Anyone else coming to life?

[RPh_Guy]

Is there a good resource somewhere that can teach me about hop growing?

My new Cascade rhizome is sprouting:

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Of the 4 hop plants at my house on a trellis, one of my hops is now over 2 ft tall and the other 3 are close behind.
At my parents in the field the only cascade to survive from last yr is over 3 ft tall and wrapped around the tomato cage.
I had to put a stick in the ground so it could climb higher.
I've really slacked on getting some trees from the woods as poles for the trellis system.

the other hop plants I got from great lakes are growing but not spectacularly. I assume it's all the rain we've gotten the last few weeks and maybe they just need to acclimate to the different soil than they were grown in.
I'll get some fertilizer for them this week.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

I'm stumped. Mine have been stuck for over a month. I'm about ready to dig them out and start again. Last year (first year) 2 of the 3 flavors got about 10 feet but never coned, the third got to about a foot tall and stayed there. This year, the one that failed last year got to about a foot and a half up the twine and stopped. The other two (that went 10 feet last year) are at about 4 inches and stopped. All of them look rich beautiful green and healthy. No white, no holes, no brown, they just decided to take a nap and not shoot up.

Anyone know reasons for stunted growth? I've got Billy Barty hops

 

[6Tap]

I'm stumped. Mine have been stuck for over a month. I'm about ready to dig them out and start again. Last year (first year) 2 of the 3 flavors got about 10 feet but never coned, the third got to about a foot tall and stayed there. This year, the one that failed last year got to about a foot and a half up the twine and stopped. The other two (that went 10 feet last year) are at about 4 inches and stopped. All of them look rich beautiful green and healthy. No white, no holes, no brown, they just decided to take a nap and not shoot up.

Anyone know reasons for stunted growth? I've got Billy Barty hops

?
I have not grown that variety but...

Are they getting consistent water? Daily on drip if
80 + degrees?

Full sun? Or 8+ hours per day?

All purpose fertilizer? Or maybe start with a fertilizer higher in nitrogen for more plant growth then switch over to all purpose for Bud growth.

Type of soil? Mine are in heavy clay and do well but I think well drained soil is preferable.

Are they by other varieties?
For 3 years I tried to grow Centennial hops by my Cascade hops and the Centennial hops would only grow 6’ tall and no cones. Was like a stunted growth. This year I read a post on HBT from someone who determined these two varieties do not grow well together. This year I switched them out (Centennial) with CTZ hops. Time will tell how they do.

[emoji482]

 

[SoCal-Doug]

same location and everything I did last year

water: yep
10-11 hours/sun per day
fertilized
sandy clay soil.
sterling (1.5 ft then stopped)
Willamette (4 inches)
EKG (4 inches)
region: southern California

 

[6Tap]

same location and everything I did last year

water: yep
10-11 hours/sun per day
fertilized
sandy clay soil.
sterling (1.5 ft then stopped)
Willamette (4 inches)
EKG (4 inches)
region: southern California

I say dig a few up.
Maybe gophers or something else attacking them from below?
Maybe dig around them to check the moisture in the soil mid day?
Very strange.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

same location and everything I did last year

water: yep
10-11 hours/sun per day
fertilized
sandy clay soil.
sterling (1.5 ft then stopped)
Willamette (4 inches)
EKG (4 inches)
region: southern California

check the soil pH A soil with a pH of 6 to 7.0 is ideal

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Willamette (4 inches)
EKG (4 inches)
region: southern California

I suspect the clue is in the fact that the two that are suffering most are the British ones, Willamette being a triploid Fuggle. I suspect it's a combination of heat stress and not enough water - they are thirsty plants.

I'd be tempted to give them another year to see if you can baby them a bit more - maybe with some shading, even misting - but I'd be looking at varieties better adapted to what is at the very limits of normal hopgrowing range.

 

[JAReeves]

Here is my SoCal garden of 2nd year plants. I did not dig any up, but they all were mulched and composted over the winter. It has been cold, wet, and overcast so far this year. I think it has only broken 70F a couple of times where I live. I water 3x a week, 1-2G, but I don’t want them to rot, so I’m staying at the low end of watering. It just hasn’t been warm enough for them yet.

Last year, the 1st year, I got 1 dry oz mixed total from the cascade, old mission, and shaddock. I am hoping for better this year, but sunny California is going to need some sun first.

Old Mission

Shaddock

Eroica

Cascade

Centennial

Zeus

 

[cram]

I'm stumped. Mine have been stuck for over a month. I'm about ready to dig them out and start again. Last year (first year) 2 of the 3 flavors got about 10 feet but never coned, the third got to about a foot tall and stayed there. This year, the one that failed last year got to about a foot and a half up the twine and stopped. The other two (that went 10 feet last year) are at about 4 inches and stopped. All of them look rich beautiful green and healthy. No white, no holes, no brown, they just decided to take a nap and not shoot up.

Anyone know reasons for stunted growth? I've got Billy Barty hops

I grow hops in socal too and have had the best luck with C-varieties and Nugget. Also, I have a lot of mature trees around my property so I've had better consistency year after year growing them in large containers (24" nursery boxes) rather than directly in the ground. The plants in the ground would grow well for a season or two but soon there would be all sorts of root competition from neighboring trees and shrubs and they would suffer. Moreover, I've discovered that mine are more likely to stunt out if I start them too early in the season. This year, I didn't get them on lines until June 2 and they're taking off. Less than two weeks later and most plants are between 5-10'. Here's a poor picture from the other day of a section of hops.

 

[Sylvain]

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Update.. I had given up on mine after none of the [great] suggestions here helped. Yesterday, my 2nd year Sterling that had only grown a foot and stopped about a month ago (albeit looking very healthy still), shot up another vine about a foot and a half away from the main bunch, and started searching for the twine. I leaned it into the twine and today it grew another couple or few inches up the twine. WTF!?!? Not sure about the other two (Willamette and Goldings) but maybe they will wake up all of a sudden also. They are still just bushy at ground level looking rich and green but going nowhere.

 

[cram]

I tried Willamette and Tettnang for several seasons with absolutely no luck. You might be well served to try some different varieties next year. I didn't string lines this year until June 2 and this is what they looked like over the weekend.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You're all putting my little Cascade lady to shame.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I finally setup a teepee using chain link top rail. Last yrs cascade is at least 7ft now. My first yr cascade, Sorachi ace , and fuggle are growing finally but only a foot to 2 ft. I assume their growth has something to do with days hitting 80 and only raining a few days a week.

 

[JAReeves]

I tried Willamette and Tettnang for several seasons with absolutely no luck. You might be well served to try some different varieties next year. I didn't string lines this year until June 2 and this is what they looked like over the weekend. View attachment 632755

I love your mascot.

 

[JAReeves]

So the cold and overcast skies so far this summer in SoCal slowed the beginning of the garden, but it is finally going crazy. About a foot a day for the Old Mission and Shaddock, a little less for the Eroica, Cascade, and Centennial.

The Zeus is not even 1” high. Two very small leaves. Oh well.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Maybe the so-cal (inland empire) weather was my problem. All of mine broke ground months ago and were stunted at 2" off the ground, but looked healthy. A couple weeks ago the Sterling shot up like a banshee and its already at roof level. Willamette and EKG are still in a time stop. Such a weird year.

 

[JAReeves]

Getting burrs on the sidearms. I’m all-a-tingle!

 

[Wesmando]

Weird year indeed, i pruned bull shoots till the middle of June before i had to let them grow. Everything is irregular, some plants are 20 ft some are 12 ft with poke assing side arms forming

 

[JAReeves]

This is the tops of the Old Mission and Shaddock hops. I plan to curl them around the balcony as much as they want. City Life.