Which fertilizer to use for hops?

I plan on growing hops this spring/summer but am VERY new to it and don't know where to start.

I've heard a lot of people have luck using this JR Peters stuff for both hops and err... less legal green plants :-D

Has anyone else had success with it? Or at least know of something else that will assist in the growth of my hops?

Unfoirtunately the soil is a thick clay, so I will be growing in a soil bed on top of it. As hops are a vine plant, will the shallow soil bed be an issue?

I grow mine in thick clay soil. I dug out 18-24 inches of the clay soil and filled it back in with a mix of clay soil, sand, compost, and loamy soil. After one year the hop roots had grown down and out into the clay soil outside of my original hole. So they will probably just grow right through your shallow soil bed. Something simple that you can do is just loosen the clay soil some with a pitchfork type tool. This will also work to get some air into the clay. That'll be better than doing nothing at all to the clay soil.

Sweet, I wasn't sure if the clay would hold me back from doing it. I compost as well, so that should provide some good mix for the dug out hole.

I'll probably follow your suggestion and dig a hole and mix the dug out clay with compost and some soil and put it back in.

I've heard from quite a few people that you won't be able to (*or shouldn't) harvest any hops the first year, is that right?

If you have proper sunlight and water when needed you will be able to harvest some hops. Well, you have to get the rhizome into the ground early enough as well. If you put them in past May I'm not sure you will get any hop cones, but it probably depends on your region. And as far as shouldn't harvest them, I've never heard that. Completely untrue, as harvesting will not harm your plant. The cones are like flowers, and don't help the plant grow like leaves that capture sunlight.

Another thing about digging the hole in heavy clay soil - the hole can act like a reservoir for water. If it rains too much or you over water the bottom of your hole can just hold the water. This can get be bad for the roots. Try not to plant the rhizomes in a low spot and this probably will not be a problem.

I planted cascade and nugget last year in nc clay in mid april. I amended with peat moss top soil and manure. The cascades grew great and i got about 3 dried ounces from two hills. My nugget never grew as i think i overwatered and the rhizomes rotted. The cascades had 2 rhizomes in 1 hill and 3 in the other the hill with 2 grew better. Just my experience hope it helps, i think i will try some columbus or chinook this year also

You can for sure harvest your first year crop, the cones will be a little smaller and your acid content will be about a 1/4 of your mature plants

Compost tea!

To the original question: Which fertilizer to use for hops?

Any suggestions?

Trub makes a nice fertilizer.

This will be my first year for them, but I suppose hops are like most other plants/flowers. I read that they are heavy feeders and so I expect to fertilize every 2-3 weeks.

"Miracle Grow for Vegetables" has always been the mainstay here for the vegetable garden. It helps the plants to produce fruit, rather than stem/leaves.

But nothing beats a bag of fresh top soil. Dig a hole about 1ft deep and 1 ft wide and fill it with fresh top soil. That will give it everything it needs. And I always sprinkle some slow release granular garden fertilizer on top of the soil after planting.

As much sun as possible and paying attention to weather patterns is just as important. The garden space here is a well known. It helps to know how each area drains and how rich the soil is. One end of my garden is strong and holds moisture much better than the other end. So I have to concentrate on the weak end.

Cerealkiller said:

To the original question: Which fertilizer to use for hops?

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Start with a good organic topsoil mix. I'm using 1/3 organic compost, 1/3 perlite/vermiculite and 1/3 peat moss. You can continue to fertilize with organic compost which is all natural and time release a few times a season (think once a quarter year).

Organic fertilizers that are fit for flowers, tomatoes and citrus are usually acceptable to hops. I like to use Jobe's organic all purpose, which is a 4-4-4 on my potted plants. You can find it at any home depot.

The reason I like organic is that:

• It's all natural (chemical free)
• Hops are going in your beer (and therefore, your body)
• Your plants won't get nutrient bound (chemical ferts leave a lot of salt behind)
• They're time release (with every watering)

Just remember that if these are new rhizomes, crowns or transplants from pot to soil that they'll need a 1/4 strength fertilization the first time, which is about two weeks AFTER they go into the soil. This will avoid burning tender new roots with too much nitrogen.

Thanks Aiptasia,

Unfortunately, I don't have compost nearby- i live in the city. I'll have to use potting soil, any suggestions? I'll also go easy on the fertilizer. That makes sense I don't want to burn the roots. The rhizome will be potted and never transferred. How big of a pot should I get? I also must get a trellis.

Lowes and Home Depot carry compost and organic soils in 20 lb. bags. I like the one Home Depot carries called Jungle Growth. It contains everything in the proportions I mentioned above (1/3, 1/3, 1/3) without having to buy separate bags and mix.

If you're going to pot them, get the biggest pots you can afford or space will allow. The more roots, the more hops flowers your plants can support. I would go with a minimum of 15" diameter pots and 20"+ would be better. Anything smaller than that and they're going to get root bound too fast. Just make sure the pots have adequate drainage. Holes in the bottom of the pot are a must and no little water dishes underneath. Hops don't like wet roots. They like moist soil, but not water logged.

Depending on the season and the temperature, you'll be watering them anywhere from every day to every three to four days or so. Mine are already growing out in 15" pots until the danger of frost is passed, then they're going into the ground. I'm watering them every three days at this time as the temperatures here are maxing out in the mid 70's right now and they're staying sfficiently moist. I'm keeping mine on a southeast corner of the house where they can get 4 hours of direct sunlight in the morning and then get shaded by our massive water oaks during the rest of the day. It's because I live in Florida. The sun is so intense and the temperatures get so hot here in the summer, you can't risk giving them full direct sun. They'll just scorch and melt.