hop growing

Anybody know a good hop or two that will grow well in NW Florida?

Cascade grows well in Tallahassee...

Sweet, I'm in DeFuniak Springs so I'll have to try some. Do you grow any others? How well do your hops do?

First year growing from cuttings; I neglected them & didn't get any this year. Got cuttings from a friend who harvested LOTS this year. He also gave cuttings out to another friend of mine here in Tally who had very good success.

Haven't tried any others...

Any tips you could give me?

LOL, as I said, I neglected them & didn't get a single hop from them this (my first) year.

However, the guy I got cuttings from had planted them in a raised bed, & used some good quality potting soil & vermiculite (I believe) to create a nice loose, rich soil for them. And he watered them every day for a few months after planting them.

Mine were doing well in pots until I transplanted them into some pretty poor soil with lots of mulch under a large pine tree. In retrospect, despite the large amount of organic mulch I used, the soil simply wasn't ready. Also, hops need all the sun you can give them. So I will transplant them in the spring to a sunnier spot on the south side of my house.

Hope that helps. lol, advice from someone who hasn't successfully harvested a single hop cone!

Plan well - this is a bit of an investment in time and materials.

Pick a smart location. Lots of sun easy access to water - they are thirsty devils in the heat of summer. Do you have a dog? Might want to find a way to sequester the hops from the dog. Get rid of as many weed seeds as you can - there are very few herbicides you can use once the hops are in the ground. Cornell University used to recommend killing every thing there, then tilling and killing the regrowth, repeat. I forget the exact numbers but in their research this could reduce the weed seed bank by more than 50%! If you don't want to (or can't) use herbicides then research alternative methods of weed control. If you do use herbicides - DO NOT use any Long lasting types - they work by using a chemical that sticks around to control germinating seeds - they can hurt the hops!

I know nothing about Florida soils so I can't suggest anything there other than get a soil test run. Probably doesn't cost more than $10 from your local county extension office. You can almost always amend soil to change pH and drainage.

Almost any soil can use some organic material amendments. Your local municipality probably has compost available for free or cheap. Get some and work it into the soil. My dad always said dig a $10 hole for a $5 tree. Same idea works here. Build up your soil in a nice large area give your rhizome room to grow. Raised beds are great - but pricey. Mine are in mounds - so raised but not structurally supported.

You've probably got some time before rhizomes are available (usually feb/march iirc) So you have some time to plan and prep.

Don't forget that you'll need some tall structures for these to grow on - there are MANY examples here and other places on the web with examples. I live in the country so mine are quick and dirty 4X4's with a cross pole to tie out to. If you live in a neighborhood with picky neighbors or rules about what you can do you'll want to plan around that.

Oh - and don't shortchange yourself on space. If this works for you - you are going to want to plant more. Figure 8-10 feet between plants so leave room for expansion.

Since I just summarized 100 pages of How To Grow Hops in 4 paragraphs there's obviously additional things to think about - but this should get you started.

oh - yeah finally - relax and have fun.

Can I grow hops if I have dogs I heard they are poisionous to dogs....

For the information that i have gathered, Hop Cones are poisonous to certain dog breeds. I have my Hops in close proximity to my dogs and never had any issues.I just keep them in the house when i harvest. just my 2 cents on the dog and hops issue.

The general concensus seems to be that while they are poisonous, dog do not typically want to eat them fresh or on the bine. The danger comes with hops after the boil - when they are covered in sweet wort the dogs will want to eat them to get the sugary flavor. As long as your dog isn't in the habit of eating your flowers or vegetable plants you should be safe. (Mine will eat tomatoes and cucumbers but never even sniffed the hops)