Hops are up in the NW. Do I cut them back?

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caseyodell

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Hello. All 18 of my hop plants are between 1" and 8" as of March 24, 2017. Should they all be cut back? If so, when? If not, do I simply wait for the 6 most aggressive vines to take shape and cut the rest back? Please help. Thank you.
 
If your plants are already established, cut them all back as the first ones to shoot up are bull shoots. Bulls are hollow and are prone to breakage.
 
When do you decide the shoots are good. I looked at my pants today (all third year). All are coming up, all with shoots up to 3 inches. One of my Cascades has about 100 shoots coming up.

Do I cut everything down now? Do I wait until they are about 6 to 10 inches and then cut down the biggest, or all of them? How do I decide which ones to keep?

Apart from one cascade, the others have between 3 and 20 shoots coming up
 
I need to get on this band wagon. Somebody gave me some hops this year. Going crazy in a pot but I have no idea what I am doing.

Are home grown hops great or just ok like home grown bud vs d'good stuff.
 
I too have the "what to do" problem. I let my hops go the last couple of years, and the number of shoots on a huge root system is excessive. The most healthy looking ones coming up are not in the center, where the irrigation will go, but further out. Do I cut the ones further out and select (or wait to see) the healthiest in the center?
 
I too have the "what to do" problem. I let my hops go the last couple of years, and the number of shoots on a huge root system is excessive. The most healthy looking ones coming up are not in the center, where the irrigation will go, but further out. Do I cut the ones further out and select (or wait to see) the healthiest in the center?

First of all, irrigation directly over the crown isn't recommended. A hop plant grows a shallow root system every year. That root system is what picks up most nutrients & water. So whatever you decide would work. I probably would look for ones from the center just to keep a tighter grow area. Then this fall cut the excess rhizome.
 
Wait, so, we have to cut these back?

20170407_073329.jpg
 
First of all, irrigation directly over the crown isn't recommended. A hop plant grows a shallow root system every year. That root system is what picks up most nutrients & water. So whatever you decide would work. I probably would look for ones from the center just to keep a tighter grow area. Then this fall cut the excess rhizome.

The irrigation is in a 1-2 ft. diameter around the center and the top is elevated a tad. I have extremely sandy soil in a dry area (well, very wet this winter!) Have added amendments to the top this year and will probably fertilize.

I will probably wait for some better ones nearer the center and clip the outer ones. Only have three strings to each plant, so I don't need many.
 
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