Hops Rhizome planting

[Straya]

Hey guys just thought i'd share how I went about planting my rhizomes and see if there's any recommendations or alterations for next time. Hopefully this may help some new hop growers in the future. Firstly I bought 300mm and 400mm pots. Mainly 300mm because they were $5 each and the 400mm ones were $10.







I then placed my hand in the centre and made a gap deep enough for the entire rhizome to be entirely submerged. I made sure the end with the most buds was pointing upwards as I vertically placed the rhizome in the pot.

 

[Straya]

I then gently filled in the hole with the soil that i'd moved to the side so the rhizome was now covered almost completely.



I then proceeded to put 1-2 inches of soil on top of the rhizome and placed a little bamboo stake in the back until my trellis are constructed in the coming weeks.



The pots were then placed in the sunniest place on my property and are being watered daily.






Now to be patient. Cheers guys :beerbang:

 

[yum beer]

I think someone has forgotten about winter, snow, ice and ****.
Don't water every day or your going to rot your rhizome away.
Should be fine to leave over winter and only water lightly if the soil starts drying out.

Loving the level of keen.

 

[Straya]

No snow where I am mate, the odd frost but from what I've read they should be right. But yeah am super keen, just didn't want to keep them in the fridge for 3 months

 

[yum beer]

Just be careful with the watering, Ive lost at least 2 rhizomes every year to rot.
I keep the rhizomes in a spare vege bed over winter and transplant once they show some spring growth.

 

[Straya]

Awesome yum i appreciate the help

I'll keep to every 3 days or so for watering, maybe even longer given the season.

 

[Judanero]

Damp AT BEST. Water regularly at your own peril until they're about a metre high, yum gives good advice. Reason for keeping them moist in the fridge is to minimise the risk of rot over winter.

If you are going in pots, the bigger the better.. you have three months or so to get them sorted (trawl gumtree for free stuff) and you'll be laughing.

Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes (wine barrels or even wheelie bins-half or full with lots of drilled holes are ideal).

 

[Straya]

Cheers Juda, I've got half barrels and the drums saved in the alerts section to notify me when they come up. I'll definitely be getting some large barrels for them before summer. Damp at best, sounds good that's what i'll aim for

 

[Judanero]

I picked up 200L plastic drums for $10 each from Somersby, admittedly used to recycle water for chilling wort but work just as well for a pot.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kellyville-ridge/other-home-garden/heavey-duty-plastic-205lt-bung-drums/1050900963

something like this is a bit out of your way but worth the effort... hop bines require minimal effort for a decent return.

 

[Mardoo]

Agree with Judanero et al about the minimal watering over winter. I haven't had to water at all over winter. The rhizome is dormant in winter and is surviving mostly off stored energy from the last season. It doesn't need much water at all. I water once a week once they start to show. Then once they start to stretch - as in "**** me that grew half a meter yesterday" - water every couple days. When all the stretched runners begin leafing out heavily - as in when they're about 2 meters long give or take - I then put them on a very low soaker hose for 6-12 hours a day. In the high heat season that hose may stay on 24-7, very low though so the soil just stays moist.

Think of it this way, roughly: these are riverine plants that developed in river bottom areas. Relatively dry during winter, occasional flooding during spring, regular dampness over summer, less moisture in late summer, drying out in autumn. That's the usual cycle of moisture in river bottom land in the climates these probably developed in. That's what I've based my watering cycles on and it's worked well. I do wonder about water restriction and flavour development, but that's a whole 'nother story.

 

[BlueMutt]

I've grown my hops in mini wheelie bins for the last two seasons, when they're done I chop them off and close the lids for winter.
Last year they opened the lids with new growth by mid September and that was at 1500mtrs elevation in the snow!

 

[Mardoo]

Great idea Blue Mutt!

 

[hoppy2B]

Established hop plants in the ground don't normally need watering over winter. An exception would be in areas that are dry at this time of year. It is a good idea to keep the area around hop plants clear of weeds so that rainfall penetrates the ground and the hops have high soil moisture levels going into spring. This will give your hops a good foundation on which they can put out strong growth.

Building on what others have said. It is probably a good idea not to plant rhizomes more than an inch deep in a horizontal position so that they can put up as many shoots as possible with the least amount of effort. Soil should be loose and airy and firmed down lightly after planting. The rhizome should be kept moist, and that may mean a light watering once or twice a week if the weather is warm and sunny. I think it is best to leave uncovered any shoots that appear on the surface. Most of Australia is fairly warm and hops don't become as dormant here as they do in colder countries. Covering the young shoots means the young rhizome needs to struggle to reach the surface again.

Very small rhizomes tend to have a high failure rate. Survival rate varies but I did manage about 2/3 when I planted single node sections of 1 variety into nursery bags several years ago. I planted about 60 if I recall correctly.

Nowadays I recommend planting a bunch of rhizomes into the ground, and only putting small bits of rhizome into pots and keeping these on a warm porch.