From Burr to Mature ~ How long?

[BarnabyHooge]

I'm still getting a bunch of burrs coming in along with a bunch of mature cones. How long from Burr to mature typically? I'm hoping only a couple weeks so that I've still got a shot at harvesting them.

 

[B-Hoppy]

you're probably looking at a month-and-a-half or more but i kinda doubt if the ones that are developing now will ever amount to much. i don't know why but the stragglers that come up after the main vines are trained usually never seem to develop properly. i figure the daylength, temperatures and other factors are at work here. right about the time the days start to get shorter, most of the vertical growth is just about done and the plant begins to transfer a lot of energy into cone production. once the brunt of the cones are ripe, i would figure the majority of the carbohydrates produced are being sent back down to the crown to keep it healthy for next year. my 2 centsworth.

 

[BarnabyHooge]

What do you mean by "after the main vines are trained"? When the plant growth slows or stops? Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology, but I'm talking about the "buds" of the cones that come in all spikey.


Weather around here must have fudged some things. One of my plants is still growing and hasn't produced squat; tomatoes and peppers were super late, too.

 

[B-Hoppy]

established hops tend to push up many more shoots than need to be trained in the spring, so a few of the best/strongest looking ones are trained to climb and the others are removed. if you planted in the late spring or early summer, your plants may produce the cones later than normal. the burrs you are seeing now are coming on a little too late to ripen. here is a good overview of home hop growing: http://www.oregonhops.org/culture2.html

 

[BarnabyHooge]

These were planted from bucket growing the previous year. I only trained a few shoots to start, but the side sprouts went crazy and are a tangled mess. Do you train those to go up as well?

I'll do some picking this weekend and see if the rest can't make it before the frost begins.

Thanks for the input.

 

[B-Hoppy]

so a few of the best/strongest looking ones are trained to climb and the others are removed. here is a good overview of home hop growing: http://www.oregonhops.org/culture2.html

the 'side sprouts' are the ones you get rid of once you have what you want up and climbing. if left alone to grow unattended, you will have a mess on your hands like you stated. next year you will have many many more shoots to get rid of than what you had to deal with this year - so be prepared! the above link is something all new home hop growers should at least read to become familiar with what you are getting yourself into. hop to it!