How long will Hops grow on the ground

[Ewalk02]

I just planted some hops (that are coming up nicely) but I recently got busy at work (traveling) and wont be able to set up a rope for them to grow on. They are starting to get big so I was wondering how long they would survive just growing on the ground for now?

 

[Smogre]

I'd say this depends on the circumstances.

Yesterday I was mowing the yard and trimming things around the house. I decided to trim back my cascades for the second time this year. I had let them get pretty long on the ground. Perhaps a few feet.

While pulling out the bines that I trimmed I realized that a few had actually thrown roots into the ground and started growing their own root system.

I know that you can propagate hops by laying a bine down on the ground and covering a bit of it with soil similar to something like a blackberry bush.

So again, I'd say it depends on the circumstances but they will live. Will they live the way they're supposed to? I don't think so. They're supposed to climb.

 

[david_42]

They will be fine. You end up with a big heap of vines, all trying to climb on each other. As Smogre mentions, the bines will root wherever they touch the dirt. That means next year you will have hop plants all over your garden.

 

[Bobby_M]

This actually might be a great way to start a longer term hop garden based on first year rhizome planting. Let it get all moundy on the ground, cover a bunch of bines with dirt and wait for the magic to happen next year. Of course, we're impatient bastages and would never have that.

 

[Bombo80]

When I put in my rhizomes, last year, and in the past, I just let them grow, with out any trellis to climb. Generally, you won't get a harvest the first year, anyway. This year I built a trellis out of 3/4" EMT conduit, in a tall tepee shape, with sisal rope attached at the topof the 20' tepee. Seems to be working great. The two varieties I have on this are almost 15' tall. All my other varieties grow along a privacy fence. I go out every couple days, and wrap the new growth around the rope, very carefully, as to not break off the growing end. My well established hops grow very well. Check out my gallery page for some recent pics.

 

[hopboy]

I live in Westminster as well. They grow nicely up "Jute" twine. The twine costs about $2.00 at Home depot. They should start up the twine in April. If this is your first season you can let them grow on the ground. The more you play with them the more they break. The wild ones in the foothills grow along the ground on each other and produce buds just fine.

If interested email me and come have a look.
[email protected]

 

[7Enigma]

I've got about a 3-4' bine that is crawling across the ground right now (another bine from the same plant is 9' tall). I just rested it up against a bush and will see what it does. If it makes it to 6-7' I'll be able to train it on a farther off support rope, but right now it seems to be growing fine at ground level.