NorthRiverS

Recipes 

My hops appear to be nearing the time of harvest. Some cones are large and some are small. When they are ready, do you harvest the whole bine or do you harvest the individual cones that are ready? I know commercial harvesters cut down the whole bine.

NRS

Gravedigger

Recipes 

From what I've read you can do either. If it's your first year growing then the plants benefit from leaving the bines grow until they go dormant and then clip them off. I think it helps crown growth, but they will be fine if you clip them also.

BradleyBrew

Recipes 

I would harvest as they are ready. I would also leave the foilage to continue to collect energy and feed the crown until it begins to get cool out.

david_42

Recipes 

I just cut the top cord and lay the bine down on the ground, then harvest the cones (in those years when there are cones). If you don't break the bine, it can feed sugars back into the roots to get ready for next year.

Word of warning: bines can take root wherever they touch the ground.

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WaffleDroppings

Recipes 

I moved into a house with hops growing in the back yard. My house mates don't know much about them. How can I tell when they are ready to harvest?

GVH_Dan

Recipes 

if you can, leave them up and growing. Studies show a 6% to 30% improvement in yield the following year. The commercial guys cut them down because its too difficult to harvest in the field...unless you have one of the dwarf varieties and the very expensive harvesting machines.

sweetcell

Recipes 

check out: skip to 2:50 (warning: the guys is kinda dorky, but he knows his stuff).

indicators that hops are ready to be harvested: they feel dry and "paper-y", they spring back when you squish them lightly, they make a crunchy/paper-y/crinkly sound when squished, they are a dark green, and the tips of the cones have started to turn brown. hops at the top of the bine will mature earlier than the lower cones.

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What hops should I grow? Hop grower's comparison table

Drinking: Mein Kolsch, Trapped in Amber (Am. imperial brown), Dubbel Down
Fermenting: Not So Random (Belgian) Blond, Cranial Cap DIPA
Aging: Vertical Epic 09.09.09 clone, 09.09.09 2nd runnings w/brett, Farewell to Eurocrats (Chocolate BDSA), Lucky Number Tripel, Saison & On & On w/brett, Midnight in Brussels BDSA w/brett, Breakfast of Champions Stout v2 (~KBS clone)