bosox
Well-Known Member
I'm a first year planter, and will be planting two rhizomes (Cascade and Mt. Hood) when they arrive in a few days. I read that specifically the amount of nitrogen in the soil can help determine the alpha acid, where more nitrogen will speed up growth but lower the %.
Is this true? if so, I would like to have my hops higher in alpha. They ones I ordered said they will be between I think 8-10% for cascade, and 6-8% for the Mt. Hood. So I'd prefer my hops to be on the high side of their potentials.
What would I have to do to ensure good growth without sacrificing my alpha? Or is the first year more or less useless for determining that stuff?
I live in Boston by the way, if that helps, where it dipped to the low 40s last night and had scatted snow flurries last weekend. So my conditions are not yet good to plant the hops.
Is this true? if so, I would like to have my hops higher in alpha. They ones I ordered said they will be between I think 8-10% for cascade, and 6-8% for the Mt. Hood. So I'd prefer my hops to be on the high side of their potentials.
What would I have to do to ensure good growth without sacrificing my alpha? Or is the first year more or less useless for determining that stuff?
I live in Boston by the way, if that helps, where it dipped to the low 40s last night and had scatted snow flurries last weekend. So my conditions are not yet good to plant the hops.