Death to hops...

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instapman

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I wacked them with the weed eater yesterday. I dont have a temper...just the opposite in fact... but when I realized I hit my Stirlings with my Craftsman 27cc 2-Cycle Full Crank Brushcutter Combo Weedwacker® Gas Trimmer I was enraged...

They were first year Stirlings that were over 9' tall and were going to produce cones this year!

Time, sweat, (and now tears), money, back pain, soil samples, fertilizer have all gone to waste...

It cut all the vines but one so I still have some chance at a cone or two this year but its not looking good...

I just had to vent....
 
I wacked them with the weed eater yesterday. I dont have a temper...just the opposite in fact... but when I realized I hit my Stirlings with my Craftsman 27cc 2-Cycle Full Crank Brushcutter Combo Weedwacker® Gas Trimmer I was enraged...


This is tragic...sorry for your loss.
 
Yah, I rushed planting and didnt prepare the area well enough.. Im going to dig them up later and replant in a better prepared bed so I can avoid this situation...or maybe just a big pot...I have not figured out which one...

Thanks for the support..SWMBO did not understand why it was worth throwing the weedeater across the yard discus style....that took some expalining... ;)
 
If possible, guard them with a rock/Brick/wire fence/etc. boarder. Inside the boarder is hand pull only. You can weed whack like crazy on the outside of the boarder.

Sorry to hear about your bad fortune.
 
I bet they come back either before the end of your season or next year.

I really doubt all is lost.

If it helps, in early spring I cut back several times intentionally. Have been doing that for years. This year I added the use of a weed burner to the mix and only 4 of 13 have emerged since then. That was April!

I often ponder, "did I hold the burner too long" but, in reality I only passed it across the cut ends to cotterize them.

It befuddles the mind but, I will leave them be untill this fall when it's time to root prune. Then I'll know if I have to replace crowns next spring or not.
 
that does suck, I can somewhat sympathize as my Gardner hula hoed right through a couple of my hills ripping out rhizomes that had bines going up 5ft at the time and on rope too. I was pissed that day.
 
Sorry to hear that. When deliberate, I believe that is a capital crime (or should be), but we feel your pain on this one.
 
Since you still have one bine, you will probably see some cones anyway. The reason we train multiple bines on each twine is just in case of accidents or bugs or deer or children playing Tarzan.

My land is ideally suited for growing tall grass and thistles. No amount of ground preparation stops them. I've got 5 different kinds of thistles growing, none of which are edible. And then there's the blackberries, I still have some in the freezer from last year.
 
Since you still have one bine, you will probably see some cones anyway. The reason we train multiple bines on each twine is just in case of accidents or bugs or deer or children playing Tarzan.

My land is ideally suited for growing tall grass and thistles. No amount of ground preparation stops them. I've got 5 different kinds of thistles growing, none of which are edible. And then there's the blackberries, I still have some in the freezer from last year.

I think I will have something to harvest this year but it may only be one brew's worth. Like I said...its a first year plant. I really did enjoy having them around this spring even with all the work (read obsession). I will be ordering more this coming April/may and plan on doing it right this time. I still have not decided to find matching stone for my existing flower bed or if I should just go with some pots...I will also be planting some sacrificial plants for the bugs and the weedeater....
 
sad sad day

my cat nipped the tips off mine twice i was livid they came back well but yesterday swmbo broke one while she tried to train them grr
 
Sorry for your loss. Early this season, I was mowing the lawn, a lone small bine got caught on the mower and pulled my entire Sterling plant down. It's about 3' tall. I looks pretty. Pretty lean. Sigh...

I feel for ya.
 
I think I will have something to harvest this year but it may only be one brew's worth. Like I said...its a first year plant. I really did enjoy having them around this spring even with all the work (read obsession). I will be ordering more this coming April/may and plan on doing it right this time. I still have not decided to find matching stone for my existing flower bed or if I should just go with some pots...I will also be planting some sacrificial plants for the bugs and the weedeater....



It's a sad day.


I highly recommend staying away from pots when it comes to hops though, they have a very large root structure and do poorly when confined. I have a cascade in a 30 gallon pot which dies back every year mid-summer as if in protest.
 
In a few years you may be whacking them intentionally. My hops are so invasive and keep spreading I have resorted to weed whacking them around the perimeter to keep them in check but they keep coming back like weeds so it is an ongoing process.

I have to admit though, I do not have the time to care for them properly and limit the bines to a few. It is like a jungle around there. Never thought I would be pulling off bines and tossing them aside to die as if they were poison ivy.
 
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