2016 Hop Growing Thread

[DurtyChemist]

It is that time of the year. Post your photos, questions, advice and harvest amounts. First year, 10th year and everywhere in between.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I just moved one pot and found out the first year cascade rhizome grew through the pot and into the soil below. My current plan is to now water the broken root to see if something develops as well as the pot and see if it survives.

I'm already seeing "purple asparagus" as I label it popping up. In my area we always expect a late March/early April hard frost. I watered the second year plants nicely today to encourage root development and growth while the weather is nice. If the hard frost never comes I'm ahead of schedule. If Mother Nature does what she wants I'll be trimming back early growth, picking 3-4 bines and growing hops again for root development and domination.

 

[val214]

My second year cascade and sazzz.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1456720782.022983.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1456720798.161532.jpg

 

[Zekk]

Here's my second year nugget making an appearance. It's in an 8 gallon pot until we buy a house and it goes in the ground. Probably going to cut these off and let it reset.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1456771286.002826.jpg

 

[NVRsummer369]

Any Colorado people seeing anything pop up yet? This past week has been so warm, i already found one of my cluster hops popping up out of the ground this morning!
Ill take a pic of the little girl later today.

 

[mb82]

I checked on my Cascades in the ground this morning and pulled back the mulch to find they are about to pop out.
Also I ordered Wye Viking hops and they came in on Friday. I potted them today, look like they are already taking off.

I will keep them inside till after the last frost and then plant them.

 

[goom-nederland]

Hello
Perhaps you can help me.
Would you be able to send me to my mailbox by post Sotiachi Ace rhizomes?
I come from europe
kind regards

 

[DurtyChemist]

Sorachi ace is hard to find as a rhizome.

 

[beerinthebloodco]

I live in Colorado as well! All three of my second year plants are showing growth already! I replanted them in rope tubs and put a new layer of soil on top of them.

 

[Ritva]

Utah checking in...purple asparagus coming up strong here

 

[kilohertz]

Still no sign of any shoots here.... (southern interior BC)

 

[PapaBearJay]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457223446.363052.jpg
Shoot emergence rime!

 

[TeeJo]

Nothing here yet either, in South Central BC, along the Fraser River.
Founds some fat buds forming underground, but nothing breaking surface yet.

5 varieties in last year, and rained out at harvest time, when I wasn't out of town....

No biggie. They are gonna be CRAZY this year!

TeeJo

 

[Molybedenum]

CO - I just hacked back the rhizomes from my four main plants (3 years old), but the other two were put in last year.

The Nugget, Cascade, Chinook and Crystal all have shoots coming up. I'll probably let them go a month before cutting them back, depending on how fast they grow.

 

[bowtie]

Just planted 6 Nugget and 8 Cascade here in Vancouver, Washington
Edit just added 8 Chinook.

 

[Calder]

4 of 10 are showing buds peaking from the ground here in Southern Ohio.

3 Cascades and 1 Chinook.

The 6 that have not broken the surface yet are; 2 Chinook, 3 Centennial, and 1 Willamette. We have a warm week ahead - I expect to see most, if not all, by mid next week.

 

[DurtyChemist]

Cascade second year coming up already and it appears to be handling the overnight low 30s pretty well. Two more of these are growing but this one seems to want to be the tallest and most spread out.

My local Costco has some large pots for $20 I may buy soon to transplant for a more permanent solution.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457530349.809592.jpg

 

[Zekk]

Just cut back my 2nd year nugget. The two tallest were bull shoots and now they're in the compost. Already have more shoots coming up and some leaves on the bines that were too small to bother trimming. Been in the 60s and had rain Monday and maybe this weekend.

 

[beernutz]

I saw the first shoots from two of my three 2nd year Centennials last week and on one of my two 2nd year Magnum plants. I'm waiting until each of the 5 plants has a shoot at least 6" tall and then I'm cutting them all back and training the type A shoots.

 

[sablesurfer]

Midwest and we have been WAY warm for months now. Seems most of mine coming back for 4th year! Moving the whole set up this year. Side of house won't work anymore, this will be less sun through middle of day, but we'll see. (Cascade, Chinook, Columbus, Magnum, and Centanial.) Willamette has just done nothing for three years, not going to try any longer.

 

[KindofBlues71]

I'm in the middle of CT and nothing coming up for me yet. I've got 6yr old Cascades that always do great for me, and 2yr old (this season) Magnum and Columbus. When is the right time to dig and cut up rhizomes or trim an unruly rootball?

 

[McKnuckle]

2nd year Goldings and Sterling are just starting to poke through here in Northern NJ. Mt. Hood, no sign of action yet. My Fuggle seems to have passed on over the winter despite yielding a few cones in its first year (the only plant that did). Just ordered Cascade and Centennial rhizomes to add some US hops to the mix.

Still haven't brewed beer from this collection... hoping this might be the first year.

 

[TeeJo]

I found a PILE of shoots breaking out of the ground around my patch today.

<sigh>

One more job to the list. Gotta get the strings hung again.

TeeJo

 

[Calder]

Willamette has just done nothing for three years, not going to try any longer.

I keep reading a lot that Willamette does not produce well. May be very particular about it's environment. I have one plant (1 year only), and it didn't produce a single cone while all the other hops did - I'm questioning whether it is worth keeping it after 1 year.

4 of 10 are showing buds peaking from the ground here in Southern Ohio.

3 Cascades and 1 Chinook.

The 6 that have not broken the surface yet are; 2 Chinook, 3 Centennial, and 1 Willamette. We have a warm week ahead - I expect to see most, if not all, by mid next week.

Update: 3 Cascades and 3 Chinook are up. The 3 Centennial and the Willamette are still hiding.

 

[canadian006]

I actually just transplanted two of my second year plants. They were grown and over wintered in pots but I noticed new buds already starting to grow and decided to give them a permanent home. As you can see in the photo, the bottom of the soil is still frozen.

I've never done this before but confident that they will be fine. The roots had actually grown out of the pot and anchored it to the ground. I'm really surprised at the amount of growth from just one season.

 

[canadian006]

I keep reading a lot that Willamette does not produce well. May be very particular about it's environment. I have one plat (1 year only), and it didn't produce a single cone while all the other hops did - I'm questioning whether it is worth keeping it after 1 year.



Update: 3 Cascades and 3 Chinook are up. The 3 Centennial and the Willamette are still hiding.

I grew Willamette from a rhizome last year and got around 3 oz of wet hops from it. It's not a huge harvest but I thought that it was pretty good for the first year

 

[sablesurfer]

I grew Willamette from a rhizome last year and got around 3 oz of wet hops from it. It's not a huge harvest but I thought that it was pretty good for the first year

It just seems that the midwest is too dry in the middle/end of summer for it to produce. It grows fine, as tall as any, but just no cones.

 

[philipCT]

Southwestern CT here.

Waiting for my rhizomes to be shipped from Farmhouse Supply. This will be my first experience growing hops. Ordered two each of Centennial and Cascade to get started.

While shopping at Lowes last weekend for fence repair stuff I found 50' bundles of coir - which I thought was pretty unusual. So I bought a bunch. Next weekend I'll prep the planting beds on the side of the house, and string the coir if I get ambitious.

I feel that March is still pretty early here even though the weather has been warm the whole winter. In any case, I'll plant them the moment they arrive and just monitor for any freezes.

In case of a late freeze, I was thinking I'd just drop a blanket or a tarp over the plants. Does that make sense?

 

[zam216]

In case of a late freeze, I was thinking I'd just drop a blanket or a tarp over the plants. Does that make sense?

Just be careful with tarps. If you use non breathable material such as plastic it can trap moisture and actually cause easier freezing with cold temperatures. Burlap is what I use and its great. Breathable and keeps everything warm. Usually from April 1 until frost threat is gone I will blanket every night just to ensure no freezing.

 

[DurtyChemist]

If we have a late freeze I'm just going to cut back what I have growing. There isn't much sense fussing over some early spring growth when the plant will be healthier if I cut back the weakest frost killing bines. I'd suggest the same.