Trimming Hops from the ground up

Hey guys, I just wanted to do a quick survey and try to gain some advice on how to/or whether to trim hops.

Here is the situation, I am in the second year of growing (in Kansas City). First year i did no trimming or pruning and let the hops train up a rope trellis. I have 4 plants, a sterling, willamette, cascade, and centennial. This year all are doing exceptionally well. The willamette is about 5.5 feet and the cascade is well beyond 10 feet tall, with sterling and centennial in between. I have limited each plant to 4-6 bines on the trellis.

The question I have, or the feedback I'd like to get, is whether it is worthwhile trimming off the side growth (off shoots or whatever you call them) from the ground up to 2-3 feet? I have heard people go both ways.

Last year I had some issues with aphids and potentially a type of mildew, which I resolved with compost tea spray.

Any thoughts or comments would be well appreciated.

Thanks!

once I have my bines going, I usually trim all the leaves and vegetative growth 1-2' up. This gives bugs and moisture less places to hide and make problems.

So you trim right to the main stalk, so it is just a single stalk for each bine going up a foot or two? Also, what height do you wait for? I think my big growers will be fine, but is 5 feet a bit on the short side?

Once the vines begin to thicken up a bit, say between 5-10 feet, you can just rip or pinch the whole leaf (back to the vine). The sidearms usually don't begin to start forming until later in the Summer (at least here in my neck of the woods), they can also be removed. Like 'T' said, this allows for better air circulation near the base of the crown and helps to keep standing moisture to a minimum - especially important if you have any mildew problems.

I usually train 3 bines on each string and keep the first 3 ft bare to let the wind through the bottom of the plants. It seems to keep the diseases down, along with neem oil. Most of my cones form after four ft so it does not affect the yeild.