Do you grow your own hops?

i need some advice from those of you who grow your own please.
I am getting ready to plant my first rhizomes tomorrow and want something not to big that doesn't need to be concreted in to the ground. I am looking at some 6 foot high tomato trellises. I have three hops rhizomes, and am wondering if i plant one per trellis and then run some horizontal twine between each trellis, will that be ok, or is 6 feet high just not high enough no matter how much horizontal twine i use?

Hops usually grow to 25 ft.

Most of us can't accommodate something like the hop farmers set up.

My set up is only 12 ft. I checked earlier today and I have about 7 plants growing from last years planting. Two of them are about a foot tall already. I was really surprised to see them up already...it's freezing out.

So is there any harm in say 6 or 8 feet vertical and the other 15 or 20 feet horizontal?
or 6 feet up, and 5 down (keep them off the ground on the way back down) and then 10 horizontal?

kenb said:

So is there any harm in say 6 or 8 feet vertical and the other 15 or 20 feet horizontal?
or 6 feet up, and 5 down (keep them off the ground on the way back down) and then 10 horizontal?

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yeah, that has worked before. It shouldn't be a problem.

I just got my rizhomes in the ground yesterday before the cold weather hit. Here's my DIY Hop Garden with 20 ft. high trellis.



The thread can be found here.

You have to keep winding them to the horizontal section, but it can be done.

I think edwort has a great idea, although things might get crowded near the top in a couple years.

david_42 said:

You have to keep winding them to the horizontal section, but it can be done.

I think edwort has a great idea, although things might get crowded near the top in a couple years.

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Yeah, I think next year I'm adding a 4th pole and then a horizontal one at the top with pulleys if that happens.

kenb said:

So is there any harm in say 6 or 8 feet vertical and the other 15 or 20 feet horizontal?

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This is the way I did mine last year. They were OK.

I plan on a higher trellis this year, but still may have to go horizontal with it.

my brother just ordered 17 rizomes from freshhops.com for himself, my bro-in-law, and me. 5 different varieties...cascade, nugget, galena, hallertuaer, willamette. we are all looking forward to this gardening adventure! i have to work on a trellis system between now and when they come in.

Someone from another site said they do not think you get get them to grow back down from the top? Because they want to climb up for the sun?

kenb said:

Someone from another site said they do not think you get get them to grow back down from the top? Because they want to climb up for the sun?

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Gravity always wins without proper support.

Well, it looks like as far as sunlight goes, the side of my house is going to be best. The only thing is that there are a lot of flowers and plants there. Is it ok to plant hops in the midst of flowers and other plants? Like if i clear out a space around the hops about six inches around? And keep the hop rhizomes about 2 feet apart? I have read 5 feet for different varieties, but i am either going to have to keep them 2 feet apart, or forgo one of the varieties...

Ok, just planted them. I ended up clearing another space, so i kept each variety at least 3 feet apart. I had 2 of each variety, and planted the rhizomes of each variety in the same hole, about 4-6 inches apart. Is that ok? Good ole Hops Direct sent two of each instead of one like i ordered, just like they do hops..what an awesome company.
Also, on a couple of them their were no buds, so i had to guess which way was up. if they don’t bloom when the others do, can i save them by digging them up and turning them rightside up?

I read somewhere that hops like a hot head but cold feet, so mulch them good if the ground gets a lot of hot sun. I have some growing for ornamental reasons, on a horizontal trellis, and they sure want to go up; their natural direction. And since they grow so fast I'm always threading them to stay horizontal.

kenb said:

Ok, just planted them. I ended up clearing another space, so i kept each variety at least 3 feet apart. I had 2 of each variety, and planted the rhizomes of each variety in the same hole, about 4-6 inches apart. Is that ok?

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Freshops.com recommends that hops of the same variety be planted 3 feet apart, and hops of differing varieties be planted 5 feet apart.

Unclesamskid said:

Freshops.com recommends that hops of the same variety be planted 3 feet apart, and hops of differing varieties be planted 5 feet apart.

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hmm, should i see which of the two sprouts first and then dig the other up and toss it then?

Ok, here is why i planted 2 rhizomes just a few inches apart. This is from Freshhops....
"Planting

Plant 2 rhizomes per hill with the buds pointed up and cover with 1 inch of loose soil. Hills should be spaced at least 3 feet apart if the hills are of the same variety and 5 feet apart if they are different. The first year the hop plant requires frequent light watering."

Am i reading this wrong? Will these be ok?

Planting the 2 rhizomes a few inches apart appears to be what the directions from Freshops calls for, but the mounds for different varieties are supposed to be 5 feet apart (at least according to Freshops).

I think I had read that the reason why you want the two varieties spaced farther apart is to prevent the two from competing with each other. I don't know this to be a fact though.

Unclesamskid said:

I think I had read that the reason why you want the two varieties spaced farther apart is to prevent the two from competing with each other. I don't know this to be a fact though.

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more than likely its so that you can easily keep var. separated at harvest:rockin:

eriklupust said:

more than likely its so that you can easily keep var. separated at harvest:rockin:

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I would imagine at 3ft or less the bines will intertwine such that you cannot tell where one stops and the other begins. This means you will have a difficult time telling what variety you are picking when the time comes. If you are going to be using a horizontal trellis, I think you will need alot more space between bines.
Mine Rhizomes are on order. However we just got 2ft of lake effect snow so it is going to be a while before I can get them in the ground.
This has been the year of holiday snows. We had 2ft of snow on Valentines Day and now another 2ft on Easter. And to think it was 80F last Tuesday.
Craig

Ok i just called Hops Direct, and they said it is fine to plant two rhizomes of the same variety together a few inches apart. They said it is even ok to allow them to climb the same string. They said for DIFFERENT varieties, it makes it too hard to tell them apart (same thing you guys advised).

I did the 2 rhizomes of the same species about 8" apart as recommended as well. This is the second year now and they're sprouting up from between the two rhizomes as well. I'm assuming you just start to get a big old root ball eventually...

I was given rhizomes last week, but we've had hard frosts every night since then. I hope to have these in the ground before the end of this week:

I planted 3 tettnang and 3 cascade two weeks ago. I mulched the beds, water them as needed, and still have no shoots coming up from the ground.
any ideas, suggestions?
oh I live in north carolina

I have a next door neighbor with a 2 story barn/garage type thing. She graciously agreed to let me (somehow) put heavy screw-eyes at the top of the wall to run support wires from.

It's finally staying warm in the area again (stupid cold snap - though my lagers thank you) and I think I'll be planting my Cascade, Kent Golding, and Chinook this weekend... Yippee!

kvh

i just got done putting mine in the ground! 5 varieties...cascade, galena, nugget, willamette, and hallertauer. all 5 feet apart. i tilled the area this morning in preparation and then mixed peat moss with mushroom compost to mix with the soil. then i made five mounds with the enriched soil and planted the rizomes. finally, i put mulch around each mound...generously. i am watering them as we speak (so to speak). right now is the awkward silence after consumating a one night stand...what to do, what to do?