Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
You would think that with a cheesy username like Hoppopotomus that I would know a lot about growing/cultivating hops vines, but unfortunately that is not the case. I love me some hops....everything that I brew tends to lean towards the hoppier side (IPA's/DIPA's/Indian Browns/Indian Wheats/etc.), but I have never grown them......until now. Thanks to the likes of Gridlocked and my local HBS, I have 8 rhizomes ready to grow! I have 2 cascades, 2 chinooks, 1 centennial, 1 hallertau, 1 glacier, and 1 columbus.
The only place on my property where I have sandy, well draining soil is in the front of my property. I'm going with an unconventional approach for my trellis system. I have 2 sets of wild cherry trees about 35 feet apart. Yesterday I installed heavy duty ss eye lag bolts into the trees about 20 feet in the air after trimming all of the lower branches of the trees. I'm using 246lb. rated aircraft cables from eye bolt, to eye bolt between the two sets of trees to create two seperate trellis system. The ends of the cable for each run go through the eye bolt and down the side of the tree where they are fastened with ss lag bolts. I put one side in first, then pulled the cables tight and then fastened the other side. When harvest time rolls around, I can back the lag bolts out and lower the entire cable down for each run.
The area chosen is not a heavily wooded area at all, so the canopy is not thick, and the ground span between the trees gets full sun in the morning to early afternoon, then again in the late afternoon throughout the rest of the evening. It's just up off of the front corner of my lawn, so the sprinkler heads can by adjusted to water that area automatically. Each cable has 4 climbing ropes spaced 5 feet apart, centralized between the trees. I used rough textured 1/4" rope rated for 90 lbs., which is staked next to where the rhizomes will be planted. I'm not concerned about the load on my cables with 4 vines each the first year, but may have to consider doubling up the cables or install a middle support if there is too much sagging of the cables once the vines become heavier and more mature over the years. What do you guys think?
I'll take some pics. when I get home and get them posted. I do have a couple of pics from my cell phone that I took after I installed the first cable with 4 climbing lines, which I'll post in a bit to give you an idea of what I have going on.
I plan on weeding the area and burrowing my neighbors rototiller. I plan on tilling it, adding some peat moss, cow manure, and top soil....then tilling it again before planting. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I'm not sure how much progress I will make, but at least the trellis system is complete. Any and all feedback is welcomed, because I can use all of the help and advice that I can get. Thanks!
The only place on my property where I have sandy, well draining soil is in the front of my property. I'm going with an unconventional approach for my trellis system. I have 2 sets of wild cherry trees about 35 feet apart. Yesterday I installed heavy duty ss eye lag bolts into the trees about 20 feet in the air after trimming all of the lower branches of the trees. I'm using 246lb. rated aircraft cables from eye bolt, to eye bolt between the two sets of trees to create two seperate trellis system. The ends of the cable for each run go through the eye bolt and down the side of the tree where they are fastened with ss lag bolts. I put one side in first, then pulled the cables tight and then fastened the other side. When harvest time rolls around, I can back the lag bolts out and lower the entire cable down for each run.
The area chosen is not a heavily wooded area at all, so the canopy is not thick, and the ground span between the trees gets full sun in the morning to early afternoon, then again in the late afternoon throughout the rest of the evening. It's just up off of the front corner of my lawn, so the sprinkler heads can by adjusted to water that area automatically. Each cable has 4 climbing ropes spaced 5 feet apart, centralized between the trees. I used rough textured 1/4" rope rated for 90 lbs., which is staked next to where the rhizomes will be planted. I'm not concerned about the load on my cables with 4 vines each the first year, but may have to consider doubling up the cables or install a middle support if there is too much sagging of the cables once the vines become heavier and more mature over the years. What do you guys think?
I'll take some pics. when I get home and get them posted. I do have a couple of pics from my cell phone that I took after I installed the first cable with 4 climbing lines, which I'll post in a bit to give you an idea of what I have going on.
I plan on weeding the area and burrowing my neighbors rototiller. I plan on tilling it, adding some peat moss, cow manure, and top soil....then tilling it again before planting. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I'm not sure how much progress I will make, but at least the trellis system is complete. Any and all feedback is welcomed, because I can use all of the help and advice that I can get. Thanks!