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Feral Hops

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Should we harvest Feral Hops?

  • Yes

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.

timmlimestone

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
11
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Location
Wisconsin
One of the primaries in my collective has been informed that his neighbor used to brew and there are hops on his property, but ver a fence. Neighbor is gone, and we would like to take rhizomes rom the existing. How should we do this?

How long of a cut?
should we use a clipper?
Should we store for alitle longer?

Should we bother?

Is on his father's land, and dad says it is still viable.

FOR THOSE THT ARE HUNG UP ON SOME SORT OF SCI-FI REFERENCE - Put Down the Hookah and here is an explainer!

I am part of a group of 10 guys that get together and brew beer. You may call us a club, and we do quite often, but sometimes you have to pull htat thesaurus out from under the short leg on your hideously outdated couch and use for something else besides supporting your chickenscratch while your sign the pizza hut receipt.

Primary being one of the three other guys that makes an effort to come every brew, and makes an effort to be a part of the process.

I am sorry, but we have yet to have any elections, so I have not risen to the ranks of head poobah of poopoo yet. I am just one of 10 guys that brews beer together.


I like beer.
 
WERE IN A SHORTAGE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ID KILL FOR SOME RHIZOMES RIGHT NOW!!!


Well maybe not.
 
It could be an online game thing, you know like WOW freaks and such. The primary in his collective could be on the other side of the planet, but to him the virtual world is more real than the real world.

Could you imagine spending all day talking with people over the internet who you have never met about stuff, that you all like to do. I mean yikes, talk about a weird thing to do. :)
 
Yeah who the hell would spend hours on here asking for advice and giving advice to people they have never met before about a subject that is basically a very small niche hobby that consumes bank accounts and personal lives:rockin:





that would be most of us
 
srsly, I wanna know what the hell a "primary in my collective" means. Are you part of the UEP? I thought they banished people for consuming mind-altering substances! APOSTASY! APOSTASY!!!!
 
This kind of reminds me of EB Farnum from Deadwood.

Anyway. So your neighbor has some hops. He does not brew. He is not home. You want to climb the fence and harvest those rhizomes?

Without permission is sounds like Trespassing and Theft to me.

Wait until the neighbor returns and simply ask if you can take a few cuttings instead of sneaking over the fence and stealing his stuff.
 
+1 Even if that guy doesn't own the property anymore, somebody else does. If you want to harvest hops or rhizomes that are on someone else's property, ask permission first.
 
I'd say dig the whole tap root out, if the owner doesn't care. They'll grow back from the side roots anyway and you'll get a faster start. Identifying them will be a pain. I brewed a batch from some hops that were growing in a drainage ditch, probably Fuggle. Turned out ok.
 
timmlimestone said:
Is on his father's land, and dad says it is still viable.


So... what's he saying here. It's the er "primary's" dad's land? Who then is the neighbor?

I'm confused. :confused:

If the Dad owns the land then go for it.
 
Don't suppose you could include a fellow Wisconsinite in all of this, eh? :mug:

I used to live there but got forced to relocate to ND. I'd pay shipping if you get any extra viable rhizomes. I haven't gotten my shipment yet and at this rate, never will. : P
 
I am part of a group of 10 guys that get together and brew beer. You may call us a club, and we do quite often, but sometimes you have to pull htat thesaurus out from under the short leg on your hideously outdated couch and use for something else besides supporting your chickenscratch while your sign the pizza hut receipt.

Primary being one of the three other guys that makes an effort to come every brew, and makes an effort to be a part of the process.

I am sorry, but we have yet to have any elections, so I have not risen to the ranks of head poobah of poopoo yet. I am one of 10 guys that brews beer.


I like beer.
 
It is the father's land. The neighbor had the hops on the border. Neighbor is no longer - dead. Hops are still there. We have the permission to pull the hops.

Thank you David 42 for answering the question that was asked. How to harvest. And the collective here seems to agree that hops in this environment are a good thing.
 
To Ein Gutes Bier - I can and will include if the harvest is right. But only if you can answer this one question...

What is the WORST thing to happen to Wisconsin in the last 20 years?

timmlimestone
 
timmlimestone said:
but sometimes you have to pull htat thesaurus out from under the short leg on your hideously outdated couch and use for something else besides supporting your chickenscratch while your sign the pizza hut receipt.

Let me guess: You're from Madison, right?
 
TOSA, Man and I am a huge brewer fan of the brewers. Went on Friday and on Saturday. Where do you get your tappers for your Perlick setup? Do they seal after the handle or before?
 
Dude, Just call it a club and be done. Nothing wrong with just saying, "I belong to a brewing club, and want to steal some hops plants". You'd probalby get the help a lot faster. I doubt anyone here would be too overconcerned about legality, considering the shortage we are all facing.

And, I'm amazed that someone didn't offer the assistance way before now. You guys are usually more helpful that this. That said, there is a search function, and I bet you could get an answer by typing "hops growing" and see what kind of theft you'd prefer that way.
 
david_42 clearly stated the best approach, imho. You could attempt a cutting as well, but it involves a higher risk of failure.
 
Homercidal said:
Dude, Just call it a club and be done. Nothing wrong with just saying, "I belong to a brewing club, and want to steal some hops plants". You'd probalby get the help a lot faster. I doubt anyone here would be too overconcerned about legality, considering the shortage we are all facing.

And, I'm amazed that someone didn't offer the assistance way before now. You guys are usually more helpful that this. That said, there is a search function, and I bet you could get an answer by typing "hops growing" and see what kind of theft you'd prefer that way.

Actually, legality is fairly well discussed topic around here. Think "keg ethics"

And, the OP got plenty of advice. It just also came with a small helping of ball busting. It's all in good fun though:mug:
 
c.n.budz said:
Actually, legality is fairly well discussed topic around here. Think "keg ethics"

And, the OP got plenty of advice. It just also came with a small helping of ball busting. It's all in good fun though:mug:

It took 12 posts before anyone bothered to tell him the method of getting the hops. There were maybe three posts that basically said "Yes, get those hops", which doesn't help him know how to actually do it.

The KEG Ethics is one thing, where the item in question is being stolen, whereas, with hops, you can get what you need, and still leave the plant there for the owner's use. I know this is still theft AND trespassing, but I'm sure the poster can decide this moral question for himself. He sounds like a big boy. I think his question wasn't "Is this legal?", but rather, "What would you do?" My experience from hanging out around here is that people will do just about anything for something free, especially hops. I know I would.

My point is that I noticed several posts which seemed to make fun of, or pick on his post, rather than answer the posed question(s). This seemed out of character for these forums, where picking on someone like that usually goes along with the answer.
 
This is the weirdest thread I've seen in awhile.

I'm guessing you're taking the Brett Favre thing pretty hard?
 
Neighbor is gone? Do you mean moved and the house/land is vacant?

First, I would try to locate the neighbor/property owner and ask permission. That is just the right thing to do.

As far as collecting the plant I would go for the crown. Dig a 1 foot square around the location of the bines and cut away roots with a sharp knife. You want to cut through and not just crush through the woody bits.

If you can't locate anyone to give permission try this,

Take one of the bines and partially bury it, still connected to the host plant, in the ground with leaves and such still attached and available to gather sunlight. The buried part should propogate itself as a rhisome and develope a root system through the year. Next spring, when the soil is warm enough to get your hands in it. Dig up the new crown and relocate as desired.
 
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