Fertilization Guide

[Hopfarmer]

Here is a great guide http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/fg/fg79-e.pdf Also we are doing a Hop and Brew School July 17-18 at the Farm coloradoorganichops.com Cheers Glen

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yup. A great read for the technical grower. Might be a little heady for the weekend enthusiast but good information nonethless.

Most interesting is the section on Nitrogen needs and uptake phases. very contrary to what many assume.

 

[HoppyDaze]

That would be much more helpful if it told us what to do when. As in start with fertilizer X at the start of the season, switch to fertilizer Y during such and such phase and finish with fertilizer Z....

If one of you smart guys want to interpret into terms like this that would be great!

 

[B-Hoppy]

not that i'm smart, but have been dealing with plants most of my life. the problem with saying use X now, then use Y next and so forth is that soil chemistry is very VERY complex. without knowing what type of soil you are starting with is like playing russian roulette. common sense tells me to play it safe, if you cannot interpret a soil analysis and add a soil building amendment that will also provide a balanced fertilizer to your plants like some type of compost or anything else that will help improve the soil while adding modest amounts of beneficial nutrients. seen too many over-anxious gardners throw a monkey wrench into their plans by aggressively treating their plants with unnecessary amounts of STUFF (fertilizers, pesticides etc.) just try to make the situation better in a hurry. slow and steady wins the race. they're WEEDS for crying out loud!

 

[BaseEight]

Thanks for the info, I have to start thinking about my soil soon. My hops are potted at the moment but soon they will go into the ground. So far I have just tilled in some compost but I should probably get a kit to analyze the soil makeup and see what I need to add.

 

[Hopfarmer]

start w nitrogen,boron then a little zinc. When cones are in late burr stage stop the N and go to a little sulfur and potassium. Cheers

 

[B-Hoppy]

i would be leery about making 'one size fits all' recommendations for fertility about any crop that can be grown over such a wide geographic area due to the extremes in soil conditions that exist. in the 80's i worked for a lawn care company in upstate new york. the corporate office, located near akron, ohio, decided to send out promotional mailers suggesting to the customers the benefits of 'liming' their lawns. for the ohio customers, this suggestion was appropriate most of the time, but many of the customers i was dealing with near rochester, new york were testing out to have soil pH of 7.5 and above. lime applications on these types of soils would only have driven the pH higher, and further away from the optimum. the problem with discussion boards like this is that you have folks from all over the world reading information that may help or hinder their situation depending on their soil. i'd suggest having your soil tested before you consider any type of fertilization program.

 

[david_42]

Test kits are cheap. My soil was deficient in nitrogen and phosphate, but way over the top for potassium.

 

[Hopfarmer]

Its not a given , Just a rough guide. But for the home grower N,Zn and B will help lots.On my Organic end we are trying to unlock the uptake on the root system. Microbes ,humates ect . There is just no way that we can get a 160lbs N pr/acre .Cover cropping w clovers is showing some promise .Cheers Glen

 

[Randar]

That would be much more helpful if it told us what to do when. As in start with fertilizer X at the start of the season, switch to fertilizer Y during such and such phase and finish with fertilizer Z....

If one of you smart guys want to interpret into terms like this that would be great!

This link has now been posted in several threads and discussed, so I think some of the commentary can probably be dug up with a quick search. I think a couple of the threads are within the past month or 2.

Look, it's just not that simple because soil and climate conditions vary. If you are in Willamette Valley where this study was done, it is relatively straight-forward to interpret the nitrogen application schedule and you can see that potassium and phosphate are not really required as the concentrations locally are already above and beyond the plants' requirements.

Now, if you live elsewhere and don't know anything about your soil? It's a much different ballgame.

As hops are nitrogen hogs, it is safe to assume that they will require some nitrogen amendment during mid to late May through mid July in most hop growing climates (might be earlier in the deep south).

You can ignore phosphate requirements. Not needed for hop production.

Potassium requirements will vary based on soil conditions, so this is where local knowledge of your conditions will dictate your fert schedule. You can learn about local conditions via local extension programs, other farmers, send a smattering of samples off for testing (will run you ~$100-$200 for a decent number of samples), etc etc.