Hey guys, I'm going to be growing my first hops this year in north central ohio. I feel like I've done my research on spacing and trellis construction, and I'm off to a good start.
There's still snow on the ground here, so I'll be starting my rhizomes in pots for close to a month before they go into the ground. I'm not expecting any production to speak of this year.
I'm planning to follow the instructions from the Hops Direct videos for planting and training the bines, and there is a lot of good info there. They recommend planting 4 rhizomes, spaced a few inches apart, per hole. In my case, I will have 3 hills this year, with one hole per hill. So, 4 rhizomes per hill. Each hill will get 2 strings to the trellis, so that's 2 rhizomes per string.
After these get established, will those 4 rhizomes constitute a single "crown"? I'm asking because I read that farmers recommend cutting off all but 4 of the strongest shoots per crown and training only those. I'll have the same question in a few years when it's time to divide the crown.
When I plant, I intend to dig out 4' diameter by 2' deep holes, and fill them with compost at the bottom 6" or so and the rest of the way with potting soil or similar loam/sandy mix. I'll then top them with topsoil from the dig. The soil here is clay-heavy, so I think I need to replace most of it with potting soil to get the drainage the crowns will want. My parents planted 3 hills a few miles away that have had 3 seasons to grow now, and they do very poorly. They just planted them in the ground with no prep.
I'll be using a 20' cable trellis with coir yarn, and holding the strings with clips just like the "big boys" do.
Any thoughts or input from experienced growers appreciated!
There's still snow on the ground here, so I'll be starting my rhizomes in pots for close to a month before they go into the ground. I'm not expecting any production to speak of this year.
I'm planning to follow the instructions from the Hops Direct videos for planting and training the bines, and there is a lot of good info there. They recommend planting 4 rhizomes, spaced a few inches apart, per hole. In my case, I will have 3 hills this year, with one hole per hill. So, 4 rhizomes per hill. Each hill will get 2 strings to the trellis, so that's 2 rhizomes per string.
After these get established, will those 4 rhizomes constitute a single "crown"? I'm asking because I read that farmers recommend cutting off all but 4 of the strongest shoots per crown and training only those. I'll have the same question in a few years when it's time to divide the crown.
When I plant, I intend to dig out 4' diameter by 2' deep holes, and fill them with compost at the bottom 6" or so and the rest of the way with potting soil or similar loam/sandy mix. I'll then top them with topsoil from the dig. The soil here is clay-heavy, so I think I need to replace most of it with potting soil to get the drainage the crowns will want. My parents planted 3 hills a few miles away that have had 3 seasons to grow now, and they do very poorly. They just planted them in the ground with no prep.
I'll be using a 20' cable trellis with coir yarn, and holding the strings with clips just like the "big boys" do.
Any thoughts or input from experienced growers appreciated!