Death to hops...
 

I wacked them with the weed eater yesterday. I dont have a temper...just the opposite in fact... but when I realized I hit my Stirlings with my Craftsman 27cc 2-Cycle Full Crank Brushcutter Combo Weedwacker® Gas Trimmer I was enraged...

They were first year Stirlings that were over 9' tall and were going to produce cones this year!

Time, sweat, (and now tears), money, back pain, soil samples, fertilizer have all gone to waste...

It cut all the vines but one so I still have some chance at a cone or two this year but its not looking good...

I just had to vent....

What a shame! Poor fella!

:eek: Condolences, sir.

:(

have a home brew?

This is tragic...sorry for your loss.

Might want to pull weeds by hand in the future. They won't come back as fast that way. That really sucks though.

Yah, I rushed planting and didnt prepare the area well enough.. Im going to dig them up later and replant in a better prepared bed so I can avoid this situation...or maybe just a big pot...I have not figured out which one...

Thanks for the support..SWMBO did not understand why it was worth throwing the weedeater across the yard discus style....that took some expalining... ;)

If possible, guard them with a rock/Brick/wire fence/etc. boarder. Inside the boarder is hand pull only. You can weed whack like crazy on the outside of the boarder.

Sorry to hear about your bad fortune.

OUCH.

Time for another and another and another beer.

I bet they come back either before the end of your season or next year.

I really doubt all is lost.

If it helps, in early spring I cut back several times intentionally. Have been doing that for years. This year I added the use of a weed burner to the mix and only 4 of 13 have emerged since then. That was April!

I often ponder, "did I hold the burner too long" but, in reality I only passed it across the cut ends to cotterize them.

It befuddles the mind but, I will leave them be untill this fall when it's time to root prune. Then I'll know if I have to replace crowns next spring or not.