hop garden help

rarjr · 06-12-2009, 04:10 PM

in early april i planted 9 rhizomes, each in their own pot.
all 9 broke ground and were off to a great. for the last month they really haven't done anything. in april they grew 2 feet but now they're growing 1 inch a week.

any idea why they would slow down?

thanks

Rick500 · 06-12-2009, 04:23 PM

What has the temperature been? If it gets into the mid to low fifties at night, I've noticed they tend to slow down a lot.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 06-12-2009, 04:42 PM

Overcast? Wet Feet? Cold Feet? Waited to late for heavy pruning?

I've found all these things can slow a plant to a near standstill. And after 3 years, it's only now starting to make sense.

**JPicasso** · 06-12-2009, 05:13 PM

I think this is typical behavior for 1st year plantings.

How big is the pot?
Do you plan on putting them in the ground?
Did you prune?
Do they have something to grow "up"?

1st year is really about establishing the plant and roots, next year, get ready for some bines.

My 1st years grew 5-6 bines each, about two feet and then stopped.
This year, I let them grow 2 feet and cut all plants down to two bines. They are now about 15+ ft up, with flowers on the way.

Kungpaodog · 06-12-2009, 06:03 PM

I'm by no means an expert (I have my first hops in pots this year) but it sounds like you may need to fertilize. What soil are they in?

Rick500 · 06-12-2009, 10:57 PM

My first year cascades and chinook are close to 20 feet... they didn't take off until the overnight low was 60 or so.

rarjr · 06-13-2009, 12:04 AM

thank you everyone for your input. sorry it took me so long to respond.
to answer everyones questions.
1st weather. I'm in Chicago, the weather here has been average. Some cold nights but nothing to crazy.

2nd pruning. I didn't prune these at all. Of the 9, six of them only sprouted 1 bune. The other 3 plants have 2-3 but they're so small that I didnt want to cut them.

3rd potting. They are all in 12" pots. I was planning on keeping them in these for this year and then replant them into 20"+ pots next year and then reuse the 12" pots for next years rhizomes.

4th. Maintenence. The soil was a mixture of top soil and compost. I use organic fertilizer 1 day a week in my watering.

I thought I was doing everything right, but they're now just crawling along. Someone told me I should replant them and use a good potting soil.

does this sound like something I should do? Would they benefit from it so late in the season?

thanks

**cuinrearview** · 06-13-2009, 12:27 AM

Number three is your problem. They're root bound, a 12 inch pot is too small for these root producing mofos.

buzzkill · 06-13-2009, 05:07 AM

you dont want top soil in a pot..you want potting soil. so it can drain.

1. bigger pots...

2. potting soil/compost.

CentralWABrewing · 06-13-2009, 07:18 AM

Are the pots they're in plastic?