About to order a bunch of hop plants, need some guidance

[Erik the Anglophile]

That and the fact the crowns were kinda brown and soggy.
The fact that we've had the coldest spring and pre-summer in a decade doesn't really help either...

 

[Saunassa]

5 of my 6 plants are climbing the ropes, probably 24" tall while last one is maybe 4" tall, the others had already had the bull shoots cut by the time it decided to join the party. Strange winter maybe had an influence

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I suppose so, also we haven't had a single day over 20c here yet, wich even this far north this late in spring is peculiar...

 

[T Murph]

5 of my 6 plants are climbing the ropes, probably 24" tall while last one is maybe 4" tall, the others had already had the bull shoots cut by the time it decided to join the party. Strange winter maybe had an influence

It may be different varieties. I have some growing like crazy while Saaz is only 4 inches tall. Hoping this year I get something off the Saaz its 2nd yr growth.

 

[willow wolf]

That and the fact the crowns were kinda brown and soggy.
The fact that we've had the coldest spring and pre-summer in a decade doesn't really help either...

this is sad news, I was so looking forward to see what the varieties looked like. its possible some still may survive, give them a little time. also , your surrounding area looks perfect for hops, nettles means good soil, poplar I think has a sort of symbiosis with hops(also willow).

There is one thing, I see you have buttercups there, that can be a sign of soil that gets on the boggy side, which may rot hops roots, especially when they are dormant and not using the water. just a thought, i cant be certain from the pics, but It might help to plant them in a mound next time.

 

[T Murph]

Different varieties of hops definitely grow at different paces. IMO Nuggets are the triffids in the hop family. Pictured are from left to right Cascade, Nugget and Saaz. All three are second year growth. The Nugget I believe is unstoppable.


All three were cut back to the ground about a month ago. Notice the new sprouts on the Nugget. They were trimmed back just 7 days ago. I also have 2 Nugget plants out at the farm with 10 different varieties and just like the one at home, the Nuggets look just like this one.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

This is the survivor, I moved it a while ago, and it had bines about a meter long.
But then a few days ago I discovered they were bull bines so they got cut down and proper ones allowed to sprout, gonna keep three bines to ensure they produce cones before the weather gets too cold.

I am well aware my lawn looks like a battlefield right now, I digged out the foundation last fall and fixed some proper drainage and insulation for the basement, and the ground must settle before I level it with new soil and plant grass...

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

A question to all hop experts here, should I trim off the lowest branches that are shooting outwards? It has started to shoot some branches further up aswell so I was wondering if it needs some help to focus on those instead?

 

[Dland]

A question to all hop experts here, should I trim off the lowest branches that are shooting outwards? It has started to shoot some branches further up aswell so I was wondering if it needs some help to focus on those instead?

A small plant like that, I'd leave it be and let it develop some biomass. The leaves are producing energy for the plant, which it will use to grow bigger, develop more roots, etc. If you want to try to train some stray runners, just wrap them around main body of plant when they get long enough.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I'd hoped it would have gotten bigger, but I had some setbacks this second year with a unusually cold/drawn out spring and around mid june I discovered what I thought were proper shoots were actually bulls. So it has only had about a month of "proper" growth.
And I've only kept 3 bines on purpose to ensure full growth before season's ending.

 

[Dland]

I did not trim my vines at all for the first couple of years, , just trained all the shoots up. They are big and hardy now, to the point I have to dig trenchs between some of them to keep their rhizomes from getting mixed up.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I did not trim my vines at all for the first couple of years, , just trained all the shoots up. They are big and hardy now, to the point I have to dig trenchs between some of them to keep their rhizomes from getting mixed up.

Yeah, I planted mine way too close. Last year when I went to harvest I realized that half of what I thought were my Triple Pearl hops were actually a stray Chinook bine that popped up over there. I ended up just mixing together all my harvested cones, since they where hard to separate and were 80% Chinook anyway. I still need to brew with those from last year!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

We've been away down south for a few weeks and the hops really went mental during that time...
It seems to have started flowering aswell so I might actually get a decent harvest this year.
The replacements for the ones who died are coming along nicely aswell, with a little winter preparations they should survive and produce cones next year.

 

[T Murph]

I wish I could say the same @Erik the Anglophile , our weather in N. Alabama has been too hot and dry or too much rain. Of course my Nuggets are going like crazy. A few cones on my Cascades, centennials and Columbus but I'm very disappointed with all five varieties that I purchased as plants. They are barely staying alive. However at my house my 3 yr old Saaz is finally about 14 ft tall, my Cascade is close to 18 and it has cones forming. Again, of course my Nuggets is going crazy, cones galore and about 25 feet long.. Here in this environment hops need a lot of care and attention. The 3 at my home are babied yet only the Nugget excells.

 

[willow wolf]

looking good!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

A quick update for anyone who cares...
I think I will be able to harvest in a few days, most cones are fairly large and "papery", springing back to shape if compressed.
But they don't have a lot of fragrance so I will let them mature a littlemore and harvest maybe tuesday or wednesday.

 

[Saunassa]

So when you tear open a hop and smell it there is not much to it? Same when you crush it between your fingers? Mine still green have lots of aroma.
I will agree that nuggets are beasts and can handle adverse conditions and neglect better then most.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

It does have fragrance just not very strong.
I certainly feel it when I break one apart but I thought it would be more potent.
Maybe I'll harvest tomorrow.

 

[willow wolf]

just still too young to have the full flavour id say. leaving them longer might help, but i noticed that even if the plant has a good crop, if its not yet fully established, like 3 years and really strong, they still smell like grass clippings...

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Checked a cone just now after I got home from work, loads more lupulin inside and stronger fragrance.
Will probably harvest thursday-saturday sometime depending on how much it seems to increase in yellow dust and fragrance.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Made some hop tea, gonna pack them up and freeze them tomorrow after work.
It was pretty bitter, but the flavours I got were kinda like green tea, something vaguely spicy, and herbs.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

My 3rd year plant is doing well, should be ready to harvest in maximum a week from now.
The other 2 2nd year plants will be a bit more unsure, one of them did not grow much last summer after I planted it and probably was a little stressed during this spring, as I've spotted a few male flowers on it, the other has a fair amount of cones but they are still fairly small.
I suppose they have not reached full maturity and aren't fully established yet, maybe I will get more growth/cones from them next year.

But even though nights are getting colder and the weather has turned, we probably still have 3-4 weeks left of that weird time where it is not still full-on summer but not really autumn either and a lot can happen in that time...

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I’m in western ny and the last few yrs my cones have not matured until mid September. I use an old dresser as an oast with a fan under it and last yr I had to use a small space heater under the fan to get them to dry because it was so cold and humid outside on the deck. This yr the oast is in the basement where it’s warmer at least and I have a dehumidifier running. Right now my fuggle . but my hartwhick just got past the little fuzzy bud stage. My other plants at my mom’s house didn’t seem to be growing well. I think it has to do with all the rain and because they are not in a mound.

 

[user 345769]

I have not read through all these posts as of yet, but I can say that I grow three varieties here in Canada Alberta, where our temperatures can fall down to -50°C i just pack on some straw and then left the snow build up on it, mine face south west with a 17’ trellis/goal post style with 9 cables hanging that they climb up i use to use twine but i hated have to restring it every year .