Dormant (refrigerated) Hops Rhizomes - How long it too long?

[eelgerg]

Hey,

I have ten rhizomes sitting in a refrigerator. They were waiting to be planted but plans changed and my hop-farm property was sold and now I have to find a new hone for them.

They have been sitting in a refrigerator for 2 months, and in an attempt to salvage them for this year, I am inclined to get them next weekend and plant them in planters for this year, just to allow the root crown to grow. Then I would transplant them this fall or next spring into a more permanent home (if the planters weren't sufficient for future growth - they may work out....).

Question - will rhizomes still grow if even not all that well this year - enough to form a decent crown this year, so that maybe next year they will produce hop cones that are usable in brewing? Or maybe in year 3?

I'd hate to see these rhizomes go to waste.

How long is too long in a refrigerated environment for the rhizome?

 

[day_trippr]

If mold didn't get to them in the fridge they'll likely do fine. I had three tiny Fuggles rhizomes that were given to me that spent two months in the fridge before being planted and they're still very much alive - five years later...

Cheers!

 

[eelgerg]

Good to know - thanks day trippr

 

[ffaoe]

Get them in the ground or planters ASAP as they should be able to get established and have a good crop next year. You may even be able to get a small crop this year if conditions are ideal.
My first year I had a single cascade rhizome in a 3 gallon pot and managed to yield a large cereal bowl of hops.

 

[eelgerg]

Got them today - now to find an appropriate container to plant them in. Thinking Rubbermaid containers ($10 each x 10 plants = $100)

What about a 5 gal pail?!?

 

[eelgerg]

Ok. Planted all rhizomes today. Had to was the mold off a few of them, and one looked a bit dry, but in general they looked good.

Planted the rhizomes (2 each per pot) in planter post that are about 4-5 gal plastic planters. Put a mixture of mushroom manure and topsoil in each, and bought a pail of 20-20-20 fertilizer that I will start using once vines get to about 4-6'. Setting up drip-irrigation emitters off a nearby underground sprinkler head.

I hope these babies grow!!

 

[eelgerg]

I should also say that each bag of rhizomes actually had two roots in each. Instead of planting these all separately (22 in total of 11 different varieties) I figured I'd plant two rhizomes in each pot and hope that at least one of the grows to form a crown.

Really just looking to form a good crown for next years plant, which may be transplanted into a garden.

 

[eelgerg]

Varieties planted:
Cascade x2, centennial, perle, nugget, sterling, Zeus, magnum, galena, and target