Idea for a retractable hop trellis.

So I was looking through the Harbor Freight ad and noticed the 20' retractable flag poles and got the idea to buy two of them and run a steel wire across the top of them and coir twine down to the ground. Then at harvest time I should be able to just lower the poles instead of needing a ladder to cut down the twine. Any thoughts from more experienced growers before the ground thaws and I cement the pole holders in place? This will be my first season to grow my own hops.

rangrr4834 said:

So I was looking through the Harbor Freight ad and noticed the 20' retractable flag poles and got the idea to buy two of them and run a steel wire across the top of them and coir twine down to the ground. Then at harvest time I should be able to just lower the poles instead of needing a ladder to cut down the twine. Any thoughts from more experienced growers before the ground thaws and I cement the pole holders in place? This will be my first season to grow my own hops.

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I think it is a very good plan. I have a similar plan. So far I bought two 20 ft flag poles from TruValue. I might get a third one. My plan is to run a rope through the tops and tie the twine to it about every 5 feet. When harvest comes, the idea is to lower the top rope and lower the vines, much like raising and lowering flags.

Good find on those poles, that is a lot cheaper than what I found.

A single mature hop plant that has done well can weigh up to 20 pounds by the end of the growing season.

I can't imagine 20 feet of inexpensive aluminum tubing is going to withstand much in the way of dead weight trying to bend them inwards and downwards. I recommend siting your poles such that the inevitable addition of guy wires at each end will be possible...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

A single mature hop plant that has done well can weigh up to 20 pounds by the end of the growing season.

I can't imagine 20 feet of inexpensive aluminum tubing is going to withstand much in the way of dead weight trying to bend them inwards and downwards. I recommend siting your poles such that the inevitable addition of guy wires at each end will be possible...

Cheers!

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That's good advice. I was concerned about that and have schemed to put a line post through the top of the poles to keep the loads vertical. Still, I need to do some loads analysis. It will likely show the limit to pole spacing and # of plants.

This is the top 10 feet of eight second year plants (they were around 24 feet tall by this) hanging from drops off a 40 foot long suspension line attached at the ends to two 10' 2x4 risers turned edge in.



The shot was taken a good five weeks before the first harvest - it was the last shot that you could still see the 2x4 at the far end, as the plants started rockin' the side arms after this and got bushy as heck.

Only the top ~6 feet of the 2x4s was above the railing thus unbraced against the load, but with as much weight as they carried they were both bowed in by nearly a foot by harvest (I had to keep tightening the suspension line as time passed). Next season I'll start off with the risers rotated 180°.

I would bet those 2x4s are a heck of a lot stronger than that flag pole...

Cheers!

That picture has peaked my interest day_trippr. That is a great looking crop! I am definitely going to take the loads into serious consideration.
Your set-up of 8 plants in 40 ft looks great. Any pictures of the harvest and info on yield? How did you package and store them?

Don't want to thread-jack but...

First harvest...


Second harvest...


I can't remember how many pounds of dry cones I ended up with (it's somewhere in the 2012 hop thread) but I have a freezer stuffed full of vac-sealed Chinook, Cascade and Centennial, and I've brewed 20 gallons of home grown IPAs so far!

Cheers!

I've got two eye bolts in my support beams (a barn and a telephone pole.) Ran 100 ft of nylon marine grade rope through and cleated it off on both sides. Hoping to be able to use that to lower and raise the bines...

Any thoughts as to why that wouldn't work?

I have to stick a prop in the middle of my 40' run else it sags too much, and had to tighten the line once it worked its stretch out, but the idea of running the main line between two such sturdy end points is a fine start...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

Don't want to thread-jack but...

First harvest...

Second harvest...

I can't remember how many pounds of dry cones I ended up with (it's somewhere in the 2012 hop thread) but I have a freezer stuffed full of vac-sealed Chinook, Cascade and Centennial, and I've brewed 20 gallons of home grown IPAs so far!

Cheers!

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Holy Crap !!!! Giant hops !

jethro55 said:

Holy Crap !!!! Giant hops !

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Gotta love Chinook. "Hop Angels" galore!



Cheers!