brewyourown4life
Well-Known Member
my casade has a bunch of hops that are ready to harvest i think, need some advice on what a mature hop cone is like. this is my first year growing hops and i don't want to screw this up
ready to harvest?
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Suthrncomfrt1884
Well-Known Member
Smell them. If they have a hop smell they are probably ready. Mine haven't developed as great of a smell as they have in previous years, but I know they're fine.
Also, if you squeeze them, you'll notice they feel very papery and springy. If you break them open, you should see lots of yellow lupelin on the leaves. These are all signs they're ready.
If you're worried about knowing the right time... wait until one turns brown (don't use this one as brown means bad). Once one turns brown, the rest will be perfectly ready.
Also, if you squeeze them, you'll notice they feel very papery and springy. If you break them open, you should see lots of yellow lupelin on the leaves. These are all signs they're ready.
If you're worried about knowing the right time... wait until one turns brown (don't use this one as brown means bad). Once one turns brown, the rest will be perfectly ready.
samc
Well-Known Member
from freshops:
Because most hops are produced out of reach from the ground, it is safest to lower the vines in order to pick the hops. The harvest date varies with variety and location but will become evident as you gain experience as a hop grower. At maturity, the hop aroma is at its strongest and is measured by crushing a cone and smelling it. The yellow lupulin glands in the cone become much more evident and plump looking when magnified.
The cone will develop a drier, papery feel and in some varieties a lighter color as it matures. Some browning of the lower bracts is a good sign of ripeness. Squeeze the cones as they develop and you will notice they become more light and resilient rather than green and hard. The actual picking is self-explanatory and this is where you want the flower cones, not the leaves. I don't know why raw hop cones are occasionally called leaf hops, when the idea is to not pick the leaves.
Because most hops are produced out of reach from the ground, it is safest to lower the vines in order to pick the hops. The harvest date varies with variety and location but will become evident as you gain experience as a hop grower. At maturity, the hop aroma is at its strongest and is measured by crushing a cone and smelling it. The yellow lupulin glands in the cone become much more evident and plump looking when magnified.
The cone will develop a drier, papery feel and in some varieties a lighter color as it matures. Some browning of the lower bracts is a good sign of ripeness. Squeeze the cones as they develop and you will notice they become more light and resilient rather than green and hard. The actual picking is self-explanatory and this is where you want the flower cones, not the leaves. I don't know why raw hop cones are occasionally called leaf hops, when the idea is to not pick the leaves.
