modenacart

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My hops weren't doing well so I dug them up and they were reduced down to about 6 or so inches of good rhizomes. What should I do with my rhizomes now that I have them dug up?

Thanks,
Josh

jeepinjeepin

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Do you need my address? All joking aside, were they eaten by a pest or rodent? Did they rot from overly damp soil? The best option might be to plant them in pots over the winter and keep them semi-outside in a garage or shed and replant them in the early spring if you think you have figured out what was killing them before.

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virginiawolf

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What's your instinct? I've never been in your shoes but will take a stab at your question from what I know on rhizomes. Mine were shipped to me several years ago in a moist plastic bag but I wouldn't think they would keep for months like that. What was wrong with them why were they dying? Was there a specific problem like too much moisture or insects or something? I suppose you could put them in pots till spring. Maybe get a grow light and do them indoors. I'd be curious as to what is causing the problem though so if you can keep them alive till spring the problem doesn't happen all over again. When I had some insect problems with my hops I contacted Freshops which was where I bought mine from they helped me figure out what to do. VW

modenacart

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I think it was too much moisture. What would be a good soil combination to overwinter them in the garage. I plan on moving them next year to an area that gets more sun and amending the soil with a lot of lime and horse manure.

hopmomma

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You can also refridgerate them until use in spring. I would just make sure they are damp but not over wet the whole time.

virginiawolf

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I never did a soil test when I planted mine but It was just local dirt nothing special. I mixed in some potting soil and manure but not alot. I think drainage is important with hops. The soil I used did have a good bit of clay in it which I would think is not so good but they are doing well. How many rhizomes do you have out of the ground? I'm not an expert on plants by any stretch of the imagination. I kind of worked with what I had some free dirt from a job site and cheap potting soil and manure from the local kmart.
Where did you get your Rhizomes? They might be willing to give you some advice. I got mine from freshops and they were very helpful and have an informative website.
See the hops growing section Perhaps email them with some pics
Freshops
I wish You luck Once they start they get massive
Here's a pic of mine I think its been 3 years now
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modenacart

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Our soil is very acidic because of the pine trees.

I knew there was a problem because the vines stopped growing. I dug up two and they were much smaller than when I moved them from the last spot. The new spot will be in my fenced off garden area so the chickens and the dogs can stay away from them also. If they don't make it, I will just order more.

modenacart

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Planted them this spring and they are doing really well. Soil is really wet though so I might move them again. No mature cones yet but some small ones coming in.

virginiawolf

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The first year don't expect too much. If they make it through this season you are home free then next year they will do way better. Once they get established you can cut some of the rhizomes from under the ground and move pieces of them to other locations. Mine got hammered with inch worms this year. I need to spray them next year before the hop cones appear. The inch worms really messed things up. I still have some hops but it put a big hit on things. I am not a soil expert but I'm sure you could get a soil test kit etc. to remedy soil problems. The local nursery can probably selll you what you need to straighten out your soil issue.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7545840_soil-growing-hops.html

modenacart

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I plan on doing a soil test in a few weeks. I have them in the same place as my garden so I plan on added a ton of horse manure to raise the soil level.

How high is your trellis?