Hops as a houseplant

[manoaction]

I'm getting ready to move shortly, so I tossed my two newly purchased hop rhizomes into a couple of houseplant pots until they're ready for their final resting place.

I'm aware they like a lot of sunlight, but I'm curious if they'll be able to live in miniature in my office for a while.

There is a window that puts sun into my office but it isn't a great amount of it. What are the chances I can get a bonzai hop plant going?

 

[Yooper]

It won't be a bonzai plant. It'll grow up to 30 feet. But you can keep hacking back if you need to.

 

[Kokopuff829]

It would be cool if you got them to grow all around your office and on the ceiling and then you can call it "The Jungle"

 

[manoaction]

30 feet in a houseplant pot located in an office building?

This... could be AWESOME!

I'll start wearing a pith helmet to work so I hack through the jungle of hops.

At any rate, I'm taking your 30 foot estimate to mean that it should still grow inside?

 

[Yooper]

30 feet in a houseplant pot located in an office building?

This... could be AWESOME!

I'll start wearing a pith helmet to work so I hack through the jungle of hops.

At any rate, I'm taking your 30 foot estimate to mean that it should still grow inside?

Yes, as long as the roots have room in the pot, you wont' limit the growth.

 

[bob1852]

There was an article in BYO or Zymurgy a little over a year ago about this - a guy "trained" the bines to grow around his office, much like people do with some other vines...

 

[Bernie Brewer]

There was an article in BYO or Zymurgy a little over a year ago about this - a guy "trained" the bines to grow around his office, much like people do with some other vines...

Musta used whips..........

 

[manoaction]

So it's been a couple hours, and I don't see anything yet. Patience isn't really my favorite thing.

How long does it take a Rhizome to go from a wet root in a bag to something green above ground?

Assuming that it is more than a few hours, are we looking at days? weeks? months?

 

[bob1852]

You mean it's not at 30' yet?

 

[Kokopuff829]

I think to get 30' at least a year. I've never grown hops but I've heard you don't even get a big harvest the first year.

 

[tchuklobrau]

Give it a few days to weeks they will sprout. once they get going they will grow 3+ inches a day

 

[manoaction]

Just when I'd given up all hope of anything good ever coming from this project or life in general (I'm easily disenchanted), my hops have broken through the soil.

The little guys are like optimistic arms of happiness on a mission to bring joy to my weary office and the world. And by joy, I of course mean beer.

 

[Hebby]

You're going to need some bigger pots.

 

[Gridlocked]

I posted something like this a while ago and everyone shot down my idea. I like where this thread is going and I thing I'll give it a shot as well.

 

[Hebby]

It will definitely work if they get enough sun inside. They will grow fast. However they will be stunted if the roots are blocked by the sides of the pots. They get a pretty big root system going especially after the first year.

 

[TheWeeb]

Oh My Gawd! IF you could only get your office to look like this, the Hofbrau tent @ Oktoberfest, that would be killer! DO IT!
:rockin:

 

[manoaction]

I would agree the big threat is the pots being too small.

I've been doing some reading about dealing with plants that become root bound. It seems you can take them out of the pot and cut the roots back.

I bumped into a blog about growing pot and they had some of the best advise. They apparently know a great deal about growing plants in odd places.

 

[Strave19]

They will grow fine in pots of that size. I've got about 200 hop plants of various cultivars in a greenhouse in 1 gallon pots that have been at 70 degrees and supplemental lighting for going on about 9 months now. The pot size wont be the problem at least for a year or so. You'll want to keep them well watered when they start to get bigger, and give them regular doses of fertilizer. I have cut them back to the base about 4 times now though. If something goes wrong (spider mites, they dry out, they have a nutrient deficiency) they tend to go into a quick "shock" for lack of a better term - and lose all their leaves. They can be a really messy plant.... just a heads up, and I really hope you dont get spider mites indoors, that would suck in an office. Do give them something to climb when they get about a foot out of the soil, they will be happier and grow much faster that way.

If you're just hoping to keep them alive for a few months I think what you're doing is just fine. If you're trying to make them a permanent member of your office - I wish you the best!

edit: I guess on second look I cant tell how big those pots are... but if they are close to a gallon or so... then you're golden, and if you're just keeping them alive smaller will probably work too... Hardest part with small pots is keeping them watered enough when they get bigger

 

[manoaction]

The pots are a gallon size.

Spidermites sound like terrible creatures that will plant eggs in my ears or something. It reminds me of my recurring nightmare where bees and spiders mate. Flying around with fangs and webs and whatnot. Now I've got the heebie-jeebies. Is there anything that a brave soul can do to prevent spidermites?

I'm hoping to get a timelapse camera setup and make a movie as they grow.

 

[Strave19]

The pots are a gallon size.

Spidermites sound like terrible creatures that will plant eggs in my ears or something. It reminds me of my recurring nightmare where bees and spiders mate. Flying around with fangs and webs and whatnot. Now I've got the heebie-jeebies. Is there anything that a brave soul can do to prevent spidermites?

I'm hoping to get a timelapse camera setup and make a movie as they grow.

Haha! That is a terrible nightmare...

They are not quite that bad... They wont bite or lay eggs on you, but they will destroy your hop plants and cover them in webs and probably gross you out. The most common spider mites on hops is the two-spotted spider mite. Keeping the hops healthy and well watered is a good way to avoid bad infestations (given they got introduced somehow). Hopefully they never find your hops and you never have to deal with them. Best bet is to just keep an eye out (usually you'll see them on the underside of leaves - they are tiny and have 2 little brown spots on them.) Spotted leaves are a symptom, though spotting can be caused by other things. If you get them and feel you cant get them under control I would just cut the hops back to the soil... indoors makes it hard to spray insecticides. IF you have other house plants I would be extra careful but hopefully you never get them and never have an issue!

Dont stress over it... This is probably just making you paranoid about them :cross:, just keep your plants healthy and keep an eye out. :rockin: Are you planning to transplant them outside at some point?

 

[manoaction]

Well things are going along great for one of the plants, but the other little guy seems to be confused about which way is up.

Yesterday I put in some stakes and strings to hold the bines.

I also setup a webcam that took time lapse shots over the last few days and turned it into a video. It's pretty cool to see how fast they've been growing.

Interestingly enough, the last segment of the film is slower than the rest but the plant is really waving around. The film speed for the first two is right about an hour a second, but last segment is half the speed.

I'm going to rig up my DSLR camera and do some more of it.


Here is the video.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

I actually took a side arm off my Chinook and placed it in a wine bottle full of water. It still hasn’t died and it’s been about 2 and a half weeks! It even has roots now, so I am doing this. My boss is more excited about it than me.

 

[manoaction]

I've read they can last quite a while. Post a shot of it.

 

[jkarp]

Awesome video.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

I've read they can last quite a while. Post a shot of it.

Here they are.

This is a close up of the roots, every little bump is more roots that are about to sprout. Once they come out I will be putting him in a pot.

 

[manoaction]

Those are cool pics of the wine bottle.

Awesome video.

Thanks. As you can tell it's sophisticated and high brow because it has fance-assy music and a french word at the end.

This is serious business, people. Keep it classy. We're making beer here.

 

[manoaction]

The second pot finally came alive this weekend, and the first pot is really taking off.

My timelapse screwed up over the weekend so I don't have any new video, but here is the latest.

 

[jkarp]

You've inspired me. LHBS had one cascade rhizome left this weekend so I snagged it.

 

[BosTom]

Hahahaha. I say go for it! I don't know what your boss will Though. I grew hops in a pot and they reached at least 20 feet first year. good luck!

 

[manoaction]

Tragedy has struck. My hop plants are looking weaker by the day. I fear there is not enough sun in my office. I've placed in a hypersolar chamber (outside) to see if they will improve.

The naysayers may have victory after all.

 

[ChshreCat]

Spidermites sound like terrible creatures that will plant eggs in my ears or something. It reminds me of my recurring nightmare where bees and spiders mate. Flying around with fangs and webs and whatnot. Now I've got the heebie-jeebies. Is there anything that a brave soul can do to prevent spidermites?

Nah, they're nothing like that. Spidermites look more like this:

 

[Kokopuff829]

Tragedy has struck. My hop plants are looking weaker by the day. I fear there is not enough sun in my office. I've placed in a hypersolar chamber (outside) to see if they will improve.

The naysayers may have victory after all.

Awe that sucks. But I think you did the right thing. Nice sun and water and they'll be back to normal in no time

 

[manoaction]

Welp... Now that they are outside. The weather has decided to have a coldsnap with wind that shell shocked my little friends. They are toast now, just a few dead vines where happy life used to be.

I'm wondering if the rhizomes will make another attempt this year or just leave me with pitiful empty pots.

 

[jkarp]

Welp... Now that they are outside. The weather has decided to have a coldsnap with wind that shell shocked my little friends. They are toast now, just a few dead vines where happy life used to be.

I'm wondering if the rhizomes will make another attempt this year or just leave me with pitiful empty pots.

Suck.

My cascades haven't even broken through the soil yet. Good thing too as I had the pot outside and we got a foot of snow today.

 

[sixtyfiveblue]

so it CAN be a houseplant? Where is a link to that article?