Cut hop growing head???

[allentwnguy]

So my Chinook and Centennial hops are up to about 30' (I posted pics at the 2015 hops picture thread) and Cascade isn't far behind. Is there a time when you should think about stopping the vertical growth by cutting the growing head? I have a 4 string trellis for each variety with 2 bines trained on each so I will have plenty of cones to harvest. Just wondering if anyone has done this?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So my Chinook and Centennial hops are up to about 30' (I posted pics at the 2015 hops picture thread) and Cascade isn't far behind. Is there a time when you should think about stopping the vertical growth by cutting the growing head? I have a 4 string trellis for each variety with 2 bines trained on each so I will have plenty of cones to harvest. Just wondering if anyone has done this?

Once the bine tops out, gravity will lay the leader over and it then will signal to bush out. No need to cut.

 

[allentwnguy]

Once the bine tops out, gravity will lay the leader over and it then will signal to bush out. No need to cut.

I never knew or heard this. Last year they didn't top out but still put on a lot of cones. A big thanks on the info.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I never knew or heard this. Last year they didn't top out but still put on a lot of cones. A big thanks on the info.

I forget the details. It's been too long since I looked into it. But, the head produces a chemical signal that promotes upward growth. So long as the head is upright the chemical is able to propagate downward into the base of the plant. Once the head lays over the chemical is restricted and the response is for outward growth, and bud production.

Edit: Apical dominance is the term. Interesting stuff.

With hops, if the apex is removed, a sideshoot will assume the role. If gravity is allowed to remove apical dominance the plant will bush out.

 

[allentwnguy]

I've said to may people that see the hops growing that it is probably the one of the easiest plants (weeds) to grow and easily the most complicated plant/flower that I've read about. Once you get past the alpha and beta acids and getting into all the "_______enes" you can go nuts. But it is so interesting you can't stop reading about them. Understanding them makes you so much a better brewer. Now if I can only get my head wrapped around water chemistry!!!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I've said to may people that see the hops growing that it is probably the one of the easiest plants (weeds) to grow and easily the most complicated plant/flower that I've read about. Once you get past the alpha and beta acids and getting into all the "_______enes" you can go nuts. But it is so interesting you can't stop reading about them. Understanding them makes you so much a better brewer. Now if I can only get my head wrapped around water chemistry!!!

Easy to grow is geographically dependent. I fought for years to keep 13 plants alive in the Oklahoma monsoons and heat. I finally gave up and they all died out. Years later we planted a Maypop and haven't done **** with it/to it and I am finding it pop up 10 to 15 feet away from where we planted.