Hop Growing For Beginners, Tips And Traps

[Chris]

Hi,

I have my first hop rhizomes, a wuertemberger and mt hood. I have read with interest last years growing seasons thread and was hoping that people could share their sucesses and failures and how they think these happened from previous years experience.

Cheers

 

[doglet]

I've got a couple of rhizomes too first my first attempt. How did everyone prepare the soil and also what sort of trellises did you use?
Cheers

 

[barls]

im in the same boat but am going pots as i rent atm. ive got 1 planter box and 2 big selfwatering pots, but im not sure on the soil is normal potting mix ok

 

[Chris]

Yeah Im going pots too and have potting mix and cow dung, I have read many hop growing guides but they are mainly in the nothern hemisphere and it would be good to hear how Aussie brewers have done it.

Cheers

 

[johnno]

I just chucked mine in the dirt. They are pretty hardy and ususally do quite well.

cheers
johnno

 

[Mr Bond]

Yeah Iv'e got a tetnanger to go in the ground mid August(I'm in Adelaide) just to be sure of no more frosts.

As a horticulturalist I'm just going to apply all the same principles to my hops as any other plant.

I've already dug and prepared the spot,by turning over the soil and conditioning with a 50/50 blend of organic compost and site soil.when planting comes I'm going to add a wizz bang soil conditioner that contains slow release fert, root encouraging hormones, and water holding crystals.
Planting at the base of a lattice screen that faces north west for plenty of sun.
Prolly drill in some eyelets and stretch wires between to train the vines.

My 7 year old is keen,and has decided to photograph each step and to put together a complete photo diary/guide from planting to harvest.This time next year we should have a document put 2gether in MS word that we can email around to any one who is starting out and needs a more localised guide.

Dave

 

[Mr Bond]

im in the same boat but am going pots as i rent atm. ive got 1 planter box and 2 big selfwatering pots, but im not sure on the soil is normal potting mix ok

Potting mix in bags is sometimes dodgy.
Don't buy the super cheap supermarket Kmart/coles type bags.
They tend to contain crappy bark and not much else in the way of moisture retaining sand or loam.

its worth the dollars to get a premium type from a garden centre, or better still aproach a local wholesale nursery who makes their own mix for production and ask if you can purchase a couple of buckets or barter for a couple of HB's.

Liquid fertilise at least once a week in pots as the frequent watering tends to leech through nutrients that would other wise be retained in ground planted one.

 

[barls]

cheers mate i was planning on going to bunnings and spending some serious money on soil i already have the fertiliser as i use the same stuff on my chilli bush

 

[johnno]

Well I'm no gardener and the soil in my front yard where I grew mine is very claylike and they grew fine.

Unless you try to grow them in either clay or sand I dont reckon they would be a problem. As long as they get a lot of sun and water they are happy.

Save your money and buy brew gear.

That is my experience anyway.

cheers
johnno

 

[Mr Bond]

Well I'm no gardener and the soil in my front yard where I grew mine is very claylike and they grew fine.

Unless you try to grow them in either clay or sand I dont reckon they would be a problem. As long as they get a lot of sun and water they are happy.

Save your money and buy brew gear.

That is my experience anyway.

cheers
johnno

Thats correct. They are a hardy weed type plant and related to cannabis.
These type of plants will grow and survive with little attention.
But with a little attention they will thrive and produce a better yield giving you some value for your $$$$$

 

[facter]

....what is a good time to plant in Perth?




Also..none of mine are labelled, and i have three of them...how on earth am I going to know what is what after they are growing? Is anyone good enough to be able to ID them? hahaha

 

[Ash in Perth]

i think around now is the best time to plant them, within the next month or so.

what are the varieties you have? perhaps you could smell the differences. look up hop websites many have photos of the cones which look slightly different for most types.

 

[Mr Bond]

....what is a good time to plant in Perth?




Also..none of mine are labelled, and i have three of them...how on earth am I going to know what is what after they are growing? Is anyone good enough to be able to ID them? hahaha

If you sure that there is no more risk of frost,now would be ok.

As a rule of thumb look to the deciduous trees in your area,if they are starting to bud burst then spring is on its way and its time to plant.

 

[chillamacgilla73]

I had a disasterous hop season last year...My POR "Deebee Strain" and Pride of Pemby(Unknown variety from mate down south - possibly Fuggles) were growing fantastically in soil prepared with compost n sheep poo. Then suddenly, late in the season, mites(Spider mites I believe) munched the life out of my babies.I tried everything to rid the buggers from gentle organic methods(Soap flakes, pyrithium, chilli spray,white oil etc) to nasty chems...The 7ft POR lost it's leaves and shrivelled back to a few small stems about 2 feet tall and the PoP died(RIP)...

I do not have any photos but this season I will keep up the Seasol to maintain plant vigour and perhaps try some mite deterant sprays(Pepper or Chilli) from mid season. I fear once you have mites they are difficult to get rid of them.

 

[Steve]

I had a disasterous hop season last year...My POR "Deebee Strain" and Pride of Pemby(Unknown variety from mate down south - possibly Fuggles) were growing fantastically in soil prepared with compost n sheep poo. Then suddenly, late in the season, mites(Spider mites I believe) munched the life out of my babies.I tried everything to rid the buggers from gentle organic methods(Soap flakes, pyrithium, chilli spray,white oil etc) to nasty chems...The 7ft POR lost it's leaves and shrivelled back to a few small stems about 2 feet tall and the PoP died(RIP)...

I do not have any photos but this season I will keep up the Seasol to maintain plant vigour and perhaps try some mite deterant sprays(Pepper or Chilli) from mid season. I fear once you have mites they are difficult to get rid of them.

you could plant some flowers or tomatoes near your plant. These attract lady bugs/birds that eat mites/aphids and the likes.

 

[Justin]

Pretty much as stated above. They are a hardy plant. Keep the water up to them in a well drained soil and give them a bit of fertilizer every now and then (don't go overboard or you could get root burn).

Good broken down manure is great (no fresh stuff). A sunny location and a string to climb and away you go. When they get going they can grow incredibly quick. My POR would reach 18+ foot each year I'd say with three or four bines.

Also helps to give them a little hug every now and then.

But for more specific info that hasn't been stated, depending on the age and health of your rhizone it will shoot a number of sprouts. In the first year it will likely only be a few but if you get many trim back to the 3 or 4 best shoots and let those ones grow. If your hop is established (ie. a year or two old) you'll get sometimes in the order of 30+ shoots, once again trim them back to 3-4 good ones so that the plant can put it's energy into those bines and thus the energy into making those ones flower.

Don't be afaid to prune back the extra ones, but if you plant is really small and weak go easy as the more leafy vegetation it has equals the more photosynthetic area it has which equals more energy for growth. If it's healthy, then you'd be hard pressed to hurt it with a good prune of the excess bine shoots.

Also, rather than paying the ridiculously expensive $25 for a rhizome, when your plant gets to a decent size trim off a branch of shoot (the ones you pruned at the base are great for this) and stick it in a glass of water. It will shoot roots so stick it in the ground and it will grow. Then give em to your mates

 

[Archie]

Hey all,
I am veryinterested in where to get the starters or seeds that you need to start growing your own hops.

Cheers Archie

 

[Justin]

They are generally aquired by getting a rhizome (a rooty looking thing). Seeds are pretty much a no go as you need a male and female plant etc.

Or cuttings.

Either make friends with someone who has a plant that you can get cuttings off and make offerings of gifts, brewing toys and beer. Or pay for one through one of the home brew shops that sell them each year. They charge like a wounded bull in my opinion at between $25 and $35, so it depends how much you really want one as to whether you think the price is worth it. Same price as a bag of Powells Malt

Few people would ever actually use the hops they produce, keep that in mind when justifying to yourself. But they are fun.

 

[Boots]

In the first year it will likely only be a few but if you get many trim back to the 3 or 4 best shoots and let those ones grow. If your hop is established (ie. a year or two old) you'll get sometimes in the order of 30+ shoots, once again trim them back to 3-4 good ones so that the plant can put it's energy into those bines and thus the energy into making those ones flower.

It's worth having a listen to the Brewing Network Archive that features Ralph Olson from Hop Union. He discussed the fact that commercial hop growers prune back to 3-4 shoots for ease of harvesting only - not for yield. In a homebrew environment he said there is no need to prune back, you still get the same number of cones, and you still get the same amount of growth, it will just be spread out over more bines.

Of course, it may be better for you to do this anyway based on how / where you are growing, and pruning it back to 3-4 certainly isn't a wrong thing to do - just do it for the right reasons.

I will be planting 2 rhizomes this year (my first time) and want to make a bit of shade for the back of the house so will want to run as many shoots as i can. Harvesting won't be a prob in my scenario.

Cheers

 

[Mr Bond]

I had a disasterous hop season last year...My POR "Deebee Strain" and Pride of Pemby(Unknown variety from mate down south - possibly Fuggles) were growing fantastically in soil prepared with compost n sheep poo. Then suddenly, late in the season, mites(Spider mites I believe) munched the life out of my babies.I tried everything to rid the buggers from gentle organic methods(Soap flakes, pyrithium, chilli spray,white oil etc) to nasty chems...The 7ft POR lost it's leaves and shrivelled back to a few small stems about 2 feet tall and the PoP died(RIP)...

I do not have any photos but this season I will keep up the Seasol to maintain plant vigour and perhaps try some mite deterant sprays(Pepper or Chilli) from mid season. I fear once you have mites they are difficult to get rid of them.

If you want to explore the field of IPM(integrated pest management) you can source a predator mite.
We released some last year in The roses on Hutt st in Adelaides west as a trial to see if it was better than chemical sprays.
I'm not sure exactly which company supplied them but I know they were posted from mildura in containers and were hosted on tobacco leaves.We dropped a few leaves in each bed and they seemed to be effective.
The spider mites live on the under side of the leaves and suck the sap out of your plants.Contact type sprays ( chilli/garlic and pyrethrins)are only effective if you spray up under the leaves and make contact with the buggers.Systemic poisons work more effectively as they are taken in by the plant and the insect ingests em and dies.This is ok to do on a cropping type plant for consumption as long as you adhere to the manufacturers reccomendation on with holding periods.
It is very possible that you have another plant in your garden that is host to the mites .It may help to identify it 1st and use the nasty chems to eradicate the larger colony there and do your best with other methods on the hops.