hops sprouting too early?

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khugs21

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hey all im on long island and we had a very warm winter. My 2nd year hops just started to sprout and we are expecting a few days to go below freezing within the next week. Will they be ok or is there any precautions I could take? Thanks in advance!
 
I'd cover them just to be safe. Use a milk jug or large liter soda bottle.
 
khugs, where on LI?

do you have any pics of your garden? Im thinking of starting this year too
 
I'm out in mastic beach by the shirley moriches area. I don't have any pics from this year but i have a few from last year, Ill post them in a bit. I would definitely recommend it. I got a good yield my first year. I grew centennial and nugget and I'm planning two more. Probably cascade and columbus.
 
kh54s10 said:
Or just a pile of leaves. Just don't forget to remove them when the freeze danger has passed.
Click to expand...

This or mulch. Make sure you cover them before sundown, to retain as much heat as possible.
 
khugs21 said:
I'm out in mastic beach by the shirley moriches area. I don't have any pics from this year but i have a few from last year, Ill post them in a bit. I would definitely recommend it. I got a good yield my first year. I grew centennial and nugget and I'm planning two more. Probably cascade and columbus.
Click to expand...

Nice im in smithtown. Debating buying some rhizomes and giving it a whirl
 
Here in Denver I've covered the early sprouts in the past when I remembered to do it, but they seem pretty hardy when I haven't. Just saw the first sprout this weekend on one hill.
 
West Islip here. My cascades sprouted. Exactlly One week ahead of last year.
No issues last year and it we got snow after they came up then.
 
here's my first years on the big island. Centenial on the left, nugget on the right. Just got my columbus and cascade rhisomes in today! can't wait!

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To top off the unseasonably warm "winter" we've had in New England this year (lots of record breaking days) we're in for temperatures that may reach 80-something°F this week.

Today I was doing my annual epic brush burn (about a Greyhound bus sized pile of branches) and happened to wander over to the veggie garden where I had parked three potted Fuggles from last year and noticed the crowns had buds all over them! Yippee!

I had totally neglected the poor things, intending to sink the pots in the garden at the end of the Fall so they didn't get winter burn, but didn't get a round tuit before the ground hardened, so they sat on top since November. Apparently, they are determined to live!

Meanwhile, my more serious beds of Chinook, Centennial and Cascade are still snoozing under the heavy chopped up leaf mulch I laid down last November. I'm thinking I need to pull the mulch back tomorrow to see what's what with them, and let them feel the heat wave.

Can't wait to see them all popping!

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
To top off the unseasonably warm "winter" we've had in New England this year (lots of record breaking days) we're in for temperatures that may reach 80-something°F this week.

Today I was doing my annual epic brush burn (about a Greyhound bus sized pile of branches) and happened to wander over to the veggie garden where I had parked three potted Fuggles from last year and noticed the crowns had buds all over them! Yippee!

I had totally neglected the poor things, intending to sink the pots in the garden at the end of the Fall so they didn't get winter burn, but didn't get a round tuit before the ground hardened, so they sat on top since November. Apparently, they are determined to live!

Meanwhile, my more serious beds of Chinook, Centennial and Cascade are still snoozing under the heavy chopped up leaf mulch I laid down last November. I'm thinking I need to pull the mulch back tomorrow to see what's what with them, and let them feel the heat wave.

Can't wait to see them all popping!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thinking the same thing myself with the recent weather around here. I bed mine in a good 4" of compost each fall. Getting rather impatient with all the warm weather I went out to the yard and started to root around in the compost on the hills and found that all my varieties except chinook and saaz were sprouting buds upto 2" in length so far. Most should easily break ground this week. I guess I'd better get cracking if I'm going to harvest any rhisomes or do any root pruning this year. May have to consider cutting back the first bines too as it's probably too early bines now to get a good yield at harvest time.

BTW, this is almost a full 3 weeks earlier than ground break last year which was one of the snowiest on record. Mid to late April last year I still had a snow pile on 5 of my hills from shoveling off my deck!
 
So I took a break from work to go outside and pull back the mulch from my hop beds and exposed twelve crowns with so many shoots they reminded me of a hedge hog. Many were just about to break through the mulch on their own.

What a huge difference in appearance between the tiny rhizomes of last year and their progression into full-blown crowns a year later. Impressive. I'm definitely going to need to double my drop lines.

Another day in the 70s today, will be a bit cooler tomorrow, but then it's supposed to ramp up to 80 on Friday. Woof! I might have to reinstall the drip system already, and it's only March!

Cheers!
 
Wait till next year man, you'll be pulling your hair out. After about year three, if you don't beat them back into submission . . . they win! Hahahah
 
What do you guys think about pruning the first shoots? I've heard this encourages another round of shoots that is hardier.
 
Yea my nugget is going nuts already! I have 12 shoots on her and my cascades that I just planted on Monday already has a shoot. It's going to be a good year! When is the best time to trim the weaker shoots. I can't tell which is the weakest ones yet.
 

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