Hop Trellis Stability

So I finally have begun building a new trellis for my hops which are in containers still and have been cut back a couple times. I put five 16' 4x4s about 32in in the ground and filled w/ concrete. The posts are 15' apart in a straight line and I was planning on running wire through eyelets at top of posts with turnbuckles to tighten up. I was debating on guying the wire off each end post but am not sure if its necessary. I had planned on eventually planting hops about five feet off each direction of the wire at top(centerline) and spacing them out along the entire length, basically creating an upside down "v" trellis. So anyways, I was wondering from an engineering standpoint(which I most certainly am not) whether I will need/should to guy the wire at each end and whether I should add one post between existing ones. Originally fifteen feet didn't seem that far, but not sure whether weight of mature hop bines will stress posts or wire.

You don't need any more posts, but anchoring the guy wire in a really good idea. Bring it down about 10' from the end posts.

Yes guy wire is a must... IMO
JJ

Hops can get heavy! - I'd say a guy-wire is a must too.

I'd build it so it'll keep the posts apart. You could almost pre-load the guy wires to offset the load you'll get when its good and heavy.

I have had single posts in an upside down v break or bend to all hell. See the link below to see what I mean.....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=74054

What type of wire/cable would be best and what gauge? How deep for guy stakes? Thanks.

I have a similar setup. I have a 8 foot pressure treated 4x4 that is 3 feet in the ground. I then attached a 12 foot 2x4 to it at 2 points with 3/8 diam 5 inch bolts. It is 15 feet tall. I can pull out the bottom bolt to swivel the entire 2x4 to the ground. The bolts are about 18" apart. I have another one of these about 17' away. I used 20 gauge wire that has 5 strands in it. I ran the wire from 2x4 across to the other 2x4. At the top of each 2x4 I guided some wire to the ground to tension the main support wire.

However the upside down "V" design may not be what you want. For next year I am going to screw a 8 foot 2x4 to the top of each support pole and have 2 wires running across. That way the hops on each side will have their own wire. As it is the hops on each side of the trellis run up to the same wire and they get tangled together easily.

This setup is supporting the 13 plants I have on it.

Here is a pic before any plants



Here is it now. I had to change the rope for the hop vines half way through and didn't tension the support wire correctly, but it is still working fine.

The stakes I use are 3.5 feet and they are almost all the way in the ground. I have some 5 foot stakes that I want to switch to but they are supper hard to get out of the ground.

The plants closest to you are fuggle, mt.hood, n.brewer, hallertauer, cascade, and chinook. the plants on the other side are all nugget.

15 feet wasn't enough for the chinook. It grew up, over and came back down another 6 feet.

Yes, you will need guywires on each end, go to a mobile homes parts store and get you 2 mobile home anchors, ( 7 bucks each) they are the type that will screw in the ground, screw them in the ground in a straight line withe the guy wire, (where it attaches to the post at the top) and use a turn buckle on each guy wire to pull the main cable tight, it will not sag under the weight of the hop plants, good luck

I was planning on starting with one side with the six varieties I have(well spaced), then as they are able to be divided move corresponding varieties to the opposite side and trying to eventually have blocks of four plants of same variety with two on each side of wire and greater spaces between varieties to prevent tangling of different varieties at top. That way if same var. tangles, it won't be as big of deal.....hopefully.