Hop Flowers - Seeds

[jbirbeck]

I've been using a lot of NZ hop flowers recently and have noticed a large number of what look like seeds...anyone else had this and tried growing off some new hop plants from the 'seed'? I have had a go but nothing has come of it yet.

 

[Bizier]

Which varieties have you experienced this?

Does anyone know if there are any serious ramifications from having male pollination available to female flowers?

I am personally interested in making new varieties of hops, cross breeding etc.

 

[jbirbeck]

NZ Styrian, Fuggles, Green Bullet and Aust Galaxy and POR.

 

[sinkas]

Males flowers will increase the yeild size, as far as I know they are eliminated in commercial settings to save space

 

[Chops]

Having male plants will cause your females to produce more flowers, but also more seeds.
Hops can be grown from seeds, but apparently for best germination rates seeds should undergo a stratification procedure to break them out of their dormancy.
This involves soaking in water for 24 to 48 hours, followed by a period of 6 or so weeks, possibly more in a cool dark enviroment enviroment, such as my beer fridge, surrounded by peat moss.

I've just started hatching some seeds I got from my grandmother from about 50 or so years ago, hopefully they are still viable and sprout into little hoplings.
There doesn't appear to be too much info available on the net about this, but a couple of links I found useful are:

infinite gardens hops
and

Growing hallucinogens
also has a section on hops, apparently hops is from the same family as dope.

Google books - Malting and Brewing science
Is an online preview of Malting and brewing science, containing a huge section on hops, and other brewing science and techniques in great detail.

 

[RobB]

You also need to consider that the seed raised plants may not 'come true' as gardeners put it. That is, just because you got a seed from a Goldings flower, it doesn't mean you'll get a new baby Goldings.

This is a good thing, because it allows new varieties to be bred, but it also means you won't know what you've got until it starts producing.