Hops are already up...

Er... dunno how many of you have been watching the Olympics and have noticed the spring-like weather we've been having up here in Vancouver but my hops certainly have. I potted some transplanted Cascades at the end of the fall and they've already sent three shoots skyward at 5,4 and 3 inches.

Crazy.

Nice . . . . . We have a foot of fresh snow here, I guess global warming only works in the more northerly hemisphere.

Nothing and I'm way south of you. Even south of the other Vancouver. Earliest I've ever seen shoots has been late April.

Yeah, damn things continue to grow and more bines have broken through on the same plant and on my Nuggets which are in the sunniest spot in the backyard.

My beds just cleared fully yesterday. I'm going to set up a quick and easy emergency cover action plan for the heavy frost days sure to come. Last year I got lots of hops, but they got a bit behind after the first cold freeze of spring knocked them back.

Nostrildamus said:

Er... dunno how many of you have been watching the Olympics and have noticed the spring-like weather we've been having up here in Vancouver but my hops certainly have. I potted some transplanted Cascades at the end of the fall and they've already sent three shoots skyward at 5,4 and 3 inches.

Crazy.

Click to expand...

You say these are potted, heh?

That is a risk in having potted plants. If you have another hard freeze for a few days that pot could freeze through and damage the plant pretty good.

Having them in the ground modulates their temp and avoids any freeze/thaw cycles (as best as possible). If I had them in raised planters near my house right now I would be seeing shoots in the next week or 2 as we have a prolonged warm spell, but it is too early for my neck of the woods and it will still be a month or more before I see much in the way of shoots here.

Yeah, I'll be keeping a close eye on the temps up here as I wouldn't doubt that a frost might hit in the next week now that it has gotten a little more chilly. Nonetheless, this is impressive.

I wonder how the missus would like a full size bine growing around the sliding glass door inside?

Well, our snow finally melted yesterday under 60+ degree weather and lo and behold... hop shoots on several mounds and where I had exposed sections of the root system on several of my sunnier mounds. Pretty impressive. No real growth but these buds were buried in snow for quite a while and seem to have no ill effects.

Yep, mine are starting to poke up as well.

Today I noticed a small shoot on my Magnum rhizom that I just put down last week. Mine are potted too so I guess I'll be watching the weather pretty close as well.

Nothing for me yet at all. I'm starting to wonder. A few of my other plants are already starting to stir and I have been actively pulling weeds almost daily.

My cascade crown has now put up about 8 little red asparagus looking shoots all around the stump of the main vine from the first year. The willamette next to it has not broken ground yet but I did some careful digging and there are just as many white shoots reaching up and out on that crown. These are second year plants, I am ready for a real crop this year. Now to get some manure on them and get the twine out.

I am 2 hrs S of the Vancouver in BC, and have hops up all over. My oldest plant has 20-30 little shoots up. I think I need to thin. I have already robbed rhizomes, and those are coming up.
I planted rhizomes from a friend, and those are coming up.
As long as I don't get a late freeze that sets them back, it could be a record year for hop production in my yard!

Yeah, for me too. My cascades are over a foot high already.

My Cascade have been coming up for about a week. The Chinook are just now pushing the ground up. I expect to see shoots in a few days. These are second year plants and so far look strong. I am also hopeful for this years crop.

Ok I just had to look... Both my cascades and the magnum are putting up multiple shoots....

Ugggg. I was mucking about in the hop yard yesterday. the soil is still frigging cold as can be. Healthier than I have ever seen tho'. I have yet to check the pH but just rubbing my hands over the surface would bring earthworms up as if they were screaming "get offa mah lawn!".

At any rate, about 9 of 13 plants are emerged already. Too damned early!

I guarantee I'll be cutting them back until after Easter. If I don't, it will guarantee a late hard frost, cold snap, snow, or worse (like last year) a massive hail storm that will just perforate everything.