2013 Hop garden photo thread

[FuzzeWuzze]

Sounds reasonable. I will do the best I can to keep things organized this year, and next year I will put another 4*4 across the top of the post to form a "T". I will not toss a fresh hop and will most likely use whatever mixed up hops for dry hopping.

The pics actually make em look a little more cramped than what they are too, but I was certainly expecting a clump at the top. What I wasn't expecting was how difficult it will be to tell the hops apart. Wouldn't they smell a bit different ect too?

You MAY be able to tell them apart, at least the plants that look significantly different than the others.

Like my Columbus as of now looks nothing like my other 2 plants, its a lighter shade of green. Still when they clump together it is literally like a blackberry bush, everything tangled into a big giant mess that will scratch the hell out of your hands trying to get the hops out from inside. You may be able to disceren what some of them are, but i get a feeling like most you would get frustrated after an hour of this and just start ripping them off en mass.

 

[gbx]

You MAY be able to tell them apart, at least the plants that look significantly different than the others.

Like my Columbus as of now looks nothing like my other 2 plants, its a lighter shade of green. Still when they clump together it is literally like a blackberry bush, everything tangled into a big giant mess that will scratch the hell out of your hands trying to get the hops out from inside. You may be able to disceren what some of them are, but i get a feeling like most you would get frustrated after an hour of this and just start ripping them off en mass.

Even if they look and smell completely different it is still a pain to harvest if 2 varieties are tangled unless you want to stand on a ladder and inspect them cone by cone. The easiest way to harvest is to cut down the bines (or at least cut sections off so you can work on the ground but hop varieties do not rippen at the same time. Last year my willamette and cascade got crossed and I harvested a section that was primarily willamette but there were lots of grassy underripe cascades. 2 weeks later when I harvested the section that was primarily cascade, there were lots of cheezy over ripe willamette cones mixed in.

 

[jmich24]

That's a cool setup..

How old are your plants? How did they look last year?

2nd year plants. I started with Great Lakes Crowns and got a great yield last year. They didn't quite make it to the top of the trellis last year but I expect they will this year. I have Centennial, Cascade, Zues and Chinook (IPA guy here).

 

[HopHeadGrady]

You MAY be able to tell them apart, at least the plants that look significantly different than the others.

Like my Columbus as of now looks nothing like my other 2 plants, its a lighter shade of green. Still when they clump together it is literally like a blackberry bush, everything tangled into a big giant mess that will scratch the hell out of your hands trying to get the hops out from inside. You may be able to disceren what some of them are, but i get a feeling like most you would get frustrated after an hour of this and just start ripping them off en mass.

Im expecting it to be what you describe, and thats playing in a blackberry bush.

If I get 30-40% of them sorted I will be happy. They are very easy to tell apart at this point. Especially the MT Hood which is much darker. I may tag some bines too. Its just a hobby at this point so whatever I get, I get. I worked in a garden center for years and like gardening so this was just something to do to add shade to the yard. The rhizomes and post were both free. I bought the rope though

Next year I will fix up my trellis. I had no idea they would take off like this on their second year. Never grown these before. So far it's a lot of fun.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Im expecting it to be what you describe, and thats playing in a blackberry bush.

If I get 30-40% of them sorted I will be happy. They are very easy to tell apart at this point. Especially the MT Hood which is much darker. I may tag some bines too. Its just a hobby at this point so whatever I get, I get. I worked in a garden center for years and like gardening so this was just something to do to add shade to the yard. The rhizomes and post were both free. I bought the rope though

Next year I will fix up my trellis. I had no idea they would take off like this on their second year. Never grown these before. So far it's a lot of fun.

They can go super crazy for sure, even my first year Cascade rhizome thats only been in the ground 60 days is nearly 15 feet now and has like 18 inch side arms grabbing everything it can.

 

[HopHeadGrady]

What does a side arm look like? Is it like another shoot?

 

[part16john]

Cant believe I'm getting hops on my 2nd year centennial already.

 

[Chamuco]

What does a side arm look like? Is it like another shoot?

Like so....



And they produce hops!

 

[Matteo57]

Had a quick question. My vine is getting a bit reddish and harder recently. It's been hotter lately but I've been watering and keeping the soil moist. Is it usual for the vine to get reddish and harder... almost feels like it is drying out but all of the leaves are still completely green and healthy looking. It's still growing, just growing slowly. In full sun in so cal. Watering every day.

Thanks!

 

[Looper]

Yep, completely normal. The vines turn into more of a "stalk" after they are strong enough.

 

[nextgenxx]

Artichoke Hops!

 

[doctormiah]

Here is where my first year plants are, Centennials on side of house, and a potted Magnum. Upstate NY, very rainy weather as of late.

 

[HopHeadGrady]

View attachment 126932

Like so....

View attachment 126933

And they produce hops!

Thanks! Yeah. I'm gonna have a tangled mess....

 

[jangelj]

My cascade plant in Jacksonville FL. already a bunch of cones.

 

[Nomad]

Here is where my first year plants are, Centennials on side of house, and a potted Magnum. Upstate NY, very rainy weather as of late.

Yep, cold start to the year here in Cleveland, too. My first year Willamette and Cascades are maybe that tall as well. Posting pics this weekend.

 

[DerCribben]

I've been trying to get around to taking an update pic for a little bit now. Finally got one. Try and figure out which one is my second year Centennial lol...

 

[johnsnownw]

Just came out to find my tettnanger bines laying on the ground. They were only 8" tall.

Anyway, they were bit clean through, same kind of bite that took out one of our young eggplants a few days ago. I'm pretty sure it wasn't an animal, as the eggplant was in a chicken wire cage (due to our rampant squirrel problem).

Anyway, anyone familiar with a bug that chews through a plant about 1/2" above the soil, without consuming it? Thanks.

 

[DerCribben]

Thaats prolly going to be a cutworm and that sucks! Luckily you're likely to still get some new growth and a harvest out of that plant.

 

[WildHopHunter]

My hops are getting some good growth this year. We have been getting plenty of rain here in Massachusetts.

Trellis 1 (3rd Year): Centennial, EKG, Magnum, Wild Cluster
Trellis 2 (2nd Year): Columbus, Nugget, Chinook, Mt. Hood, Fuggle
Trellis 3 (1st Year): Tettnang, Willamette, Cascade, Wild (???), Sterling

 

[basementbrewbrad]

Just like to update in here as well as my thread... here is one of the pics for today. Seeing a lot of burs where cones are about to start forming.

 

[johnsnownw]

Thaats prolly going to be a cutworm and that sucks! Luckily you're likely to still get some new growth and a harvest out of that plant.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into cutworms. I hope it does pull though...I was kind of surprised how well it was doing as the rhizome didn't look great when I planted it.

 

[froghat]

This is a 4 year old willamette vine I have growing along my fence in Nashville TN. I pulled up a perle and a Zeus vine this year that weren't producers and replaced them with rhizomes from this plant and I also have a couple of cascades that have burrs on them.

 

[bottlebomber]

This is a 4 year old willamette vine I have growing along my fence in Nashville TN. I pulled up a perle and a Zeus vine this year that weren't producers and replaced them with rhizomes from this plant and I also have a couple of cascades that have burrs on them.

Good lord, that things huge!!

 

[NevadaWolfPack]

Would love to be showing something, but have yet to get growth from the two rhizomes I planted.

 

[Komocabo]

Here's my crop. From left to right: Willamette, Galena, Magnum, Cascade, Zeus, and Centennial. The last 3 are first years. The ones in the left are 2 years old or more. Cascade and Centennial are about 4 feet high, Zeus is about 8', and the older crop is about 14'. Should be a great harvest this year!

 

[specialkaye]

They can go super crazy for sure, even my first year Cascade rhizome thats only been in the ground 60 days is nearly 15 feet now and has like 18 inch side arms grabbing everything it can.

Awesome. Good job.

 

[specialkaye]

Artichoke Hops!

I too tried this variety this year and they failed horribly.

 

[specialkaye]

I've been trying to get around to taking an update pic for a little bit now. Finally got one. Try and figure out which one is my second year Centennial lol...

I'm not sure which one is the second year. Could you move that big bush out of the way and maybe we could see it?

 

[jethro55]

This is first year chinook, cascade, and magnum in pots. They are starting to take off and will soon be over the top.

 

[brewinsam]

First year bed at my folks place (I live in a 3rd floor apartment). Tilled in mushroom compost, manure, and general compost to improve the very clayey red dirt. Finally put up the monstrous hop teepee (thanks to EdWort for the inspiration) and transferred the bines from green tomato stakes.

Each leg is 2 10' sections of 1" conduit joined together (and braced inside with a wooden dowel at the joint), then just hammered flat and bolted together along with a pulley at the top.

My two Centennials growing fairly well (center back), one of the sad little Columbus plants in the foreground, and left edge of frame is one of the big Cascades I have. All first year plants.

The two Cascades (the largest is over 6'), behind them is a spinach plant and there are marigolds planted around the bed.

It was pretty difficult to get this thing raised, it's not small but only cost around $60 bucks. The hops went in late (just around 2 months ago) and the weather here in Oklahoma has been a little ridiculous since then. I think we've had something like 14" of rain in the last 30 days, and we've had twice as much rain in the last 6 months than we did in the entirety of last year. I think I definitely need to get some fertilizer in there and keep an eye on their growth. They're going to get a little more sunlight soon as I'm trimming some branches and taking a couple of eastern facing trees soon. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Awesome. Good job.

I wish i could say it was my doing, all 3 of my plants were planted in the same soil mix, all have the same sun conditions.

Cascade is now almost to the top of my 17 foot root growing 3-4 inches a day easy.

The Columbus and Newport are still only 4-5 feet high though going super slow.

I think it just comes down to the Cascade rhizome i got was the strongest of the 3.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

It was pretty difficult to get this thing raised, it's not small but only cost around $60 bucks. The hops went in late (just around 2 months ago) and the weather here in Oklahoma has been a little ridiculous since then. I think we've had something like 14" of rain in the last 30 days, and we've had twice as much rain in the last 6 months than we did in the entirety of last year. I think I definitely need to get some fertilizer in there and keep an eye on their growth. They're going to get a little more sunlight soon as I'm trimming some branches and taking a couple of eastern facing trees soon. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

As with other people doing Teepee designs with mixed varieties, you could have issues when the plants are in their 2nd or 3rd season and grow to the top of that easily, then they will all grow together into a giant blob of hop bines and you wont have any chance of telling what is what when it comes to harvesting.

 

[OkThen]

Here is my garden

 

[brewinsam]

As with other people doing Teepee designs with mixed varieties, you could have issues when the plants are in their 2nd or 3rd season and grow to the top of that easily, then they will all grow together into a giant blob of hop bines and you wont have any chance of telling what is what when it comes to harvesting.

The plants may not be there for the 2nd season... There's rumors of a pool going in but thanks for the heads up.

If they stay I'll probably move the Columbus and Centennials around to the eastern side of the house.

 

[brewmcq]

Doing not too shabby up here in northern Maine...

 

[Stevo2569]

Here is my garden

Nice setup.

I think I might be able to harvest some in a couple weeks. I've got cones full of lupilin and starting to browns at tips a little.

 

[waterskj]

Here they are after a little trim

 

[Nomad]

Cascade. Then Willamette. Needs something-- we've had a cold summer so far up here close to the lake.

 

[Matteo57]

So I have had my hops in the ground for 2 months now, water daily basis, and they are growing very slowly compared to what I have read and what I see in a lot of these posts. They are only first year hops. They are centennial and they are growing in full sun in So Cal weather (so usually 75-85 degrees, and they are in a big 20 gallon pot.
I just threw some miracle grow on them about a week ago hoping that will help a bit. Any other suggestions? Is this normal? Slow?
Thanks!

 

[jheld00]

So I have had my hops in the ground for 2 months now, water daily basis, and they are growing very slowly compared to what I have read and what I see in a lot of these posts. They are only first year hops. They are centennial and they are growing in full sun in So Cal weather (so usually 75-85 degrees, and they are in a big 20 gallon pot.
I just threw some miracle grow on them about a week ago hoping that will help a bit. Any other suggestions? Is this normal? Slow?
Thanks!

I've got 4 new centennial in a raised bed in STL and they range from 12 feet to 4 feet.

As long as they look healthy I wouldn't be concerned. They are spending most of the time developing roots. If I get one decent cone this I'll be happy.

The other obvious question would be how is the drainage in the pots? Honestly I wouldn't worry how high they get I would worry how well the roots grow.

You should get some great growth next year.

I've seen 20ft first year growth with zero flowers.

If you can dry hop a 5gal batch with your first year harvest you've done better than most