HELP!!! Rhizome orientation Question.

zman · May 13, 2009

I planter my hops this past Sunday and I noticed that alot of the how to guides say that orientation is key. How does one know the correct orientation. Two of the 3 I planted just resemble sticks, nothing indicating that there is a bulb. The third one has 2 whitish stems shooting off of it. Are these white stems the roots? I assumed that they were. I just do not want the plant to try and grow downward

svengoat · May 13, 2009

I planted mine on their side and they found their own way up... :mug:

zman · May 13, 2009

Thanks for the heads up svengoat. I am going to re orient them when I get home. I just was not sure if the white off shoots were part of the root system or the plant part.

Clonefarmer · May 13, 2009

zman said:
I planter my hops this past Sunday and I noticed that alot of the how to guides say that orientation is key. How does one know the correct orientation. Two of the 3 I planted just resemble sticks, nothing indicating that there is a bulb. The third one has 2 whitish stems shooting off of it. Are these white stems the roots? I assumed that they were. I just do not want the plant to try and grow downward

Planting sprouts facing up is beneficial but not necessary. The sprouts will find their way up no matter how they are planted. The white things that resemble asparagus are the sprouts.

zman · May 13, 2009

Clonefarmer said:
Planting sprouts facing up is beneficial but not necessary. The sprouts will find their way up no matter how they are planted. The white things that resemble asparagus are the sprouts.

so should the sprout be planted below the soil a few inches or should it stick out?

thanks for the reply

Clonefarmer · May 13, 2009

zman said:
so should the sprout be planted below the soil a few inches or should it stick out?

thanks for the reply

Below, a few inches.

JPicasso · May 14, 2009

Yeah. When I got mine they were but dirty sticks. Seriously, no shoots, buds, growths, or any evidence of root system. It felt like I was planting magic beans (sticks). In the end they all figured it out and are growing pretty good now.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible · May 14, 2009

JPicasso said:
Yeah. When I got mine they were but dirty sticks. Seriously, no shoots, buds, growths, or any evidence of root system. It felt like I was planting magic beans (sticks). In the end they all figured it out and are growing pretty good now.

Yeah! I had about that much faith in my magic beans too!

zman · May 14, 2009

Well I am hoping that my 3 magic beans yield at least something. How long does it take for the initial sprouting to happen. I know I am impatient and RDWHAHB, but I am still impatient. I planted them in Miracle Grow and so far no miracles damnit...

Clonefarmer · May 14, 2009

zman said:
Well I am hoping that my 3 magic beans yield at least something. How long does it take for the initial sprouting to happen. I know I am impatient and RDWHAHB, but I am still impatient. I planted them in Miracle Grow and so far no miracles damnit...

It can take a couple weeks to emerge.

desertbronze · May 14, 2009

Clonefarmer said:
It can take a couple weeks to emerge.

Or longer - a brewing buddy gave me some Magnum rhizomes this spring - they took a month to get started.

CBBaron · May 14, 2009

As long as the rhizomes are under ground but not too deep (2-4 inches should work just fine) they will grow without a problem. Orientation doesn't really matter that much under the ground.

The rhizomes are usually cut from horizontal roots so that may be a slightly more natural way to place them, but it doesn't really mater.

RDWHAHB

Craig

zman · May 14, 2009

Clonefarmer said:
It can take a couple weeks to emerge.

One more question. It is ok to put mulch on top of it? The Colorado Sun can be pretty brutal and I want to keep the soil moist and cool.

Clonefarmer · May 14, 2009

zman said:
One more question. It is ok to put mulch on top of it? The Colorado Sun can be pretty brutal and I want to keep the soil moist and cool.

I do, and most of the photos of hops I see are mulched as well.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible · May 14, 2009

zman said:
Well I am hoping that my 3 magic beans yield at least something. How long does it take for the initial sprouting to happen. I know I am impatient and RDWHAHB, but I am still impatient. I planted them in Miracle Grow and so far no miracles damnit...

I didn't get anything worth harvesting the first year. This year looks very different. I'm peeing myself with anticipation at the way these buggers are growing.

Forget the first year, I think it's all about establishing the root system.

JPicasso · May 15, 2009

Yeah, +1 to what the Gnome said. My first year magic sticks sprouted a handful of vines, nothing longer than a foot and a half. stayed green for a while, and then dried up in the fall.

This year, I had a lot of bines, first ones to 2 ft I kept, and trimmed all the others back to the ground. The ones I kept are growing pretty good. woo woo.

zman · May 15, 2009

I am not expecting a yield but I do want my magic sticks to show some signs of growth

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible · May 15, 2009

zman said:
I am not expecting a yield but I do want my magic sticks to show some signs of growth

I'm not sure the growth above ground is even too relevant in the first year. Those magic sticks get very jiggy under the soil. They can dig down as mch as 15 ft, apparently. Just don't expect much in the first year as yo are doing, then you are on the right path.

zman · May 15, 2009

I converted some 19gal. buckets into planters some my magic sticks can grow some big ass roots. It is all about the long term

HELP!!! Rhizome orientation Question.

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