Growing hops in the South (esp. Georgia)

Hello, does anyone know if I can expect hops to grow here in Augusta, GA? I know that they mostly grow in the pacific NW, which has radically different weather. If they can, are some strains better for this kind of weather than others?

I'm near Raleigh, NC and I can tell you that Cascades love it here. I have three plants and get around a pound and a half a year dried. They love full sun.

You can successfully get away with growing hops almost anywhere. They are very adaptable. Just make sure they have full sun and decent drainage. Some may grow better than others, but a lot can depend on your soil etc.... Just choose a couple you like and see how it goes. Make sure you have room for them they can grow up to 26 ft tall and should be spaced at least 3 ft. apart.

Nice, I will definately plant some cascades then. It's good to know they can grow here. Maybe some Fuggle and Northern Brewer too. I'm in the process of buying my first home, and you can bet I told the realtor that I had to have one with a big backyard with plenty of sunlight so I could grow things.

Now I just have to come up with a trellis system!

there are some pretty simple version online if you google hops trellis. Personally because of how my yard is i planted them in 5 gallon buckets (for the first 1-3 years) then tied a rope up to the roof of my large shed. They climb up the ropes to the rooftop of my shed. Almost anything will work. There's lots of info on the threads as well.

www.groworganic.com This site has something called hortinova trellis. I'd suggest this stuff for super easy long lasting trellis.

Then pretty much prep soil like you would for growing anything else. So basically in your climated I'd recommend you use a product called stylet oil if you have bugs. This is what organic vineyards (and the non organic version for conventional vineyards) use. That's the main thing I can see being a problem. Your humidity may cause mold. This can be resolved by another organic bacillus subtillis bacteria product called sonota early in the year before the clusters start to form and once they start to build clusters so that the bacteria is there to compete with grey mold as it starts. There are some other good ones too though that can keep grey mold or bud rot from happening during sweaty, humid, and rainy weather. Arid falls are why we can grow these types of things here without mold, but on the east coast where warmer ocean and weather brings humidity up really high will affect potential molds. Especially since you get lots of rain in the hurricane season/summer. We typically don't see rain until late september after the harvest time for hops I think.

I'd say buy some bulk compost, dig up a small hole or trenched row if you are planning on getting more than a few plants in, maybe 6'' wide x however long and put amendments in like ones that will cover your npk and micronutrients, etc. short and long term, setup a drip system because it will need lots of water and cover with compost and mulch 4" thick. This will allow other things you need to support your plants to happen, earthworms, microanthropods, beneficial fungi, bacteria, etc. Things that will keep your oils high for better hops product. Remember, the compost and the mulch will help keep your plant consistently healthy while the weather changes blaze, which will make the biggest yeild increase.

Here's what I would suggest if I were to get serious about making my own hops.


Fishmeal
steamed bone meal
sulfate of potash
calphos (soft rock phosphate)
Glacial Rock dust
Kelp Meal
Humic Acid

Thank you for the information, it's much appreciated. However as far as bug control goes I don't care about being organic, can't I just spray with Sevin or something like that?

I'd be very concerned about what you spray on them for the simple fact that you are actually filtering it out and making it potentially more concentrated with the brewing process when using something like seven dust. I'd say no way... The stylet is more effective for other things that will help oil production. Be careful... read the labels for food crops before you choose something like this. I'd only use it if it were infested and I had plenty of break down time.

This is pretty important and will be obvious with a crop that's oil flavor is important. If you add a silicon product it will probably disuade bugs in the first place by building up the stem wall much thicker.

Hey, I finally got my rhisomes. I have them in 5 gal buckets right now and I intend to plant them on Sunday. I read in the BYO article a month or so ago that they like morning sun, so I should plant them on the east side of the house. Can anyone confirm or deny this? How much sun do hops like in a southern growing climate?

You will have a hard time growing here in GA. Only give your hops 6-8hrs of sun and don't let the topsoil dry out. Our GA heat is a ***** when trying to grow hops.

Congrats on the hops. I just planted mine about 3 weeks ago and they have started out strong. Ill be interested to see how yours do. I chose Cascade, Centennial and Chinook to start and am looking to add one more type this year. My pics of my trellis will be up soon as I just put the posts in the ground this weekend.

I am just south of Atlanta, and the Cascade and Horizon has done well. They have about 4 hours of direct sunlight per day (from about 2 - 6 pm.). I have heard the cascade flavor/aroma is way different than northwest grown hops. Anyone that can confirm?

PurpleJeepXJ said:

You will have a hard time growing here in GA. Only give your hops 6-8hrs of sun and don't let the topsoil dry out. Our GA heat is a ***** when trying to grow hops.

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Hey,
I'm my name is Sara and I was wondering if you'd possibly be interested in meeting up sometime to maybe trade some ideas, and teach me a little about what you know. My roommate brews beer on the reg, but we've never tried to grow hops, and being from S.W. Georgia we're a little wary of the heat in the summer. Get back with me if you're interested in helping some fellow Georgians. you can e-mail me directly at [email protected]

I would like to piggy back on this thread. I am in N. FL / S. GA line (W of Jax). I would like to grow some hops but as you said I am thinking heat would be to much. I plant my spuds at Valentines Day and everything out of the fields by 4th of July i.e. corn, beans, maters etc.
shepfl at gmail dot com

ShepFL said:

I would like to piggy back on this thread. I am in N. FL / S. GA line (W of Jax). I would like to grow some hops but as you said I am thinking heat would be to much. I plant my spuds at Valentines Day and everything out of the fields by 4th of July i.e. corn, beans, maters etc.
shepfl at gmail dot com

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I grew cascade last year and they took off. I grew them in an earthtainer which made it easy to not let dry out. Tons of water and not a full day of sun and they will grow. Hell they are weeds and can grow about anywhere.

I know this is a VERY old thread, but being from Georgia myself I'd like to see if any of these members are still around and hear some stories about their hop growing.

I’m in SC and figure what grows there should grow here so I’m interested as well!