Great Lakes Hops Crowns

[rgauthier20420]

A friend and I have 7 crowns in the ground from Great Lakes Hops. They are doing amazingly well, but I'm trying to figure out if they should be trimmed. I'm expecting production from these crowns because they aren't growing from rhizomes, but I don't know whether or not they needed to be trimmed.

I've search around and can't seem to find anyone else that has posted about their personal experiences with this product and what they did on their first year. Nor have a seen anyone reporting about their 1st year production from crowns from Great Lakes. Any help or information is greatly appreciated!

 

[jack_a_roe]

I'm in the same boat. Got some crowns this year from them and they are absolutely killing it already. Can't wait to get them out of pots and into the ground once my other rhizomes come in the mail. Also expecting some cones from them crowns this year like you are.

As far as trimming them, this is my first go at it. however my plan was to let them grow a little until the main vines show themselves and trim back the rest. two vines per piece of twine, two pieces of twine.

 

[thaymond]

I'm letting my new crowns grow to establish roots this year. I'll trim back the bines that aren't as strong. I'm thinking of leaving 6-8 bines alone to help with root growth next year. With my Nugget, Willamette and Sunbeam plant last year, it worked very well. They went bonkers this year and had to trim everything back. I still have about 20 shoots firing out of the ground. Of those, I'll keep probably 4-6 depending on their growth. Good luck.

 

[rgauthier20420]

I'm in the same boat. Got some crowns this year from them and they are absolutely killing it already. Can't wait to get them out of pots and into the ground once my other rhizomes come in the mail. Also expecting some cones from them crowns this year like you are.

As far as trimming them, this is my first go at it. however my plan was to let them grow a little until the main vines show themselves and trim back the rest. two vines per piece of twine, two pieces of twine.

Glad yours are doing well also. There was a thread that I'd read where someone emailed Great Lakes and they were told to just let them go their thing to first year around. I am hoping someone will chime in here that has done this with the crowns from Great Lakes and can't comment as to whether it worked. I'm also hoping someone can chime in as far as their harvest that season.

 

[thaymond]

Glad yours are doing well also. There was a thread that I'd read where someone emailed Great Lakes and they were told to just let them go their thing to first year around. I am hoping someone will chime in here that has done this with the crowns from Great Lakes and can't comment as to whether it worked. I'm also hoping someone can chime in as far as their harvest that season.

My Nugget, Willamette and Sunbeam hops were great lakes purchased from buddy. He donated to me after he moved. He let it grow for the first year without trimming. He got pretty good yields (between 4-8 dry oz. Per plant.) I had good yield last year (6-8) dry oz per plant. The only trimming I did on the Second year was with the small shoots that sprouted mid season. I made the mistake of cutting back my Willamette in July, which stalled my growth entirely. I thought that 2 bines would be better than 4 for yield. I was wrong. That was my dud plant (0.2dry oz.)

I think trimming needs to be done before it's an established bine. I won't be making that mistake this year. I'll be letting my newly purchased plants (Zeus, Cascade, and Chinook) grow naturally without much trimming this year. I'll update as we go.

 

[plusultra]

Look at some of my posts and others on the today's posts about growing hops in central florida. I bought crowns from Michigan hop alliance and I'm getting hops already.

 

[rgauthier20420]

My Nugget, Willamette and Sunbeam hops were great lakes purchased from buddy. He donated to me after he moved. He let it grow for the first year without trimming. He got pretty good yields (between 4-8 dry oz. Per plant.) I had good yield last year (6-8) dry oz per plant. The only trimming I did on the Second year was with the small shoots that sprouted mid season. I made the mistake of cutting back my Willamette in July, which stalled my growth entirely. I thought that 2 bines would be better than 4 for yield. I was wrong. That was my dud plant (0.2dry oz.)

I think trimming needs to be done before it's an established bine. I won't be making that mistake this year. I'll be letting my newly purchased plants (Zeus, Cascade, and Chinook) grow naturally without much trimming this year. I'll update as we go.

This is what I was looking for. Thanks! I was hoping for maybe 1 lb from each plant, but that might be pushing it I guess. They are at a buddies place and are in an area that gets all day sun. He also told me that the area we planted was previously tilled with soil, sand, and manure a few years ago by the previous owner. So, there in a prime spot to do awesome.

 

[NathPowe]

Glad yours are doing well also. There was a thread that I'd read where someone emailed Great Lakes and they were told to just let them go their thing to first year around. I am hoping someone will chime in here that has done this with the crowns from Great Lakes and can't comment as to whether it worked. I'm also hoping someone can chime in as far as their harvest that season.

I think I may have been that someone who emailed Great Lakes. My recent email to them was in regards to bull shoots on first year crowns. So when they said to just "let them do their thing", it was in reference to not worrying about cutting back bull shoots on the first year.

The chinook crown I ordered from them has been in the ground for about 5 weeks now and is doing amazingly well. I have 4 bines trained and climbing (a couple inches a day), and I've cut the rest back. Maybe the wrong call for a first year, but it's too late now. The plant is doing so well I have to assume that it's getting at least reasonably good root growth. However, I'm about as far from a hop-growing expert as a guy can be. I already have a new bine popping out of the ground and I assume there will be more, so I may let some of them grow to further promote root growth.

Again, I'm not an expert so take this all with many grains of salt. Just wanted to chime in with my experiences thus far. Cheers.

 

[rgauthier20420]

Nath, thanks for commenting. I'm leaning towards training 5-6 bines up the twine this year to allow for good root growth and hopefully harvest also. I'm also really happy how they are doing so far.

We need some pictures in this thread of Great Lakes crowns!

 

[plusultra]

I forgot to take pictures of the crowns they sent me but they were huge. Each one would fill a quart container. These pictures were from several weeks ago. From left to right: nugget, cascade and the slow poke centennial. South florida hopping.

 

[pony]

Don't cut anything back the first year. I also would be very careful about cutting too much the second year. The roots are still growing. Third year cut the first shoots that come out. The root boles that are forming are huge after the second year. I had to dig them up and move them. The are actually very hardy considering I moved them and they took right off again the next year. I have fifth year hops and I had to cut dozens of shoots. They grow unbelievably well in MI. Put some mulch down in over them to help keep the weeds out. Don't forget to fertilize. You don't want to wear your soil out. I use vegetable fertilizer 6-4-4.

 

[The10mmKid]

Nath, thanks for commenting. I'm leaning towards training 5-6 bines up the twine this year to allow for good root growth and hopefully harvest also. I'm also really happy how they are doing so far.

We need some pictures in this thread of Great Lakes crowns!

Mine a few days after popping from their slumber.

'da Kid

 

[rgauthier20420]

Don't cut anything back the first year. I also would be very careful about cutting too much the second year. The roots are still growing. Third year cut the first shoots that come out. The root boles that are forming are huge after the second year. I had to dig them up and move them. The are actually very hardy considering I moved them and they took right off again the next year. I have fifth year hops and I had to cut dozens of shoots. They grow unbelievably well in MI. Put some mulch down in over them to help keep the weeds out. Don't forget to fertilize. You don't want to wear your soil out. I use vegetable fertilizer 6-4-4.

I've been going back and forth about what approach to take. I do think I will be leaving them be this 1st year. I've got 7 plants from them and they're doing good. When I get out to my friends where they are at, I'll snap a few pics and put them up.

Looks good 10mm

 

[Siberian]

Btw, if anyone lives locally in West Michigan and are interested in buying hops from Great Lakes, I highly recommend making the trek there.

Owner is a great guy who is tremendously helpful and answered all our questions and gave us an tour of his place to boot.

He sells his 'Field Test' stock directly from the greenhouse in zealand, for basically around same price as buying crowns off the website. Only they're huge(!), clearly too big to ship since they are in basically milk crates. I went out planning to pick up a few crowns or field ready plants and instead ended up with these. East Kent Goldlings in the crates, Centennials in the pots. Goldling's are former field tests which is why they're so big.