Hops in container care

[Abejazon]

I was hoping for some tips on how to best care for my container hops over the fall/winter. How much should I still be watering? When is the best time of year to transplant the crowns to larger containers?

 

[Beerisgud]

I’m wondering myself and I think I‘m getting it. Someone chime in if I’ve got the wrong idea here. There are variables, like your zone and do you plan to leave it outside or store in shed/garage or the basement. All have different exposures and require different overwinter care. A winter light cycle or darkness and cold temps are ideal to keep the plant in winter mode. I’ve heard of them starting to grow in basements given the possibility of light and warmth. In CT we sometimes have harsh winters with deep freezes. I have a large 10 gallon planter. I plan on handtruckin mine into the non insulated garage away from the windows. Let it dry. Give very minimal water. They are dormant so they won’t be needing excess water. They may be fine with no water as I’ve read but might be those leaving it exposed to rain? I will add a layer of mulch or compost after trimming it down when it dies back. I’m most successful transplanting plants in springtime (early spring for hops) when they are about to come out of dormancy and will be focusing on root growth.

 

[Abejazon]

Thanks beerisgud! I’m in northern Cali...so not much for extreme cold temps. I was thinking of leaving the containers outside but under a cover so they don’t get to wet if we get a lot of rain. I will have to get some mulch for them too.