Who Here Cuts Off The First Vines Of The Year

imaguitargod · 04-09-2009, 03:43 PM

I've been reading that some people say to cut off the first sets of new vines for each year. They say this will help to create a stronger second vine setting and help develope more root growth.

So my question is who here does this and have they seen a noticeable differance?

**Doog_Si_Reeb** · 04-09-2009, 04:03 PM

I am planning to do both. I cut the first shoots off of my second year hops, but I'm going to let my first year ones grow with no trimming.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 04-09-2009, 04:09 PM

First year hops should not be cut.

The practice of cutting the early shoots is more of a commercial practice as I understand it. As the commercial yards are too large for multiple harvests and the latter shoots will bloom at a more relatively consistent time.

By not cutting you allow the more vigourous bines to establish. These usually produce a larger harvest. In the home garden it is possible to get 2 harvests. One from teh early bines and another from later shoots allowed to grow to fruition.

For the home garden, the only real necessity for cutting early growth would be due to too early an appearance and not needing to attempt to protect this early growth from late frost or winter storms.

gunnyg · 04-09-2009, 04:23 PM

I have stated on forums b4 that I had found several forum posts/responses indicating some hop growers had indicated that they do NOT go along with cutting back sprouts at all, neither first year nor otherwise.

Much of the advice of "experts" on the internet amounts to nothing more than monkey-see--monkey-do--not just on hop growing, but all aspects of homebrewing, etc. There, I have stepped away from the herd and its strict rules--fire away.

In any case, for myself, I will allow numerous bines to grow and reach only a manageable height--maybe 10-12', or less.

In my humble opinion, professional growers allow only, say, 3 bines to grow to 25 +' by reason that as businessmen they seek to plant the max number of plants in a given area, and they also have the professional equipment to harvest that way.

Myself, as a small time homebrewer, I can grow hop plants with multiple bines, and much shorter, and still have far more hops than I need--who cares if that meets someone else's standards for good/poor yield or not.

As I say, I have not saved the forum posts that I found regarding some individuals doing this, but I have satisfied my own curiosity on this point.

God help the individual who thinks for himself, and reports his/her findings on a forum in contrast to the self-proclaimed "experts" who dominate these boards everywhere on every subject on the 'Net. If you do, stand by for a ram.

imaguitargod · 04-09-2009, 05:21 PM

Wow, loads of people on fire here.

**Reverend JC** · 04-09-2009, 05:27 PM

From my root ball I always cut back the first handfull of shoots. With that being said, this year there was probably 40 shoots, so I cut the tallest ones and will let the smaller ones grow and produce. this is what works for me.

gunnyg · 04-09-2009, 05:39 PM

If I had 40 sprouts I might cut back the lesser ones too.

My Chinook and Nuggett from last year have only about 15 sprouts each, so far.
Unexpectedly, my two last year's plant sprouts are growing much slower than my new rhizomes this year.

I did find one large root/rhizome? extending out at least 6' from the main plant--dunno if that would eventually produce sprouts this year or not--went ahead and trimmed it back to within 18'' of the crown anyway.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 04-09-2009, 06:15 PM

It would have produced sprouts. Root trimmings are how you got your rhisomes.

My 3rd year Golding began making itself a secondary crown nearly a foot away from the main crown.

Next year will definitely be time for me to start root pruning.

gunnyg · 04-09-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GilaMinumBeer

It would have produced sprouts. Root trimmings are how you got your rhisomes.

My 3rd year Golding began making itself a secondary crown nearly a foot away from the main crown.

Next year will definitely be time for me to start root pruning.

***********
Thank you--when I removed that root/rhizome it showed no signs of sprouts at all, I did, however, cut it up into several 8-10" sections and dropped them into a pot of Jungle Growth mixed w/Perlite--dunno if anything would come of that.

I have searched the Net in vain to find a good photo/sketch of a hop plant showing the above-ground bines and also the crown of rhizomes with the "roots" underneath.

I have a hard time accepting that the roots consist only of those few dinky 'lil fiberous roots clinging to what would normally look like roots(but actually being rhizomes--underground stems).
Most info online only describes the plant and its parts w/o providing a sketch.

imaguitargod · 04-09-2009, 08:30 PM

Well, it seems the consenses is that lots of people are on fire and that I should just leave them be. How many vines per rope should I have? 4-6?