Cutting tips of bines

[kgranger]

Currently growing a few varieties on a 14" vertical trellis, and they have already surpassed the top! In the past, I've just let them keep growing up and eventually back down, tangling with the rest of them. This year id really like to keep the varieties as separate as possible to isolate them when harvesting, but if they keep growing they will start mixing up with each other. If I crop the top of the plant at the peak of the trellis to stop further climbing, will this negatively impact it's maturation?

 

[Homebrew Harry]

This is my first year growing hops so I don't have an answer, but I plan on cutting mine when I have to. Hopefully someone will jump in here and give some feedback. Seems like they would get bushier or send up more shoots if held back.

 

[friarsmith]

Not sure of your trellis/wire/rope setup, but can you fold-over the tops/tip back along their trellis and secure loosely with some twine so they don't flop around and tangle w/ other varieties? Sounds like you have a few hops growing to one central point?? I used to grow hops up 15 ft poles and I would do this so the overgrown bines wouln’t snap in the wind. They routinely grew 6-8 ft higher than the trellis. My poles were 6ft apart and the tips would eventually find each other and totally make out.

 

[Kent88]

When tips break off of bines, they'll usually grow a new tip around the topmost node. I've seen this happen once, and it took a while to grow from that tip.

 

[T Murph]

If possible I would add a horizontal wire, rope or something to give them a way to keep growing while keeping the bines apart. I agree with @Kent88, if you cut them they will simply sprout at the last nobe and keep growing. Ultimately you need to provide them a source to continue growing without getting tangled up with other varieties.

 

[YeastFeast]

if you cut them they will simply sprout at the last nobe and keep growing.

Interesting. I had 3 bines going up a rope on the side of my house a few years ago and we got an early spring wind storm that broke all 3 "heads" off. What are the odds! I let them go and they never grew upward again. They still grew outward and produced hops as usual but never got any bigger.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

Interesting. I had 3 bines going up a rope on the side of my house a few years ago and we got an early spring wind storm that broke all 3 "heads" off. What are the odds! I let them go and they never grew upward again. They still grew outward and produced hops as usual but never got any bigger.

I just had this exact thing happen. I’m hoping they’ll sprout a new heads. I’ll report back with status in a couple weeks.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

Well… that didn’t take long. Took about a week but two distinct more “heads”. Might need to come up with a hydra themed beer name.

 

[dmtaylor]

Anytime the tip is broken off, the bine will send new runners not just from the top but from EVERY node. It can create even more of a tangled bramble than the original bine. This is neither a good or a bad thing, it just depends what you want. If you want the entire bine to spread, cut the tips off. If you want it heavy only at the top, then leave it alone.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Anytime the tip is broken off, the bine will send new runners not just from the top but from EVERY node. It can create even more of a tangled bramble than the original bine. This is neither a good or a bad thing, it just depends what you want. If you want the entire bine to spread, cut the tips off. If you want it heavy only at the top, then leave it alone.

My Cenntenial has sprouted a 3rd bine. I am considering taking it for a cutting after it gets big enough. If I leave a couple of nodes do you think I can keep pulling cuttings from that bine as the other 2 climb ? That is my plan anyway. I want major redundancy, haha. My Son and a couple of my friends are interested in growing some also. The more the merrier !

 

[dmtaylor]

My Cenntenial has sprouted a 3rd bine. I am considering taking it for a cutting after it gets big enough. If I leave a couple of nodes do you think I can keep pulling cuttings from that bine as the other 2 climb ? That is my plan anyway. I want major redundancy, haha. My Son and a couple of my friends are interested in growing some also. The more the merrier !

If you are talking about cutting the rhizome (the root system), then yes you can go ahead and divide that as many times as you like to make more plants. (Otherwise I'm not sure I fully understand what you are saying.)

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

If you are talking about cutting the rhizome (the root system), then yes you can go ahead and divide that as many times as you like to make more plants. (Otherwise I'm not sure I fully understand what you are saying.)

I believe he is referring to taking a clipping and growing that as a clone?

 

[dmtaylor]

I believe he is referring to taking a clipping and growing that as a clone?

I don't think that will work. Need part of the rhizome, not just the above-ground greens.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

I'm hoping that since it can be layered to induce rooting that I can pull clones off of that bine all summer. The rhizomes I have are 1st year and way too puny to propagate. I have a green thumb and bet I get a bunch, but I guess time will tell.

 

[DuncB]

My Cenntenial has sprouted a 3rd bine. I am considering taking it for a cutting after it gets big enough. If I leave a couple of nodes do you think I can keep pulling cuttings from that bine as the other 2 climb ? That is my plan anyway. I want major redundancy, haha. My Son and a couple of my friends are interested in growing some also. The more the merrier !

I propagated my first year EKG last season.
I pruned off the first shoots as was told these weren't going to be as good. Then trained 3 later ones upwards.
I cut off the other shoots that sprouted up above the ground. A couple of them I put in a pint glass of tap water and they rooted within a week and then I put them in some soil and they kept growing with watering and feeding. One straggly shoot from the original plant I buried part of the stalk in the soil and then at the end of the season separated that and it's also a separate plant.
It was so easy to get them rooting and into pots. Just wish I'd done the same for the Tangerine dream hop as well. But only a few more months and they will sprout.
In fact the EKG hasn't fully died off yet and still has some green leaves on it. It has been a funny year for weather here though.

 

[superiorsat]

My Cenntenial has sprouted a 3rd bine. I am considering taking it for a cutting after it gets big enough. If I leave a couple of nodes do you think I can keep pulling cuttings from that bine as the other 2 climb ? That is my plan anyway. I want major redundancy, haha. My Son and a couple of my friends are interested in growing some also. The more the merrier !

I had to take a cutting from my 1st year Cashmere a few years back and got it up and running no problem ( literally just cut it dipped it in rooting powder and stuck it in the ground and watered ) . Last year my first year Centennial only 1 rhizome out of 3 took off. I tried numerous times to take cuttings and each died. Then I thought I would bury a section of bine in a pot with some rooting powder. Once it rooted I cut it of the mother plant and planted the cutting. I did this for the 2 spots that were empty. It was getting pretty late in the season so they didn't get much of a chance to get a good root base going. One came back this year and the other didn't so I have a cutting up and running now with the same method from last year. I whish I had read about building a 12" deep box to contain the roots from the hops. My 3rd year plants are driving me nuts. They run for 2/3 feet under ground an pop up everywhere out in the yard. The one set of 6 plants both sides of the fence are mine but the other is on the neighbors property line( 2nd year plants ). They will travel for up to 3 or 4 feet under weed fabric looking for day light. I'll pull on a shoot and it will sometimes lead 3 foot back to a plant on the other side of the boxed in section. I may have to dig up the crowns on the property line and build a box and start over so I don't over run his property.

 

[T Murph]

Much like your experience @superiorsat I cut mine back this morning and gained two new plants. They were shoots with roots that sprouted off of my Columbus plant. Also added one more Cascade rhizones cause one just ain't enough.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

View attachment 770523Much like your experience @superiorsat I cut mine back this morning and gained two new plants. They were shoots with roots that sprouted off of my Columbus plant. Also added one more Cascade rhizones cause one just ain't enough.

Hi Murph. I like that setup. How tall are those poles ?

 

[T Murph]

This little garden is out on the family farm. These post are 25 ft tall with 5 ft buried. We used popular trees to make them but expect to change the to metal post for next year moving forward. The popular is simply too thin and wobbly. Next week I'm adding guide wires to hold them up straight.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

This little garden is out on the family farm. These post are 25 ft tall with 5 ft buried. We used popular trees to make them but expect to change the to metal post for next year moving forward. The popular is simply too thin and wobbly. Next week I'm adding guide wires to hold them up straight.View attachment 770524View attachment 770525View attachment 770526

I was telling a friend about your 2 pole system today. Next year I may go shopping in my woods for a couple of straight trees.

 

[Hanglow]

This is the main crown and some roots from a 3 or 4 year old cutting. Taking cuttings works extremely well for hops!

 

[superiorsat]

You pull that big sucker out with a tractor or what? I feel like that is the beast that lives beneath the ground at my place. Lol.

 

[Alan Reginato]

This is the main crown and some roots from a 3 or 4 year old cutting. Taking cuttings works extremely well for hops!

What hell is that thing?

I plant 3 hops recently at the backyard of my work place, they will grow like that? They look likes so fragile and shy, I was wondering if they could survive to the upcoming winter, now I'm kind of worry.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

What hell is that thing?

I plant 3 hops recently at the backyard of my work place, they will grow like that? They look likes so fragile and shy, I was wondering if they could survive to the upcoming winter, now I'm kind of worry.

I felt the same way about my little rhizomes,... now I worry for the rose bush and neighboring Iris.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Hey guys. I thought I'd get started on trying to clone hops. Thanks to the (MIA) OP for starting this thread and those who jumped in. I had my hops mixed up and it was not the Centennial, but a Crystal that I am cloning here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/my-first-attempt-at-cloning-a-scrawny-crystal.701124/...if anyone is interested.

 

[Hanglow]

You pull that big sucker out with a tractor or what? I feel like that is the beast that lives beneath the ground at my place. Lol.

A spade and lots of colourful language.

It was right next to a fence too, so it is still alive, although on a neighbours plot now.

 

[DuncB]

A spade and lots of colourful language.

It was right next to a fence too, so it is still alive, although on a neighbours plot now.

Axe is quite useful to chop the ball of roots stem etc into manageable pieces.