setting up the hop garden HELP!

**Jaybird** · 03-23-2008, 05:52 PM

I am setting up the garden and I was going to use 2" ridgid conduit 20 footers concreted into the ground about 2 feet and set about 70 feet apart and bound together at the top with a 3/16 cable and secured to the ground. there will be 30 plants between the poles do ya think they will hold the weight?????
JJ

MashStirBrew · 03-24-2008, 05:58 AM

I am no expert on the subject but 70 ft seems like a heck of a span. I think I read somewhere that a mature plant can weigh up to 100lbs. I would hate to see 30 plants come tumbling down during a wind storm. If it were me I would space the hops out a little more and cut back on the numbers. Maybe even put in a center pole.

**Jaybird** · 03-24-2008, 06:14 AM

maybe go 15 plants per 2 poles with supports? how far apart do ya put the holes you plant the hops in?

JJ

MashStirBrew · 03-24-2008, 06:47 AM

Freshops.com and hombrewers garden say about 3 feet apart for like varieties and 5 feet for different. I belive the distance is so the plants dont get tangled together when you harvest. I am planting mine 4 foot apart, but I am only growing six plants.

Brewmando · 03-24-2008, 01:44 PM

The distance between the plantings (5') is to ensure that if you plant differing variaties a shoot from say your Nugget hops won't come up in your Cascade shoots. The 3' minimum spacing assures enough room for the root system to establish and have access to nutrients and water etc...

Jaybird - I really don't think the conduit will work. Most people planning as large an operation as you are seem to be using a couple of trees or utility poles to run their cables between. I would also beef up the cable a bit. At 3' spacing the most of the same variety you could grow in this span would be 23 plants assuming you have a plant climb each support pole. Although you could inrease the amount of plants and varieties if you plant left and right of the cable centerline letting the plants grow at a slight angle.
Good luck!

eriktlupus · 03-24-2008, 02:22 PM

for the weight involved you need to have support poles every 20ft or so