Moving hops from a pot to the ground

[Straya]

Hello, I'm new to growing hops and just wanted to know if for a while I were to plant my rhizomes in large pots. At a later date say in 12 months would I be able to transfer them to the ground when they're a bit more established so I can allow myself 6-12 months to properly set up a good area for them?

Cheers

 

[Curly79]

Sure can mate. You will probably get a small yield of flowers this coming summer from the pot. Then around this time next year transfer them to the ground

 

[Pogierob]

I have grown in pots for the last two years. I would strongly recommend you plant in the ground as soon as possible. The rhyzome will grow enthusiastically and the pots will ultimately slow that down.
If you intend to stay in pots, get the biggest one you can (wine barrels are my suggestion), fill it with quality soil. Fertilise regularly during growing season.

 

[hoppy2B]

Hi Straya,

If you have a lot of rhizomes just put 6 to 8 in one hole and then next year dig them up and move them around if you want to put them somewhere else. There is nothing to stop you getting a good yield this year if you are growing Victoria and Cascade - the two highest yielding varieties.

It doesn't matter if you have them in pots or the ground, you will still need a trellis for them. Planting them in pots creates a lot more work because you need to fill the pots with soil etc.

Make sure you give them plenty of water.

 

[Straya]

Thanks heaps guys. Has anyone got any suggestions for cheapish pots? I've been looking at 420mm plastic pots from bunnings which are $9 each which i'm happy to fork out for and buy a fair few but if there's any cheaper options out there i'd be all ears? I've also found this pot http://www.kmart.com.au/product/gardeners-choice-plastic-plant-pot---square-27cm/137801 which is 27cm in height, do you think that would be sufficient for 1 rhizome? I will just buy 20 of them and plant them all?

If i plant the rhizomes all in one large pot will the rhizomes that I plant be easy to extract next year? For example the rhizome that is placed now do i just mark where i plant that and i'll aim to remove it next year? Would it be safe to put 4-8 rhizomes evenly spaced out in a 20" diameter pot? When i get this all sorted I may make a pictorial guide to how I do it and hopefully may help some people in the future.

Thanks so much guys

 

[Straya]

Been doing some looking and seen 'planter bags' and those bags they use at nurseries. Going to see if I can source some from landscape suppliers, if i can then i rekon it would be great, once they grow a bit i'll just place them in a hole in the ground and cut the bag off and we're set

 

[hoppy2B]

Hi Straya,

You only want to put one in a pot normally. Maybe with half a wine barrel you could put in 3 or 4. Hops grow to a fair size.

I have grown in 20 litre poly bags before and that went ok but they were a small variety. I still prefer growing them in the ground. Growing them in the ground is much easier and cheaper and they yield better also.

You can bury some bine the first season and it will turn into rhizome which can be cut off to use to increase your plantation in the second year rather than digging up your first year crowns. It is usually better to leave them in the ground for at least 2 years if you want large crowns to cut up and divide.

One other reason for planting multiple rhizomes in one hole is that each hop mound should put up more shoots at the same time in later years than would be the case if only one rhizome was planted per mound. Which is to say that once your hops have been in the ground for say 5 years, the mounds that were planted with multiple rhizomes should still outperform the single rhizome mounds. The reason is technical and has to do with competition between plants.

 

[Straya]

Thanks Hoppy, i'm going out in a couple hours to go and get the biggest and as many pots as i can so i can have them all in a single pot. I'll then place them in a sunny spot and attach some twine to the top of my roof for them to grow up. I'm hoping that will get me by for the time being whilst i sort out permanent residencies for them

 

[Yob]

Mardoo had some great plants this last season in cut up 200l barrels, when we say big pots, we mean BIG pots, they will use as much space a you give them

 

[Straya]

I've found a part of the garden that has decent sunlight and is under the awning so i'll be able to attach twine easily. Just going to wait for the roots to take off a bit before i transplant to the ground.

 

[Mardoo]

May I suggest something like this:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/whites-outdoor-50m-soft-flexi-plant-tie_p3320936

Twine often rots and I used this stuff this year and had zero issues with it. Great stuff! And yes, if going with pots or grow bags I'd say 100l or up. They like to have room to stretch. I just used 220l barrels cut in half with a reciprocating saw. Dead ugly though!

 

[Straya]

Is that stuff coarse-ish enough for the plant to hold onto mate? I'll definitely give it a go thanks mate appreciate it

 

[drsmurto]

You can plant rhizomes in the ground rather than wait a year. It's the way I've expanding my hop plant population and also checked that i was selling viable rhizomes. Planting in pots then re-planting them in the ground the following year is only creating work for yourself.

 

[takai]

I try not to move my hops from the pot to the ground, they work far better in the kettle than underfoot.

 

[hoppy2B]

http://www.kmart.com.au/product/gardeners-choice-plastic-plant-pot---square-27cm/137801

Thanks so much guys

That is a pretty good looking pot actually. At $2.50 I might get a couple. Its a bit small for hops but would be good for growing flowers in etc.

The 50cm black round pots would be the minimum size I would recommend growing hops in. As has been mentioned before, putting them in the ground is the best option.

 

[Mardoo]

Is that stuff coarse-ish enough for the plant to hold onto mate? I'll definitely give it a go thanks mate appreciate it

Yep. I was a bit skeptical myself but it's soft enough that as the bines twine around it they begin to deform it so the spirals co-join. I had zero problems with bines falling, out of about 50 bines.

And as The Good Doctor mentioned, if you can put them in the ground absolutely do that. There's no reason to go for pots unless you absolutely have to, as in my case where I'm renting on a one-year lease. That's the sole reason mine are in pots.

Just be sure your ground allows good drainage. You'll hear it a thousand times, "Hops don't like wet feet." If you don't have good drainage, i.e. shallow topsoil with a clay underlay, look into mound growing techniques. I haven't done it myself so can't help if that's the case, but there's plenty online.