Sterling hops production

[sp12]

I have some Sterling hops that grow very well but don't seem to produce many hop cones. First year it grew to about 15 ft with no cones, Second year 20 ft, no cones. Third year (this season) it's over 25 ft tall, lots of vines, nice big green leaves, very healthy plant but probably only 20 - 30 hop cones. In previous research I found articles that indicated Sterling hops should start producing in 3 years. Anybody have suggestions? Should I be trimming some of the vines so that only 2-3 are allowed to grow? It produced lots of tall vines. Like I say a very healthy plant, just no hops.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yes, keeping it down to two bines should increase yield.

 

[mashpaddled]

I have a two year old sterling plant. So far zero cones. It's right next to a two year old chinook going crazy and a five year old cascade and mt. hood also pouring out cones. I'm disappointed because the sterling was the one I was most excited to grow of the four.

I think sterling is a bit tempermental and needs a lot more water and shade than some other varieties. My sterling is the first to get sun and takes the brunt of early afternoon heat. I think next year I am going to move it (they are in half barrels) to the middle of the row so it gets more shade.

 

[LokiM4]

In my research you do need to prune the bines and actively select the ones you want to grow yes, in fact there are bines that grow that will not produce any cones at all called "bull shoots" that should be identified and pruned out early on.

https://www.greatlakeshops.com/hops-blog/selecting-the-right-bines-to-train
https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/growing_hops_(e3210).pdf
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/bull-shoots-vs-normal-bines.470818/
https://blog.uvm.edu/hoppenin/2017/...mmend removing the bull,keep calm and hop on…

 

[mschoeffler]

Decent production here in OKC. It took 4-5yrs but they produced.

 

[Joggin]

I have same problem. They grow tall but produce little to nothing. This year, nothing. Funny, cause other hops are doing good.

 

[Shermwormbrew]

I pretty much kill everything I grow but in 2020 I planted a cascade rhizome and a sterling rhizome. Both took off beautifully and produced cones. I live in central California and my hops are planted on the south side of my house. It’s in the high 90s and commonly goes over 100 degrees F during the summer months. My Sterling produced half of what the cascade produced and the cones were fairly small. I’ve also read that Sterling don’t like hot climates. I’m total my Sterling gave me only 2.4oz dried cones. So I’m not sure why a lot of people are having a hard time. Maybe the long hot days are what it takes haha.

 

[mashpaddled]

I was just thinking about my sterling growing woes this morning watching the snow fall. Over the fall I elected to rearrange my four hop plants (cascade, chinook, mt. hood, sterling) so the more aggressive growers will get more sunlight and act as a partial shade to the mt. hood and sterling. They all face south in a line running alphabetically east to west. The sterling was eastmost and seemed to wilt in July and August. I grow in half barrels so they need more water than ground-planted hops which is an undoubted issue for the sterling and mt. hood. I also partially buried the barrels so the roots will stay cooler and the roots can grow down through the drain holes and tap water from the ground. I'm also going to connect them to drip irrigation so they'll have more consistent water than my hand watering.

 

[Steveruch]

I had good luck growing sterlings when I lived in Vancouver, WA. I trained them along an unused clothesline.if