Definitely clipping the first shoots next year. Here's why ...

[willy_mugobeer]

So, wondering if anyone else had this experience this year.

Growing in central Ohio. Four plants on the side of our house (hooks in the eaves/rope between those/twine down to the ground) ... and four over in the neighbor's yard (metal framework from old fencing ... about 12 feet high.)

In contrast to last year, this year I decided to NOT clip the first shoots, and just let them go zooming right up from the first bines that showed their wonderful little purple/green heads in the spring. Well, trouble is, it was a pretty mild winter here in Ohio, so they started coming up in early-mid April.

All the bines ran up about 10-12 feet in like three weeks. (Y'all know about how fast they can grow.) Then, it's early May ... and the days are still pretty short. So all the plants started producing cones, WAAAYYY too early, and the plants were still a lot smaller than they could have/should have been.

Got some production off that harvest (maybe 6 ozs. dry?) ... and on one plant, managed to get a second harvest (gonna go pick it now) by cutting back most of the bines and training up the second growth that resulted. Still ... only going to get about a pound of dry weight this year, as opposed to last year's 3.5 lbs or so.

Moral of the story is ... photoperiod is really important, and you don't want to create a situation where they're ready to go into flowering growth before summer even arrives. Hold them back until daily sunlight is long enough to keep them in vegetative growth; that way they'll get huge, and flower in the later summer-fall like they're supposed to.

 

[madscientist451]

I agree, I cut mind off the first week of May, and was harvesting middle of Sept.
Others in this area were harvesting middle of July.
It was warmer/dryer the last month of the summer and I think that helped my plants.

 

[Leezer]

Wow, very interesting. I've read about the importance of cutting back first growth and the timing of when to do it, but wondered if it was mostly theoretical. This year I was late in getting around to cutting the first growth and debated about whether to just not bother. In the end I did cut it back and just harvested last week. Its a bummer that you had a reduced harvest, but I think your post is a good learning experience for others.

 

[Senormac]

ditto. thx for the info

 

[willy_mugobeer]

Thought I would add a detail from last year -- the thing that really crystallized the learning for me. Three of the bines on the Columbus plant happened to be right next to our kitchen window, where we leave a 20-W flourescent light on all night. (Kind of a night light for downstairs.) Those three bines did not stop at 10 feet growth and flower in May like the others did ... they kept going right up to the roof (about 22 feet) and flowered in the fall like they should have, with nice strong production. (We started turning off that kitchen light in September.)

Scissors are out to do some pruning today ... the Willamette on the south side of the house is already up to 4 feet! Lupulus, indeed....

 

[JJ900]

I couldn't find anything on the proper timing of when to cut the first growth. I have 2nd year hops in containers. They sprouted about 3 weeks ago, one pot has shoots at 6 inches tall while the other is at 1 inch. Should I be pruning now or wait a few weeks? Does the timing matter if these are in containers?

 

[ancientmariner52]

Have you checked with your state agricultural agency? They may have all the info you need.

 

[GVH_Dan]

Look up the term "bull shoots" in this forum and you'll find past discussions on this.

Its a good idea to cut the first flush for a couple of reasons.

1. Those bull shoots are usually weaker than subsequent shoots and grow really quickly. So your internodes are farther apart...meaning less side arms...meaning less production.

2. Like noted, cut them in April/May to get a consistent yield at some point in the fall. If you let the first flush in Feb or whenever grow, you get burrs to soon.

 

[JJ900]

excellent, that is very helpful. Time to prune!

 

[corkybstewart]

My Cascades already are making cones, on one plant they are very fragrant and are probably usable. Once they start producing they will continue until October. This year I pulled all the first sprouts, and have attempted to keep each plant down to 5 or 6 bines by pulling the sprouts from the rhyzome. But even with all that effort(I usually just let them run wild)they are doing exactly what they've done for the past 10 years. BTW, when I pull the sprouts off I trim most of the leavs and stick them into potting soil. I've gotten about 30 extra cascades rooted so far this spring.

 

[Wesmando]

My Cascades already are making cones, on one plant they are very fragrant and are probably usable. Once they start producing they will continue until October. This year I pulled all the first sprouts, and have attempted to keep each plant down to 5 or 6 bines by pulling the sprouts from the rhyzome. But even with all that effort(I usually just let them run wild)they are doing exactly what they've done for the past 10 years. BTW, when I pull the sprouts off I trim most of the leavs and stick them into potting soil. I've gotten about 30 extra cascades rooted so far this spring.

 

[Wesmando]

How many pickings do you get throughout a season? Does the plants do any vegative growth? Does the yields increase, decrese or stay about the same each picking?

 

[corkybstewart]

How many pickings do you get throughout a season? Does the plants do any vegative growth? Does the yields increase, decrese or stay about the same each picking?

It's almost continuous, every 3 or 4 days I harvest 3 or 4 ounces. As the season progresses sideshoots come out until my hops form a freaking hedge. That's when I'm getting 8 or more ounces per week from my best 3 or 4 bines, less from the newer ones. That's the cascades. The magnum only produces for about a month starting in September, but it makes really big pungent cones.
All this depends on the weather. We are gone for a month of vacation every year. If we have a heat wave and simultaneous drought while I'm gone, I get less even though I have drip irrigation. If we have a good monsoon season and we get lots of rain in July and August, I get lots of hops.

 

[Wesmando]

Th

It's almost continuous, every 3 or 4 days I harvest 3 or 4 ounces. As the season progresses sideshoots come out until my hops form a freaking hedge. That's when I'm getting 8 or more ounces per week from my best 3 or 4 bines, less from the newer ones. That's the cascades. The magnum only produces for about a month starting in September, but it makes really big pungent cones.
All this depends on the weather. We are gone for a month of vacation every year. If we have a heat wave and simultaneous drought while I'm gone, I get less even though I have drip irrigation. If we have a good monsoon season and we get lots of rain in July and August, I get lots of hops.

Thanks for the intel, i have had a unseasonable year so far, it was in the 40s all april and got in the mid 90s in may, i didnt irrigate because i thought it might get normal. Nonetheless my cascades started burring 3 weeks ago and now im ready to harvest. The guy in the town over is gonna cut his bines and see if they will regrow but i didnt want to go that route. I contacted the company i bought my plants from and they said vegative growth was over but i found that hard to believe. Thanks again.

 

[corkybstewart]

Th

Thanks for the intel, i have had a unseasonable year so far, it was in the 40s all april and got in the mid 90s in may, i didnt irrigate because i thought it might get normal. Nonetheless my cascades started burring 3 weeks ago and now im ready to harvest. The guy in the town over is gonna cut his bines and see if they will regrow but i didnt want to go that route. I contacted the company i bought my plants from and they said vegative growth was over but i found that hard to believe. Thanks again.

growing hops is a long term proposition. every locale is different, the advice I give you may or may not be worthless. See how your hops do and how the guy in the next town does and next year do what works best.

 

[willy_mugobeer]

Bumping this thread, because it's the time of year to snip snip snip! Personally, not going to let them go up the twine until May 1. Worked great for me last year.

 

[Joggin]

Mixed feelings about this. One year I cut they all back and they didn't seem to grow back as well. Like it took energy out of them. So, since then always leave 2 or 3 to grow and cut the rest. They seem to like that. I'm sure weather plays a part. From what I understand, you want to time it for the mid June daylight maxing out. In other words, get your length right then so energy then goes to cones. Too much length, less cones.
This year I think I'll cut all back of ones that grow agressive for me, like cascade, magnum and nugget. The poles I use can get too heavy and strong wind storms can bend or break them. Already some are a foot long or more. I think in 2 weeks I'll cut.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

my hops were about 3 ft. a few weeks ago.
I trimmed them.
they hit 3 ft again and i just got my trellis up.
started training my bines up the twine and they were snapping.
95% of them were hollow.
the smallest shoots though feel solid so i left them.

I assumed the smallest shoots last time were solid.

the hop plants at my mom's that I had to move last june (i didn't want to) did very little.
this yr they are looking good and i'm leaving them alone.

 

[corkybstewart]

This will be my last attempt to grow hops at our new house. 2.5 years ago we moved here to what should be a far better environment for hops, but the 75 Cascade and Magnum rhizomes I planted 2 years ago live 2 months and died. The neomexicanus I planted last year lived a month and all died, This year I put 2 each of cascade, magnum, Sterling and Willamette in completely reconditioned soil with a better drip system. If they fail this year I'm done. Summer temps routinely hit 110 where we used to live, but highs in the mid 90's are normal here so hops should do better.