wind

as i've mentioned in other posts, i'm growing hops in containers on our rooftop deck here in Chicago. We're not that high up, it's only equivalent to the 5th floor or so, but it is the highest building in a couple blocks in each direction.

i hope to build a post about 6 feet high for them to climb, then another about 8 foot high across the deck, and let them move across (and slightly up).

I noticed on Friday that it was really windy up there. Windy enough to blow my empty bottle off the table. This was extraordinary wind, so shouldn't happen too often, but i'd like to be prepared if it does.

How will wind affect the hops plants? Will they be able to hang on to their twine if it's that bad again?

The wind nearly killed my hops last year. Took most of the leaves off. I had twine from the ground to my over hang which put the hops about 3 feet from the wall off my house. The long twine just swung in the wind. This year I put the twine right against my house and secured it with eye bolts about every three feet. I am hoping being more secure and closer to my house will provide some wind protection.

depending on the humidity, the wind can dry the vines out faster than the stems can supply water. They can be sitting in moist dirt and still get dehydrated.

I would get some very good wind in the valley I live in. As long as your trellis system can hold the weight of your hops you shouldn't worry about anything else but the twine/rope you are using. The twine I initially used last year could not last with the wind and moisture from the lawn sprinklers that would hit it in the morning. I just upgraded to a clothesline type cotton rope that had a nylon core. Now I use pure nylon rope. The wind will just cut through the open spaces and shouldn't cause any damage.

I battle wind every spring here in central WA and it does a number on my bines.
As the bine gets a little bigger, it doesn't flex as much and typically snaps.

I have my hops in a container and last year the trellis pole was a piece of electrical conduit running up the center of the pot. The only issue I had with the wind was the "sail" effect where stronger winds and the big bushy hop leaves were enough to tip a big bucket completely over.

I have a little slack in my vertical strings which allows the bines to flex a bit in the wind. Didn't have any issues with snapping bines.

McKBrew said:

I have a little slack in my vertical strings which allows the bines to flex a bit in the wind. Didn't have any issues with snapping bines.

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Since when did Silverdale get windy?
The Puget Sound(PSNS/Bangor) has nothing on Kittitas Valley!:rockin: