'tipping' Hop Bines

[eric8]

View attachment 30340


Chopped it!

So you open up the tip and snip out some of whats in there? How much? Anything in particular?

 

[Kodos]

For what it's worth I'm not going to tip mine this year.

I've tipped my plants for several years thinking that was the way to go, and had either no or mininal cone production. I did it because that's what some of the original material I read on hop growing suggested - including that the majority of cone production occurred on the latteral growth. My reading since suggests the bulk of production occurs on the tallest part of the plant so I'll be doing everything I can to get the buggers as tall as possible (along with a better soil/watering strategy).

I also used to cut back all but one bine. I'll let four or more go this time (I think it'll be good insurance incase one bine gets damaged and stops growing - as has happened with my plants in the past)

If I don't get anything this year I'll rip the buggers out and start again!!

Good luck with your plants.

 

[~MikE]

that's what i thought, hop cones on laterals on the tallest parts of the bine. i may top mine but it would only be if growth were slowing and the cones were developing.

 

[Bongchitis]

So you open up the tip and snip out some of whats in there? How much? Anything in particular?

Yeah just pull aside the leaves at the tip and cut the main stem as close to the end as possible without mangling what remains.

 

[Bongchitis]

For what it's worth I'm not going to tip mine this year.

I've tipped my plants for several years thinking that was the way to go, and had either no or mininal cone production. I did it because that's what some of the original material I read on hop growing suggested - including that the majority of cone production occurred on the latteral growth. My reading since suggests the bulk of production occurs on the tallest part of the plant so I'll be doing everything I can to get the buggers as tall as possible (along with a better soil/watering strategy).

I also used to cut back all but one bine. I'll let four or more go this time (I think it'll be good insurance incase one bine gets damaged and stops growing - as has happened with my plants in the past)

If I don't get anything this year I'll rip the buggers out and start again!!

Good luck with your plants.

That's what I am afraid of, stressing the plant to the point of not flowering. I think flowering is triggered by maturity/day length/temp etc not nessearilly height, it is just a coincidence that a mature plant at the end of vegetative growth with laterals starting to develop... is tall! I am hoping that instead of say 3 bines 30ft tall, I get maybe 12 bines, slightly less vigorous and less advanced (medium sized cones but heaps of them) but at a height of 6-8ft when triggered to flower... I'm still going to have 'The tallest part of the plant' but it is going to be hopefully half as tall as a bine that is untipped and there are going to be 12 of them instead.

All this is pure speculation on my part having never grown hops before. I reckon we will find out one way or the other though. You are in Canberra hey?
I have heard that certain varieties just grow shit in certain areas. What are your grow particulars? Pot size, fertiliser regime, Water regime, Exposure to sun etc. Barls here might be able to help you out a bit better than what I can.

 

[matti]

I am not expert and have forgotten most what I've read about hops more then that they enjoy long hour of sunlight and good nutritious soil.
I envy you growers.

On the hops I recall seeing growing on a family friend summer home back in Suedois the hops were massive and and grew from 1 meter to 2.5 meters and the stems at the bottom was bare.

If if find a photograph I'll post it it was awesome :icon_drool2:

 

[tumi2]

http://journals.uzpi.cz/uniqueFiles/02771.pdf

... Interesting article and seems to debunk a few tried and 'true' hop growing theories such as only leave 3 bines to grow etc.

Pruning early mid and late season and effects to yield and AA%... just skimmed it and need to reread to deduce what is meant by 'pruning' exactly. I believe these are ground grown aswell but still relevant.

It also advocates the growth of up to 3 bine up the 1 pole for compactness and yield. They are a comparitively sparce plant with long internodal length so this makes sense.

It seems the more I look the more people state that the laterals are where the bulk of the flowers come from thus in my mind more laterals mean more flowers and this fits with my previous experience with tipping plants. Tip early... Laterals grow/mature themselves becoming growth tips...Produce more laterals... More flowers. This is limited of course by root size, health of plant etc. No point tipping a spindly sick plant and stressing it further.

bb: It would be good to compare the 2 Hallertau side by side. 1 tipped, 1 not. I await the results.

Thylacine: Adjustable trellis... Nice to keep the height down, nice links. Thanks

I am going to search further but I will just bite the bullet and do it. I have no experience with this plant and no standard to compare to but will continue regardless and post results here and hopefully bods will do the same. Anyone else willing to take a chance is more than welcome to post resuts here also.

Anecdotal evidence is just evidence without a large data set and critical assesment and will be good enough for me if a few of us get similar results compared to expectation... one way or the other.

Thanks so far guys, keep the ideas coming.

Cheers

Well i have tipped my POR that i dug out from below of a raodside telephone poll in the Derwent Valley in Tassie. I accidently broke the tip last weekend trying to wind it through a trelis. I must say that it has not grown at all this week.!!! I have been closely looking at the lateral growth and am hoping it starts to grow.

In August i dug this plant from the ground. Bought it back to Sydney and planted it in a pot. it is now more than 1 meter high. Not sure how it wil go given the different climate it is now exposed to.

 

[Kodos]

That's what I am afraid of, stressing the plant to the point of not flowering.

~snip~
What are your grow particulars? Pot size, fertiliser regime, Water regime, Exposure to sun etc. Barls here might be able to help you out a bit better than what I can.

If anyone has some tips I'm all ears (eyes?) I just don't want to be seen as hijacking a thread (been lurking a while but not many posts, have read enough to learn inappropriate posting gets put in its place quickly!)

The basic stats are: 1) two plants, hallertau and elsasser (not what I ordered, but sounded interesting)
2) planted in the ground, 30cm of quality soil over pure Canberra clay (already have plans in place to improve this for upcoming season)
3) planted at back of vegetable patch, facing North-West. plenty of sun.
4) had them in this location 3 years now, (had them in pots elsewhere a couple more years previously) got dozen cones on elsasser after year one in current location, maybe half that last year. Never had cones on hallertau.
5) they grow up 2.4m pieces of dowel, held in place between tall star pickets, with twine to support laterals. I've previously let them grow to just above top of dowel, then pinched out tip.
6) watering/feeding regime were inconsistent and admittedly sub-standard last year - I have a (full) water tank now so will give them a lot more this year.

This year I'll get taller posts, and run them up the dowel to about 5ft, then across cable/rope/twine to much taller poles (3.5m-4m). All of the cone growth on the elsasser was on the main vertical, right at the tip - so I'll let it decided when it wants to stop growing up and go from there.

 

[kabooby]

Unless you have a dwarf variety, hops generaly don't form under 5ft. This is measured from the base of the plant, not the ground. So if you have them in pots you need to allow for this. Some varieties yield better than others.

Kabooby

 

[Bongchitis]

Hahaha yeah I know. I have always found that to be an amusing thing, especially when on topic :blink: ... consider yourself reprimanded h34r:

If anyone has some tips I'm all ears (eyes?) I just don't want to be seen as hijacking a thread (been lurking a while but not many posts, have read enough to learn inappropriate posting gets put in its place quickly!)

It's funny you got cones on the elasser 1st year then a diminished yield. You say 30cm of good soil on clay... hops are supposed to have massive roots and perhaps they just ran out of root space. I know they don't like wet feet also, the clay won't help on either count. You haven't mentioned fertiliser either and alot of the information out there pretty much says 'They are a weed' and don't need looking after. Any plant you want to grow and harvest will do well with a robust water and fertiliser regime. My cacti can survive on nothing but... give them the appropriate water and fertiliser they go nuts, growing huge amounts and throwing flowers out everywhere. Australian natives are the same, a common misconception is to leave them alone but if you want a good plant it couldn't be further from the truth.

Higher Nitrogen for vegetative growth and Higher Pottasium for flowering at regular intervals.

That is about all I can add that may be pertinant to your hops. When it comes to plants you reap what you sow.... yeah I know, bad pun.

 

[Renegade]

nice trich

 

[tumi2]

well i have 2 hops plant in 2 pots exactly the same size and will be in exactly the same place receiving the same sun.

1) POR that i dug up from Tassie and bought back to sydney as per previous post in this thread.
2) Chinook that i bought from someone in this site

I planted the POR about 2 months ago. Now about 1.2 meters high. I accidently knocked the entire tip of the plant of last weekend.

The Chinook is about 30 cm high and was planted about 6 weeks ago. I dont intent to tip this one.

So i have a comparison between tip and not tipped although the types of plants is different most other things are the same.
I have 2 shoots on each plant, one significantly bigger that the other.
I will take photos and post the progress.

The POR growth seems to have halted since i tipped. Lateral dos not seem to be getting bigger either. the Chinook is growing noticably daily.

 

[Bongchitis]

Back from a few weeks hollidays and it is as if both varieties have stalled, both tipped and untipped bines have just stopped! We have had a couple of cold nights and have heard it knocks them around. It's funny how they were very vigorous for 2 weeks then nil for a month.

Will post pics when they get their groove back.

 

[tumi2]

Back from a few weeks hollidays and it is as if both varieties have stalled, both tipped and untipped bines have just stopped! We have had a couple of cold nights and have heard it knocks them around. It's funny how they were very vigorous for 2 weeks then nil for a month.

Will post pics when they get their groove back.

both mine have stalled also. They are now both tipped because i accidently broke the tip from my Chinook and had already done that on the POR. Since breaking the tips both the POR and CHinook have completely stalled and look like they are going to die. They both have some small lateral shoots that are a nice green color but really dont look like they are going to get any bigger.

The leave are gradually going brown and are drying up so i have removed them in hope that this will trigger the small fresh lateral growth. Im not hopeful though and cant see these plants getting a single hops bud.

They were both growing really well before i broke the tips off.

 

[beerDingo]

I grew some hops last year from cuttings, and did not get a single hop cone. I am hoping that the root system is large enough now to give me some hops! Last year they got to almost 2 meters high, whereas one of them is already 1-1.5 meters high now!

Hey Bongchitis, careful what you talk about growing on this forum. The cousins of hops and some of those Succulents your talking about might go against Dane's posting rules h34r: . Found they can be pretty anl when talking about modified kegs and such...

 

[Bongchitis]

I grew some hops last year from cuttings, and did not get a single hop cone. I am hoping that the root system is large enough now to give me some hops! Last year they got to almost 2 meters high, whereas one of them is already 1-1.5 meters high now!

Hey Bongchitis, careful what you talk about growing on this forum. The cousins of hops and some of those Succulents your talking about might go against Dane's posting rules h34r: . Found they can be pretty anl when talking about modified kegs and such...

Yeah mate, I see where you are coming from but I never once said I grew hops cousin... I am just stating various growth strategies and am experienced with growing a wide variety of plants, just not hops!

I don't understand the reference to the succulents though. 1 pic of a grafted cacti could hardly be cause for concern, they aren't illegal or offensive unless you put a spine straight through your finger like I did 2 days ago.

 

[Bongchitis]

both mine have stalled also. They are now both tipped because i accidently broke the tip from my Chinook and had already done that on the POR. Since breaking the tips both the POR and CHinook have completely stalled and look like they are going to die. They both have some small lateral shoots that are a nice green color but really dont look like they are going to get any bigger.

The leave are gradually going brown and are drying up so i have removed them in hope that this will trigger the small fresh lateral growth. Im not hopeful though and cant see these plants getting a single hops bud.

They were both growing really well before i broke the tips off.

Sounds like Sydney weather is not being kind to our hops. Anyone else from Sydney who has had their hops stall and hasn't tipped them? I am still holding onto the hope that the tipping will work and don't really want to think that I have butchered my plants... yet.

 

[Mantis]

I havent tipped mine but have pruned off maybe 10 shoots at ground level and let 5 grow. My chinook is in its second year and really wants to put out this year by the looks.
We have had cold weather here as well and my plant is growing steadily.
My other first year chinook has shot but stalled at a few inches.

 

[beerDingo]

Yeah mate, I see where you are coming from but I never once said I grew hops cousin... I am just stating various growth strategies and am experienced with growing a wide variety of plants, just not hops!

I don't understand the reference to the succulents though. 1 pic of a grafted cacti could hardly be cause for concern, they aren't illegal or offensive unless you put a spine straight through your finger like I did 2 days ago.

Yeah sorry, I was just highlighting how anl people can be around here, by being that! So my tongue was in my cheek! Have you noticed the bickering on a certain hop bulk buy thread? And I've seen a cacti that looks similar, that is illegal. Sorry mate! I don't really care, but the forum nazi's can pop their heads up. Just a heads up...

It will be interesting to see how they go after tipping. I wouldn't have tried it as last year, any bine that got broken or chopped, it did not grow again.

Hope it works out!

 

[drsmurto]

I accidentally 'tipped' one of the goldings bines a week ago and as in the past, a new tip has appeared next to the original and its heading in the same direction as the original.

In the past whenever this has occurred the growth of the bines has stalled till to the new tip takes off but i never see any increased sideways growth.

To be honest, i think if you tip you will see a huge reduction in cone formation. Most of the cones seem to form on the side runners that come off the bines. Reduce the height of the bines and you reduce the number of side runners and therefore the number of cones.

Thats just my 2 c.