Hello everyone,
I am planning a hop yard of 2,5 acres and I am faced with deep concerns.
The soil I have available is constituted by 64% silt, 28% clay and 8% sand with a pH of 7.88.
Is it unthinkable to cultivate hops in a satisfactory way with these conditions?
I am willing to implement measures to improve the drainage and regulating the pH in order to reach my goal but I would like to first understand if these operations are actually feasible.
I live in a area with hot summers that reach up to 30 °C and 90% humidity during July. My city shares the same latitude and temperature similarities with south-west of Virginia, west of North Carolina, east of Tennesee, south-east of Kentucky.
Good news is that in my area the wild hop is widespread and appears to be in good health.
Another positive note is that the field has an excellent sun exposure with good continuous ventilation.
Also I have to mention that on the field I've never seen any excessive standing water even after massive rains.
Even in the prospect of facing soil improvement works I would be still interested in the cultivation of American varieties such as Cascade, Centennial and Columbus.
Is there any particular variety that you would recommend to grow? Are there varieties that tolerate a non-optimal pH and can also resist to diseases that could arise with humidity?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions guys!
I am planning a hop yard of 2,5 acres and I am faced with deep concerns.
The soil I have available is constituted by 64% silt, 28% clay and 8% sand with a pH of 7.88.
Is it unthinkable to cultivate hops in a satisfactory way with these conditions?
I am willing to implement measures to improve the drainage and regulating the pH in order to reach my goal but I would like to first understand if these operations are actually feasible.
I live in a area with hot summers that reach up to 30 °C and 90% humidity during July. My city shares the same latitude and temperature similarities with south-west of Virginia, west of North Carolina, east of Tennesee, south-east of Kentucky.
Good news is that in my area the wild hop is widespread and appears to be in good health.
Another positive note is that the field has an excellent sun exposure with good continuous ventilation.
Also I have to mention that on the field I've never seen any excessive standing water even after massive rains.
Even in the prospect of facing soil improvement works I would be still interested in the cultivation of American varieties such as Cascade, Centennial and Columbus.
Is there any particular variety that you would recommend to grow? Are there varieties that tolerate a non-optimal pH and can also resist to diseases that could arise with humidity?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions guys!
