what to do with my hop plant?

I grew in a huge container and for the first year I should be getting about 4-5oz from the looks of it. My question is when I planted into the container the soil compressed so much that I feel I'm not geeting adequate drainage and it is so low in the pot that early and sun next year would be very hinderd(sp?) So I was thinking about pulling my plant out, getting a better soil mix ready emptying the planter and refill and place the plant back. Suggestions on when to do this fall or summer and should I trim back any of the root ball?? Also what is a good soil to replant in? I used mericle grow moisture control this year and it did well.

no one has any advice or help??

you could lift it this fall once the vines have died back and may notice a few rhizomes that have formed over the coarse of the summer. it's not necessary to lop them off but you can if you want. you could place these back in the container, away from the main crown, and when they sprout in the spring either let them grow or pass on to someone else. i find that the starts i have in 5 gal. buckets are usually pretty well rooted into the ground so you'll have to sever the roots that have grown into the ground (no biggie). i think you'll be surprised to see what the little rhizome you planted this spring has turned into. the soil should probably be a decent loamy potting soil and you'll be good to go. make sure you protect the container from the freezing temps. this winter somewhat or you risk the chance of frozen rhizomes. i've have no experience with this because all of mine have gone into the ground in the fall instead of remaining in the buckets. good luck.

thx for the reply anyone else have any thoughts? I'll be harvesting then replanting in the bucket just not sure if I need to trim up the root ball or leave as is?

Wait until Spring and use the whole ball. The bigger the ball, the faster the plant gets going.

so you say wait until spring to up root and then just replant without trimming? About how early in the spring?? week or two before last frost or after last frost??

any advice?? just harvested my hops and need to know what to do. Also how far down do I trim the bine back to the soil and do I need to continue to water the container or just cut back and let the plant do its thing?

Leave them alone, let them die back, they'll go dormant and die back for winter, you can cut them off at (virtually) ground level then.
In winter (and before spring) dig them up, divide and re-pot them as appropriate.

Whew... relax. Take a breath for a minute and enjoy the 4-5 oz. you just harvested.

Then, cut the plant back like Wolfy said, cover it with some compost and put it in the garage (if you want to leave it in the pot), no watering.

thanks for the advice I'll do that. However I''l probably only replant the whole plant into the same container, this is not a 5 gal bucket it is about 5 ft. wide by 4 feet tall. Will still bring it in for the winter though.

In Spring of 2009 I planted mine in a large rubbermaid storage container (with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage) and it did well. In the fall, I trimmed the bine to about 3 inches long and stored it in my garage where it never got below freezing. Then brought it out this spring and watered it and, voila!, it sprang to life again. Harvest wasn't so good this year, so I plan to plant it and some new rhizomes in the ground next (2011) spring. Good luck with yours. From what I've read it's pretty hard to kill these guys once they are established....wide margin for error, which is right up my alley! ;-)