I posted a bunch of threads on this forum a while ago asking if it was possible to grow hops in Florida. I got a lot of people saying yes, a lot saying no, and even more in betweeners. I'm not sure if this is just my particular climate (strangely less humid than most places in FL), or my OCD about keeping bugs and disease off of them, but I'm happy to report that they did grow perfectly well.
As a matter of fact, the yield was as I suspected. It was about a couple hand-fulls or so off of 2 plants. I had heard that in the south, because the sunlight is so constant that there are many crops that can produce two "growing seasons" in one year, so when my hops were ready, I plucked them, cut the bines down, and kept watering them and caring for them as usual.
They are now about 4 feet tall, growing a couple inches per day, and producing a ton of hop cones.
In case anyone is wondering how I did it:
They are in raised beds with miracle grow plant soil, coffee, egg shells (etc.). Every time I brew I throw in my used grains into the soil...not sure if that does much, but it certainly doesn't hurt them. Water twice a day, unless we have one of our famous down-pours, in which case I just leave them alone.
Every now and again the leaves turn a little brown and "icky" so I pluck them off, and try to keep new bines from getting too big, so as to not rob from their big brothers further up the trellis.
Hope this helps!
As a matter of fact, the yield was as I suspected. It was about a couple hand-fulls or so off of 2 plants. I had heard that in the south, because the sunlight is so constant that there are many crops that can produce two "growing seasons" in one year, so when my hops were ready, I plucked them, cut the bines down, and kept watering them and caring for them as usual.
They are now about 4 feet tall, growing a couple inches per day, and producing a ton of hop cones.
In case anyone is wondering how I did it:
They are in raised beds with miracle grow plant soil, coffee, egg shells (etc.). Every time I brew I throw in my used grains into the soil...not sure if that does much, but it certainly doesn't hurt them. Water twice a day, unless we have one of our famous down-pours, in which case I just leave them alone.
Every now and again the leaves turn a little brown and "icky" so I pluck them off, and try to keep new bines from getting too big, so as to not rob from their big brothers further up the trellis.
Hope this helps!
