Show us ya HOPS!!!

[Bob Brewster]

I dug mine up and split them last season, as well as building a basic arbor (only 3 m high) so that my partner had something nicer to look at

I think they’re going ok for what is essentially their first season.

Colombus and chinook.

View attachment 123177

Here is a comprehensive guide from the NSW Department of Primary Industry.

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/712717/hops-guide-for-new-growers.pdf

Thanks

 

[feboy]

@Grok - Great thread, nice to see a few other hop yards! Especially notes on productivity vs variety vs latitude. I‘ve got two beds S34.851. Chinook by the compost bays and Cascade in front of the front bedroom window.
Chinook has gone great from the first season (thanks go to Dr Smurto for the rhizomes - I swear I bought them on this forum). Recon the position is perfect - lots of nutrients and water from both my irrigation and the neighbours. Been getting well over half a kg dried without trying but they really don’t have a high level of lupulin and definitely don’t go close to pellet Chinook.They also get a bit of wind/salt burn with dry tips on the cones and a bit of shredded leaves in the nor’easter.
The Cascade on the other hand are bang on for “hoppiness“ but don’t produce as well and this season is pretty poor. Recon it comes down to water and food.
Been using them in kombucha for years and dry hopping FWK. Started all grain last year and used the Cascade for bittering - turned out pretty good. I’ll be trying the Chinook in a brew at harvest next month and deciding if I pull them and replace with something else.

 

[Grok]

You might be giving them to much nitrogen for too long, its really only needed in quantity during the climbing phase, once the the flowers start to form on the laterals, back off the food, other wise the plant produces more leaf growth rather than prioritising making flowers before the end of its natural cycle. You want it to think "go to seed before the season ends" so it switches to "make flowers before the end of season" mode.

 

[feboy]

You might be giving them to much nitrogen for too long, its really only needed in quantity during the climbing phase, once the the flowers start to form on the laterals, back off the food, other wise the plant produces more leaf growth rather than prioritising making flowers before the end of its natural cycle. You want it to think "go to seed before the season ends" so it switches to "make flowers before the end of season" mode.

I’ll have a look at feeding next season. I have tended to just heap chook poo on the bed during winter and do nothing else. I think the bore pump was playing up for a while in December when I wasn’t round. Doesn’t get rain under the eaves so I was thinking that was the cause of small Cascade yield this year. And I’ll read that DPI booklet you posted!

 

[AHB_Admin]

Those are really nice looking hops. They look so healthy and seem to grow up anything.

 

[matt77]

One pot of chinook going strong 3rd year. I'll have another pot going next year and probably need to repot this one before it gets overcrowded.

 

[Grok]

Be careful that little pot doesn't get to hot and cook your hop plant and make sure they don't run out of water..as mine did over the weekend and damn near ruined my crop.
The mongrel water tap timer battery went flat and I didn't notice it, and of course its in the middle of a hot dry spell in Perth, nearly a disaster!

Luckily they were close to harvest anyway and they didn't all dry out completely, so I harvested a heap immediately and will do the rest in the following week as the plants have regained their moisture again...phew.... a close call.

Hops need lotsa water when there full of flowers!

 

[matt77]

Be careful that little pot doesn't get to hot and cook your hop plant and make .......

Yes , thank god for timers and damm them when they go.
Gets enough, twice a day, to run out the bottom and i hand water (4-5 litres) with fruit & flower fert every other day.
The pot gets shade from gum tree in afternoon and those pavers take the bit of direct light that creeps, under the tree before sunset.
I knew they liked lots of water when growing, didn't realise it was even more when flowering

 

[Grok]

All plants transpire water vapour to the air, so when the hop plant gets laden with flowers and they start to puff up, then the surface area and air flow of the Bract (Sheaves) is greatly increased thereby transpiring more water to the air, and hop plants are definitely not drought resistant.

 

[sprazza]

Harvest has begun! First up is the colombus and let me tell you, it smells amazing! About to go into the dehydrator.