How long between flowering and ripe cones?

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Joe Camel

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Hey all,

I've got two first year Cascade rhizomes in the ground, I got them off a fellow brewer in town so they were about 3 fingers thick, not the tiny stick that comes in the mail.

I got them in the ground late, though so they've only just flowered, maybe for the last week or so.

I'm a bit concerned about how long it takes to go from this to harvestable cones as in this area, I've probably got 4-6 weeks of warm weather left. Once October rolls around, all bets are off, two years ago, my kids were trick or treating through 6 inches of snow and -15C weather!

Is a month a reasonable amount of time between flower and cone or am I pretty much pooched until next spring?

Thanks in advance
 
One month you should be fine. You will have a nice harvest if you have a lot of spurs. It's almost as if they grow into cones overnight. Once the cones become about 1.5" to 2" you should be OK to pick. Next year you will be able to leave them on a bit longer and let them get more "papery". Once you start seeing a golden yellow to dark copper yellow "pollen" (lupilin) inside the cone (by sacrificing one and breaking it in half) you can harvest. The younger the cone the less AA available.

Good luck and let us see your harvest when time comes.

- WW
 
I've also heard a good indication is when you start to see the browning edges of the hop petals. At this point, the lupulin glands have formed, and the hop cone itselft should be dry to the touch.
 
True Dat Yo!

Another is to feel the cone. If it feels cool to the touch then it is still viable. If it feels like the temp outside then it is fully mature and ripe to pick.

- WW
 
If the weather is hot & sunny, you might see some mature cones this year. If it freezes, just pick them. Try to leave the bines alone, as they'll pump nutrients back into the roots while dying.
 
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