Annual toasting of the bines in progress.
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ChshreCat
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Keep the ground wet! As moisture evaporates off the leaves, it's drawn up from the roots. If they have a good supply of water they should weather the.... ummm... weather ok.
sorry to hear the bad news but they'll be back. i guess mother nature wanted to even the score this year and keep the 'hop rollercoaster' going. first the shortage, then more acres and OVERSUPPLY, then "lets keep the price up and yank out a couple thousand acres" and now probably a poor harvest for you folks in the willamette valley! my advice is to start drinking heavily and next spring will be here before you know it. keep the faith.
I don't want to hear it! Here in Houston, we have had 100*F weather for weeks now and my hops have done just fine. There is a secret to gardening here in the south, it's called "water heavily in the early morning hours before work".
Orangevango
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Bull, its been over 100 since middle of june here and mine are still chugging along.
Granted, its also been 85% + RH all summer.
Granted, its also been 85% + RH all summer.
OP
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david_42
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With the wind and RH, all the water in the world won't make any difference. This is the third year in a row, so it's not like I haven't been working on the problem. The plants just can't take up enough to stay green when the dry wind kicks in.
rniles
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I think you're having a different problem than temp and wind. ...Yakima gets the heat all the time and the wind from time to time ...I don't know where Rogue is (where they have their hop farm, Independence, Or (26 miles from you??)) as compared to you but they do grow hops there .. http://www.rogue.com/cams/hopcam.htm ...and you *seem* to be close to hop central as far as Oregon is concerned.
I think you have some other problem other than heat and wind.
I think you have some other problem other than heat and wind.
Agreed, my hops in Portland are still chugging. Lots of water, lots of fertilizer. Willamette Valley hop growers have to deal with it too, and seem to be able to produce crops year after year.
What is your routine for care/feeding of your hops, and their location/exposure?
100F and 20 knot winds. Full sun and RH under 20%. I suspect the hops will be dead and dried before morning.
I feel you on those winds. I was dealing with the North winds this year, and they did a number on two of my plants that were climbing up a fence.
OP
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david_42
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I live in a unique climate zone, not the Willamette Valley or Coastal. The summers when it has been hot all summer, the hops are okay. They put out lots of secondary roots. A mild, windless summer, followed by a heat spell and a dry wind is the problem.
There are old trees on my property that have started dropping their leaves because of the wind.
There are old trees on my property that have started dropping their leaves because of the wind.
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You're just outside Salem, right? The weather in that area is weird. My father, down near Medford, grows hops also and has had problems with dry winds. He fixed the problem last year by putting up a physical blind to slow the wind. This year he's trying to grow some grapes in the direction the wind comes from, thus slowing it down before it hits the hops. Perhaps you could try one or both of these solutions?
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david_42
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No, I'm about half way between Salem and the coast and the weather here is even weirder. Yesterday the high was 71, today is headed for 95F!
I had a great wind barrier, but Forest Products cut them all (70 acres of them) down. I planted 200 firs and pines, but figure 15 years before they are big enough to help.
I had a great wind barrier, but Forest Products cut them all (70 acres of them) down. I planted 200 firs and pines, but figure 15 years before they are big enough to help.
What type are you growing?
I planted 14 types this spring. I am by the coast near SF CA. Some never sprouted , old risonmes + too small, Some are barely growing while others (Fuggle, Cascade, Goldings,) are over 10 ft with hops starting to appear, I water 1 or twice a week in the fog. Over 80 Yesterday and today will have to water tonight.
I planted 14 types this spring. I am by the coast near SF CA. Some never sprouted , old risonmes + too small, Some are barely growing while others (Fuggle, Cascade, Goldings,) are over 10 ft with hops starting to appear, I water 1 or twice a week in the fog. Over 80 Yesterday and today will have to water tonight.
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david_42
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Other than the fungus of unknown types that dominate the mulch. I've gotten advice from professional growers (who by the way have similar soils but don't amend them). I'm also on a hill and the water table is about 250 feet down. I've had the soil tested by a lab and adjusted accordingly. The only thing I can't adjust is the weather.
But if the soil is sandy or coarse it can't hold much water. If you can add some dry powdered up clay(so you can spread it evenly), and some humus (dead vegetative matter), than you add capacity to hold water, regardless of experts may tell you, it's win-win when growing anything.
Last year I watered everyday and had poor luck due to the weather, but this year I developed a F*** it mentality('if they WANT to live, fine if not, I'll find some that do') and the weather was awesome up until last week, but I've already gotten all I want off the bines. I am watering some this week just to strengthen the overall plant.
I have a fairly sandy loam, with one end of the row mostly sand, and the other end a nice mixture, with more humus. I need to amend one end, but haven't got to it, and since I have rings of plastic barrels surrounding the rhizomes, I have only amended inside the rings. I plant veggies in between the hops rows.
Last year I watered everyday and had poor luck due to the weather, but this year I developed a F*** it mentality('if they WANT to live, fine if not, I'll find some that do') and the weather was awesome up until last week, but I've already gotten all I want off the bines. I am watering some this week just to strengthen the overall plant.
I have a fairly sandy loam, with one end of the row mostly sand, and the other end a nice mixture, with more humus. I need to amend one end, but haven't got to it, and since I have rings of plastic barrels surrounding the rhizomes, I have only amended inside the rings. I plant veggies in between the hops rows.
