TheBreweryUnderground

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FYI I've had no response from Northwest Hops but I'm looking into Greatlakes Hops, they don't do rhizomes but starters and crowns which are more reliable and don't require double planting to get more yield the first year. Also they are right across lake Michigan so it's not far for shipping and I appreciate supporting local growers.

Thanks for the info everybody, here's some I've collected for reference:

-marigolds are great to surround your hops as it protects from the things trying eat them, human hair also works really well as animals will detect the scent and be scared off
-nitrogen is good for green leafy growth (first part of the season) so using nitrogen fixing cover crops like beans are great as well as my preferred method of liquid gold, how else are you goin to get that piss flavor from your hops?
-phosphorus is what you need for cone growth at the end of the season if anyone has any natural suggestions for this I'd love to hear it
-build mounds for your hops to get good drainage and cover them to prevent evaporation and freezing in the dormant winter months
-there's lots of guides on hop websites about everything related to growing
-pruned hop bines can be put into salads

I'm thinking about taking a larger dive than expected into this after being inspired by the Michigan Hop Alliance, I'd definitely like to see more in the Chicago area.

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“… Besides, the Word is the principal part of baptism. If in an emergency there’s no water at hand, it doesn’t matter whether water or beer is used.” ~Martin Luther

TyTanium

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Good info, thanks. I've heard really good things about Great Lakes Hops - sold on eBay, right?

I'm very excited for this hop growing season. Time to start building my lattice!

As for phosphorus, one of the more readily available sources is bone meal, but I don't like buying stuff. Most compost has more than enough phosphorus (especially if you're composting your spent grain!)

cyclogenesis

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I got mine from Midwest Supplies
Hop Rhizomes - Hops - Brewing Ingredients

Randar

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"starts" may be more reliable in "surviving" transplant, but they have less stored energy and growth potential in their first year and I believe they will take longer to form a full-on crown (although I don't have direct experience with starts, only going from my understanding of it and the fact that commercial operations plant rhizomes and not starts)

If you want companion planting and beneficial insect information, fattymatty and I compiled the following google docs spreadsheet (he used it to help plan his hopyard, IIRC):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aitc3OdxDO-WcHBCTExuaVBqTTZKc1l3TnJlTmhZVXc

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He only likes his bearded sluts under Shecky's age... -Randar

Errr, that's where I have to correct you. My wife is older than shecky. -KCBrewer

...I like my beards on women. -KCBrewer

Randar

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Hop requirements for phosphorous are really not a consideration if you have anything but the most barren soil... Nitrogen and potassium are the critical factors dealing with growth and cone production, respectively.

This is a link I keep at the ready for this forum:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/fg/fg79-e.pdf

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He only likes his bearded sluts under Shecky's age... -Randar

Errr, that's where I have to correct you. My wife is older than shecky. -KCBrewer

...I like my beards on women. -KCBrewer

TyTanium

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Cool, thanks. Great info. I tend to not add anything to my soil other than leaf mold & compost. 1) it's free and 2) I don't know what I'm doing, so better leave it up to nature. Good to hear that should be sufficient.

Randar

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Unless the builder in your area scraped and sold off the top soil, generally our dense black soil is naturally high in all of N, P, and K. You just need gentle feedings of slow release nitrogen and if you are really anal some potassium shortly before the plant sets flowers.

But, some top-dressing in the spring and once in mid-summer is all you REALLY need around here.

__________________
He only likes his bearded sluts under Shecky's age... -Randar

Errr, that's where I have to correct you. My wife is older than shecky. -KCBrewer

...I like my beards on women. -KCBrewer

TyTanium

Recipes 

Haha...we have great soil...cherry tomatoes grew like grapes last summer! No production from my 1st year rhizomes last year, but hoping for some this year. Thanks for all the great info.

Jagdad

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Quote -starts" may be more reliable in "surviving" transplant, but they have less stored energy and growth potential in their first year and I believe they will take longer to form a full-on crown (although I don't have direct experience with starts, only going from my understanding of it and the fact that commercial operations plant rhizomes and not starts)

That's just not accurate- of the nine largest growers & Co-ops in Michigan; ALL are planting hop plants -not rhizomes. I am quite sure of this because I am their grower/supplier. Their plants are growing as we speak and will produce a crop first year. (The experienced growers seem to have had their fill of planting diseased rhizomes dug from old hop yards.) The guys out west DO use rhizomes- usually because they already have acres of their own hops to propagate from. They can afford to put up to 5 rhizomes in a hill to get one good plant.
Just to help clarify, Great Lakes Hops produces 3 different size grades - "starts" (4-6week), "field grades" (10-20 week) and "crowns" (a plant that has already produced cones) The biggest difference between GLH plants and rhizomes is that the hop plants are certified and virus indexed - rhizomes are not. It is critical to commercial growers to start "clean" to get maximum yields- which is the difference between making or losing money. You can find Great Lakes Hops site and check it out for yourself . . . Brew on!

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