Propagating from cuttings

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pilotdane

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I could not bring myself to throw away the baby bines this spring so I started an experiment. I took two, dunked the base 2-3" in rooting hormone, and stuck them in potting soil. I also took two and simply plopped in a cup of water.

The two with hormone in potting soil are still alive. One has grown about 3 inches and sent out two new little pairs of leaves. The other seems to be slowly withering away though I will not count it out. There are some tiny bright green leaves at the base but the tip of the bine is dying so it could go either way.

After several weeks the two bines in the water are suffering. Every storm we get blows them out so it's not a fair fight. One disappeared during the night and I found the other lying on the ground. I dunked it in rooting hormone and stuck it back in the water. A week later it appears there might be some root buds forming.
 
I could not bring myself to throw away the baby bines this spring so I started an experiment. I took two, dunked the base 2-3" in rooting hormone, and stuck them in potting soil. I also took two and simply plopped in a cup of water.

The two with hormone in potting soil are still alive. One has grown about 3 inches and sent out two new little pairs of leaves. The other seems to be slowly withering away though I will not count it out. There are some tiny bright green leaves at the base but the tip of the bine is dying so it could go either way.

After several weeks the two bines in the water are suffering. Every storm we get blows them out so it's not a fair fight. One disappeared during the night and I found the other lying on the ground. I dunked it in rooting hormone and stuck it back in the water. A week later it appears there might be some root buds forming.
That sounds promising that they are forming root buds, I am very interested in the end results, I will be keeping an eye on this thread. The shoots I told you about that I cut are growing now Pilotdane, they have added about 6 sets of leaves already, it was a tossup for a few days, then they seemed to take off, It seems to be a great way to start new plants, although it is still too early to tell for sure, I will keep you posted in the next few weeks, all of the second year plants are doing really well, hop cones are getting large now, I will be harvesting some of them in a couple weeks I think, good luck on the propogation and Ill be looking forward to your results.:mug:
 
From my experience hops are pretty easy to propigate. I trimmed off the lower 2' of sidearms from my plants last year because I read something about that helping keep pests off of the plants. Anyway I stripped them of leaves from the lower 3" or so, poked my finger into the dirt, stuck them in, and packed the dirt around. About half of the, rooted and started to grow fairly well (6-10'). About half of those actually survived the winter and are doing quite well now.

Good luck with yours.
 
This is great news. Any pictures, and how did you cut them? Were they leaf cuttings of the actual bine? If bines were they the whole bine or segments of the same?
 
I put one of my cuttings, 6 inches long or so, in a glass of water indoors, and after a couple of weeks it had sprouted roots. Put it in a small pot, and it's still alive. The tip withered away, but now it's got 12 inches or so of side arms and lots of new leaves.
 
My cuttings were extra bines coming out of the ground. The longest was about 12" and the shortest 4". Since my plants are first year I kept three bines and trimmed the rest flush with the ground. I cut off any leaves from the bottom 4", dipped them in rooting hormone powder, and planted them in potting soil. I then kept the plant out of the hot mid day sun and the soil very wet for the first two weeks. For the first week the bine would droop if the soil dried just a little so I kept the potting soil saturated. Then I started giving it full sun and backed off to keeping the soil well watered but not saturated for a week or more and now I am backing off to a more normal watering schedule.
 
I took some cutting and just buried all but a few inches leaving the tip exposed. Of the 3 I have done so far, 2 seem to be continuing to live after 2 weeks. No new growth but they do have nice green leaves.
 
I'm experimenting right now with the extra bines the plant sends up. Since I'm only keeping 6 bines usually, if another comes up I'll pull it out, this seems to actually disconnect it further undrground and it comes up with a few roots. I stuck one of these in a glass of water on the window sill and it has been going good for a week and has grown 3-4 inches. I'm just out of places to plant.

I may start playing "Johnny Appleseed" and go around to vacant areas and plant hops near trees/poles and see what happens.
 
This spring I just stuck a spade in at the side of last years hops and cut out a chunk of the roots. Last year's hops are doing great, despite the "surgery". The new ones from the old roots are at about 12 feet, although still a little skinny, they look better than last year's that were planted as rhizomes.
 
A friend of a friend of a friend used to root cuttings by using a new razor blade to cut the base end at a 45* angle, and then scraping only the green outer layer of the stem, up about 1". Then the end is stuck into rooting hormone with a fungicide, and put into soil of a pot.

Removing the outer 1" gives the cutting that 1" of area to sprout roots, or they tend to be only fro the end where it is cut.
 
Good to know. I am really getting worried about my hops not coming up. I feel I need to start them elsewhere next time before moving them into my system. Rhizomes were difficult to plant and I have never had the best luck with them, but I could get one to grow in the ground and take cuttings, that would do very well.
 
Ok, we have Cascade coming out of the ground in two places on the rhizome I planted. Now what to do?

Decisions, decisions. The first thought is, I was hoping to just take a bine cutting and strip away a little or the stem with hormone treatment like Henry Hill talked about, taking a few of the bottom leaves off as well. Something organic and worm eatable would be used to plant the cutting into my aquaponic system (I'm thinking those netted-expandable peat moss things, you know you add the water and it grows in the net). This protects the new plant and delicate roots from the gravel in the grow-beds I use, as well as wicks water to maintain constant moisture on the new plant. The bine should then root and eventually outgrows the temporary planting medium.

Or, I could cut the rhizome in half and dig up one half for replanting in the aquaponic system, being very careful with the roots. This idea seems easier to me, what do you guys think?
 
I got nothing- I'm a soil farmer.

Stuff I refferrred to is called Rootone
Rotting Hormone with Fungicide.

I would not introduce this to a System, however.
 
Ok, we have Cascade coming out of the ground in two places on the rhizome I planted. Now what to do?

Decisions, decisions. The first thought is, I was hoping to just take a bine cutting and strip away a little or the stem with hormaone treatment like Henry Hill talked about, taking a few of the bottom leaves off as well. Something organic and worm eatible would be used to plant the cutting into my aquaponic system (I'm thinking those netted-expandable peat moss things, you know you add the water and it grows in the net). This protects the new plant and delicate roots from the gravel in the grow-beds I use, as well as wicks water to maintain constant moisture on the new plant. The bine should then root and eventually outgrows the temperary planting medium.

Or, I could cut the rhizome in half and dig up one half for replanting in the aquaponic system, being very careful with the roots. This idea seems easier to me, what do you guys think?
That is a tough decision to make WM, my thinking is if you cut the rhizome in half, the trauma will be too great for the rhizome to recover, it probably will have very few roots at this stage, on the other hand they are tough buggers, it might make it, its your call dude, I will be interested to see what happens whichever way you do this, good luck.:mug:
 
Hmmm, This isn't good news about the rhizome halving. I will probably just do the cutting and root direct into my system with no hormone or anything. This is kinda what my aquaponic thread grow is for anyways. The peat moss would stay very wet around the cutting. Do you guys think this might maybe do ok? I mean from what I am reading some of the cuttings planted similarly do make it.
 
I literally pulled un-needed bines from the dirt and stuck them in another part of the planter and surrounded them with dirt. On another plant I just stuck the bine into the ground near the lake. Both bines had some rootlets growing from the underground portion of the bine. They drooped for a few days, then resumed growing. I potted them and gave them to eriktlupus last weekend. I'm not familiar with your system, but they WILL grow without cutting, shaving, or anything special.
 
I literally pulled un-needed bines from the dirt and stuck them in another part of the planter and surrounded them with dirt. On another plant I just stuck the bine into the ground near the lake. Both bines had some rootlets growing from the underground portion of the bine. They drooped for a few days, then resumed growing. I potted them and gave them to eriktlupus last weekend. I'm not familiar with your system, but they WILL grow without cutting, shaving, or anything special.
You are correct sir, they will grow from extra bines that sprout, but, he is talking about a rhizome he just planted, and just sprouted, I stand by my assumption that if he cuts it in half at this early stage it will not recover, but its WM's call, good luck.:mug:
 
No, I'm totally leaning toward just razoring the bine close to the ground and trying to root that. If this turns out easy then man! I will be talking to a local greenhouse that is half full due to no business. I am wanting to try out a business venture with hops and rhizome sales in the future. I would like to know if you can take a large bine and clip it into segments for rooting like the bine sprouts we are talking about. That is where I would really like to test. I can imagine selling green leaved plants as opposed to the dead looking rhizomes we order now.
 
it will work brother. just keep the cutting out of direct sun light for about a month. once they get the roots going.....its on!


and take a bunch of cuttings,some wont make it.


you may need to go dig out all them old copies of high times for tips.
 
".... I can imagine selling green leaved plants as opposed to the dead looking rhizomes we order now...."
**********
Makes sense!

Myself, I have bought at least one of every other plant I ever came across in a nursery!
 
So, would an aspirin water dip be good prior to planing into a growbed? Maybe with a touch of bleach in it? I have heard that a little bleach water is good for use on razors/scissors/root cuttings for cleaning the surface. Just curious.
 
Of my starts I am down to one surviving. The one I tried in a cup of water blew out while I was away for a long weekend and it spent several days sitting out on the pavement in the hot sun. One of my two starts in potting soil also died. It survived for many weeks but never sent out any growth. Just slowly died. I'll pull it this weekend and see if it had started any roots.

My one survivor continues to do well. It has added about 6" of new growth though it is growing nowhere near as fast as a plant started from a rhizome. I'll transplant it in a bigger pot this weekend. Hopefully it will be in good shape for next year.
 
If you cover you cuttings with a mini green house and keep it humid you will get a better survival rate. The cuttings have no root system to draw water so the only way they can get it is from the air. Keep the cover on, out of the sunlight and mist every couple hours.
 
I literally pulled un-needed bines from the dirt and stuck them in another part of the planter and surrounded them with dirt. On another plant I just stuck the bine into the ground near the lake. Both bines had some rootlets growing from the underground portion of the bine. They drooped for a few days, then resumed growing. I potted them and gave them to eriktlupus last weekend. I'm not familiar with your system, but they WILL grow without cutting, shaving, or anything special.

I did pretty much the same thing on a 2nd year plants:

1) I pulled up on an unneeded bine, dug back till I got some of the hair-like roots, then cut and transplanted.

2)cut another bine off at ground level-it was about 18-24 inches tall; buried it 6-8 inches deep.


Both methods have stayed viable/healthy; they are over 4 feet now. The option 2) method, went into a little bit of shock/browning but recovered.


Also, two years ago, I dug up a rhizome that never grew very well and tilled around it, and transplanted a better variety into the same hole. Some "piece" of the old root ball must have remained, because that spot has two distinct varieties growing there now.
 
Speaking of propagation...

I find this thread interesting and informative.

For instance, I recall one post/response (maybe not this thread) where the writer claimed that when one of his plants withered and apparently died that he dug up the remains to examine....and there was no rotted rhizoome to be found, etc.
Notwithstanding the naysayers, yes, I have experienced this too.

Last year, about November or December, I guess it was, my two (Chinook and Nuggett) plants were dying out and/or had few green leaves left. I took a handful of cuttings and stuck 'em in pots, and a few in a glass of water. Some of those in water grew roots.

Recently one of the Nugget cuttings, now buried in a pot, sprouted. It was one of those (non-existent, according to previous reports) bines that was growing double from the base up, although the tip had not been damaged. Sprouted about a month ago and is now about 6' tall. Still in the pot (about a 14-incher).

Also, I have two 1st-year rhizomes (Sterling) in the ground that have done good since planting in early March. But lately the bines just withered and I cut them away as it was obvious they were well on their way out. No new sprouts appeared quickly enough to curb my impatience, so yesterday I dug 'em up for a look-see. I expected to find the two bines rotted out or at least partially so.

Surprise, the two large bines--I had forgotten how large they were to begin with--were as healthy as last March when I planted them. And they now had several roots about a foot long. But no sprouts at all. I re-dug the hole, added some more perlite, etc. and planted them again. I expect they will eventually be growing again.

The Chinook cuttings from last year?--they had never sprouted at all in the pot--so I removed the cuttings and one long rhizome-kinda root I had also placed in there, again, expecting to find rotted stuff--not so, nothing rotted, but except for some very small additional roots showing they seem to be happy just enjoying life in that pot as is.

The mysteries of hops.
Take it or leave it.
 
HOPS UPDATE: The cascade I started from a cutting this spring is growing in a pot and is about 7 feet tall. Even more amazing is that today I saw burrs. I cannot beleive it is going to produce cones!
 
HOPS UPDATE: The cascade I started from a cutting this spring is growing in a pot and is about 7 feet tall. Even more amazing is that today I saw burrs. I cannot beleive it is going to produce cones!
Way to go girl! Hi-5's to Pilotdane! That is cool, at least you know it can be done now, so, how many cones are on your other plants? I have vaccum sealed 24 oz. of dried hops so far, and the cascade is loading up again, sometime this week I will be picking hops again woo woo! Later Gator.:rockin:
 
Nothing harvested yet but one cascade is very heavy with cones. I think some of the ones near the top will be ready in a week or so. It's hard to say since I'm new to the hops growing thing but I hope I'll know when I see it. The cones still feel moist and don't smell like hops so I know it will be a bit longer.
 
Ask and you shall receive.

Here is the cascade I started from a cutting this spring (off a 1st year bine). On it's way to the hops garden since it has outgrown it's bamboo stake.

Cascadepot1.jpg


And yes we have burrs.

Cascadepot2.jpg


Since it outgrew the stake that was way too tall and "it will never get that tall this season" I'm moved it to the hops garden to take the place of a sterling that did not survive.

The white columns are 8ft. tall.

HopsGarden7-19.jpg


The two on the left are cascade. #3 is the cascade in a pot I stared from a cutting. Then a sterling and magnum and nugget.
 
Ask and you shall receive.

Here is the cascade I started from a cutting this spring (off a 1st year bine). On it's way to the hops garden since it has outgrown it's bamboo stake.

Cascadepot1.jpg


And yes we have burrs.

Cascadepot2.jpg


Since it outgrew the stake that was way too tall and "it will never get that tall this season" I'm moved it to the hops garden to take the place of a sterling that did not survive.

The white columns are 8ft. tall.

HopsGarden7-19.jpg


The two on the left are cascade. #3 is the cascade in a pot I stared from a cutting. Then a sterling and magnum and nugget.

Nice pictures. I am looking forward to growing some hops this year as well. This will be my first year. I intend to buy a rhizomes and then root the bines that we are suppose to cut off and discard.

I just wish I could find a supplier that would send rhizomes earlier. I read that hops can be grown earlier in Southern California than in other locations.
 
:smack: check the date of the last post before zombifying a thread, careful, it wants your brains!!

Happy growing!
 
I'd be interested in an update on any 2-4 year cuttings. Has any one compared the root structure of a cutting vs. a rhizome after 3 years?

Now, if we only didn't get another 16" of snow yesterday.....
 
When grown on heavy clay soils, after about 2 years you can't tell the difference. There may possibly be a difference in well drained soils but I doubt if it would be very noticeable. Hop On!!
 
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