2nd Year hops starting to put off shoots...what do I do now?

[Hwk-I-St8]

I recall seeing something about trimming back bull shoots...how do I know if/when/what to trim?

Also, do I need to trim back the roots at all this year?

Anything else I should be thinking about?

 

[nagmay]

...how do I know if/when/what to trim?

On mature plants, trimming back the bull shoots is very beneficial. The bulls are hollow and have further node spacing - meaning that they snap easily and produce less cones overall.

However, you need to first judge how mature you plant is. If she was small last year and didn't put off cones, I would recommend that you skip trimming and let those first bines collect all the sunlight they can get. If she was vigorous last year, start trimming the larger bines and see if they are hollow. Here in the PNW, I continue to trim until the bines are solid, which starts near the end of April.

Also, do I need to trim back the roots at all this year?

I never trim back the crown - don't see the point. However, I will cut off any runners (lateral, white bines that run across/just under the soil).

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Once a few bines have been trained to the twine, I recommend stripping the lower 1-2' of leaves. In practice, this is very effective in keeping pests to a minimum.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Thanks, we have 13 plants, 4 varieties, all put in the ground last year. All but one (that got crushed...by a deer we think), produced cones and grew from 8-14'. They were much more vigorous than I expected.

 

[ajbosley2015]

"I never trim back the crown - don't see the point. "

If you plan on having good AA and lupulin production, trimming your crown is essential every few years. Similarly, if you are growing multiple plants in a row, the suggested 3 foot spacing will be overcome in 2.5-3 years and you will never be able to break your plants apart.

I want you to strongly think about the very reason why in most perennials you break a root ball after so long. I also want you to strongly consider why major hop yards sell rhizomes every year. The work they do on every plant would not be worth the price of a 4 dollar chunk of root. Its essential for good production on an annual basis. I mean, if you don't want to get too serious, and you are only growing a few plants...more power to ya, let that crown get massive and while production will dwindle over the years, you probably wont notice a change in your beer quality until the lupulin levels really start dropping. Just remember though, if you get a really hearty plant, and you want to share the wealth with a brewing friend...what better way then to give him a rhizome as a gift.

 

[nagmay]

I want you to strongly think about ... I mean, if you don't want to get too serious, and you are only growing a few plants...

^ Lots of assumptions going on there - so, let me give you a little background.

While not the size of the large commercial farms up in Yakima, I do manage 4 small hop yards. In total, we're talking 1000+ plants. Some have been in the ground 15+ years with no root trimming and are still at top production. That said, hops can live for over 100 years. So maybe there is a point of diminishing returns, but I have not seen it yet.

In practice, the size of the crown has nothing to do with the trellis spacing. The bines need to be separated for light, airflow, disease control, and ease of harvesting. Many of our hops have massive crowns. They still only put out shoots in the center - not along the entire root radius. If you have bines popping up in other areas, those are runners (which I do recommend trimming).

All that said, I would be interested to see some hard data showing that larger crown size equals diminished production, or lower lupulin levels.