Hops came back?

[kev211]

So I cut back my cascade plant about 3 weeks ago after a very fruitful season. Cut it back to the soil and covered with manure. Came out this morning to find that it's sprouting 3 new shoots (we've had a very warm week). Am I ok to cut them back again? What should I do? Fwiw this cascade was a 1st year. Thanks!

 

[B-Hoppy]

It's confused. When hops are grown in the appropriate environment they will go through a period of dormancy after they produce their crop. Dormancy is usually brought on as the days continue to get shorter along with the soil temp falling to a range that's known to be appropriate to accommodate this condition, somewhere around 38-45F for a period of about 6 or so weeks. Your days are most likely short enough but the temperatures are tricking them to think that they should still be growing. If you're intent on growing them where you live, you may have to dig the entire crown up and store at a cool temp for a month or two.

 

[kev211]

Ok good to know, thanks. In the mean time though am I good to cut back the shoots without harming the plant?

 

[B-Hoppy]

Can't say. During dormancy the plant kind of regroups and prepares for the next season of growth, this is a natural process and occurs like clockwork in every region that grows substantial amounts of hops (S. Africa is an exception). At this point, your plant is expending energy that is usually reserved for the beginning of the new season. Are your temperatures such that it will go dormant within the next few weeks? Will your temperatures remain cool enough to ensure dormancy not being broken until the required amount of time has passed for successful regrowth next spring, etc? Lots of variables that folks in traditional growing areas don't have experience with and no research that I've seen that specifically addresses your question. Maybe someone who's successfully grown them in your location can chime in. They can be grown, but successfully is real question.

 

[crane]

I see you are in San Diego, I live here too. I am experiencing the same thing with my first year cascade plants. I have several shoots that started after I cut back the main bines a few weeks ago. I don't see any reason why to not let them grow in hopes that it continues to develop the root structure. I started these plants last January and got shoots right away that grew a few feet then stopped growing. I cut them back in May and immediately got new shoots that I trained and let grow. I expect the same to happen with these shoots.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Given that we currently have 8 hours between sunrise and sunset here in Northern Europe, with sub-zero (°C) temperatures promised for the weekend, it is hard to feel too much sympathy with San Diego - but your hops would be jealous of me.

They're temperate plants, and they need to go dormant in winter, the two things they need are a dose of near-or-sub-freezing temperatures and short day lengths. The daylength requirement means that there's a pretty rigid latitude barrier to growing them commercially, at about 35N/S - obviously you're closer to the equator than that, so they think it's always summer. But since you're not growing them by the field-load, you can look after them more carefully than a commercial farmer.

SAB got round that problem in South Africa by developing daylength-neutral varieties which can be grown anywhere, but I don't think they're available outside SA as rhizomes, and they were intended for macro lager so will be less characterful than your Cascades.

Maybe someone can come up with something based on local experience, but all I can suggest is that either you get some South African rhizomes (but see above) or you trick the Cascades into thinking it's winter. Which sounds like growing them in pots and bringing them inside into the dark, ideally into a fridge (dark and cold, you wouldn't necessarily need them all in there at the same time). Not having this problem I'm not sure how far you'd have to go with eg providing 8h light per day, but just dark and cold would be a start.

Meanwhile I'm off to hibernate for the next few months...

 

[Apimyces]

Seeds from day-neutral types could be interesting to have.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Since they were a SAB thing, they're pretty much controlled by ABInBev now - after the fuss a while back about them controlling supply, they do now sell pellets through their US retail division (no relation!) but I'm not sure where you'd get cones from, short of a trip to SA in March.... There was a good article on the story of South African hops a few months ago, I'm blowed if I can find it now.

Here's some details of eg Southern Star http://beerlegends.com/southern-star-hops and Southern Promise http://beerlegends.com/southern-promise-hops

 

[Apimyces]

Yea I know. With the control InBev seems to have on them, and the reports that even locals have a hard time getting those hops, I wouldn't be surprised if none of them were sold in whole leaf form at all.

Can't say I care enough for the trait to get a plane ticket either. My latitudes are fine for growing "normal" hops.