First Time Grower - New shoots dying!

[ballybrew]

Hey guys,

I'm a first time grower. I'm in Ireland and I got 3 Centennial rhizomes online form the UK. They looked healthy when they came with shoots already growing (only a couple inches at most), so I got them planted in a good-sized planter filled with vegetable growing mix, peat compost and perlite.

I've kept them watered daily since planting about a week ago and I've seen some small shoots grow but eventually dry up and die. This has happened a couple times now and I'm worried about the rhizomes eventually rotting.

I'm really learning as I got and any help you guys could send my way would be an awesome help! I'll get pictures of the plants posted tomorrow in decent day light.

Thanks in advance!

James

 

[solidbass]

So I'm a newbie with hop growing but I've gardened for quite awhile. It sounds like you might be over watering them. As long as the soil is moist a a couple inches down, let them be! "Hops like to be watered but don't like their feet wet"-from some hop growing thing I read somewhere.
Cheers!

 

[Calder]

I obviously don't have a clue what is going on, but based on what you have said, , my guess is over-watering. Also, peat moss tends to retain water; you want something that drains.

My first year I had a Chinook in a pot that just seemed to die off. Figured it was too much water. I planted it in an area that drained, and it grew side shoots, and produced a few ozs. Second year turned out really healthy, and prosuced a lb. It is now year 3 and is up to 4 ft already.

 

[Ruint]

Young, hops are fragile and finicky. Cut watering back while they are small, so maybe every 3rd day or so, unless your soil is dry up to your second knuckle when you stick it in the dirt. Once they get to 2 feet tall you can probably increase to every 2nd day. When they get to 8 to 10 feet, you can most likely go back to watering every day. Just watch them, and if they start yellowing, then hold back the water for a couple days. Make sure you supplement their nutrition as well, they'll blow through that potting soil nutrition in about 45 days or so.

 

[ballybrew]

Hey thanks for your reply! It's been a couple days since i last watered and one plant is doing better than ever. Lets hope the rest come along too! Over watering definitely was my main concern. Even though I poked plenty of holes in the planter's plastic lining, I still feel it may be a bit logged at the bottom. I'll back off and see how it goes from here. Thanks for your reply again