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snoworshine · 08-05-2010, 02:20 PM

I know this forum is mostly how to grow them, but what about removing them? I own the house, but might want to sell in a few years so I am just wondering what it would be like to remove the plants if I put them in the ground for a few years...say 5 years. Are these anything like English Ivy, where it spreads like the plague and it very hard to kill/remove? Thanks!

wyzazz · 08-05-2010, 03:20 PM

Dig up the crowns and spray the shoots that comes with any broad-leaf spray.

snoworshine · 08-05-2010, 04:17 PM

I guess the question I am really looking for is will these stay contained in a small growing area in the ground? Or will they spread like English Ivy does and be a constant battle to keep contained in a small area? I have a garden nearby and do not want the hops to spread and take over.

david_42 · 08-05-2010, 04:18 PM

As an example: my neighbor's grandfather grew hops before Prohibition. There are still hops in the ditches round the fields!

Cut the bottom off a plastic bucket off and sink it two feet into the ground. Plant the rhizome in the bucket.

wyzazz · 08-05-2010, 04:51 PM

They'll spread pretty far, I don't know if you'll every completely get rid of them!

**B-Hoppy** · 08-05-2010, 05:07 PM

english ivy is generally grown as a ground cover where as hops grow from a primary crown and will only spread if you allow them to. strategy for keeping them contained can take many forms and the 'bucket' idea, as david mentioned, is an excellent method. if you grow them without the bucket it's best to:

1) grow them in an area that is accessible from all sides (not up against a wall or some other permanent structure). this will allow the crown to be pruned each spring to keep any rhizomes from creeping outward and establishing plants away from the main crown.

2) make sure the planting area (at least 3ft. x 3ft.) is clear of all plant material such as weeds, grass etc., and keep it that way. if a new shoot pops up away from the crown, you'll be able to see it and dig it up before it has a chance to establish. think of these shoots as the support wires of an upside down umbrella. they emerge from the crown in a radiant fashion and can easily be severed by placing a shovel in the soil between the tip of the shoot and the crown and then lifted and destroyed or relocated as cuttings. if you allow grass or weeds to grow up to the crown you can easily miss a new shoot poking up as it will utilize the surrounding vegetation as cover and be able to establish itself.

these are the two biggest 'must do's' that i have found to make it easy to contain a crown so you'll be able to dig it up without leaving any vegetative material capable of regenerating in the future. hope this helps, and hop to it!

**ChshreCat** · 08-05-2010, 05:09 PM

Pfft. If you move, dig up some rhizomes to take with you, leave the rest and put "hop garden" as a selling point when you put the house up for sale!

**uechikid** · 08-05-2010, 06:19 PM

If you're concerned about how they will spread while you are there, you can contain spreading by trimming the rhizomes every other year.
If you're concerned about what will grow after you dig up the crowns and move, Round Up will kill anything. Even English Ivy if the concentration is strong enough.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 08-05-2010, 06:23 PM

The best way to gurantee you'll kill them is to educate yourself with everything available on how to grow them. That way, no matter what you do you'll guarantee their demise.

**ChshreCat** · 08-05-2010, 06:38 PM

You have a good point, Gila. The best way for me to kill a plant is by wanting it to grow.