Hops outside the growing zone.

[CheekyPanda]

I've just moved to the upper hunter and have access to a few acres of river flats and an irrigation licence. I'm aware we are above the desired latitude but was wondering if anyone had any experience growing hops around this area. I have heard that the guys at Murrays tried but said the odd hot day really knocked them over.
As a keen brewer I'd like to put some hops on the flats instead of just feeding the sheep/alpacas.
Does anyone have some suggestions on what I could do or specific varieties that may go ok in an area that may not get the daylight hours.
Just looking to get an idea before I put in some poles etc..

 

[BottloBill]

Between 6 and 8 hours of direct sun a day and most probably less water than you have access to

 

[Yob]

There are a few people to talk to here, send Belgravebrewer a pm on set ups..

If you have access to good water, you're in a good place, they'll do fine of you can keep up the water to them...

Aus chinook, Columbus, Victoria...

If icon ever get my male I'm after, a breeding program is on the cards.. That shit really excites me big time..

 

[CheekyPanda]

Thanks for the response, where are you located BottloBill?

Thanks for the tip Yob. I had a look at the website, looks good. Do you ever deal in rhizomes?

 

[BottloBill]

Thanks for the response, where are you located BottloBill?

Thanks for the tip Yob. I had a look at the website, looks good. Do you ever deal in rhizomes?

Hey Cheeky!

I'm located in the Newcastle area for reference.
+1 to what Yob has stated and there is plenty of decent varieties that will grow well in the upper Hunter.

 

[Bribie G]

Ages ago I read that hops struggle once you get North of Port Macquarie and of course are ideally suited to Victoria and Tasmania, but you're well South of the line there and out of the Sub Tropical Zone.

 

[Yob]

Thanks for the response, where are you located BottloBill?

Thanks for the tip Yob. I had a look at the website, looks good. Do you ever deal in rhizomes?

I'll be improving my beds this year so it's likely I'll have a bunch mid winter

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

You will find they will grow fine, but the flowering crop will be reduced

 

[CheekyPanda]

You will find they will grow fine, but the flowering crop will be reduced

Do you have any idea by how much the crop would be reduced? 10-20-50 percent?

I'll be improving my beds this year so it's likely I'll have a bunch mid winter

Keep us posted Yob, will you be selling through your site?

 

[Yob]

Dunno mate, I'll need to look at it as I dig them up, I can't really commit until I see them

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Do you have any idea by how much the crop would be reduced? 10-20-50 percent?

No, I cant find any crop figures ( mainly because since they are not grown so far north/south there are no figures ) but it would be interesting to find out just have much latitude affects cropping

In some places they actually use hydroponics lights to simulate extra twilight hrs

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

Hi CheekyPanda,

There's a hop grower in the Blue Mountains who gets a decent enough crop, so you should be fine. You may not get the highest yield up there, but you'll still get a crop. You can always grow a few to see and then expand the next year. We had a hot and dry summer here in Victoria and I still got a decent crop. Some homebrewers are growing in Queensland.

I've put up heaps of photos of my hop field from construction to first years crop here: https://www.facebook.com/yellingbobrewing/

Let me know if you have questions.

Cheers,
BB

 

[perko8]

I got 60gm dry off a first year cascade in Dalby Qld (hour west of Toowoomba) pretty happy with that, so I'd say have a go wherever you are. Just had to keep the water up to them, and protected from western sun by the next door naighbours garage.

 

[CheekyPanda]

Cheers for all the advice.

I guess it's a case of start small, test out a few varieties, see what works and go from there.

 

[dblunn]

Dr Smurto (of golden ale fame) usually sells Victoria Rhizomes, a very nice dual purpose hop.
Dave

 

[Stu Brew]

Upper hunter should be fine. I know a guy up there that supplies a fair whack to 4 Pines that he grows on his acerage. You'll have a fair bit of trouble sourcing rhizomes and I would actually recommend doing a pilot season with about 20-30 just to get your bearing and not spend a fortune on outlay for your first season! The conditions are correct for growth but your daylight hours are lacking a little over further south. So just be aware you probably wont get things growing passed 5m with the amount of sun they get before solstice. Which in a way can be easier for a grower in terms of setting up lower trellis rather than huge high trellis.

 

[A.B.]

I tried growing my own just outside Canberra. For 4 years I had healthy growth from 6 plants, but zero flowers. They are now all in the compost.

 

[Stu Brew]

I tried growing my own just outside Canberra. For 4 years I had healthy growth from 6 plants, but zero flowers. They are now all in the compost.

Id say vast lack of nitrogen.......hops cones are 50% nitrogen by weight when harvested. There is a specific time to add nitrogen too to get big cones out!

Canberra is actually below the 35th so technically they should grow well there...some of the stock floating around is pretty rubbish too....

 

[A.B.]

Id say vast lack of nitrogen.......hops cones are 50% nitrogen by weight when harvested. There is a specific time to add nitrogen too to get big cones out!

Canberra is actually below the 35th so technically they should grow well there...some of the stock floating around is pretty rubbish too....

yeah maybe I jumped the gun in ripping them out. Looks like they ramp up their N intake frojm early Summer ( at least this article suggests so: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/20648/fg79-e.pdf)...

I really had no idea what type the hops were anyway, as they were donated by a mate who had lost track of what was what in his garden !

 

[CheekyPanda]

Upper hunter should be fine. I know a guy up there that supplies a fair whack to 4 Pines that he grows on his acerage. You'll have a fair bit of trouble sourcing rhizomes and I would actually recommend doing a pilot season with about 20-30 just to get your bearing and not spend a fortune on outlay for your first season! The conditions are correct for growth but your daylight hours are lacking a little over further south. So just be aware you probably wont get things growing passed 5m with the amount of sun they get before solstice. Which in a way can be easier for a grower in terms of setting up lower trellis rather than huge high trellis.

Cheers for the advice Stu Brew.

Yeah the plan is to start with only 2, maybe 3 varieties and do a pilot test.

I'd love to visit an active grower in the region and get a gander at the setup if anyone knows of anywhere close by.