Hop Shoots...

I have two half-whiskey barrels that have 1 rhizome planted in each. One barrel has a Cascade which have sprouted two little shoots about .5-1in tall with tiny leafs starting to grow. The other has a Mt. Hood in which there's just one 2 inch tall sprout with a few leaves started to bloom and looks like it's starting to branch off.

Do the shoots grow out as individual ones from the ground, or do some of them grow from one shoot out of the ground then branch off? Should I be worried that only 2 have made it for Cascade and 1 for Mt. Hood? They've been sprouting for about 4-5 days now, and all came up at the same time within a day apart...

No need to worry at all about only 1-2 bines coming out so far. If this is your first year with the hops, you may only get a few actually coming out of the ground. They will not branch off of each other, they only come from the rhizome in the ground. You'll probably see more bines coming out as the season progresses. I would recommend cutting back all but 2-3 of those anyways to ensure proper root growth and give all the nutrients to the bines you are letting grow.

Next year, you'll see many more bines coming out of the surface. Hopefully you'll get some type of harvest this year from your first year crop. Best of luck!