Preparing Hops for Winter

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SAMPLER

SAMPLER

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Could someone please help me with some tips and steps for preparing my hop garden for winter. My concern is that this was my first year growing and I'm not too confident in how deep or best I did planting the Rhizomes this spring.

My first year productions was a success so at least I know I did something right, now I want to make sure I protect my investment for years to come.

Thank you for sharing.
 
just cut them flush to the ground and mulch with 5-8 inches, i use chicken wire to form a cylinder around the hop mound and fill it with straw, the chicken wire holds in the straw so the wind doesn't blow it away in the winter here in the midwest
 
You will be fine just cutting them ground level and leaving them be. This has been my practice for over 5 years now and they keep coming back stronger every year. You can go with the mulch if you want(I don't bother) but remember that it is a good thing for the crown to get very cold. It goes dormant and comes back with more energy the following spring. Just my $.02.
 
I bagged up a bunch of leaves and will be using them to cover my plants. I figure the bags will make it easier to clean up in the spring.
 
Just last week, I added some yum-yum food, root stimulator, then put compost on top of that, and watered them, then I threw down a layer of straw. This was my first year as well. I had a mild success of 5/10 rhizomes actually living and climbing the ropes I hung for them. Of those 5, I was able to harvest off of 3 of them. Guess I'll be replanting my 2 Tettnang, 1 Willamette, and 2 Chinooks next spring.
 
Hopefully this isn't too old of a thread to dig up.

I went to cut my (first year) hops flush the other day, and found new growth near the ground; the bines are starting to bud new offshoots. I'm wondering if that's a California thing and they won't go dormant because of the relatively high temperatures. For those in California, do you find that the hops don't go dormant like in other areas? What do you find works for you?

Also, what do you all do about ground moisture during dormancy? a) not worry, b) keep it moist, or c) water it like you do the rest of the year.

Thanks!
 
I'm in IL, we've had a warm fall. My Chinoook, which is my super plant of all the hops I grow, has broken out of my heavily mulched winterization, and has growth about one foot to two feet in random directions.

I'm not saying this is right, but I have the rhizome crown well mulched and protected, so I'm over it. I've got other things to do than go back and keep trimming one plant. I've got leaves to rake, beer to make, vampires to stake.

I wouldn't worry much about it.
 
Thanks. I'll do the same - cut them down and cover them. If they grow they grow, and I'll try to wrangle the growth in late Winter/early Spring, or cut them back again if they've gotten too unruly.
 
My Cascades died off and then came back as well. They have done that for the three years that I have had them, so it may just be a California thing. Mine are just starting to die off again as its been colder and is starting to rain some more.
 
Chemiker said:
Hopefully this isn't too old of a thread to dig up.

I went to cut my (first year) hops flush the other day, and found new growth near the ground; the bines are starting to bud new offshoots. I'm wondering if that's a California thing and they won't go dormant because of the relatively high temperatures. For those in California, do you find that the hops don't go dormant like in other areas? What do you find works for you?

Also, what do you all do about ground moisture during dormancy? a) not worry, b) keep it moist, or c) water it like you do the rest of the year.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

All of my crowns have some sort of new growth on them. Being in Sacramento we get enough rain where I don't have to water till next season.
 
It's been a bit warmer than usual here in Colorado and after finally getting around to cutting back my dead bines (they'd been yellow/browning for only a couple of weeks) down to the soil in the 7.5 gallon containers, I noticed some new budding a few inches in length on one of the plants.

When you say yours have done this for a couple years in a row, JarrodH, are you saying you just let it happen and hope it gets cold enough to "re-instate" dormancy (or does the bines dying off not actually signal a start of dormancy?)?

Or do you clip the buds before they get any bright ideas and start getting unruly?

The soil is almost bone-dry and it does get near/below freezing at night, so I'm a little surprised at these being so persistent to stay "awake".
 
Last year was my first year in ground i just put about 1" of leaves over where the hops were after i trimmed them back to the ground when they turned brown and died back. We had one of the coldest winters in Kansas City in 15 years and this spring they were just flying out of the ground!
 
BlackVelvetBand said:
It's been a bit warmer than usual here in Colorado and after finally getting around to cutting back my dead bines (they'd been yellow/browning for only a couple of weeks) down to the soil in the 7.5 gallon containers, I noticed some new budding a few inches in length on one of the plants.

When you say yours have done this for a couple years in a row, JarrodH, are you saying you just let it happen and hope it gets cold enough to "re-instate" dormancy (or does the bines dying off not actually signal a start of dormancy?)?

Or do you clip the buds before they get any bright ideas and start getting unruly?

The soil is almost bone-dry and it does get near/below freezing at night, so I'm a little surprised at these being so persistent to stay "awake".
Click to expand...

What has happened in my situation is that the hop plant starts growing again at the bottom for about 3-5 weeks and then dies again. (Usually when it gets colder) I then trim everything and prepare the hops for winter.
 
If your ground is not frozen yet i would suggest to water atleast 2 times a month especially if its BONE DRY...
BlackVelvetBand said:
It's been a bit warmer than usual here in Colorado and after finally getting around to cutting back my dead bines (they'd been yellow/browning for only a couple of weeks) down to the soil in the 7.5 gallon containers, I noticed some new budding a few inches in length on one of the plants.

When you say yours have done this for a couple years in a row, JarrodH, are you saying you just let it happen and hope it gets cold enough to "re-instate" dormancy (or does the bines dying off not actually signal a start of dormancy?)?

Or do you clip the buds before they get any bright ideas and start getting unruly?

The soil is almost bone-dry and it does get near/below freezing at night, so I'm a little surprised at these being so persistent to stay "awake".
Click to expand...
 
So far I've never Mulched mine and they come back ok
Last year I didnt cut them back till way late but seemed ok
I forgot to cut them back much this year its been really cold
Hopefully they will be ok
Pennsylvania 4th year hops
cascade fuggle magnum kent goldings centennial
Nugget willamette chinook Chinook and Cascade seem the best producers
Magnums were really big and juicy 2 years go last year just ok
 
Cut mine back to the ground a week ago and actually trimmed the roots that were working their way into the adjoining mounds. I then put a thick layer of straw and rabbit manure over each rhizome. I saw a few small green buds but just mulched it will look forward to spring.
 

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