Just bought my first rhyzome! (5y Cascade in Iowa)

All right, so I live in central Iowa, which isn't ideal for hop growing, but is tolerable. Plus the rhyzome came from someone who's been growing them for... well at least 5 years, and it's Cascade, which I understand to be pretty hardy when it comes to climate.

Anyway, it's covered by newspaper, sitting in my cool garage right now.

A little background: So i'm in iowa, and my parents have a nursery that I plan on planting it in. My dad's the state horticulturist, so between the two of us we're hoping we can figure something out.

I just have a few beginner questions:

1) Is now a good time to put it into the ground? It might freeze one or two more times throughout the year, but nothing we can't foresee and protect against. My dad's already planted his apple trees, which would get rocked by a freeze, but we can protect them using some warm cover.

2) If I can't plant it tomorrow, should I refrigerate it?

3) The LHBS I bought it from just had it sitting in their room temperature store for about 5-6 days, is this going to hurt it at all? It's plainly ready to be planted now.

4) Any suggestions for a simple trellising system for just one plant? What height should it be at?

5) Should I expect a good harvest from a 5 year plant? I know it takes ~3 years to get your first good harvest from a rhyzome, but I was told I should get a good harvest this year since it's 5y.

Thanks a bunch,
-Kelly

1. from what I gather around here, most people have planted by now. Hay will protect your hops if it freezes. Just cover them up with a thick layer of hay for insulation and you should be fine.

2. Refridgerate until you plant it

3. Bad hop care by your LHBS...maybe you should plant it right now?

4. You have plenty of time to work out a trellis sytem while your rhizome is growing. Only you can figure that one out...there are millions of variables

5. Do not expect a good harvest. Even though it is a 5 year plant...YOUR plant is brand new and needs to develop a root system of its own.

good luck and have fun; between you and your pops you will have plenty of success Im sure!

get that baby in the ground and stand back!

A five-year old root should give you a good harvest. It has enough stored energy to start bines and new roots quickly.