6 ft privacy fence?
- Thread starter jdlev
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the hops mill climb 6 feet in a short amount of time. Maybe provide some lattice so the vines have something to cling to. You may want to add some twine to stakes so the vines have somthign else to climb on.
There are a variety of issues to consider. Professional 'short' hop trellis are 10' tall. So at 6' your not there. A common practice is cut the leaves off the lower bines to focus the energy into the upper bine and to give bugs less to eat. This is done somewhere around 3 to 4 feet. That gives you 2 feet of working space. Again, not a good thing. Your hop isn't going to care about the 6 foot fence and it's going to keep growing and growing and growing.
I'm in IL, I am by no means in the most developed hop region this season, and I have hops that reaching 6' right now. I have a privacy fence. It's easy to measure. Maybe tomorrow they'll be 6.5'? My experience with horizontal growing is it was tedious and more or less a disaster due to bugs.
The height issue aside, year two/three you'll need to consider the size of the crown. What's on the other side of the fence? Is it a neighbor that doesn't like you? If hops are creeping on to his property- even if they are easy to control/get rid of, will he be a jerk? Its easier to control hops against a building in the burb's, you cut the front and sides. The building is the back. If a fence is the back, then the hops could invade who ever is on the other side of that fence. Just something to consider.
What I would do is look at full grown hops, see how tall they get. Consider a 8 to 10' trellis along your fence, and then keep them under control. Four years ago I though brewing was going to be my new hobby, three years ago I learned I love hop growing and I love gardening. Brewing is just a bonus. I say go for it!
I'm in IL, I am by no means in the most developed hop region this season, and I have hops that reaching 6' right now. I have a privacy fence. It's easy to measure. Maybe tomorrow they'll be 6.5'? My experience with horizontal growing is it was tedious and more or less a disaster due to bugs.
The height issue aside, year two/three you'll need to consider the size of the crown. What's on the other side of the fence? Is it a neighbor that doesn't like you? If hops are creeping on to his property- even if they are easy to control/get rid of, will he be a jerk? Its easier to control hops against a building in the burb's, you cut the front and sides. The building is the back. If a fence is the back, then the hops could invade who ever is on the other side of that fence. Just something to consider.
What I would do is look at full grown hops, see how tall they get. Consider a 8 to 10' trellis along your fence, and then keep them under control. Four years ago I though brewing was going to be my new hobby, three years ago I learned I love hop growing and I love gardening. Brewing is just a bonus. I say go for it!
I guess I'm leaning towards building a 10' trellis then...the area I was considering would probably have the hops crawl up the fence and continue up a cherry tree. I just don't want it to be an eye sore. Any pictures of ya'lls setup?
My house backs up to a farm, so nothing to worry about there.
My house backs up to a farm, so nothing to worry about there.
If it's not a big deal, I'd get a long post and at least give them 12 feet. I planted a 20 foot post and left 16 feet in the air and they climbed up that then then some! Now you can get away with less if you give them some lateral twine, but they will be more eager to climb UP than ACROSS.
I just screwed an eyebolt into the side of the post near the top and ran the string up to that. My new "Hops Sculpture" is going to be great (If my wife Ok's the design, and the local airport doesn't notify the FAA).
I just screwed an eyebolt into the side of the post near the top and ran the string up to that. My new "Hops Sculpture" is going to be great (If my wife Ok's the design, and the local airport doesn't notify the FAA).
Heh, about a week ago I started a Trellis as Eye Sore thread. I'm a 3rd year grower and one of my neighbors started to cry. Solution, firepit neighborhood party and a lot of free beer. He left saying "I was just giving you a hard time."
I have a 2 story house with eye bolts attached to the roof (not the side). So those lines run 20 or 25' tall.
In the back of my house (the real issue) I have 4 8.5' poles that I can extend. Last year I had 10' poles. I plan to extend the new poles to about 11' or 12' but in theory I can get them to maybe 16'- I question their strength and the limits of 'not being noticed'.
In general I speak with my neighbors a lot, I keep my yard mowed, my sidewalks clean, and when we have a neighborhood gathering I give away a lot of free beer. I also have rain barrels and a different neighbor said they look bad. I gave him free and he said my 'Hippy barrels' are just weird, but fine. Free beer seems to solve all my neighborhood issues. Something to consider.
I have a 2 story house with eye bolts attached to the roof (not the side). So those lines run 20 or 25' tall.
In the back of my house (the real issue) I have 4 8.5' poles that I can extend. Last year I had 10' poles. I plan to extend the new poles to about 11' or 12' but in theory I can get them to maybe 16'- I question their strength and the limits of 'not being noticed'.
In general I speak with my neighbors a lot, I keep my yard mowed, my sidewalks clean, and when we have a neighborhood gathering I give away a lot of free beer. I also have rain barrels and a different neighbor said they look bad. I gave him free and he said my 'Hippy barrels' are just weird, but fine. Free beer seems to solve all my neighborhood issues. Something to consider.
