Question: Starting Hops in Container

I have 3 rhizomes (Chinook, Nugget, & Centennial) that I'm going to plant at a family member's yard the first weekend in May (5th or 6th).

They are currently in the refrigerator. Would I be better off starting them now in a container rather than waiting 4 weeks?

If so, how much will they grow in 4 weeks? I only have pots that are +/- 8" in diameter. I thought about possibly cutting the top of a 1 gallon spring water container as a temp planter.

I would plant them in the pots you have, they will do fine. It will give them a head start, use a well rounded potting soil mix. I'm in the same boat as you, I plant most of mine at friends and family since I live in a condo and have my available spots already growing Willamette and Mt Hood. I started my others in 8" pots and they did well and transplanted really easy. They won't go crazy in 4 weeks, they will be working on getting roots down.

Thanks. Can I start hops of differnet varieties in the same 8-10" pot or would the roots most likely tangle?

zyx345 said:

Thanks. Can I start hops of differnet varieties in the same 8-10" pot or would the roots most likely tangle?

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if they only spend a short time together they might not have time to tangle, but you'll want to plant them permanently in the ground a few feet apart - so why pack them into the same container now only to have to try separating them later? you'll need to cut the soil in half which is just asking for trouble. go for two pots.

you can buy cheap pots that are made to be put directly in the ground and will decompose once there. i'd definitely use those if i was starting plants in pots witrh the intention of giving them a permanent home in the ground.

Received and planted my Cascade & Centennial rhizomes on March 24th. This is how much they had grown as of yesterday (4/9/12). They sit in our "sunroom" which is two stories worth of south facing windows that can stay 75-85 all day long if the sun is shining. YMMV.


Two just broke the surface a few days ago while some of the Cascades are well underway and over a foot long. I would plant them and depending on the forecast in your area they may or may not have all sprouted by the time they go in the ground. I would not mix species in the same pot. I used gallon to a 1 1/2 gallon pots with a gallon of regular potting soil and frequent watering in my setup.

If you want to see how they progress watch for new posts on my build thread here on HBT or on our blog. Good Luck!

sweetcell said:

you can buy cheap pots that are made to be put directly in the ground and will decompose once there. i'd definitely use those if i was starting plants in pots witrh the intention of giving them a permanent home in the ground.

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Went to Home Depot and bought the biggest decomposable pots they had and thought they would fit my smaller rhizomes but its a no-go. I think pretty much stuck waiting until early May to plant these which is not that far off.

zyx345 said:

Went to Home Depot and bought the biggest decomposable pots they had and thought they would fit my smaller rhizomes but its a no-go. I think pretty much stuck waiting until early May to plant these which is not that far off.

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Old plant pots, gallon milk jugs, old paint buckets, pretty much anything will work. Just slide the root ball out and plant. Don't wait.

Here's what I did. I put them in 5 gallon buckets filled with compost from my garden. I'm plan on leaving them them inside under good grow lights until the risk of frost is gone.

zyx345 said:

Went to Home Depot and bought the biggest decomposable pots they had and thought they would fit my smaller rhizomes but its a no-go. I think pretty much stuck waiting until early May to plant these which is not that far off.

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Are you planting vertically or horizontally? Will they fit vertically?

idahobrew said:

Are you planting vertically or horizontally? Will they fit vertically?

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Think they'll fit vertically but some rhizomes have sprouts on both ends so I was thinkink that they would best be planted horizontally which is why I couldn't fit them.

Is it ok to plant vertically as long as the sprouts are pointing upwards?

zyx345 said:

Think they'll fit vertically but some rhizomes have sprouts on both ends so I was thinkink that they would best be planted horizontally which is why I couldn't fit them.

Is it ok to plant vertically as long as the sprouts are pointing upwards?

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Yes, sprouts pointing upwards, I did a cascade like this and it sprouted in a week. I want to get some of those pots to start my others so I don't have to worry about disturbing the roots when I transplant outdoors, how much were they?