Cutting/Pruning 2nd Year Cascade

I have a Cascade plant, second year of growth. Shoots are coming up, as you can see in the picture below. I've read that only 4-6 of the bines should be allowed to grow to maturity, but I'm probably not going to be brewing this year, so I wonder if there is any harm in letting it go. Last year it grew like gangbusters, after surviving a couple of years of neglect in a pot.

Would it be safe to assume that the crown will grow in proportion to the number of bines it is supporting? So in other words, lots of bines means a healthier crown for next year?

"but I'm probably not going to be brewing this year"

Well, that's a shame. What about next year? Pack the hops in freeze and they will last a really long time.

Back to your real question:
Letting all the shoots go is fine. It may produce a massive tangle and be hard to pick, but it won't hurt the plant in any significant way.

$bill said:

Last year it grew like gangbusters, after surviving a couple of years of neglect in a pot.

Would it be safe to assume that the crown will grow in proportion to the number of bines it is supporting? So in other words, lots of bines means a healthier crown for next year?

Click to expand...

You answered you own question. If it grew like gangbusters after years of neglect in a pot, it's a pretty safe bet that you could keep hitting the new growth with a flame thrower and it would still grow fine. Honestly, now that you have it in the ground you'll have nothing to worry about (other than keeping the rhizomes from creeping) no matter how many shoots you let climb. Sure, the more shoots you let climb the more food will be sent down into the crown but once it's established (like it is) you're good to go. Happy growing!