Growing hops from seed

[B-Hoppy]

Game on! Nice!

 

[Apimyces]

Looking good.

 

[Sinqnew]

Hey there guys! Some of you seem to be the most experienced seed-growing hop fellas I can find any information on the internet about here, so I wanted to get your advice for a simple-ton botanist like me who has little experience in stratification.

I have around 40 seeds currently in damp paper-towels, ziplocked airtight in the back of my fridge, they've been there for about 2.5 weeks now. I just got a new shipment of hop seeds, and I'm wondering what you think is the best short-termish technique to get them to grow?

Even if its like a 20% or 10% chance, I'm down because I have around 150 seeds. I was reading up on if you scarify the seeds, they have a higher chance of sprouting, but I'm wondering do you scarify them after letting them sit for 3 weeks or so, then plant them directly in dirt or keep them in a damp ziplock bag at room temperature after being in the fridge for a few weeks?

I definitely don't think I should scarify them until they've been in a moist cold environment probably.

Also just as a trial... I planted around 50 seeds with no stratification, and with hope that even if a few sprouted I'd be happy. Is there any recorded success with that? Or is it generally considered 0% unless they've been stratified. They've been planted for about 2 weeks now, but I know hops seeds can take 1-4 weeks for germination. It was considered a hopeless effort but I wanted to try while waiting for the main seeds to sit in the fridge.

Any tips would be amazing, I've been searching near and far getting small snippets of information. Or if I should try to get this 'perlite' to use in the ziplock bag instead of using a paper towel... but I hear the paper towel technique works pretty good.

Thanks for any help! This is seriously the only place I've found with any kind of info what so ever, and Nagmays blog.

 

[DarkCoder]

Patience is the key !

Been starting hops from seeds since 2014. I am starting 500 to 600 seeds this year. A lot of my seeds were put in the fridge in slightly humid paper towel (Bounty brand... they allow more air in) inside unzipped Ziplock mid-February... no soaking in water, no scarification. A lot of them are already sprouting even if they are still in the fridge.

Most of the time, 6 weeks in the fridge is enough. I live near Montreal and usually aiming for June 1st to put the little babies outdoors. So, you still have enough time to start them. I just started 2 other seeds lots today.

 

[Apimyces]

6-12 weeks is often recommended. I grew some hops without stratification, but it took many weeks to germinate, lost track, and only got 5% out of those batches. Trying 6 weeks now.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Nobody has mentioned the secret trick, see if you can spot exactly what increases germination %age: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fatJJ99Cka8[/ame]

 

[ffaoe]

Nobody has mentioned the secret trick, see if you can spot exactly what increases germination %age: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fatJJ99Cka8

I don't see what this trick increases germination rates, but I see one major problem and one minor issue. The first, placing stratifying seeds unprotected in a fridge door will expose them to temperature and light fluctuations causing premature irregular germination. Secondly, the coffee filters were unsanitized. Coffee filters will likely have some mold issues.

It might be worth testing to see if the coffee filters are less likely to allow rootlets weaving through the filter leading to breakage.

 

[Apimyces]

I would really like if anyone promoting a specific method would share his germination %s.

I did mine: 5% with no stratification XD

That method doesn't look very optimal to me. 1 month seems short, coffee filters not sanitized, looks like too much water to me, doesn't say how long the seeds were being soaked, but both then and in the coffee filters drowning seems a potential problem, etc. He might have good results... but he doesn't even say so. He just makes a video on day 1, it's his only video regarding hops, and looking at his channel, I suspect he was just looking for another vlog subject and doesn't really know what he's talking about and never even tried it before making that video.

If you think he did something right, though, feel free to call it out.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Guess it was a poor attempt at an April fools joke? Asparagus . . .

 

[Apimyces]

Guess it was a poor attempt at an April fools joke? Asparagus . . .

I'm sorry.

 

[Sinqnew]

Awesome thanks for the advice guys, so there isnt a exact method exactly. Good to know there seems to be a chance at germination even if I didn't stratify... Even if its 5% hopefully I get maybe the odd one to sprout!

This is the current set up I had for the non-stratified seeds -

My setup is in a apartment... So in terms of timing for seasons... not really a issue! My only concern is apartments can be rather dry and I imagine hops love humidity. I'll have to see if they do alright in a non-greenhouse environment when they are too big. But no worries for now... not a single seed has germinated sadly. I'll keep hoping something pops out while the stratification works its magic!

Even if I can get 15% germination, I'd be really happy with that. jiffy pellets are cheap and hop seeds as well, so its just a numbers game.

Also I just got more seeds in... they look like hop seeds but thought to get a confirmation from you guys since you're the pros!

 

[Apimyces]

To be more precise, I had put seeds in a 72 tray. 4 sprouted, 1 died (mostly by my fault, though it was weaker). In my apartment, under T5s.

I had also grown some earlier in an actual greenhouse, against without stratification, and I think my germination success had been better then. Probably due to fluctuating temperatures (from 8 degrees celcius to almost 30, as opposed to a steady 19-22ish at the apartment). I had not recorded the actual germination, though. Both times in was straight in high absorption potting soil (with added fine vermiculite). I only went to the greenhouse every second day so I needed moisture retention.

 

[Apimyces]

Put some dwarf hop seeds in the trays a week ago, germination has started.

 

[nagmay]

The experimental hops in the 2nd yard are out of control. As I mentioned before, we're opting to make clones for the interesting varieties (rather than digging out rhizomes).

So far, sticking cuttings in an old beer bottle full of tap water has worked, but is slow.

This weekend, I'm planning to set up an aero-cloner to speed things up.

 

[Apimyces]

Well, I got most of last year's hops outside by now, just got a few more to find some room for.

Got my little boy here growing strong. Two females collected from the wild, one female seedling, and 7 seedlings that should reveal their sex this year. By next year I ought to have some mature dwarfs, worst case scenario heterozygous carriers of the gene.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Well, I got most of last year's hops outside by now, just got a few more to find some room for.

Got my little boy here growing strong. Two females collected from the wild, one female seedling, and 7 seedlings that should reveal their sex this year. By next year I ought to have some mature dwarfs, worst case scenario heterozygous carriers of the gene.

How are things growing for everyone? I finally got my plants strung this past week, and things have jumped up due to the warmth. There was poor cleanup prior to stringing, so multiple plants are tied together. After flowering, etc. selections will be made, properly traced, dug, and replanted after eradication of others in the bed. Hopefully moving to a more permanent spot for a couple years.

 

[Apimyces]

Did some big untangling on my inside seedlings. I had them all on their own strings but when we moved, the wife... did a mess. XD

Lots of pruning was required. Some went outside, got a sun burn, but have started recuperating. A few I left inside to recover, the smaller ones, I should be moving them outside soon.

Got a bunch of seedlings from a dwarf cultivar growing well too.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Store bought, haha! A little rough after the ride but he'll be fine, already perking up two days after planting!

 

[Apimyces]

Where did you find an usda male !?

 

[B-Hoppy]

Corvallis Oregon.

 

[Apimyces]

What!? I don't remember seeing any males at the Corvallis repository. Will have to look at it better. XD

 

[PapaBearJay]

There are plenty of males. You could also probably find them where you live.

 

[PapaBearJay]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1499133112.091691.jpgI've got my own males beginning to flower here.

 

[Apimyces]

There are plenty of males. You could also probably find them where you live.

Any recommendations? I was thinking of making a request for elderberries, could add some hops in there while I'm at it.

I've never seen wild hops in my parts, not have I ever managed to find a canadian source of male hop plants, save for one guy on these forums, who generously sent me a male rhizome.

I've grown enough hops from seeds that I expect to have a few males now, but haven't had any of them flower yet, maybe later this year or otherwise next year. My plants got quite a shock from leaving the low-light interior and also don't love the partial shade heavy clay they are now in, for the most part. But they are growing, slowly but surely!

 

[PapaBearJay]

I can't say what issues you might run into since you'd like encounter import issues. Anyways, whether you find your own males or get some from seed expect that once you get seeds you'll find you have far less space than you want to grow out all the plants you'll have!

 

[Apimyces]

Yea, that's already an issue haha. I got room on my veggie garden since I lacked the time to grow veggies, but I don't have room in my hop garden because I lacked the time to actually make it. Will likely make makeshift arrangements for my potted hops this year...

For the import, I only need a certificate. We don't have an import ban here. But I asked Corvallis for details over a week ago with still no reply...

Any of their males better than others? I guess disease resistance would be the top trait I'd look for in a usda male.

 

[Apimyces]

Little boy's growing some balls?

Yea, he looks like crap. Didn't give it much thought, been swamped with my actual ag work, hops are leisure. I'd assume it has to do with the fact that it's in heavy clay and that it has been raining EVERY FREAKING DAY SINCE MARCH. Or just about.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Also looks stunted like a downy infection....

 

[Apimyces]

When I get a few minutes I'll look at that.

All my plants save one are fairly stunted, though, even the "healthy looking ones". This one was growing fast (I believe that's a bull shoot) for a while and then, suddenly, kinda stopped growing and started showing discoloration and curling. There's so many potential problems that I know of (water-logged, heavy soil, pH too high, too much shade, caterpillars, strong winds, constant rain) and suspect (mites, diseases) that I'm not sure there's really any single problem to blame. At this point I'll be content as long as they survive so that next year I can aspire to give them better conditions.

 

[PapaBearJay]

If it's a downy infection you may find selection is completed for you. Highly susceptible genotypes will die outright.