Aspiring Hop Grower has some question

I have been really interested for the last coupke weeks in hop growing. I have ordered a book but until it comes i will ask my questions here. I keep seeing people refer to..."Its the first year" or "It the second year." My first thought was the second year they have used that plant or the first year they used it because they cloned it. Am I on the right path? Or are they just telling me how long they have been growing? Thanks guys

It's how long they have been growing. Most hop rhizomes spend the first year developing roots, etc... so they have little to no yield. After that they typically start taking off with the second year being more productive.

McKBrew said:

It's how long they have been growing. Most hop rhizomes spend the first year developing roots, etc... so they have little to no yield. After that they typically start taking off with the second year being more productive.

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ok...so when i plant my first rhizome in april or march i won't get a lot of yield for a whole nother year?

That is typically correct. I felt luck this year as I got 8 oz of dried hop cones off 5 first year hops.

T-Hops said:

That is typically correct. I felt luck this year as I got 8 oz of dried hop cones off 5 first year hops.

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Do i just keep them on the vine up through winter or do i take them down and re-palnt them the next spring?

You leave the root in the ground.

The top (bine) dies back to the ground.

The root (rhizome) sprouts new bines in the spring.

...later, the rhizome tries to colonize the next six counties by sending out exploratory sprouting parties. At which point you will be quite happy to find someone that wants to start growing hops to take some of your root prunings...

If you plant different varieties close together, you either need to stay very much on top of your root pruning, or accept that you just won't know what hops are what varieties unless they are very different and can be positively identified by growth habit or smell.

You cut the vines down and leave the rhizomes in the ground for the next year.

The first year the plant is busy growing root stock to support the vines it sends up. The second year it grows more greenery.

Ok sweet....i saw one pic of a guy growing hops in a big pot instead of in the ground...is that ok to do or should i put them in the ground?

fat x nub said:

Ok sweet....i saw one pic of a guy growing hops in a big pot instead of in the ground...is that ok to do or should i put them in the ground?

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You should put them in the ground if you can. I've heard of folks growing them in a big pot, but I'd think it's generally inferior, and you're not likely to get the yield you could otherwise. At the very least, I'd expect a pot-bound plant to be a lot more work. And don't forget, you need to figure out some way to put up a trellis at least 8' tall (preferably 12' or more)...

Tim McTigue

fat x nub said:

Ok sweet....i saw one pic of a guy growing hops in a big pot instead of in the ground...is that ok to do or should i put them in the ground?

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Grow in the ground if you can. Raised beds are preferable as well. I have 4 first year plants growing and all are doing quite well. My suspicion is that with pots, the first year or two might produce about the same as if they were in the ground, but as the root crown expands, it'll get awfully crowded in that pot pretty quickly.

Also you'll read that you should have adequate spacing between varieties.... i believe i've read anywhere between 5-10 feet.... i would go with the upper limit if not further apart. mine are pretty crowded at 3 feet apart and i only hope i have no issues with entangled roots when i transplant them next spring.