Different Cones???

**2BeerSpeer** · 11-15-2011, 11:02 AM

I'm new to growing and was wondering if the different hop plants produce different looking cones? Just wondering so it may help me decide which plants to put beside each other to save any confusion at harvest!

I have 1 each ..
Cascade
Columbus
Centennial
Chinook
Mt Hood
Nugget
Magnum

Any suggestions on who to place beside who? They will each be running a rope on the posts of my deck with the possibility of climbing 25+ feet.....

jfrank85 · 11-15-2011, 04:14 PM

Really little to no difference between most hops. Some have smaller cones but its almost impossible imo to determine which is which. Many, including myself, underestimate the rapid growth that hops can have. Honestly in a few short years you wont know which is which.

**BBL_Brewer** · 11-15-2011, 04:41 PM

You might have trouble telling the difference by looking at cones at first, but you can always tell by smell. It's a good idea to keep them as far apart as possible though. After a few years of growing, I can generally tell by sight which is which if they tangle up a little, but sometimes I have to smell the cones as I pick them and make sure I'm not mixing them up. I would recommend putting like hops next to each other. For instance put your cascade next to your centennial. That way if you mix them up a little it really won't hurt your recipes any because they are substitutes of each other.

solbes · 11-15-2011, 04:45 PM

Give them plenty of space if you have that many varieties. I went alphabetical order so I wouldn't forget. Just have to remember which side to start with after the haze of a fading alcoholic Mn winter. Mmmm, better write it down.

**Retrofit** · 11-15-2011, 06:54 PM

Write down in a place you won't forget. I put mine in order according to alpha, but some have close or over lapping ranges. My first year I could remember if it was cascade then sterling, or the other way. Smell clarified that. I have a picture with notes and I also use markers.

**2BeerSpeer** · 11-15-2011, 07:43 PM

Thanks for all the replies, I will have each plant 8 or more feet apart and was more concerned about the cones getting mixed up during the harvest but I guess it won't be that much of an issue if I'm just picking 1 plant at a time.

**Randar** · 11-15-2011, 08:06 PM

Pictures, notes (several diagrams/notes and kept in different locations just in case)...

Once you are confused, there is really no way to differentiate and tell by taxonomy alone.