PurpleJeepXJ

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Good suggestion. I normally grow my hops at my parents house since they have a large yard and I have a large may pole system set up there. The reason I want to try and keep a plant short is for growing on my porch at my apartment. I cant have vines growing on the railing per my lease so I was thinking like a fan shaped trellis totaling like 6'. It is a good point though that i can just let them tangle.

woodstone

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I think this is from 2009 and only mid-season....

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Apoxbrew

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So it looks like there's a plant on each side of the trellis there... is that accurate? You're able to keep it under control there just on the trellis? I have a small back yard... this might be a good solution to my desire for hop growing.

woodstone

Recipes 

I think I orginally planted one or more on each side of the trellis (front and back), and one or more on each side of the wings (front and back). Probably 12 small rhizomes 8 years ago.

I cut A LOT of shoots in the Spring, and train everything to go over the wings and up the trellis...once there, they just flop.

They grow like weeds (Cascade and 8 years old) and all over the place. My wife constantly weeds them out of the surrounding mulch area and plants, and I constantly mow them down in the lawn with the grass.

I also have 6 cuttings growing up strings on a telepone pole in my yard that are two years old. They reached 15 feet this year but little fruit because it is very shady.

I also made an arbor in the backyard over a potting bench that is slightly bigger than the trellis...I probably have 8 cuttings there that are only one year old...they practically covered the arbor this summer, which is in full sun.

Again, you need to maintain but should have no problem getting plenty of hops growing in a mass vs. straight up a pole.

pikledbill

Recipes 

I have had some decent luck growing them in a long lateral along a 4' wooden fence. I run my twine from the base, up at 60 degree angles for 4' (two twine in each direction), then spread along the top rail of the fence for around ten feet in both directions. This seems to be hit and miss so far. They grow up and over the top of my fence, but I try to keep them trained to grow along the top. My cascades and Willamette do O.K., but yield around 1/3 of my plants growing 8' vertical before spreading.

I haven't tried dropping them, and thus making them think they are taller...I am going to give that a shot...sounds like a great idea.

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PurpleJeepXJ

Recipes 

Ok new question... Can I make them grow up an down in an "S" shaped pattern? or will the bines want to curl back upwards and not grow down along twine even once trained? for example: in a large pot growing up 3' then over 1' then down 3' then over 1' then up 3'? this would total 11' and only take up a total of 3 vertical feet... What do yall think?