28 cones, give or take

[balrog]

Maybe the growing walnut shades it too much.
Maybe not enough or too much water.
Maybe not enough or too much fertilizer

Whatever the reason, I've had more hangnails this season than I have hop cones on my Cascade plants. ALtho I must admit I planted Cascade, Tettnang and Liberty way back years ago and only the Cascade seemed to grow, but it surely looks like two different types of hops. Anyway, I'm leaving hop growing to those with greener thumbs. I have beer to drink.

 

[Leezer]

Well that’s a bummer. It has been a strange growing season overall. Mine grew a lot but all the cones turned brown quickly, and they did not seem to be ready yet based on past years. Not sure what happened.

 

[suprchunk]

I feel for you. In Florida I planted 5 rhizomes one fall. Two looked like they were off to a good start come spring, but they eventually died. I thought this strange as I had grown a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers.

In moving up north, I have found that the sand that they were selling to me as topsoil (they call it that, I called it sand) was indeed just sand. No soil. Up here, I've witnessed the growth that I remember in my Ag days, and have since come to the conclusion that it was Florida and I won't return.

I've got a new batch of rhizomes recently and will be planting them soon. I hope I don't come up with a Florida amount of hops, like you.

I'm thinking you might have the same "soil" I did. It needs more backbone, as Florida dirt is spineless, feckless, and weak. And contains nothing we might conclude would be soil. I guess limestone isn't a good substrate after all.

Bulk up your "soil" with some amendments this off-season (not fertilizer, but good ingredients that bulk it up with nutrients and nutrient absorbing materials, humus ideally), then fertilize during the grow season after the hops start growing.


BUT, I think you don't have enough sun to begin with, and the other growth looks good, so I'd try and rule that out first.

 

[balrog]

I feel for you. In Florida I planted 5 rhizomes one fall. Two looked like they were off to a good start come spring, but they eventually died. I thought this strange as I had grown a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers.

In moving up north, I have found that the sand that they were selling to me as topsoil (they call it that, I called it sand) was indeed just sand. No soil. Up here, I've witnessed the growth that I remember in my Ag days, and have since come to the conclusion that it was Florida and I won't return.

I've got a new batch of rhizomes recently and will be planting them soon. I hope I don't come up with a Florida amount of hops, like you.

I'm thinking you might have the same "soil" I did. It needs more backbone, as Florida dirt is spineless, feckless, and weak. And contains nothing we might conclude would be soil. I guess limestone isn't a good substrate after all.

Bulk up your "soil" with some amendments this off-season (not fertilizer, but good ingredients that bulk it up with nutrients and nutrient absorbing materials, humus ideally), then fertilize during the grow season after the hops start growing.


BUT, I think you don't have enough sun to begin with, and the other growth looks good, so I'd try and rule that out first.

Thanks for the tips.

I'm off to Amazon.com to find a soil-testing feckless-ometer.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm surprised anything is growing under your walnut, nothing grows under ours.
And here's why...

https://www.getsunday.com/shed/garden/how-walnut-trees-impact-plants
Also, hops will not do well in shade. They love sun and can never get too much of it, ime...

Cheers!

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Well that’s a bummer. It has been a strange growing season overall. Mine grew a lot but all the cones turned brown quickly, and they did not seem to be ready yet based on past years. Not sure what happened.

this sounds exactly what happened to mine. they grew fast and tall early on then just didn't get thick or throw out side arms and what flowers did come out turned brown right away. last yr i got lbs dried from these plants. only thing i can think of is the trees have just gotten too big in the yard and didn't give them enough sun and we had a lot of rain this summer. will need to do some trimming in the spring i think. I have 8 plants at my mom's in full sun and they did much better so i really am thinking it's time to trim some of the huge trees i have in the yard for next yr.

 

[T Murph]

Been a week since I looked closely at mine. This afternoon I looked up and see bunches of brown all up in my Nuggets. I quickly lowered the trellis and harvested all that was turning brown and the green that felt ready. Ended up with 18 oz wet. Got them over a fan drying.

 

[balrog]

I'm surprised anything is growing under your walnut, nothing grows under ours.
And here's why...

https://www.getsunday.com/shed/garden/how-walnut-trees-impact-plants
Also, hops will not do well in shade. They love sun and can never get too much of it, ime...

Cheers!

Yeah, I got 6 walnut treess in the yard and this year's gonna be a humdinger for nuts to pick up.
I was hopeful for hops as this was a banner blackberry year.
And yes, they are too far away from full open day long sun. But I don't have complete control over where I'm allowed to plant things in the yard. I'm pretty sure I'd get murdered in my sleep if I built a PaulTheNurse sized shed in the back yard, for instance.

Chickens or no chickens.

 

[day_trippr]

I guess all the rain has indeed made for a banner berry year. It sure wasn't the sun! The Spousal Unit put up a half dozen quarts of blueberries and two of blackberries in the freezer and she could have doubled that if she had had the time before the birds took over the harvesting

I've been reading the apple harvest should be solid as well, so we're gonna be overrun here shortly...

Cheers!