2016 Hop Growing Thread

[BaylessBrewer]

Cascade #1View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461972752.168395.jpg
Cascade #2View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461972778.067035.jpg
Centennial View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461972803.042978.jpg
All 3 were planted 4weeks ago. Hoping that the 2 smaller plants get it together and grab a gear![emoji2]

 

[olotti]

With the colder weather my cascades started a bit late so today I just trimmed all the bull shoots down. So hopefully some new green growth will appear in the next week or two and I can start to train them.

 

[signpost]

If anyone wants to take a look I just put up my hop update video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zATkYrSaSak

Hey, I'm a first year hop grower as well and I got my plants from Great Lakes Hops, too. I'm planning on just letting them grow, rather than cutting them back.

Also, I'm curious about what you mentioned about your fertilizing plans. My trellis is only about 13 feet tall, so my plants will run out of height to climb before they are ready. What I'm thinking, for my set-up, is to not fertilize at all until later in the season. I figure I'll just let them grow however they can, then later when they get close to producing cones, that's when I'll hit them with some fertilizer of some sort. Rather than boosting the height/length of bines, I'm going to boost the production phase of growing.

Of course, I have no reading/research to back that up, and I'm an amateur gardener at best. It's just what makes sense in my head when I'm thinking about my set-up. If there are different phases of growth, then I want to encourage the phase that best fits my shorter trellis.

Does anybody have any knowledge/experience to say my plan won't work out?

 

[The10mmKid]

My hop trellis this year.
Two 2nd year Centennial and 10 more starts from cuttings made last year. (They're hiding behind the Misses flowers)
Don't expect much from the cuttings so they can just share the sisal cords.

'da Kid

 

[The10mmKid]

The double turnbuckles give ~6" of tension. And loosening when I want to lower the cable.

 

[The10mmKid]

A 2" piece of electrical EMT slipped snugly inside the 2-1/2" corner fence post. Straight, strong and reinforced by the four fence runs. The bolts keep the EMT from sliding down further. It can be easily lifted up and off.

 

[The10mmKid]

These are 1-5/8" 'Kennel Fence Clamps" This pole is 1-1/4" EMT. Might go with 1-1'2" next year as it does flex a bit. I have a cable from the top back to the fence at a 45° angle to help. All cabling is 3/16" vinyl coated.

'da Kid

 

[The10mmKid]

A better overall view.

Happy Growing this year Gang . . . . . .

(Yes our Ohio lawn looks like Green Velvet)

 

[BlackIce]

Hey, I'm a first year hop grower as well and I got my plants from Great Lakes Hops, too. I'm planning on just letting them grow, rather than cutting them back.

Also, I'm curious about what you mentioned about your fertilizing plans. My trellis is only about 13 feet tall, so my plants will run out of height to climb before they are ready. What I'm thinking, for my set-up, is to not fertilize at all until later in the season. I figure I'll just let them grow however they can, then later when they get close to producing cones, that's when I'll hit them with some fertilizer of some sort. Rather than boosting the height/length of bines, I'm going to boost the production phase of growing.

Of course, I have no reading/research to back that up, and I'm an amateur gardener at best. It's just what makes sense in my head when I'm thinking about my set-up. If there are different phases of growth, then I want to encourage the phase that best fits my shorter trellis.

Does anybody have any knowledge/experience to say my plan won't work out?

Basic Brewing Radio had a good interview(March 3, 2016 - Springtime Hop Care) and thats what Im going to following almost to a T. Our home brew club also had a grower in and he said about the same. Here is some of the stuff:
Start adding fertilizer once a week after 12” tall
Start training 2nd or 3rd week of May
No more fertilizer when you see flowers
End of June flowers should start

Im in MI so im not sure if this will workout but this is what I will go by.

hope this helps

 

[Hopphead]

Thats a beautiful trellis!!! How tall is it? Do you trim the bines when they reach the top? Or let them grow along the top of the trellis system?

Thanks! the trellis is only 10' tall. Last year I trained them horizontal across the top, it worked okay but this year I ran the string over to the house.

 

[BrandonMH]

I went out this am to see how wet things were after the rain we got, and notice one of the centennials was laying over. Went to set it up and noticed it was almost broken off. I was pissed. Not sure if a bird flew in there, or a squirrel climbed in the fenced in area and broke it. I tied some old pie tins on the fence, along with the old fake owl that I had there for days. Maybe a squirrel, I did see a dig spot a few days ago, not close to the hop plant, but close enough.

 

[jrgtr42]

I have 4 plants growing - 2 Newport and 2 Cascade. 2nd year for all of them in this location. I transplanted them from another house, I had 1 year on the Cascade there and 3 or 4 on the Newport.
I have a ton of shoots on the Cascade - or should I say had. I trimmed a bunch off this weekend, leaving 3 shoots on one string, 4 on the other.
The Newport have fewer shoots, but one of them has a shoot ~4 feet high at this point, another shoot ~3 feet and a third a few inches behind. The other Newport is a couple feet up the string now.
I use an A-frame trellis (think the old-style metal swingset from when we were kids) that's about 12 feet high. The bines usually will go up and over the top. I'm OK with that, it's still better than the second year I had the hops (total) when they went down the support lines and got tangles up with grape vines that were growing up those lines...

 

[kev211]

Thanks! the trellis is only 10' tall. Last year I trained them horizontal across the top, it worked okay but this year I ran the string over to the house.

Ohhhhh now I see it. Thats pretty slick!

 

[signpost]

More pics as my hops continue to grow after several good days of drizzly, steady rain.

AlphAroma #1 - Smallest plant so far, but it has the most separate buds started. And it is a late maturing variety, so I'm not surprised it's lagging a little bit.

AlphAroma #2 - Bigger than the other AlphAroma, but only by a narrow gap.

Canterbury Goldings #1:

Canterbury goldings #2:

Cluster #1:

Cluster #2 - In this one, you can see a big glob of bird poop just on the lower left part of the pic. I saw that and thought, "Cool, natural fertilizer." Also, this one is actually the biggest of the bunch, but I had to back the camera out a bit to fit it in the pic, so it looks a little smaller.:

 

[RiffRaff]

Hi all! First time grower here... I picked up a cascade and a centennial PLANT (not rhizome) at the nursery a month ago. My cascade is about 3 feet tall and going strong with two bines but my centennial looks like the growth tip got broken or nibbled off about two inches above the ground. It hasn't grown one bit since I planted it. No additional shoots coming up either.

Should I cut the existing shoot off at the ground? Not sure what to do, the root mass looked pretty well established when I put it in the ground. It's already well into the 80s in the daytime here in California's San Joaquin valley.

 

[lzrdkng14]

I'm about 3 weeks in with these GLH crowns / field plants. 2 crowns are killing it so far

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462499699.682323.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462499958.885529.jpg

Got a climber
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462500004.284677.jpg

Here are the others
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462500052.014197.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462500095.537175.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462533470.855264.jpg

Need to get my beds dug and my rope hung.

 

[Jonakr]

I planted 2 chinook and 2 cascade rhizomes. My cat decided that the best sunning spot in the world was on the first chinook. It's completely dead now, but I still have 1 chinook and 2 cascades trying to grow in the desert heat.

 

[Rypcord]

Planted 2 Chinook (from Troegs via Sunny Brae Hops farm) and 1 Cascade (from a friend). Chinooks were planted 4.22 and 4.25, the Cascade was planted 4.16

I also have 1 Centennial and 1 Chinook (from the friend) that are rooting in water, soon to be planted.

I built an arbor for the hops to grow on. (Pictures in next post). My friend has also told me has has more Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial rhizomes whenever I want to get them.


Growing in Central PA.

 

[Rypcord]

Here are the pics of the arbor (including one that weekend of the fluke snow we had in April). My daughter (Lily) and dog (Leela) posing with it after it was done and situated and set-up (just had the top boards to do, which are done now).

 

[philipCT]

I really like what you did with the arbor by making it a bit of an architectural element of your home. I wanted to do that over our back porch which gets too much sun to be comfortable to hang out on in midsummer. Once the bines get all up and over that it's going to be really magical. And then you make beer with it. Brilliant.

 

[Rypcord]

I really like what you did with the arbor by making it a bit of an architectural element of your home. I wanted to do that over our back porch which gets too much sun to be comfortable to hang out on in midsummer. Once the bines get all up and over that it's going to be really magical. And then you make beer with it. Brilliant.

Yea, and that was the easiest way to sell it to the wife on growing them. She wasn't too keen on the idea of 20ft poles with twine coming down and just tall vines growing up them.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

Getting great growth here in MD. Both Chinook and Cascade out to 3-4 bines and lots of secondary bines that I will be making decisions on later this week as to whether they will go, or whether they will stay. Just added some fresh compost to the boxes, don't plan on putting any more in for the rest of the season. A regular watering schedule is just about all I will do from here on in. Let's see how it goes!

View attachment 1462655362533.jpg

View attachment 1462655372656.jpg

 

[brewcat]

Put up a new trellis this week, was getting some strings up today. Already thinking about fall planting. Maybe I shouldn't make the backyard a hop farm.

 

[BrandonMH]

I hear you there! I only put into two rhizomes this year with room for a third, built boxes to contain them from growing so far horizontally. Started today on the trellis akin to whomever has them in pots and used galvanized pipe for it. So far I got two ft long 1 1/4" sleeves pounds in and a 10 ft 1" pipe placed...not pounds in yet. Going to get two more 10 ft pieces later in the week to raise the height, but at least I will have it mostly there. I did lose that one centennial shoot that somehow got broken by something. I think some more are coming up. I have to get some pictures up at some point. Time was short lately.

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

My Cascade is now nearly 3 feet high with 3 bines wrapped around the rope and the Centennial is 2 feet high with 2 bines wrapped around the rope.

Both plants have 3-4 smaller shoots as well.These are 2nd year plants.Should I trim the smaller shoots or let them grow?

Not bad for the 1st week of May in Alberta.

RMCB

 

[DurtyChemist]

That arbor will look cool in a few months.

All of my cascade are poking through the ground. My pacific gem hasn't but it is a first year rhizome. I'm really holding back from ordering a Sorachi Ace and splitting shipping with another club member who said he would get some Sorachi Ace too.

I still need to finish my hop housing. I've been to cheap, lazy and drunk to do it. Maybe when my wife is gone this week I'll do it with the table I get to build.

 

[sukkafree]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462816075.763990.jpg
From left to right
2nd year perle, 2nd year chinook, 3rd year cascade, 3rd year centenial, 2nd year nugget....... These hops are growing like crazy this year!!!

 

[WilliamSlayer]

View attachment 353700
From left to right
2nd year perle, 2nd year chinook, 3rd year cascade, 3rd year centenial, 2nd year nugget....... These hops are growing like crazy this year!!!

Those hops are enormous already. Got a plan for when they reach the top? Which looks to be in a week or two! Lol.

 

[Robx]

From left to right
2nd year perle, 2nd year chinook, 3rd year cascade, 3rd year centenial, 2nd year nugget....... These hops are growing like crazy this year!!!

Where are you located? How many hours of sun do the plants get? That's some crazy growth.

 

[kev211]

My first year ctz. Other one is off to a slower start but is still happy and healthy

View attachment 1462850554802.jpg