Hop Rhizome Question

I placed an ordered for 1 of each Nugget and Cascade Rhizome. Is there any danger in not planting 2 each or order should I order more?

my first year hops were single rhizomes in each hill. As long as you plant them properly and take care of them, you will be fine. I had 5 total planted last year, but only 4 came back...that was more a function of garden location/sun exposure than number of rhizomes in each hill.

Also, fertilizer doesn't hurt, organic or otherwise...you probably won't yield too much, if any, hops this year, but you want massive root growth to establish them for next year.

Thanks for the info. I'm in the midwest will the winter kill the roots?

shouldn't...many folks on this and other forums in IL grow them...in soil or planter would be the question.

if in planters, bring them in. If in the ground, just cover with compost and mulch after the season. That should be enough. Maybe someone from IL might have another suggestion.

My mother in law, an avid gardner, told me my hops would never survive an IL winter. I had her over recently to show her my 8' tall hops. I didn't remind her of her words, I just showed her the growing hops. She was really quiet.

My IL hops, left in the ground (under mulch) do just fine.

i live in western OHIO. i had two centennial that never really put out anything as far as vertical growth their first year ( i wrote them off as dead) just to drive the point home, i went to check on them this spring and to my surprise both had come back and currently have over a foot of growth. i do have a good layer of mulch on them and put some my spent grains on them to help fertilize. (worms seem to really love the grains)

Shaggyt said:

shouldn't...many folks on this and other forums in IL grow them...in soil or planter would be the question.

if in planters, bring them in. If in the ground, just cover with compost and mulch after the season. That should be enough. Maybe someone from IL might have another suggestion.

Click to expand...

Yep, hops can be grown in British Columbia, Maine, the U-P of Michigan, southern Ontario, Minnesota, etc. One guy here grows them at 8,000 ft elevation in Oregon. Lot's of Zone 4 growers around the forums.

Where the OP is located is central Illinois and will be just fine, solidly in zone 5. As noted here, if you have them in planters you may want to move them inside or cover them (to keep the winter wind from really freezing them solid).

extra_medium said:

i do have a good layer of mulch on them and put some my spent grains on them to help fertilize. (worms seem to really love the grains)

Click to expand...

There are several posts around here discussing why this is not a great idea. Just like uncomposted manure.