Do I need to uncover them?

[r8rphan]

Last year was my first year growing hops.. I planted 7 rhyzomes in 4 raised beds... 2 cascades, 2 centennials, 2 magnums, and one willamette...

At the end of the year, I cut them back to the ground and covered the beds with 3-4" of peat moss, and then spread some compost on top of that...

So anyways, I went out to carefully dig down and expose them today to see how they were doing... I couldn't find one of the centennials, but it never grew more than 1/8" tall last year and then died off, so it likely just decomposed... I ordered and received 2 more centennial rhyzomes to replace it (haven't planted them yet) expecting it to be a goner..

Anyways, I found all the hops with nice healthy shoots reaching for the surface, some as little as 1.5" still to go to the surface, others as much as 2.5-3" still to go... About half of them look like they are developing buds on top, and one of them looks like it is actually opening up into little leaves.. Several other shoots are looking like they are ready to 'unwrap, and open up too...

trouble is, they are still 1-3" under the surface... Is this normal?

If they open up that far under the surface, will they still reach the surface okay?

I would leave them mostly uncovered except for two factors...

I want to leave all the peat moss in there, as I am happy with the fill of the bed now... and we still have some freezing weather coming and probably even some snow (although nothing deep)..

Should I just leave them under the 1-3" of peat moss?
If they break through the surface, and it freezes, will it kill the hops?
Or will it hurt just what has poked through and more will follow later?
Or will the rain/snow. low to mid twenty overnight temps not hurt them at all?

I'm in the mountains at 4200'...

Anyways, I've taken pictures of all six remaining hops...

These are the two cascades.. Probably about 1" down on the first one.. and 2-3" on the second...

Next is the one centennial.... probably about 2"+ down
Notice the shoot in the middle has actually split and looks like a couple leaves are opening up...

Next are the two Magnums.. The tallest shoots on the first one is probably 1" down, and the second is probably closer to 3" down...

And finally the Willamette... the shoot tops are probably about 2" down..

So do I need to uncover them or anything? Or is all well and good, and I can just leave them alone and wait for them to do their thing...

 

[pelipen]

Nature generally knows what to do. We got a snap freeze, I wrapped them in bubble wrap and a pillow case (new transplant crowns), and it didn't phase them. They seem to be at least as sturdy as spring bulbs. I would just leave them covered and let nature do its thing. Cover lightly if you get a deep freeze or snow just to be safe.
Not that I have a lot of hop experience, but I've brought plenty of tropicals out safe from a late frost.

 

[r8rphan]

So if they're budding one to three inches below the surface, it's no big deal?

 

[wrench]

They're probably OK. That being said, I think you've put a bit too much over them all at once. I would take half of it off (or just push it to the sides). A light frost won't hurt them at all. Once the bines have grown 6" inches above the surface you can move all that mulch back into place. The rhizomes will naturally grow closer to the surface over the course of this season, and next year won't struggle so much to find freedom.

 

[r8rphan]

They're probably OK. That being said, I think you've put a bit too much over them all at once. I would take half of it off (or just push it to the sides). A light frost won't hurt them at all. Once the bines have grown 6" inches above the surface you can move all that mulch back into place. The rhizomes will naturally grow closer to the surface over the course of this season, and next year won't struggle so much to find freedom.

Thanks, That's kinda what I was thinking... What I didn't know, was if I could refill the holes after they started taking off..

If I were to expose 'just the buds', or maybe even put about a quarter to half inch over them, would that be a reasonably wise course of action?

 

[r8rphan]

Okay, while there was still some light left, I went out and uncovered them all, and then lightly recovered them 'just barely'.. put a little extra over the shoots that aren't actually fully budding yet.. The rain tonight will probably pack it down and expose them all... I can add a little more back tomorrow...

Just checked the forecast and it's supposed to stay above freezing for the next three nights, and then several nights from 21-28 degrees... I can throw a little bit over them for those days... That being said, this mel's mix I have them planted in seems to have not frozen 'at all' this entire winter...

One more question...

Think it's okay to go ahead and plant the centennials rhizomes I bought to replace the one that died?

 

[jester5120]

yeah I would plant the rhizomes. an overnight freeze won't hurt them when they're planted an inch or so underground and it'll get them started. your other option is to do what i did with my rhizomes and plant them in peat pots indoors then when the weather is a little more predictable and the plants have establised themselves more take them outside