desert hops growing

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awarner

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Henderson, NV
so i'm attempting to grow hops and i live in southern nevada. half of the fruit and vegetable plants i've tried to grow have burnt up in the heat even when planted in decently shady areas. i am wondering if anyone has had any success out here. or in any desert for that matter :mug:
 
What's up fellow Las Vegan!

I will try hops this year too and not sure what to expect. I've had success growing fruits and vegetables so why not. I grow a lot of peppers and tomatoes plus two grape vines.

You may want to check into shading your plants; shading as in shade cloth.

Instead of growing hops vertically, I will grow mine horizontally just like a grape vine. My grape vines are tacked to the back cynderblock wall; the hops will be the same, about 4 to 5 feet up, then across.

Where in LV are you and what type of beer do you brew?
 
I would think if your grapes will grow the hops should as well. Getting them to grow vertical will be a bit of a challenge but it is doable. Like ultravista said, shade cloth will help, I use it for my tomatoes and peppers. I got mine at home depot, comes in a roll, 6ft by 18 ft if I remember right. I also made a frame out of PVC and stretched the cloth over it. I recently moved and I have a block wall that is shaded year round and thought about trying to grow them there as well.

VB
 
i'm in green valley. i'm an extract brewer... still pretty new to brewing but i love it!
yeah my two chinooks are in a shaded spot but will still get a few hours of direct sunlight at the end of the day when the sun is not so high. what are you guys trying to grow?
 
I am from Washington state originally and the next time I go back to visit I will pick some up. A high school friend has a big hop yard so I will see what he has on hand. I would like to grow Cascade, Simcoe or Willamette.

VB
 
my plants still haven't sprouted and it's been about a week. i think i might have put the rhizomes a little too deep. i wasn't thinking and i put them about 3 inches under instead of the 1 inch i've been told.
 
I've heard that desert growers shouldn't use raised beds as they dry out too fast. Maybe amending the soil with water-holding organics would help (I know peat moss can be used for this but it also acidifies soil levels so watch PH and go sparingly). Drip irrigation would be a must in my opinion. Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial are probably good choices for the hot dry climate. My Chinook plants in SoCal get blasted by full sun all day in raised beds and they do fine even in Santa Ana winds if I keep them hydrated. Start soil prep now and give thought to the trellis system before you get them in the ground...
 
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