Cut 'em down?

I just finished picking all the cones from my first year plants (I have a setup which allowed me to lower the ropes and pick all my cones without tearing down the plants themselves) and I'm wondering...

Should I cut the bines down now or leave them alone to further establish the roots? We won't get frost for another month at least. Would there be any benefit in leaving them up now that the cones are gone?

Thanks!

Leave them up to increase the root mass. You'll see a much better harvest next year.

Thanks for the reply... will do!

How long do you leave the bines up for? Just let them be all winter?

Fantastical said:

How long do you leave the bines up for? Just let them be all winter?

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Cut them down after frost kills 'em, then mulch the heck out of the crown to help it get through the winter...

Cheers!

I'm in the same boat with 1st year hops and also use ropes too to lower them. We already had a killing freeze at our vacation place up north, but I will get to see how they are doing this weekend.

I ammended the soil prior to planting this spring, but there still seems to be too much clay in the soil. Assuming the freeze killed the bines, is it safe to mix in some compost/top soil in the top 3" of soil (above the main root rhizo)? And then put a lot of mulch over that for overwinter protection? Or would I be better off ammending in the spring instead?

I got a minimal amount this season to use for dry hopping one batch. Next year I hope to be able to wet hope a pale ale with a larger harvest.

I think amendments in the Fall would give the plant a head start in early Spring when the ground is too mushy to work...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

I think amendments in the Fall would give the plant a head start in early Spring when the ground is too mushy to work...

Cheers!

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A good mulch layer will also give you a jump on Winter Annual weeds. Ask me why the trailer ia already hooked to the truck for Leaf Mulch and Compost runs this weekend.... well for the garlic too, but Hops first.

how thick of a layer do you cover the hops crown with for wintering? We get snow here... Is 4-6" too much? Will it grow through all that next spring?

Do I leave the bines up or cut them down?

after my harvest i usually cut em back so only 15-24" remains in my area soon after harvest it gets so cold and damp i start to get molds and fungus that i did not have to worry about in the summer. cutting to the height mentioned above seems to eliminate any problems. then after first killing frost i cut down to 1" and mulch the snot outa em. occasonally adding a slow release fertilizer as well.

How much cover?

I don't think you can go wrong with 4-6 inches of compost. Much of it will melt out come spring and provide the plants with some nice balanced nutrition. The hops should grow right through it come spring. Something like Wood Mulch might not be as good an idea - it tends to be harder to breakdown and can cause some nutrient imbalances when it does.

MDVDuber said:

I don't think you can go wrong with 4-6 inches of compost. Much of it will melt out come spring and provide the plants with some nice balanced nutrition. The hops should grow right through it come spring. Something like Wood Mulch might not be as good an idea - it tends to be harder to breakdown and can cause some nutrient imbalances when it does.

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Cool, I'll put about 4-5" of mels mix (33% vermiculite, 33% peat moss, 33% compost mix) on them, and then an inch or two of compost...

That work?

I guess I should wait till tomorrow, after tonite's freeze to cut the plants down? Or does it matter?

Probably better to w8 till after the freeze. the cold hitting the foliage will tell the plant to shut down and get ready for the long winter

MDVDuber said:

I don't think you can go wrong with 4-6 inches of compost. Much of it will melt out come spring and provide the plants with some nice balanced nutrition. The hops should grow right through it come spring. Something like Wood Mulch might not be as good an idea - it tends to be harder to breakdown and can cause some nutrient imbalances when it does.

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That 4-6" you put down in the fall will be only 1" in the spring so don't worry about smothering the plants.
I plan on adding at least 6-10" of shredded leaves, to my hops and raised vegetable beds. I do this every fall and they never seem to accumulate to where it's a problem. The worms just seem eat through it all and release all of those beneficial castings.

I think if you use leaves it's important to shred them as the last guy said. If you just layer leaves on they likely will sufforcate your plants. I mulch with shredded leaves as well, but not with non-shredded leaves. Something to consider.

Retrofit said:

I think if you use leaves it's important to shred them as the last guy said. If you just layer leaves on they likely will sufforcate your plants. I mulch with shredded leaves as well, but not with non-shredded leaves. Something to consider.

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Exactly. I run the mower over all leaves in my yard multiple times. I then bag what i need for my garden and leave the rest on the lawn. I never bag leaves....ever!