Hops are growing already, is that bad?

[gbx]

My 2nd year hops are all starting to sprout. Is this bad? here in vancouver we will likely get some more wintery weather....maybe no snow but definitely a ton more rain. I wanted to transplant them from the containers they are in. Should I do this now? Is it too late? does it matter if I wait a few weeks?

 

[Greatlakeshops]

We had a real mid winter here in Michigan, too. Our varieties with weak dormancy like Saazer, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook are all pushing elongated crown buds. The cold should temper them and slow them down - no worries. Do transplant them before the hops start growing rapidly -they grow so fast on top that they will have a rough time making enough energy to grow roots at the same time; so give the roots a head start if you can

 

[gbx]

Cool, thanks! The Mt Hood and the Centennial are the two with definite signs of life. the Mt. Hood has a dozen shoots some almost 6" long. A week ago there was nothing.

 

[ForerunnerBrewer]

That was a great question I've been meaning to ask.

Mr/Mrs GreatLakesHops, the crowns you sent me in January are fantastic. They came with shoots already growing, which was exciting to me because my planting area looks better with some signs of life!
My questions for anyone are:
-1. I live in the Charlotte NC/SC area and this mild winter has been very mild. Since January, every night that gets close to or below freezing I have covered each crown that has shoots so that they won't die back in an attempt to keep them from going into dormancy. My thinking is that they can use the sunlight to produce nutrients for the root system to grow. Would it be better to let them die back for root growth?
-2. My Fuggles you sent me are the strongest growers now (see picts below). The 2 main shoots it came with have grown about 5 inches since January, mostly in the past 2 weeks. They are about as thick as my Cascade's end-of-season shoots last year. Which was a surprise! When everything starts taking off should I keep these if they are the strong ones or would it be best to cut everything down to encourage vigorous new growth?
-3. My understanding for established plants is to let the first shoots grow for a short time and then cut them all off. Then the plant puts alot of energy out and will create a few exceptionally strong bines, and a few lesser ones. Is this true, or if there are strong looking bines should I/we let those first growth ones grow?

Check this, 7 inches tall, 5 are since I got them a lil' over a month ago in January:


Thanks Everyone!

 

[cram]

Those bines look healthy indeed! There are others on the board with certainly more experience than me; that being said, I would let these bines grow for the next 1-1.5 months, then cut them back and wait for some of the new volunteers to come up and let them go. These early bines will provide some important root development and help "wake up" the plant.

Also, notice how the leaf shoots on these are fairly close together...I have found that these ones don't grow at tall as the bines that have the leaf nodes spread further apart. The taller growing bines will end up sending more lateral growth, which then translates into more hops. When choosing which bines to keep, I look for the thickest bines with the greatest spacing between nodes. When you trim the shoots, note that they are pretty tasty if you prepare them like asparagus.

 

[rhamilton]

Everyone's growing season is starting early due to the mild winter - but you are pretty far north so I'd worry about a late freeze sneaking up on you. March 28th is your average last frost date. The few hop resources I've read recommend planting outdoors 2-weeks before that.

While I'm not a hop grower (yet!), it's generally OK to leave potted plants until they get root-bound (roots growing around the sides of the container) - then you can either go outdoors or transplant to a larger container.

 

[brian2can]

Also, notice how the leaf shoots on these are fairly close together...I have found that these ones don't grow at tall as the bines that have the leaf nodes spread further apart. The taller growing bines will end up sending more lateral growth, which then translates into more hops. When choosing which bines to keep, I look for the thickest bines with the greatest spacing between nodes. When you trim the shoots, note that they are pretty tasty if you prepare them like asparagus.

Hey Cram thanks for the advice on what bines to choose. :rockin:

 

[uechikid]

I too have sprouts about two inches tall. I know commercial growers trim their new growth when it's about a foot tall. Should we be doing that?

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I'm surprised my remaining hop plant from last year hasn't started sprouting.

 

[gbx]

I was looking at my sprouting crowns and wondered if I cut some off if I could replant them. My willamette has a large woody piece of the crown (maybe an inch in diameter and 4" long) sticking out of the ground with several nubbies that are starting to sprout. Could this be safely cut off and replanted? There are sprouts coming out of the ground from other places that I'd leave.

 

[B-Hoppy]

I was looking at my sprouting crowns and wondered if I cut some off if I could replant them. My willamette has a large woody piece of the crown (maybe an inch in diameter and 4" long) sticking out of the ground with several nubbies that are starting to sprout. Could this be safely cut off and replanted? There are sprouts coming out of the ground from other places that I'd leave.

What you plan on doing is just fine and won't harm the plant. Sounds like it's either a rhizome or the basil portion of a former shoot, kinda like a rhizome. Either way, you can easily cut that portion off and start a new plant. Have fun!

 

[ForerunnerBrewer]

I was looking at my sprouting crowns and wondered if I cut some off if I could replant them... Could this be safely cut off and replanted? There are sprouts coming out of the ground from other places that I'd leave.

You definitely can. I have 2 Cascades that were propagated from last years bines and just last night I discovered 1 of my 4 propagated Northern Brewers is alive; which is amazing because this one seemed to be the least likely to succeed! The Picture I included has the 2 trowels on the left pointing to how far the roots have gone and you can see the bud next to a stick on the right side.

Also here is a picture of the literal crown on one of my cascades I propagated last year. This one started out as a lateral I believe. Now it is a little over an inch wide.

It would probably be good to let the sprouts grow to 3 to 5 inches before cutting them and trying to root them. My 2 cascades I just left in a cup of tap water in my window until they grew roots, then I transfered them to peat moss and then soil. My Northern Brewer's were 2.5-3 inch late season shoots I put in those little Jiffy peat soil pellets with some root hormone. After 10 days in a tiny Jiffy greenhouse I could see roots coming out. My only failed attempts of propagation were when I got some cuttings from a fellow home brewer in town. My downfall was reading forums about how to propagate plant cuttings. The more I read and did what you are typically supposed to do with other plant cuttings the more I failed!

Keep it simple and they'll grow roots. If you want to know all my mistakes and what not to do I'd be glad to tell you!

 

[gbx]

Thanks for the info! The willamette looks just like the second picture. I dug around in the soil and its put thick woody roots out more than a foot with little flexible ones going at least twice that - crazy the amount they can put down in one year and still grow up more than 20ft

 

[Izumidai]

I'm right outside of Philadelphia and I too am already seeing sprouts (have for about 2 week now). I am debating on whether our not to cut back when they get a little larger. I have a 3rd year cascade.

I have a few questions...

If I don't cut back and opt to let them go, will this just result in a much earlier harvest time? Is it reasonable to expect harvesting in July.

Also, with this being the 3rd year, I have not performed any root or crown maintenance yet. Is that something that I am going to have to do this year or can it wait? I am assuming that I will have more sprouts coming up this year from different locations. If the only downside is that I will have to cut back more sprouts than I am okay with that. Is there some other reasoning for cutting back the roots and crown?