The Shape of Hops

[HopsalBrewing]

Hello,
I’m a first time hops grower. My wife got me a couple rhizomes, one Magnum, one Nugget, to grow in our backyard. The plants got mixed up, but one did really well and produced hops the way they should look when you think of hops, and the other grew a bunch of small balls (see picture). Has anyone seen this before? Does anyone know if this is normal/ useable to brew with?
Thanks for any info.

 

[B-Hoppy]

If there aren't any cones on that plant, only the structures your picture shows, you most likely have a male plant. Sometimes a true female plant will throw out a few smatterings of male bloom throughout the plant but it's usually due to some sort of stress that plant has encountered. The pic you posted shows male flowers so I'm thinking you got a rhizome from a male plant.

This can happen very easily due to the fact that rhizomes are dug in the spring before the plants begin growing. If there was a rogue male growing amongst the other females in the yard they were digging in, you very easily could have gotten a male rhizome. It's not a big concern at this point because your other plant is beyond the point of the flowers being receptive to pollen so her cones won't have any seeds this year. Next year might be different if the male blooms and sheds pollen while your other one is in burr (the receptive stage) but you can just cut it back before it blooms or just dig it out this fall and get another one.

Just out of curiosity, where did you get your cuttings? The foliage on that male looks like it may have some neomexicanus in it?

 

[Sylvain]

Male Neomexicanus hops ?