South Florida Hop Growing

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edecambra

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Hello Everyone. I just wanted to start this by saying that growing down south can in fact be done, if you do it right!

Before I planted my hops I was looking for some information on growing in southern latitudes and the information was spotty, I saw some posts from growers in the south but their results were inconclusive, and their advice was mysterious.

Most people suggest the "northern growers approach" for us folks in the south, and I think this is flawed. First-off the "12-14" hours of sun light reasoning, I think, is necessary only in the northern states. The sun down here is very intense, and those who have been here know that standing in the sun during the summer (at any time of day) it feels like your skin is peeling off sometimes. If you plant hops in direct sunlight all day it will torch them! Many of my club mates have had this very experience.

Anyway, My hops get morning sun, and afternoon shade. They get about 4.5-5 hours of direct sunlight a day. I am limited on space, living in a condo, so I only have two plants; nugget and cascade. The nugget is not growing as hardily as the cascades, and haven't produced any full cones yet.

My cascades however are growing like crazy, I have probably at least 1 pound of wet hops right now and they haven't stopped producing burs and cones. I get new shoots and growth on a daily basis.

So here are the pictures, what everyone was waiting for I'm sure:
2011-08-06_11-38-58_896.jpg

hops on the left are cascades and nugget on the right.

Cascades!! the photo doesn't do it justice, there are cones everywhere
2011-08-06_11-39-37_569.jpg


more cascades:
2011-08-06_11-39-54_850.jpg


close up shot
2011-08-06_11-40-59_867.jpg


and maybe some mutations?? this one looks like it will be sprouting burs all over? Anyone know?
2011-08-06_11-41-18_105.jpg
 
Also, I forgot to mention. The cascade trellis is from one rhizome. These are first year growth plants, planted in early May.

I would suggest the following for others who are interested in growing down south but skeptical
  • Plant in the ground, I think most plants do much better if they are in the ground and not a pot
  • Make sure that your hops get afternoon shade, so they don't get burnt.
  • Follow other watering, pruning, and fertilizing techniques listed here.
  • Plant American "C" hops, my cascades are rocking and I feel that other "C" varieties would do well in the heat too.

I am no seasoned veteran at growing hops down here but I just wanted to open a discussion for those who are not confident that it can be done.

I have a few questions that I am going to deal with this coming year, and I want to see if anyone has suggestions here:

I don't plan on digging them up and "refrigerating" them as I have heard suggested. We obviously don't get a freeze and I don't know if I want to leave the bines up and just harvest the cones or if I should cut the bines back to the ground after the harvest and let them grow again. Does anyone know if, post harvest, hop bines will start producing more cones or if they have to be chopped down and grow again to produce more? If no one knows I will just harvest and see if I can get hops year round, but I have no idea how that will work.​

suffice it to say in either case, I will keep everyone here posted.
 
-I am very impressed that you are getting that much of a harvest on such a low trellis... wow! I live in a townhouse complex as well and it is indeed hard to find space. I built a box for my hops and have been improving at every step along the way because it is near impossible to just put together an ideal trellis system. Next year I will definitely not use a box (36"x18"x12") because there simply aren't enough nutrients to support such a large weed. Actually I have 2 in that box!
-After 2 months of improv and tacky bandaid fixes I gave in and erected a 20' trellis which thankfully is fairly well hidden from most angles so I don't have complaints or the HOA on my back!
-You have a good point about the heat. My Cascades have full sun all day and it's been blistering here in the Charlotte NC area lately. I have kept up on the watering and it seems to be doing well for the most part. I think the top though struggles with getting enough water in the hottest days. There was a weekend a month ago however that it went unwatered. I thought it would be ok because I read that the tap root would just go deeper and get deeper water. Well, the Cascades were wilting when I came back (as you mentioned my cedar box isn't as efficient with water retention). It was then that I first noticed some of my leaves cupping upward and I freaked out... my babies! That branch of the bine has recently put out many burrs but they are still cupped and they seem to be stalling out and taking a very long time to grow compared to the other branches/bines.
-It is indeed necessary to water alot in these hot climates. I know it is possible to grow in the south, and you/I definitely have to keep a close watch especially in the first year. Some may be encouraged that I even planted a Northern Brewer rhizomes 6-7 weeks ago which is supposed to have a hard time in hotter climates. It now has 2 bines over 3 feet, and a total of 5 growing well! Water, mulch, nutrition.

I have the same questions regarding "post season growth" as it won't get below freezing until mid November/December. We may get a long harvest time. And I suspect that in your case if it doesn't die back that you will have a more than hardy if not overgrown/enormous rhizomes by next spring!
 
looks good. What kind of fertilizer are you using!! I'm in houston and I planted a first year cascade in a 10 gallon pot. It gets sun from morning to evening, about 8 to 9 hours. Our lack or rain has probably affected them but my cones are small and leaves are losing their "greenness". I chewed on a few and they just kind of taste like....grass. It's also drying out quite a bit. Some of the cones turned brown. I'm not too worried about them this year as I am moving in a month and they will be planted in the ground when i get a chance. Curious about what to do in the winter although we do get a couple of lite freezes.
 
I'm a northern grower (Lake Superior Area). As for cutting back on first year plants I've read to leave all the vegetation until it gets killed off by frost. For first year plants this is important to give them a long growing season to build up a good root base otherwise if you cut them off after harvest energy is going to be spent growing a new bine versus growing new roots. The big commercial growers cut them down for ease of harvest.

Digging up rhizomes for the winter will basically set them back 1/2 a season (need to regrow root base), however they do need to go into hibernation for (I think I read somewhere) 6-8 weeks in order to produce cones at their full potential. So as far as digging vs. keeping in ground that it kind of seems like a horse a piece for the southern grower situation.

Now if any of this is applicable to people growing hops in the south, I couldn't tell you. I hope this helps or at least gives you something else to wonder about. Happy growing.
 
Good on you. Pretty much everyone I have talked to hasn't had any luck growing hops in the panhandle and central Florida.
 
Great post. Being a native Floridian, I know there aren't many folks down here growing hops. One day, I too will do this. Where abouts are you located in S. Florida, edecambra?
 
Hello all thanks for the comments. I am in sunrise, essentially a suburb of ft lauderdale for those who don't know. To answer some questions:

1. The trellis is 5 feet, but I have gone through great pains to weave the bines back and forth so if I had to guess if say they may be a total of 15 feet give or take a few feet.

2. I applied a 6 month fertilizer about two weeks after I planted them, specifically for vegies. I also throw coffee grounds on the roots, along with other compost matter from the kitchen (no dedicated compost heap though)

3. I have decent lupulin formation though I can't say for sure since I haven't brewed with them. They smell nice though.

4. I am planning on leaving then in the ground year round to see what kind of growth I get, both cone formation and usability of cones. I an debating whether to cut the bines back to the ground though. I an not so worried about root growth before winter because it doesn't freeze here. Either way I will keep everyone posted with what I choose and my results.

5. I got my rhizomes from niko
 
I live in central florida and figured growing hops was a fool's errand. Glad to hear it can be done; please keep us up to date on brewing with them! Maybe in the future I'll plant a rhizome on each wall of my house to see what kind of lighting situation works best. I have an easy bloom plant sensor so if I ever do I can get some scientific data on temperature humidity and sunlight.
 
Update

I just brewed with my first harvested cascade hops. I harvested the hops that had grown and matured about a month ago ( mid august) because some were getting really brown. They smell great and have good lupulin development, but the yield was a bit low. After they dried out in my kitchen for a few days, the weight was about 1.25 oz.

I have let them continue to grow and it looks like I will be getting a second harvest, maybe of similar or slightly smaller size as my first harvest. They are looking pretty out of control though and I might cut them back to get some more controlled and tame growth out of them. I will keep everyone here posted.

The nugget bines are forming cones but very few. The ones that have formed though smell great!

and for those who love photos:

2011-08-21_15-55-10_780.jpg
 
Very cool, thanks for the thread. I have tried growing hops in Gainesville without success, but then again I don't consider myself to have much of a green thumb.
 
Latest update:

So the saga continues. I brewed with the first harvest from my cascades. It was a Wheat beer, and I ended up using a peach tea to give it a peach aroma. As for the hops, they came out to about 1.25 oz like I mentioned above. The OG on the brew was about 1.045 and the balance is pretty good, nice crisp bitterness, that borders on sharp bitterness. I would guess that they are somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.5-6 AA level. They were pure bitterness hops, as I just wanted to see how significant the lupulin levels were. All in all, good hops!

I am pretty sure I will get another harvest, and again some photos for those who are curious:
2011-10-03_12-09-34_870.jpg


and
2011-10-03_12-09-42_757.jpg

again cascades on the left, nugget on the right. I think I might want to plant some Centennial, if anyone is wanting to do a rhizome swap!!

cascades!!
2011-10-03_12-10-11_829.jpg


more cascades
2011-10-03_12-10-20_546.jpg


and more
2011-10-03_12-10-30_44.jpg


Here is a photo that I was looking for some help on, there are several of these guys, kinda brown and burnt looking, that makes me wonder when I need to harvest. There are also many that are very green too and young, any thoughts as to what might be damaging these hops:
2011-10-03_12-11-04_68.jpg
 
edecambra,

looking good. I was thinking about growing my own hops but was unsure based upon mixed reviews of southern growing. It looks like It's viable to give it a shot though. What type of watering schedule are you using with them?

Can't wait to hear your impressions on how they taste. I might be interested in doing a rhizome swap once my plants are up and running. Trellis building is probably going to be a winter project now that it's not scorching out.
 
Hello,

I am not on a watering schedule at all, as you well know we have gotten healthy rain this past summer. I may decide to change this during the dry season (winter/early spring) but as of now they are rocking. I do pour my brewing water on them when I brew, which hasn't been much this summer but other than that, nada.

Also, I didn't mention much about the flavor/aroma above since I just used them for bittering (60 minute boil) but I guess I should say that if I had to be particular, the bitterness is very bright and pronounced, almost tart or lemony. Not from a hop flavor point of view but my strict impression of how the bitterness tastes, if that makes any sense.
 
This thread has shed some light on a few questions I've had and it looks like you've answered them for me.

I'm looking into planting some myself and thinking of alternatives to growing them 20' up. I'm curious to know if a hop plant can be "pruned" back to increase flower production, and give it more of a bonsai look. Basically one small, solid hop "bush".

Indoor growers of the "other plant" have increased production by using this method and since hops is a distance relative I think it might work.
 
Well, this is the first year I have grown them and I am not sure how mature plants respond to pruning. Mine are definitely bushy, you just have to let them grow back down and wrap around the older growth, which they do very well when left unattended.

You can't see the dimensionality very well from the photos but the left plant (cascade) is sticking about a foot out from the trellis, very bush like. They seem to respond well to pruning. I am going to get the second harvest this week and take all the vines off to see if I can get a more controlled growth out of them, now that the roots are well established and thicker/stronger bine growth and production
 
The hops look great man!
Do you see any down side to overlapping? I'm wondering if the flowers suffer from lack of light...maybe not.
Did you find out the cause of your brown hops?
Do you switch to a "blooming" fertilizer when flowers appear?
 
I am not sure why they are a bit brown. It may be the heat. As you know it is still pretty damn hot in the shade at 2 o'clock, but I haven't found the cause yet.

I am still learning too as far as overlapping. I have seen some videos online of people up north and it seems like they let them grow rampant after a bit because they are too hard to tame if you don't have a proper trellis system (with one rope straight up), and they use the hops and brew good beer (so they say).

I don't fertilize regularly. mostly compost, or I should say pre compost, like coffee grounds. I used a long term slow release fertilizer initially, a vegetable fertilizer. I figured that since I will be using them for consumption I was a bit skeptical how a strictly bloom fertilizer would affect (or harm) me or the beer.
 
I figured that since I will be using them for consumption I was a bit skeptical how a strictly bloom fertilizer would affect (or harm) me or the beer.

I don't have much of a green thumb myself, but my brother "reads" plants better than he does books. Being a landscaper helps too. :)
He said that when some plants flower, they "shift" from a growth stage to a flower stage and need different nutrients during this time frame.

The 3 numbers on the fertilizer indicate Nitrogen-Phosporous-Potassium.
HIGH nitrogen will stimulate growth, but when plants start flowering they need HIGHer Phosporous fertilizers.
 
Ok, so I harvested again at the end of october, about an OZ dried of Cascades and I decided to cut the bines all the way back to get new growth from both plants, and mid way through November they started sprouting and growing strong. I have the bines on my cascade sprouting burrs again, in December!! I just thought it was pretty cool, and the beautiful South Florida Winters aren't just for snow birds!

And of course pics, Cascade left and nugget right:
2011-12-03_11-53-01_402.jpg


Cascade Burrs:
2011-12-03_11-53-42_85.jpg


and some small cascade cones, too:
2011-12-03_11-53-27_204.jpg
 
You sir have given me faith that I can grow down here. I really want to, but I don't know how long I am going to be living at this house. Once I move to a more permanent house I will try growing. I might try getting my dad who has the green thumb in the family (and also a homebrewer) to try growing here soon since he always grows tomatoes and other vegetables. Thanks for the information and can't wait to see how everything turns out next year.
 
Thanks edecambra, great post. Keep us updated, I'm searching online for rhizomes in another tab because your work. :mug:
 
I appreciate the well wishes. To update, with the significantly decreased daylight, from what is already a (relatively) short day, the crop is low and almost no lupulin production on the few cones i have. I figured I will let them grow for root health and cut them back in the spring when the days get longer.

Also if you are looking for rhizomes, look for american type cascade derivatives: cents and other similar varieties, as I think they will do the best. My nugget has yet to produce any cones at all but the cascades are usually pretty hearty.

good luck and it is easier than you think.
 
Hey check my post right above, that was a week ago. There has been no change since then and I don't expect anything to really happen until the spring. That said, I'll keep everyone posted for sure if they take off sooner.
 
I want to preface this by saying I am by no means a gardener or really have any good experience with planting, and most of what I have planted in the past has died (except for these hops, maybe I care for them more out of brewing love). I think spring would be best, to let the roots get established and deep enough before the heat sets in, that way they can get good access to water. Also make sure they aren't planted too close to other plants that will compete for nutrients with them, and use fresh soil and some fertilizer of your choice (I don't know what works best) Good luck and remember, afternoon shade!! Its too hot here
 
Hey edecambra. I've been thinking about trying to grow hops down here in South FL so I did a search and found this thread. Guess what? I'm also in Sunrise!

Good to see there is a possibility it can work out!
 
Sounds good. I'm just getting back into the swing of things after a long hiatus! Brewed 23 gallons for my December 2010 wedding and have really busy since then. I am ready to keg/bottle my first batch since then!

I'm also in a condo situation but I think I got a decent spot picked out. You think planting in the ground is a big advantage to potting?
 
Hey Eddie

Nice to see your growing some hops. I'm still trying to meet up with you guys one of these weeks for a club meeting, maybe this month... I picked up those grolsch cases from you quite some time ago. Hope your doing well and hope to catch up soon
 
Looks like alot of work for just a couple of oz. of yield, hope your second year gets better.
 
Looks like alot of work for just a couple of oz. of yield, hope your second year gets better.
 
Hi there,
I am new to homebrewing but not gardening. I am interested in growing hops in SW Florida. Have you had any success at this, and is it feasible for a small plot garden?
 
After reading the post from The east coast, I decided to give it a try. I ordered a bunch and should get them in march. From what I have been reading stick with the c's (centineal, chinook etc)
 
Hey Eddie

Nice to see your growing some hops. I'm still trying to meet up with you guys one of these weeks for a club meeting, maybe this month... I picked up those grolsch cases from you quite some time ago. Hope your doing well and hope to catch up soon

Hey man, glad to see you are still brewing, and I hope you are getting some good use out of those bottles. Hope you can make it to one of the meetings some time, and if you can't make it out the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Geronimo's for our meetings, check out our site: FLAB or sign up to our Yahoo groups page for email updates and chatter, etc.

The work is mostly in the initial time planting. You can put as much or as little effort into training them as you want. At first I was very invested, moving them every day, but now I will just let it grow and trim stray bines to focus the growth. I do hope this year I will get a better yield, now that the roots are established. I think that if I gave it the whole height of my house to grow it would do better, because the cone formation was ample for sure.

And again for those considering doing this, make sure you get the morning sun and afternoon shade to protect from that extreme heat. I think you would have the most luck with hearty C type hops. If my very limited experience is any indication of how it works, Cascades rocked and I had no luck from the nugget, which I might want to trade for some other variety when people on here start digging theirs up!!
 
Hi there,
I am new to homebrewing but not gardening. I am interested in growing hops in SW Florida. Have you had any success at this, and is it feasible for a small plot garden?

Hello, good luck in your brewing, it is my favorite hobby, EVER!!!

That said, check back a few pages and my other updates. Growing hops down here can be successful if you follow a few rules of thumb, namely protecting your plants from the extreme heat while still allowing them to get "enough" light for growth. I think if you plant them in the ground, even a small plot, you will have more success than if you pot them, and make sure to have good mulch to keep your roots from drying out (not too much of a problem down here) and to help prevent excess weed growth.

as far as the small plot is concerned, I have two plants growing in about 2 foot by 4-5 foot rectangular area, which is pretty damn small. I live in a condo and have some real limits on what and where I can grow but it hasn't stopped me. Rhizomes are super cheap and you can plant them in some good soil with fertilizer for under 20 bucks (more if you want a nice trellis), so there is no reason not to give it a shot.
 
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