2014 Hop garden photo thread

[2BeerSpeer]

Finally strung up mu hops. Took a while to build the deck. I cut all the 1st shoots off this year and now they are taking off again.

 

[WayFrae]

Finally strung up mu hops. Took a while to build the deck. I cut all the 1st shoots off this year and now they are taking off again.

Wow that is quite the deck!

 

[thaymond]

Things are getting out of control. One nugget bine is over 30 feet and still growing! It ran through the full helix (24') and is wrapping around the top section at 1 full 4' section , and just turned the corner with 3' additional growth. I think there's 6 additional bines and most are still climbing at 16' to 24' respectively. Each diagonal section is exactly 4' if my math is correct. No cones yet, but it is side arm crazy.

Zeus has a good 16' of growth on 4 bines. Lots of bushy undergrowth, but no signs of rot or leaf issues. Tons of sidearms, no cones.

Cascade has 6' to 12' of thin growth, but things are picking up quickly. Few sidearms, no cones.

Chinook lost 3 of 4 bine tips to some severe weather. Not sure how this was the only one to lose them, but they broke off at 18'. My guess is that this is the far western facing plant, so it will absorb the brunt of any westerly straight Iine winds from our Midwestern storms. She has tons of cones forming on all 3 bines that are still climbing. The one remaining bine is racing up the line to the top. Over a foot of growth yesterday.

I love this hobby.

 

[McRoth]

Holy "wild" hops! Took my little kids to swim at their sister's house in Lorain today and found these huge hops plants on the fence in her back yard! Of course i dug some up to take home and see how they are!

 

[whitehause]

20 ft of Centennial !!!!

 

[HoppyDaze]

Aphids anyone?

 

[B-Hoppy]

That sucks! I wonder if you could harvest them and sell to someone who raises ladybugs?

 

[1fast636]

Holy crap that's a lot of aphids

 

[Chrisl77]

Guess its time to post some pics.

First up is my 2 raised beds. Nearest is all cascade and farthest is Willamette.


Next up is the hops mess I have 4 variaties in this area. 3 cascades on the right side of the arbor, an ekg on the left side far, an fuggle on the right side near, and 4 nuggets all the way to the left. Its hard to see but I have a top string running from each side of the arbor to the flag pole. Next year I need to use wire instead the string is stretching to much.


Same plants different angle.


Here is my pool side bar. The left is an ekg and the right is a cascade.


Last up are 3 more cascades.

 

[TrickyDick]

just harvested first round of a possible two, of Columbus, second year rhizome. I ended up with 8.4oz wet weight. Its rather surprising the volume the fresh hops occupy. Seems like you have a ton, but then after picking and weighing, only a hare over 8 oz. Dried I'll expect only 2 oz! Well, maybe next year they'll do better. My Chinook plant is next - I've only got one drying setup at the moment.

Found some strange ?seeds? near the top of the plant. Will post pics later.

TD

 

[EdMerican]

Next year I need to use wire instead the string is stretching too much.

I use para cord for the top. Doesnt stretch much, if at all, tough as hell, cheap and doesn't rust. Stainless cable and the shackles and turnbuckles you would need can be a bit pricey for what it is.

 

[TrickyDick]

I use para cord for the top. Doesnt stretch much, if at all, tough as hell, cheap and doesn't rust. Stainless cable and the shackles and turnbuckles you would need can be a bit pricey for what it is.

The guy at Home Depot under charged me for the wire I have. I think its stainless. So far no rust. The pulleys are pretty useless, and you really only need some eyebolts. The wire comes off the pulley and binds it all up. Four available to a good home if anyone is interested. Para cord is tough stuff, I fashioned a brew hauler out of it for a primary bucket I had that came without a handle (seriously!). Hadn't thought of that, but would work great for hops I'd imagine.

TD


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[TrickyDick]

By the way. Here is that photo
Several actually. The first shows my bine lowered to the ground sort of. The next two show funny looking cones? Seeds? I don't know what they are. I left then on.

Last pic shows an old LME bucket from an AHS wheat kit (don't have an adjustable mill), it's filled with Columbus cones..

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[fuzzy2133]

I was not expecting to see any flowers for a first year cascade.

 

[theck]

Side arms on one are coming along well...

 

[sablesurfer]

Some hop growing going on. My Magnums are to the roof line, finally looking like an actual hop grower...

All six plants


Hop porn

 

[MrNic]

My Columbus plant is only about 4 feet high, and it's already starting to grow side arms. It's only a first year plant, so I wasn't expecting cones. Do side arms usually mean cones?

*edit* It looks like my centennial plant has side arms growing as well. Man, I hope I got lucky with my first year plants!

 

[EdMerican]

My Columbus plant is only about 4 feet high, and it's already starting to grow side arms. It's only a first year plant, so I wasn't expecting cones. Do side arms usually mean cones?

*edit* It looks like my centennial plant has side arms growing as well. Man, I hope I got lucky with my first year plants!

You will absolutely get some cones. It just wont be a lot most likely. I think of 6 mounds I got 4 dry ounces my first year.

 

[thaymond]

You will absolutely get some cones. It just wont be a lot most likely. I think of 6 mounds I got 4 dry ounces my first year.

My first year I had a total 4 dry oz. Total from the plants I received as a gift. Willamette gave me a whopping 0.2 dry oz. Nugget gave me 2oz. Sunbeam gave me just over 1.8 oz. The following year I got over a pound from the three. These plants were potted, so they had limited growth potential to begin with.

This year, I am tying cascade, Chinook, Zeus and nugget. The plants in the ground are so much happier. Tons of sidearms and spurs are already showing.

Ride out the first year with no expectations of cones, and you'll be surprised with some. Expect anything, and you may be disappointed when you get none, as I was with Willamette. Cheers!

 

[EdMerican]

My original 3 varieties are in their 3rd year. Last year I got about a pound of columbus and about a little less than a pound of cascade. Perle had some major problems with bugs and fungus and didnt grow much. They were also in pots. This year I moved them to the ground and added Centennial and Willamette. Columbus is to the top of my trellis and full of cone starts. Perle is almost to the top but doesnt have much for cones. Its always been a late bloomer anyway, though. Even my first years are doing fairly well at about 8ft high, sans cones. Ive not fertilized yet this year, either. Im expecting some production, but my real hopes are for next years harvest.

 

[jack_a_roe]

my ekg doing pretty well considering something clipped my vines at the start


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[WayFrae]

My first year Cascades are starting to flower!

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

These are or second year cascades. Doing pretty well is say. Big thing is grooming

 

[BigGoat]

Could you explain your grooming process a bit?

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

Well not sure if the pictures showed up. Since I can't even see them. But im just talking general care for your hop yard really does make a difference. We're just over 2 acres at this point and you can tell a difference in growth in a row that had had very well up keep and a row that you got behind on.

 

[BigGoat]

Mainly just trimming back new shoots and clearing weeds? Do you clip lower leaves and side arms?

 

[EdMerican]

It doesnt seem hes too keen on sharing his methods...

 

[MrNic]

Anyone know what's eating my leaves?

 

[Stevo2569]

Harvested 3 varieties today. Mainly upper third of each plant. Some were over ripe some just right. Smelling awsome. 2nd harvest prob a month from now. 3rd year champion for biggest bud is cascade once again. Will post back with ozs.

 

[Rivenin]

cascades look like they're forming something! ohhhh yeah.