Growing a plant for harvesting rhizomes.

[Hounds]

Ok. I've successfully grown plants for the sole reason of harvesting more rhizomes. I have done this a few times on one year old plants and had 20 to 30 rhizomes grow to full mature plants.

Now, the difference this time around is I planted some in pots since our winter is prolonging like crazy. Wanted to give them a head start.

Question: Should I pluck the first growth shoots? Or let them all go?

And to harvest more rhizomes or hardier ones should I let the bines just go crazy like 6-10 bines per plant? Or cultivate them as though I were growing normally with 2 or 3 bines per line?

Is it beneficial to let more bines grow or not?

On the other plants I harvested 1 yr old rhizomes from, I let maybe 3 bines go up and kept plucking the rest.

Advantageous or not to let more bines grow? Hardier and larger root system if I let more bines go ( but with less harvested cones which I don't care about this time around ) ? or will the root system be larger with more havestable rhizomes if I just let the plant go ape-****.

Thanks.

 

[B-Hoppy]

You say you planted some in pots. Were those rhizomes from last year or ones you just harvested?

Pluck first shoots? No

More bines or less? Hops can produce much more energy than they need to support vegetative growth so any additional energy is sent back down into the ground to be stored for later use. Underground hop parts are roots & rhizomes.

 

[Hounds]

The ones in pots were just purchased, not sure how old.

I took/cut anything that had a decent 'nub' or starting shoot whatever they are called. Almost all of them grew nicely. I dug anywhere from 2 inches under the soil for them as far down as 2 feet.

So I will simply let them roll and do what they want up the poles I guess, anything that shoots out of the ground?

I'm tempted to maybe let 6 or so bines grow up from each planted rhizome, not more than that. OR should I let it just go 10 or more? Just let it go. ? In other words NO trimming of anything. Turn it into more of a bush.

 

[B-Hoppy]

The older the crown gets the more shoots it will throw out (as long as it's growing in a happy place). They can get so big sometimes, if not pruned, that you'll end up with a jungle if you try to let everything grow. Depending on how old and vigorous yours are will dictate how many you can manage.