KoedBrew
Well-Known Member
Ok, so I wanted to throw out some suggestions for growing hops and honestly not just hops but anything that you want to consume in some way or another.
First soil care and health- known as fertility. Things like Miracle Grow and other commercial fertilizers do not really do anything except give your plants a temporary boost, but it actually causes more problems unless you are going to put your plants on a regular schedule of miracle grow (waste of money).
What you need to do is keep your soil healthy!
1. Use a good compost on your entire garden. I create my own compost but it isn't that hard to find some. If you are having a specific defiency, like nitrogen then add some kind of animal manure. If you like fishing (or have a kid) you catch a bunch of little bluegills? Take them (humanely kill them) and plant them gently near your hops (nitrogen problem fixed for a year).
2. Once you have a good layer of compost blended into your soil and your hops are planted, Place a good layer of mulch on top of your soil. Mulch is the key to keeping all the moisture and those nutrients in the soil.
3. Do not cover your hop plants with insecticides! Plant some beneficial flowers and herbs around your hops and the pests will be taken care of. If you try to do what the big hop farms do and just grow hops you will have insect problems.
Some suggestions. Mints! All mints are great but Catmint repels Aphids! Yarrow attracts ladybugs which will control aphids! Onions, garlic, Chives!
Parsley! Sunflowers, Dill, corriander, Marigolds, hyssop...
4. You want insects in and on your plants, certain insects will hurt your hops, but most will leave them alone. Especially the hop cones. Ants, bees, ladybugs, wasps, spiders and some others are all good to have around your hops, they will kill the bad guys. Ants are the baddest mofos out there, but won't eat hops.
5. Grow some other edibles as well especially beans! If you grow some peas or beans around your hops they will naturally fix nitrogen problems in the soil. Growing other edibles like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers will attract some pests away. Plus you will be creating diversity in your garden.
6. Last, at the end of the season when you pull all of your hop vines down and pick those cones off compost the dead hop vines, as well as all the other plants from your garden. Those leaves from your trees that you hate raking, compost those, if you have a bag for your lawnmower, compost the grass, ect.
DO THIS AT LEAST!! If you do not want to make a compost pile at your house, ok, but at the end of the season take all of your dead plants, the hop vines, the mint, the tomato plant, the tree leaves, ect...and run them over a couple times with your lawn mower. Now gently rake back your mulch, put about a 1-2 inch layer of this stuff right on top of your soil, then put your mulch back on top. By the next spring that layer of fertility you put down on top of the soil will be about 50% gone...into your soil!
Happy Hop Growing!
First soil care and health- known as fertility. Things like Miracle Grow and other commercial fertilizers do not really do anything except give your plants a temporary boost, but it actually causes more problems unless you are going to put your plants on a regular schedule of miracle grow (waste of money).
What you need to do is keep your soil healthy!
1. Use a good compost on your entire garden. I create my own compost but it isn't that hard to find some. If you are having a specific defiency, like nitrogen then add some kind of animal manure. If you like fishing (or have a kid) you catch a bunch of little bluegills? Take them (humanely kill them) and plant them gently near your hops (nitrogen problem fixed for a year).
2. Once you have a good layer of compost blended into your soil and your hops are planted, Place a good layer of mulch on top of your soil. Mulch is the key to keeping all the moisture and those nutrients in the soil.
3. Do not cover your hop plants with insecticides! Plant some beneficial flowers and herbs around your hops and the pests will be taken care of. If you try to do what the big hop farms do and just grow hops you will have insect problems.
Some suggestions. Mints! All mints are great but Catmint repels Aphids! Yarrow attracts ladybugs which will control aphids! Onions, garlic, Chives!
Parsley! Sunflowers, Dill, corriander, Marigolds, hyssop...
4. You want insects in and on your plants, certain insects will hurt your hops, but most will leave them alone. Especially the hop cones. Ants, bees, ladybugs, wasps, spiders and some others are all good to have around your hops, they will kill the bad guys. Ants are the baddest mofos out there, but won't eat hops.
5. Grow some other edibles as well especially beans! If you grow some peas or beans around your hops they will naturally fix nitrogen problems in the soil. Growing other edibles like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers will attract some pests away. Plus you will be creating diversity in your garden.
6. Last, at the end of the season when you pull all of your hop vines down and pick those cones off compost the dead hop vines, as well as all the other plants from your garden. Those leaves from your trees that you hate raking, compost those, if you have a bag for your lawnmower, compost the grass, ect.
DO THIS AT LEAST!! If you do not want to make a compost pile at your house, ok, but at the end of the season take all of your dead plants, the hop vines, the mint, the tomato plant, the tree leaves, ect...and run them over a couple times with your lawn mower. Now gently rake back your mulch, put about a 1-2 inch layer of this stuff right on top of your soil, then put your mulch back on top. By the next spring that layer of fertility you put down on top of the soil will be about 50% gone...into your soil!
Happy Hop Growing!