Limiting hop bine growth....whaa?

Ok,
I have 2nd year bines of Cascade and Northern Brewer that are already
at the top of my 16ft trellis. My setup has a pully at the top so I can lower
the bine and last year I had to cut the bine at the top crossmember because it wrapped around it.
Do you think pinching off the top growth to limit to 16 ft would do any harm?

Also, last yrs dried cascade is still in the freezer. My guess is it's probably
too late now to use?

I'm far from a hop expert.

I would say that if 16 ft. gives enough hops to last a year. I see no reason to not limit the growth.

Are the frozen hops vac-packed? If so, they should keep fairly well - if you're worried, just add a bit more when brewing, can't hurt!
I plan on trimming my hops to well below that height, as I don't have a winch. But you should still get plenty of growth from fresh branches growing from the same shoot. Can't say what that'll do to flower growth though, as this is my first year growing hops.

I have 2 year old hops in the freezer that I'm still using. While not the same as fresh,
they still make good beer.
If you limit the growth of the hops then you'll end up with a bushier plant. Side shoots will be more frequent and you shouldn't suffer any hop loss.

Do you think pinching off the top growth to limit to 16 ft would do any harm?

Click to expand...

Based on having done this once, I'd say yes. The bines I topped produced very few cones. So few, I didn't even bother harvesting the bines.

I have a second experiment going this year, as one of the bines got the growth tip chewed off at 6'. Since this is much earlier in the season, I'm leaving it alone just to see what happens.

Last year my mature Cascade had it's growth tips removed by mother nature about this time of year. The sidearms picked right up and I trained them up to about 16 ft. I ended up harvesting three dried ounces. I can't imagine limiting growth on a 16 ft. trellis.

Let them grow and you will be rewarded.

I have considered topping my plants as well. Sad but true I just don't have room to let the hops grow much taller. I have lowered my string down but a couple more feet and I will be wrapped around my container....which I then will have to contend with mildew/moisteness around the base of the plant. I have one more bine that is about half as tall that I'll let grow and then the sidearms on the lower part of the plant as well can keep growing. I guess my intentions were that if hop growing works and I get a few ounces a year then great, not like I wanted 12oz dried out of each plant!

Catch 22.

My experience have been that topping (be it natural or artificial) the plant forces side shoots to form and the plant gets bushier than if it were not topped.

I haven't seen any reduced yields between topped and not topped plants but, I am only on my 3rd year so.......

Maybe I just had bad luck that time, because the Perle bine that got chomped at 5' has grown sidearms. The other one is still climbing. Wouldn't mind getting a few hops early.

My Chinook bine got chopped at 3" tall, and only bushed out to 6 thick and very healthy bines. In my case topping has done well, however these are first year plants. I'd get excited and try to find a way to keep your hops growing, but if you do top out, in my experience you'll be fine. Good luck!!

Well I think my hops read this thread because they didn't grow an INCH today! We'll see. I'll top if they keep growing though.

I'm growing hops on my condo balcony. I topped them off last night because it was starting to grow outside of the balcony and up the side of the building. The condo association already hates me for having ropes run up to my ceiling, so I don't want to piss them off with vines growing up the side of their building!

When I cut the bine, about 6" fell to the ground into a landscaped flower bed. Is it possible this will become buried and produce in the future?

I keep my hops in the freezer until the I pick the new ones. Then I throw out the old ones. I haven't vacuum packed yet, but I squeeze them as much as possible to get the air out and compact them into freezer ziplocs or similar and they seem fine.