Hops dying =/

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I planted three rhizomes this spring. One has taken off very well, it is about 3-4 feet high. The other two have had sprouts start to grow and leaf out but once they reach a couple of inches they wilt, become brittle and break off. There is no discoloration. One day it is fine, the next it is dying.

One sprouted about a month ago with five shoots. All wilted out. It has not grown shoots since. The other one sprouted last week, had some good growth for a couple inches and then wilted and broke off in the wind today.

All three are in a garden together with the same soil, same fertilizer, same watering schedule, etc.

Any reason why these two keep dying?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

What types of hops are you trying to grow? Is it possible you picked a hop that doesn't do well in your region?

 

[Retrofit]

My first year I over fertilized, I had nitrogen issues that I created. I think it's more important to have healthy ground, good drainage and plenty of water. Could you try to give a better description of wilt then brittle and break off? A picture?

Without a picture I'm going to say not enough water or to much fertilizer????

 

[fineexampl]

Photos would help.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Well the problem is that they break off at the soil surface. I don't have any more shoots coming up so any pictures would just be a picture of the ground.

I am growing Sterling, Mt. Hood and Kent Golding. The sterling is happily growing away (minus some grasshopper/locust damage). I planted them in the native ground after amending it with mulch and then dug a whole, put in miracle grow, then placed the rhizome in. I also used rooting fertilizer. I water them every few days but we have had a lot of rain this season so it's possible they got over-watered. It did rain for almost an entire week before the first ones wilted and broke off.

 

[Homercidal]

Check for cut worms??

 

[Jagdad]

Sounds like a root issue. I would carefully dig up / lift the rhizomes. Inspect the roots- are they healthy white? White tips? If they look like hair threads/ brown, you probably have pythium or phytopthora root rot from all the wet weather. If the original rhizome is decaying with the outer layer sloughing off, it is probably gonna be hard to save. Replant the rhizomes a little higher/shallower and don't overly compact the soil around them. Skip the fertilizer until they are out of the ground and growing for 4 weeks.
Miracle grow fertilizers have a high percentage of urea-based nitrogen, which under wet conditions break down into ammonia gas = root burn.
Let us know what you find . . .

 

[ctheis]

Well the problem is that they break off at the soil surface. I don't have any more shoots coming up so any pictures would just be a picture of the ground.

I am growing Sterling, Mt. Hood and Kent Golding. The sterling is happily growing away (minus some grasshopper/locust damage). I planted them in the native ground after amending it with mulch and then dug a whole, put in miracle grow, then placed the rhizome in. I also used rooting fertilizer. I water them every few days but we have had a lot of rain this season so it's possible they got over-watered. It did rain for almost an entire week before the first ones wilted and broke off.

Well the first thing is that I wouldnt worry about over watering....I left several in a creek for 6 months and then replanted and they were just fine. They grew underwater and then after the bines got about 6 feet in length they started growing above the water line.

Goldings are particularly annoying to get started. Mine (x24) all gave me a fit the first year and it wasnt till about september that they got above 1 foot in height. They are all coming up nicely this year.

That they are breaking off at ground level suggest a pest/animal problem. I would very carefully dig them up and inspect to see if you have any roots forming. How much rooting hormone did you use...a little goes a very long ways and you can do some real dmg with the stuff if your not careful.

you could use a 3% H2O2 solution on them. Spray the plants and the ground around them really good. This should help with a number of issues. This saved a number of my Goldings and Liberties last year. I poured a 22 oz bottle of it on each plant. I immediatly started seeing results.

But again since they are breaking off at ground level...maybe something is stepping on them/ eating them?

I also have x24 Mt Hood and x24 Sterling...both do well here. The Sterling had no issues but the Mt Hood was a bit slow getting going.

Also amending soil with mulch is a bad idea...mulch does well on top...not so great mixed in...as the mulch degrades it uses up the nitrogen in the soil.

I have yet been able to burn any of my 240 hop plants and I have tried on a couple just to see the threshold. I hit a nugget plant with 20-20-20 7 days in a row....it just asked for more and started looking hungrily at my dogs.
Cheers

 

[extra_medium]

why not let them live their first year in a container or something like that? there are threads on here all about hops in containers. This will help with animals and most ground based insects/worms and will let you control drainage too. Then after a good crown and root ball is established you can put them in the ground.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Yeah the roots are like brown hairs. I looked at the goldings and there was one tiny root and no buds on the rhizome. I'm going to guess some root rot took this out from all the rain we had.

The soil here is like straight up clay and rocks. I should have been less impatient about planting them and taken the time to mix in topsoil and whatever to amend the soil.

So I went ahead and ordered another rhizome for each. When they arrive I'll unearth the two existing rhizome and plant them all in containers this year. Then next year I will replant them in raised beds with new topsoil.

Stupid Texas soil.