hydroponics

Here's a dumb question. Can hops be grown hydroponically, or preferably, aeroponically?

I know of a hops relative that is often grown hydroponicaly :fro:

You could, but it would have to be trained horizontally daily, probably, since you couldn't keep lights 12" above the top of the plant and expect the rest of the plant to get the light it needs...if the plant gets to be 10' tall, that's too much distance. Hydro/aeroponics are better suited to short, bushy plants, like peppers, tomatoes, etc than tall, lanky vines.

Moonshae said:

Hydro/aeroponics are better suited to short, bushy plants, like peppers, tomatoes, etc than tall, lanky vines.

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Sure.

There is something that you can add to your hydro system that will stunt growth to promote a short stocky / bushy plant .....cant remember the name right now but I am sure there is some hydro gardening forum to find that out......or give University of Georgia a call and talk to the God father of Hydroponics!!!

You can train plants under a screen for indoor lighting. It's a well documented procedure. There are also other creative ways to maximize the light and minimize plant height. I would think aeroponics would work technically. The question is whether you can flower the plant at an acceptable size.

talleymonster said:

Sure.

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Best post/avatar combo ever.

Moonshae said:

You could, but it would have to be trained horizontally daily, probably, since you couldn't keep lights 12" above the top of the plant and expect the rest of the plant to get the light it needs...if the plant gets to be 10' tall, that's too much distance. Hydro/aeroponics are better suited to short, bushy plants, like peppers, tomatoes, etc than tall, lanky vines.

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Hydroponics does not mean that you have use artificial light and/or garden indoors. There's no reason why you can't garden outdoors using hydroponics. And there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to have tall hop vines with higher yields than their conventionally-grown counterparts. Hydroponics has this "mad scientist" image about it that often overshadows the simpler side of the style. A wick system into a mixture of perlite, vermiculite, and peat is as good a hydroponic setup as any, and it doesn't require ebbing or drip irrigation or any other "active" apparatus. Just replenish nutrients periodically and you can get exceptional yields from a simple wick system. Actually hops might be ideal for such a system because their nutrient demands are relatively low compared to many other fruiting/flowering plants.

Now aeroponics might not work at all on hops due to the conditions that the rhizomes need in order to thrive. Maybe it could work, but I suspect it would be quite a bit different than growing tomatoes or other plants with more "standard" root systems.

Big A the stuff you are referring to is Made by Humboldt County's Own and is called Bushmaster.

Did somebody call for the BushMaster. I am here now.