Winterizing potted hops

Hi fellas. I bought a few cascade rhizomes this last spring and potted them in anticipation of the thaw. Well, I never did get them out into the ground and they grew in pots near a south-facing window all summer. They started yellowing and going dormant a few weeks ago due to the shorter days, so I clipped them off near the soil line today.

What do I have to do to keep these guys ready for next spring? Should I keep watering the pots? Should I cover them?

Nope, once the bines have died off cut them close to the dirt and cover em over with mulch. Don't water them, as that can now encourage rotting since they're dormant. Just leave em alone. Since they're dormant any time between now and March would be a good time to actually plant them in the ground.

I live in ND, so the ground is frozen here. Won't the rhizomes dry to the point of dessication if I don't water 'em?

If the rhizome is healthy it can withstand the dryness. I overwinter a bunch of tuberous begonias in my basement (~55 F). They don't get any water all winter and do just fine. The key is to store them cool. If you could find a place that is cool and dark that would be the best. I've overwintered some hops in 1 gal pots. I just put them up next to the house. Average temp at night for me is in the upper 20's. The lowest it got last year was 2 F. I don't think they could handle that in your neck of the woods, but I bet they'd be happy in an unheated garage, preferably not against an outside wall.

EvilTOJ said:

Nope, once the bines have died off cut them close to the dirt and cover em over with mulch. Don't water them, as that can now encourage rotting since they're dormant. Just leave em alone. Since they're dormant any time between now and March would be a good time to actually plant them in the ground.

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stupid question but what about natural rain that falls?

Humans water plants way more than natural rainfall does. Add them together and you can get root rot, especially in a dormant plant.

So...those pots have continued to sit in the pots near the window (where it's cooler). I just happened to look at them in passing this evening, and noticed a new shoot coming up in one of the pots. Damn! What should I do? Evidently this particular plant has decided it was time to wake up.

Are they actually inside? Just clip that shoot off and put them in a much cooler and darker place. Especially darker. Hops are tuned to hours of daylight as well as temps, so if you've had the heat up and the lights on all the time it may think it's springtime.