Allow me to preface this by saying I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm just looking for criticisms and comments, and I have a few questions
I'm in the San Jose area of California, in April I ordered 8 rhizomes and tried to start them in pots, as I did not have a good area to plant them in the ground at the time. A few sprouted but they all eventually died to what seemed to be root rot (after digging up the rhizomes). In hindsight I think I failed due to the high temperature, poor drainage in the pots, and possibly over-watering.
These are the pots I used
In July I ordered another round of 8 hops, which also sprouted, then died. I had put a few more holes into the pots I was using and re-mixed the soil with more perlite and filled the pots as loosely as possible. Around this time it was very hot in my area so I think that may have also bee a factor. After giving up, I dug up the rhizomes and it seemed they had died of root rot as well.
In August (its getting late) I ordered 4 baby plants which already had roots and planted those in the same pots, and they have been doing relatively well. I planted one of each: Cascade, Centennial, Northern Brewer, and Nugget. The Cascade and Nugget have done pretty well and are both at around 4 feet now and the NB and Centennial are alive but seem to be not growing at all.
Since its so late in the season I've changed my focus to establishing roots which I will try to preserve through the winter so I can start again next season. Since they are in pots, I decided it would be a good idea to transplant them into the ground so the roots have more room to expand. (Again, I have no idea what I'm doing) I manually tilled an area to plant.
I cut out large sections of the bottom of the pots so that I could retain the existing root structure and soil but also allow the roots to easily escape into the ground. These pots are organic fiber pots which will break down in the ground if they are constantly moist. I will attach a post-transplant picture when I get home, I only have a pre-transplant picture available:
In the transplant process, I accidentally broke the very top of my largest cascade bine, and kinked a few leaves.
Is it worth keeping the Northern Brewer? It is the weakest of the 4 and I've read that it is relatively difficult to grow, since its so late should I just dig it up to make room for a new plant next year? My Centennial is also very weak but It is supposedly easier to grow so maybe I'll have better luck next season...
How long should I let these grow before I cut them back? Do you think the roots could be preserved such that they'll start again in spring?
Any criticisms? What should/shouldn't I have done?
Thanks
I'm in the San Jose area of California, in April I ordered 8 rhizomes and tried to start them in pots, as I did not have a good area to plant them in the ground at the time. A few sprouted but they all eventually died to what seemed to be root rot (after digging up the rhizomes). In hindsight I think I failed due to the high temperature, poor drainage in the pots, and possibly over-watering.
In July I ordered another round of 8 hops, which also sprouted, then died. I had put a few more holes into the pots I was using and re-mixed the soil with more perlite and filled the pots as loosely as possible. Around this time it was very hot in my area so I think that may have also bee a factor. After giving up, I dug up the rhizomes and it seemed they had died of root rot as well.
In August (its getting late) I ordered 4 baby plants which already had roots and planted those in the same pots, and they have been doing relatively well. I planted one of each: Cascade, Centennial, Northern Brewer, and Nugget. The Cascade and Nugget have done pretty well and are both at around 4 feet now and the NB and Centennial are alive but seem to be not growing at all.
Since its so late in the season I've changed my focus to establishing roots which I will try to preserve through the winter so I can start again next season. Since they are in pots, I decided it would be a good idea to transplant them into the ground so the roots have more room to expand. (Again, I have no idea what I'm doing) I manually tilled an area to plant.
I cut out large sections of the bottom of the pots so that I could retain the existing root structure and soil but also allow the roots to easily escape into the ground. These pots are organic fiber pots which will break down in the ground if they are constantly moist. I will attach a post-transplant picture when I get home, I only have a pre-transplant picture available:
In the transplant process, I accidentally broke the very top of my largest cascade bine, and kinked a few leaves.
Is it worth keeping the Northern Brewer? It is the weakest of the 4 and I've read that it is relatively difficult to grow, since its so late should I just dig it up to make room for a new plant next year? My Centennial is also very weak but It is supposedly easier to grow so maybe I'll have better luck next season...
How long should I let these grow before I cut them back? Do you think the roots could be preserved such that they'll start again in spring?
Any criticisms? What should/shouldn't I have done?
Thanks
