Hop Plantation 2005

[Lukes]

Darkhorse,

I am happy to hear that you Cluster cutting's survived.

Boozy and T.D.

My hops seem to grow alot better straight up 10 foot than trained across.
Again heaps of shoots but not heaps of cones.

Luke

 

[Joel]

Is there a hop growing manual or something? One document detailing basic method, which hops grow best where, drying, etc.

I'd love to give it a go, but we move every few years so I wonder if they can be grown in pots (big pots perhaps).

 

[voota]

Joel, i grew some POR in pots (22L containers). They grew OK, and produced a whole 4 cones in the first year, this was compared to the 300+ cones that I got out of one planted in the ground at the same time.

Here is a photo of part of the one in the ground (1st year)

 

[darkhorse]

Joel,

I have seen a book available on the web... can't remember the details though

I like trial and error... If I get it right too early I'll need to find something else to pursue!!!

 

[johnno]

Here is a picture of my first harvest from the monster weed.

Thats 1065 grams of wet hops in the bucket. I reckon I have at least another bucket to pick if not more.
As for the size of the cones they did vary depending on which part of the plant they grew on. Like I mentioned earlier I let all the shoots grow to see how it would go.
Also, most of mine was grown sideways.

johnno

 

[Guest Lurker]

Well done Johnno thats amazing. Does that include the 100g you used on the pizza?

 

[johnno]

Well done Johnno thats amazing. Does that include the 100g you used on the pizza?

[post="114897"][/post]​

Oh oh..I was hoping no one noticed the hops on the pizza

Its actually quite good tasting. :blink:

Being POR, there is no way I will use them all(I Think) so I have to find other uses for them.

johnno

 

[Ross]

Here is a picture of my first harvest from the monster weed.

Thats 1065 grams of wet hops in the bucket. I reckon I have at least another bucket to pick if not more.
As for the size of the cones they did vary depending on which part of the plant they grew on. Like I mentioned earlier I let all the shoots grow to see how it would go.
Also, most of mine was grown sideways.

johnno

[post="114894"][/post]​

Johnno - I need a direct farm supply - let's start talking numbers

Seriously though - top effort... :beer:

cheers Ross

 

[big d]

bloody hell thats sure some supply you have there johnno.either you have green thumbs or a very fertile area in the right locale.

cheers
big d

 

[Doc]

My God. If only it was a hop you wanted to use lots of

Well done. Want to come and grow my hops for me next year ?

Doc

 

[johnno]

Johnno - I need a direct farm supply - let's start talking numbers

Seriously though - top effort... :beer:

cheers Ross

[post="114899"][/post]​

Ross..there is no way I am going into the hop growing business..too much trouble harvesting the pains. :lol: It took me about an hour and a half to pick that lot.

bloody hell thats sure some supply you have there johnno.either you have green thumbs or a very fertile area in the right locale.

cheers
big d

[post="114903"][/post]​

big d..i just like to think that the things are nutso weeds that love growing in anything.

My God. If only it was a hop you wanted to use lots of

Well done. Want to come and grow my hops for me next year ?

Doc

[post="114910"][/post]​

Too right Doc,
I was thinking before too bad they are not saaz or some other noble. Oh well I did brew with my 14 grams last year and I will bitter with these in my next brew.

I'm sure in a few years we will start to see bigger and bigger harvests from everyone thats growing them.

johnno

 

[Guest Lurker]

Dried weight for mine was about 25% of the green weight. 100 g of dried hops takes up a lot of space, so I grabbed some bits out of the irrigation fittings box and gave them a bit of a squish. A gentle press seems to compact them and get the air out. If you get too enthusiastic you can smell the lupulin being crushed and the precious aroma floating away.

 

[Guest Lurker]

After a gentle squish you can get about 50 g in a sandwich bag.

 

[johnno]

I just picked the rest of the hops on the POR and I must say its been a pain. Took me nearly 3 hours.

Too bad they are not Saaz or something a bit more usefull.

Anyway , I got another 1357 grams of wet hops which brings the total of wet hops up to 2422 grams.

Anyone one in Melbourne want to try some, PM me.

I will be using some for bittering in an American Brown next brew.


johnno

 

[AndrewQLD]

Fantastic effort Johnno, I too went with the POR and a Victoria plant as well, both high AA hops, now I know that I can grow hops up here I will be getting a few low AA rhyzomes of the one variety maybe goldings or something similar so I can use them for flavour and aroma. Wish I had done that to begin with.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Steve]

Fantastic looking hops Johnno! So big and green! Mine were half the size and a lot paler
Well done!
Cheers
Steve

 

[Hopsta]

So now that my hops have been harvested i think i remember reading somewhere that the best thing to do is cut the vines off a few cm from the base and leave the rhizomes to hibernate till next season. Is this correct? And i can supposedly bury the vines to create more rhizomes, correct? :unsure:

 

[dairymaid]

Hi Hopsta, hop harvest has just finished here in NZ all commercially grown vines/bines are cut off 20 to 30cm above the ground - then the flowers are striped off!
To make new plants, you need to dig up the old one, in a few months time, divide/cut it up into straps about 10 to 20 cm long and these will grow into a new plant. you get bigger and better hops off the older plants thou!

 

[Doc]

Did anyone listen to The Brewing Network show this week ? They had the guy from Hop Union on.
He had a few interesting things to say including not needing to cull the number of bines back to 1 or 2. This is done commercially to aid the way they harvest the hops with a picking machine. Not required if growing at home.
So next year I'm going to let mine go crazy.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Steve]

Hopsta, yes trim them back now to about 5cm and let them hibernate under a nice big pile of old leaves. Ive never heard of planting the bines to recreate rhizomes, the only way I know is to dig up the main rhizome and split it like dairymaid says. But then you are going back to first generation rhizome again and wont get as many hops (if you know what I mean)
Doc, first year I trimmed mine back to 2-3 main bines and got 12 gms dry. This year I let it do its own thing - over 10 bines easily and got 500gms. I agree let them go wild.
Cheers
Steve