Hopyard clarifications please

I am thinking about putting in some hops next spring and been reading up as much as I can. But I am a still bit confused. So here are a couple of questions that those that grow might be able to clear up.

Most sources quote 1-3 pounds yield (varies with age,climate, variety...), what they don’t agree on is per what, a plant/rhizome/root or per bine/vine. From what I’ve read most sources recommend training 2-3 bines per root to the trellis and trimming the rest. If I plant one root and train three bines to separate strings will my yield be 1-3 pounds or 3-9 pounds? It makes a huge difference in how many roots to put in.

How wide should the bed? Once the roots are established how far do they spread?

I know they take lots of water, so I am considering a drip system. Would it be better to install it right next to the plants or some distance off so to avoid too much moisture all at once? I don’t want to drown them or cause a rot/mildew problem.

When trimming the early growth how high up should be cleared?

Do deer, rabbits, or groundhogs like hops? The critters love my garden, I have all but give up on most of it. Fortunately they don’t like my asparagus.

The more bines per plant, the greater number of hops you will get, but they will be smaller. With fewer bines you get fewer but bigger hops. It's a trade off. I'd go with what the commercial guys do as they've been doing it for years and have figured out what works best.

Four-legged critters pretty much leave hops alone. Six-legged critters is another matter

It's unlikely that you'll see pounds of hops the first year - not dry anyway, unless possibly you grow many many rhizomes. I know that you can sometimes buy crown - more mature rhizomes, I expect that these have a better yield. I cant speak from experience though.

I planted 4 rhizomes and had enough for about 3 batches of beer.

I had no issues with animals, even my dogs didn't care about them and they'll eat pretty much anything. Bugs on the other hand were a different story, though not as bad as some people's experience I've read on this board.

As for drip irrigation, if your growing a great deal of hops, that might be worth it, otherwise, regular watering should do the trick. Make sure you plant them in some sort of raised bed or mound. My raised bed held the moisture pretty well.

Most sources quote 1-3 pounds yield (varies with age,climate, variety...), what they don’t agree on is per what, a plant/rhizome/root or per bine/vine. From what I’ve read most sources recommend training 2-3 bines per root to the trellis and trimming the rest. If I plant one root and train three bines to separate strings will my yield be 1-3 pounds or 3-9 pounds? It makes a huge difference in how many roots to put in.

Per mature plant

How wide should the bed? Once the roots are established how far do they spread?

4 feet min. They will spread as far as you let them. I had shoots 5-6 feet away the third year.

I know they take lots of water, so I am considering a drip system. Would it be better to install it right next to the plants or some distance off so to avoid too much moisture all at once? I don’t want to drown them or cause a rot/mildew problem.

Drip directly on the plants. Plan on adjusting the amount of water as the plants grow.

When trimming the early growth how high up should be cleared?

I go 3-4 feet.

Do deer, rabbits, or groundhogs like hops? The critters love my garden, I have all but give up on most of it. Fortunately they don’t like my asparagus.

I haven't seen anything (other than bugs) eat the plants and I'm out "where the hoot owls trod the chickens".

Expect 1-2 pounds per planted rhizome in your second or third year given good growing conditions.

A drip watering system is an excellent idea as hops use alot of water but do not like too much moisture on the parts above ground. Hops are somewhat susceptible to several mildew diseases that require moist conditions. I would use the drip system as you would on a shrub or small tree and place several emitters around the base of the plant several feet from the main shoot.

Hops can produce a significant root system and will sprout additional shoots from the roots several feet from the original rhizome. It would be good to have bed that are 3+ft in all directions from the rhizome, however you can get by with less. Either way you will have to keep up with trimming back the extra shoots.

I've had no problems with animals and only moderate problems with insects. There are groundhogs, rabbits and deer that have easy access to my hops so I doubt any will be a problem.

You want to trim the lower part of the plant to ensure enough air gets to the lower leaves to keep them dry. 3feet is probably sufficient if your hops are in an open area and mulched well. If things are particularly damp or air flow is a problem then you may want to trim a little higher. Just keep any of the leaves dry and out of the soil.

Craig

Great responses guys thanks a bunch. Now I need to figure out what varieties and what quantities I want to plant.

Rick