Hops stopped growing at 4-5ft

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Matuz

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So just as the post subject says, my hops (two rhizomes) quit growing. One is at about 5 ft and the other around 4 ft. NOW, they do not get full sun all day, maybe not even half the day. But I really can't see that being the limiting factor....I mean it does get some indirect light all day. Any thoughts? Ever happen to anyone else?
 
How long have they been in the ground? How long have they appeared to stop growing? The roots have probably hit the edge of that nice soft dirt you planted them in and are having to work a little harder to get into the old compacted dirt that you dug up. Water shallow, often, and over a large area. Make sure you don't overwater though. The roots will rot if they are continually saturated.

You also might want to listen to this podcast...
http://traffic.libsyn.com/beersmith/BSHB-15-Growing-Hops.mp3
 
I don't have anything to add, but I'm curious what other people say. My Fuggle shot up faster than any other hop (and I've got plenty) and somewhere around 5/6' it just stopped growing and never produced a single cone. It was a first year, but I never saw that happen. This is year two for my Fuggle and once again it's growing pretty fast, but it hasn't hit that 6' mark and I'm wondering- will I see any cones?

I know Fuggle is 'finicky', but that issue aside- I'm curious if anyone can add the conversation.
 
Water shallow, often, and over a large area. Make sure you don't overwater though. The roots will rot if they are continually saturated.


I wish I knew how much was too much when it comes to watering....

right now I am watering once per day in the evening.....the ground usually soaks it up pretty quickly.
 
My hops are in a raised garden with a soaker hose that loops around each crown. I realize that different hops grow at different rates and produce at different times. Since I used I used a soaker hose, I know my plants received the same amount of water. Not trying to fuel the fire, but last year when I had this same issue- my Fuggle got the same amount of water/soil/sun light as all my other hops. It got to about 6' tall and just stopped.

This doesn't contribute a solution, but in my case clarifies that water: to much or not enough wasn't the issue. Still curious. :(
 
I think it's a bit premature to say they "quit growing". It's only about a month into spring and harvest isn't for some months.

Plants in general do not like to be watered a lot, least of all hops which tend to burrow deep to find water. Plants that are overwatered tend to slow down because they have what they want, but not what they need. What do they need? Only enough water to live and perhaps something to eat. If MO is like NJ this year, we've had plenty of rain and that could be the culprit.

My best advice is, if you have been watering them, stop watering them for a couple weeks and maybe cut them back a foot off the top and give them a reason to grow.

It's no different than having free room service on a vacation. Why go elsewhere when you have what you need right in front of you?

Hops tend to grow themselves. Aside from fertilizer, you can kind of leave them to their own devices unless there's a drought.
 
Reading the last post, fineexample makes an excellent point. My unilateral watering of different varieties of hops could be great for some hops and not so great for other hops. It is early in the season- young growers tend to worry a lot- a variety of issues could be occurring.

Could we get a variety? It would tell us if the hop is finicky (like Fuggle) or something avid. It would also tell us expected yield and what time of season- all material that might help better answer the question. Oh yeah, is this a first year plant or older?
 
Have you verified that the growth tips are still healthy and intact? If they've been snapped or nipped by birds, they are going to stop growing upwards.

Otherwise, give it some more time.
 
I wish I knew how much was too much when it comes to watering....

right now I am watering once per day in the evening.....the ground usually soaks it up pretty quickly.

let it dry out a little bit between waterings. If it's still wet from yesterday's watering, leave it be. You don't want to rot young rhizomes (although that may be harder for some than it is here where we have dense black clay that holds a lot of moisture as opposed to locations with lighter, sandier, etc soil)
 
4 or 5 feet? Wow, I thought mine were doing good, but I am measuring them in inches still.

Well, he is in Mizzurah. My Newports are 4 ft long but I have not even strung them up yet, they are just a tangled mess along the ground. Will trim back first grown and adjust the trellis this weekend to string them up.
 
My hops kinda did the same thing im in Ste Gen Co MO and we got a Metric Crap Ton of Rain, let it dry out a bit and get humid those hops will start growing again! When it stopped a while back and we had three days of dry weather my hops grew a foot and a half. My tallest ones are currently 8 ft high and my shortest are four feet.
 
Ste. Gen! My wife is from there! Have you ever been to any of the brew competitions at the Crown Valley Brewery and Distillery?

My tips are still in good shape, and I did notice a small increment in growth yesterday. So I guess they are just getting over the large amounts of rain combined with the roots hitting the surrounding soil that wasn't worked as much. Thank you all for posting!
 
People talk about the watering and they are correct. Another reason for delayed growth is temperature. Hops love the warmth but when it's cool, they slow down. Nobody has talked about nutrients, so I'm assuming you're fine there.

The last thing, especially with first year hops is that they don't have quite the root structure, so they're going to have some fits and starts. They can only grow as much as their root system can support.
 
I have not made it to any of those compititions at CVB however theres another one coming in june i think and they are releasing a Double IPA soon and their Vodka is now available so well worth the trip. Hopefully I don't work that weekend!! And i'm just suprised someone knows where Ste. Genevieve is at!!! lol, well i guess it helps that there are 7 wineries 2 microbreweries and a distillery in the area so that makes for a great drive home!
 
I am not seeing the answer here that I actually suspect to be correct.

If someone posted it already I am sorry.

You said your rhizomes quit growing. This to me means first year plant. So I would have expected growth to slow drastically at this time.

You see, the food stored up in the rhizome is going to give the plant a nice boost right from the start. When this food is used up the plant has no choice but to get this food from the soil. Which means that the growth of the bine naturally slows down while the plant is trying to get as much nutrient out of the ground as possible.

Just wait until those roots start to catch up with that initial fast growth of the bine. You will again start to see vertical growth and will most likely see a healthier looking plant in general.

Sounds completely normal to me.
 
Test the soil for PH and nitrogen. I had a similar problem once and the PH was 5.0 not 6-6.5 which is where they like to be. You can get a test kit for $5 at most garden centers and sometimes the big box stores.
 
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