KRS1
Member
Not sure where to put this post, so here it is. I was wondering (probably a typical newbie question) can one grow hops indoors, or at least start them indoors? any experience with this practice out there???
jdoiv said:Damn, where is that link to the huge underground pot operation. That would be perfect for growing hops indoors.
Madtown Brew said:OK, a lot of things to answer here.
Yes, you can grow hops indoors, but as many have said, you will need a good location with a lot of light. A large, south facing window should do all right. Best bet though would be to start them indoors in january/february, then transplnt them outside after the last frost.
Hops use the day/night cycle to determine when to flower along with temperature to an extent (specifically, the amount of time spent in the dark causes a build-up of a compound. When this compound reaches a critical level, they flower). Cosequently, don't expect to start some hops now and have them flowering by christmas unless your using a dedicated grow room with grow lights on a timer.
If they are going to be indoors year round, you will need to be diligent in training/pruning the vines to fit your room, as a full grown plant can easily get 20' high. A large pot will be needed to get a decent harvest (5 gal or bigger once they are mature plants). Expect later flowering and harvesting times though due to higher indoor temps during the fall.
Any off-the-shelf potting soil should be a good substrate for hops. I wouldn't just use vermiculite though. Naturally, the better your soil conditions, the healthier your plants will be and the bigger your yield will be come harvest.
As far as nutrients go, generally any of the "complete" fertilizers out there should work well; either slow release or direct feed is fine. Higher nitrogen will help during vegitative growth, and higher potassium will be beneficial during flowering, IIRC. The best is supposedly bat guano, but good luck getting that. Make sure that whatever fetilizer you choose contains all necessary micronutrients as well. Water often but make sure you have good drainage.
Keep in mind, hops are a cousin to that wondefully infamous plant known colloquially as "Weed." As such, they do tend to grow like... well... weeds. Generally any climate and any soil will yield at least some results.
@ bigjon88: yes they'll grow in AZ, but expect to use a ton of water keeping them from wilting. A healthy plant can grow as much as 18" a day!!! That kind of growth requires a lot of water.
Fingers said:They will never flower indoors because of light pollution. The dark period must be pristine for that chemical mentioned earlier to build up to the critical level. If you have lights on in the house in proximity to the plant, it will believe that it is experiencing daytime and you won't get a flower period. It takes suprisingly little light to arrest the flowering period.
So I've heard...
bigjon88 said:Does anyone know if hops grow very well in arizona?
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