vines have been coiled at the base of the hop perhaps not good may increase risk of disease.
I know that SE Queenslander on this site have been successful with hop growing, so I'm wondering what is your secret boys? I can't even get flowers forming
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheer
Bretto

Bretto,

Not wanting to discourage you in any way but I always loved my garden\yard & have put a lot time into it acquiring a little botanical knowledge over the years. The one thing I wouldn't be bothered trying to grow is hops. Just too much trouble up here & much less time & effort is involved just slinging a few dollars around for the finished product.
Not saying it can't be done in certain areas but must be a proper PITA trying to wrest out a few kilos this far north.
If hops are too expensive in Brissy try further afield.

T
Edit --- And no Chap Chap I'm not being "Grumpy" again, just factual.

 

[QldKev]

Bretto,

Not wanting to discourage you in any way but I always loved my garden\yard & have put a lot time into it acquiring a little botanical knowledge over the years. The one thing I wouldn't be bothered trying to grow is hops. Just too much trouble up here & much less time & effort is involved just slinging a few dollars around for the finished product.
Not saying it can't be done in certain areas but must be a proper PITA trying to wrest out a few kilos this far north.
If hops are too expensive in Brissy try further afield.

T
Edit --- And no Chap Chap I'm not being "Grumpy" again, just factual.

Sounds grumpy to me Pete :chug:

 

[TidalPete]

Sounds grumpy to me Pete :chug:

Ah well Kev tell me how your hops are getting on? Any bumper crops yet? :beer:

T

 

[praxis178]

Sounds grumpy to me Pete :chug:

+1 h34r:

Pete old mate, When you were at my place picking up those Sazz pellets, did you take a look out the kitchen window? I have two first year mounds of Pearle in the ground (helps them not fry bin the heat).

Before I planted mine, I dug two holes under where the mounds would go, as big as the mound was going to be in the first year and as deep as I could go (900mm in my case) and back filled these with a 50/50 mix of the dirt I dug out and well composted mushroom compost, on top of this I built the mounds out of 30/70 dirt/compost and manure. I let this sit for a few weeks before planting.

I built a tall trellis (~5m) and just let them go for it, limiting them to three bines per mound. Each mound got about 10L of water per day as 5L morning and afternoon.

What I'm really sweating is will it get cool enough to get them to go dormant enough for proper flowering next year? I'm on the Sunshine coast so well North of the OP, so it can be done.....

 

[Screwtop]

Depends on soild type and location as to how happy they are. I dug up and moved 6 varieties from the Sunshine Coast when I moved to Gympie. Transplanted them in the middle of flowering and didn't give them much hope really. They are now growing in a duplex soil and floating rock over clay on a sloping block. Surprisingly the hop varieties that were doing well on the coast in the sandy soil have struggled and vice versa, Perle and Wurtemberger and POR are struggling, Cluster has died while Chinook Cascade are booming. Rhizomes were basically thrown into the ground and had very little attention during the move. Popped 200g of Chinook flowers in a brew made by my youngest son 10 days ago, it smells awesome.

They don't bear in large quantities here as would be expected but I enjoy growing my own hops.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[QldKev]

Sorry if getting too far off topic,

Here is some pics; taken as off a few mins ago... As I said this year has not been very good, but this is this years bine. Normally I have got a hell of a lot more than this. I have never got commercial yields, but I enjoy growing them; and absolutely love fresh hops for aroma.


That run over 2m high and over 6m across



The crappy little pot it is growing from



Some yummy flowers waiting to be picked. Once you have had fresh hops there is no turning back.


QldKev

 

[winkle]

I got a small crop from perle, hallertau and Goldings this year - would have done much better except for the bloody possums.

 

[TidalPete]

+1

Pete old mate, When you were at my place picking up those Sazz pellets, did you take a look out the kitchen window? I have two first year mounds of Pearle in the ground (helps them not fry bin the heat).

Before I planted mine, I dug two holes under where the mounds would go, as big as the mound was going to be in the first year and as deep as I could go (900mm in my case) and back filled these with a 50/50 mix of the dirt I dug out and well composted mushroom compost, on top of this I built the mounds out of 30/70 dirt/compost and manure. I let this sit for a few weeks before planting.

I built a tall trellis (~5m) and just let them go for it, limiting them to three bines per mound. Each mound got about 10L of water per day as 5L morning and afternoon.
What I'm really sweating is will it get cool enough to get them to go dormant enough for proper flowering next year? I'm on the Sunshine coast so well North of the OP, so it can be done.....

Hey Young Thomas,

You seem to have done everything right there mate. Sorry I never took a good look but remember to give your spring water a go. :super:

Good luck with it mate but I still reckon we're too far north to get a good permanent crop even though those mounds will help a lot. (No emoticon for stubborn old *******)

T

PS ---Screwy, Kev & winkle,
Just saw your posts but still reckon I'm right re permanent. :lol: :icon_cheers:

 

[MarkBastard]

People using pots that have done so for more than one year, what do you do in the winter?

BTW in answer to the thread, I planted three different varieties this year in pots. One of them has always been awesome, that was Chinook. The others (POR and Tettnang) have been a disappointment. The POR had had heaps of shoots but no flowers. The Tettnang had just two main shoots and did create lots of flowers, but the biggest ones are only an inch.

The Chinook reached up much higher with much thicker diametre at the base and has a few MASSIVE hops.

 

[browndog]

Mine had a terrible season this year Brett, along with my cumquat tree and the big seville orange tree in the neighbours yard not to mention my chillis which are now only starting to flower.

cheers

Browndog

 

[QldKev]

People using pots that have done so for more than one year, what do you do in the winter?

BTW in answer to the thread, I planted three different varieties this year in pots. One of them has always been awesome, that was Chinook. The others (POR and Tettnang) have been a disappointment. The POR had had heaps of shoots but no flowers. The Tettnang had just two main shoots and did create lots of flowers, but the biggest ones are only an inch.

The Chinook reached up much higher with much thicker diametre at the base and has a few MASSIVE hops.

Mine just get cut back to ground level at the end of season and stay in the pot until the following season.

QldKev

 

[Nick JD]

Perhaps :icon_offtopic: but is there a variety(s) that is more suited to a warmer climate? A bit of selective breeding would find a good warm weather hop you'd think...

 

[MarkBastard]

Thanks QldKev, I was hoping that'd be the case. I'm guessing you wait until the bines have withered before cutting back?

Nick JD, I think that would be the case. Like I said my Chinook has gone a LOT better than the others. I may even sell the others and propagate the chinook among a couple of different pots.

Anyone reckon it may be American hops that work better?

 

[QldKev]

Yep, I let the bins die right back and once they get too ugly I just cut them off.

There was a brewer on here back in 2005/2006, further up north who used to dig them up and put them in the fridge every year. But can't remember who it was.



QldKev

 

[Bretto77]

Thanks for your response matt, yeah I have a pretty green thumb. The vegi garden is doing great. I know lotas about organic gardening nutrients etc. Pretty confident this isn't the issue. However leaves appear discoloured which may mean nutrient difficencies ie nitrogen

hi mate,

this is not a trolling question but do u have grow/hort experience? i know someone in boonah who may be able to help if ur experience in general plant growing is limited

cheers
matt

 

[Bretto77]

Thanks for your input Tidal Pete. I am well aware of the limitations of what I'm doing. Primary motivation is flavours that come from home grown hops not cost. You are welcome to your opinions and obviously its not for you. But I happen to know that hops can be grown up here obviously in lower yeild.

So I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one IMO

Bretto,

Not wanting to discourage you in any way but I always loved my garden\yard & have put a lot time into it acquiring a little botanical knowledge over the years. The one thing I wouldn't be bothered trying to grow is hops. Just too much trouble up here & much less time & effort is involved just slinging a few dollars around for the finished product.
Not saying it can't be done in certain areas but must be a proper PITA trying to wrest out a few kilos this far north.
If hops are too expensive in Brissy try further afield.

T
Edit --- And no Chap Chap I'm not being "Grumpy" again, just factual.