First year hops

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sddanc

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N00b here,

Got my rhizomes into the ground a little over three weeks ago. Soil is amended and I water it each morning. None of them have broke ground yet, so I move the dirt out of the way and two of them haven't done a single thing. One of them is sending up little bean sprout looking shoots, but it is still not coming out (this was about a week ago). This is my second round of rhizomes, the first set I had almost 8 rhizomes prove to be duds. Eastern San Diego, average temps are about 70+ right now. Too deep? Not enough water? Duds? Should I start the other two in pots then transplant? Buy new rhizomes?
 
I am having the same luck. I planted six rhizomes the 2nd weekend of April. Have tended to them regularly but nothing showing. I haven't tried to uncover and see what they look like yet. Who did you buy yours from?
 
How deep are they planted? They're only supposed to be 1-2" below the soil.
 
Maybe I should remove some dirt then, because I guesstimate them about 3" deep.
 
I'd have them just below the surface and cover with 1/2 to < 1" soil. Keep moist but not saturated. All of mine sprouted in pots like this. Deeper they are, the colder they will be. They need soil temps to be raised to sprout.
 
I'd also say that water every morning is too much if they haven't even sprouted.

Even if your soil drains well you can drown your rhizomes and their roots. Unlike the good stuff above the soil, the roots need oxygen and if you continually fill the small gaps with water then O2 can't get to the roots.

If you water them every three days or so it will allow the top 1-2" of soil to dry a bit and it forces the rhizomes to send out roots and search for water. Once you get some nice leaves you can start watering more often. At this point even with my two rhizomes having bines with leaves I still only water every three days, two if it's particularly warm.
 
Patience. I planted a cutting and gave up after over 3 weeks of nothing. Now she's breaking ground in 3 spots. I do have to say that 8 or more "duds" seems extreme, so something must be awry... What was the source of the rhizomes & how were they handled? Was the soil too rich? Are you watering too much/too little? There lots of variables at play, but I would try patience first (as well as providing as much info as possible so that other, smarter posters can help you more than I did). Do not keep uncovering it though.
 
Reno_eNVy said:
I'd also say that water every morning is too much if they haven't even sprouted. Even if your soil drains well you can drown your rhizomes and their roots. Unlike the good stuff above the soil, the roots need oxygen and if you continually fill the small gaps with water then O2 can't get to the roots. it
Click to expand...

I agree. I suspect the primary reason for failure is over-watering assuming you are starting with a viable rhizome. No matter what you are trying to grow, this is almost always the case. Hops are really somewhat of a weed, and will thrive a fair amount of neglect once established.
 
br1dge said:
I agree. I suspect the primary reason for failure is over-watering assuming you are starting with a viable rhizome. No matter what you are trying to grow, this is almost always the case. Hops are really somewhat of a weed, and will thrive a fair amount of neglect once established.
Click to expand...

THIS!

I follow some excellent advice I once got from a friend who is one of those "Born with a Green Thumb" kind of people:

A little stress makes the end product better because the plant has to work a little harder and in the process becomes stronger.

He's like the Friedrich Nietzsche of botanists :D
 
Some thoughtful advice. Thanks all. My problem may in fact be overwatering. I get paranoid that since the heat dries up the area I am in, I have to get some water down each day. I will let them be a couple days before I water again. I will be checking the ph in a few days, hopefully that will lend some resolve as well
 
sddanc said:
Some thoughtful advice. Thanks all. My problem may in fact be overwatering. I get paranoid that since the heat dries up the area I am in, I have to get some water down each day. I will let them be a couple days before I water again. I will be checking the ph in a few days, hopefully that will lend some resolve always
Click to expand...

You do not need to worry about ph, unless yu are using some ridiculous soil medium. Best thing to do is to not look at them more than 2x a week. You are killing them with kindness.
 
br1dge said:
You do not need to worry about ph, unless yu are using some ridiculous soil medium. Best thing to do is to not look at them more than 2x a week. You are killing them with kindness.
Click to expand...

Aaaaant. Wrong and wrong.
Checking the PH is a good thing. Also check NPK. Check them everyday for pests and moisture levels. If its moist 2-3 in down don't water.
 
Stevo2569 said:
Aaaaant. Wrong and wrong.
Checking the PH is a good thing. Also check NPK. Check them everyday for pests and moisture levels. If its moist 2-3 in down don't water.
Click to expand...

If the rhizome isn't growing, the soil is probably going to be wet if he has been watering every day. Checking NPK or ph, for that matter, is not easy or cheap to do with any degree of accuracy, and again completely unnecessary in 95% of time. Rhizomes have plenty of stored energy, and do not need any fertilizer to sprout, in fact it can actually hinder the development. Once the bines are actively growing, by all means water the **** out of them, and fertilize heavily.

I have been active in all sorts of gardening forums for many years, and without question, the most common reason people have issues sprouting rhizomes or seeds or clones, is due to over analyzing and over watering, thus my recommendation to do less.
 
br1dge said:
If the rhizome isn't growing, the soil is probably going to be wet if he has been watering every day. Checking NPK or ph, for that matter, is not easy or cheap to do with any degree of accuracy, and again completely unnecessary in 95% of time. Rhizomes have plenty of stored energy, and do not need any fertilizer to sprout, in fact it can actually hinder the development. Once the bines are actively growing, by all means water the **** out of them, and fertilize heavily.

I have been active in all sorts of gardening forums for many years, and without question, the most common reason people have issues sprouting rhizomes or seeds or clones, is due to over analyzing and over watering, thus my recommendation to do less.
Click to expand...

Good Point, but I've compared NPK/PH levels with the same soil sample from more sophisticated equipment against the Cheap HDepot test kit. The results were within a reasonable margin of error. Plus knowing which insects are around your plants 2X day can save vital new growth.
 
Update: been watering every other day now, but just a little less. Checked the shoots that looked like they were about to poke ground and found frail little brown sticks. . . Ugh
 
sddanc said:
Update: been watering every other day now, but just a little less. Checked the shoots that looked like they were about to poke ground and found frail little brown sticks. . . Ugh
Click to expand...

That sounds bad.

You continued to over-water, I'm sure.
 
After hearing I may be overwatering them, I didn't touch em for two days, then watered, then left them for another two days.
 

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