Letting Bull shoots grow

[T Murph]

I can't seem to get good results from any other variety than nuggets. While I do get a small amount of cones from cascade and Columbus they produce very little in comparison to nuggets. I had a 3 yr old Saaz at home to come up first this year but it simply fizzled out and died.

As a result here at home I decided to allow my nugget bull shoots to take over. I have been struggling to get cascade and Saaz to thrive here but they just don't come close to the nuggets. All three plants are in the exact same soil and they all get the same amount of water and fertilizer. So I've decided to simply let the nugget take over that little raised bed by the pool just for looks and conversation.

I'm in North Alabama. These are approximately 1 and a half months out of the ground. On the right the closest string is cascade everything else is one nugget plant.

For clarification, I also have 10 varieties out on my famaly's farm with very similar results. The nuggets out there also dominate the scene. There also I can't get Saaz, Willamette, Hallertau or Fuggels to produce. At least the Saaz at the farm is showing signs of life..

Anyone else have these issues?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm in North Alabama. These are approximately 1 and a half months out of the ground. On the right the closest string is cascade everything else is one nugget plant.

For clarification, I also have 10 varieties out on my famaly's farm with very similar results. The nuggets out there also dominate the scene. There also I can't get Saaz, Willamette, Hallertau or Fuggels to produce. At least the Saaz at the farm is showing signs of life..

Anyone else have these issues?

Remember that hops are temperate plants - the classic hopgrowing regions are around 45-50°N and the conventional wisdom is that they grow down to 35°N.

Wikipedia says that Cullman is at 34°10′N (about the same as LA or Atlanta), so automatically you're on the margins of the classic hop-growing zone. And it's not just a question of climate, the big problem is that they (in particular the classic European varieties) are acutely sensitive to day length in order to grow and flower correctly. They also get confused by it being too warm for a given day length in winter - they (again some varieties are worse than others) get confused if it is warm in eg February so they start growing, then stop because the day length is still too short.

But then climate also comes into it - they don't like it too hot, and humidity encourages fungal diseases which some varieties are much more sensitive to.

Since I'm up above 50°N I can't really help directly but if I was you I wouldn't waste time on the classic European varieties and their near relatives like Willamette. So concentrate on the US varieties - Cascade generally seems to hold up pretty well at low latitudes so if you're struggling with that I'm not sure what to suggest other than anything with a lot of neomex genetics in it.

 

[Dland]

I think different climates favor different hops. I planted 7 varieties plus one I found feral. Cascade dominates, out growing and producing the rest by far, with Mt Hood and Willamette doing OK, plus the mystery variety. Another died in first year and two are struggling, all in the same growing conditions. I'm at 41.38N, 70.65 W approximately, but have a maritime climate to contend with also.

 

[T Murph]

Thanks @Northern_Brewer. I have resolved to accepting that I am better off concentrating on proven strains that do well in my area. My Saaz has simply died here at my home and out at my other location Fuggels and Hallertau have also died. Cascades do thrive and produce hops but the Nuggets are beast. They by far out grow and out produce all others that I have planted.

 

[JAReeves]

I am finding a similar experience with both my hops and my grapes. My Muscat, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are in Beast Mode. My Cab Sauv, Viognier, Petit Verdot, and a couple of Native American varieties all died off here in Coastal Los Angeles. My NeoMex Hop is rocking. Cascade, Comet, Eroica, and Saaz are peeking, but they seem to be struggling in the cool Spring. The Old Mission and Chinook may not come back this year, IDK. And I got a couple new free bines from @Greatlakeshops that haven't broken ground yet. We're just pushing boundaries and learning, @T Murph.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Cascade, Comet, Eroica, and Saaz are peeking, but they seem to be struggling in the cool Spring.

Remember most of the classic European hopgrowing areas are at the same sort of latitude as Vancouver or Seattle, so their idea of a cool spring may be rather different to yours. To take some examples, in an average March temperatures in Žatec (Saaz) range from 34°F to a high of 50°F, in Faversham (East Kent) it's 42°F to 50°F, in Mainburg (Hallertau) it's 32°F to 49°F.
Yakima in comparison is a relatively toasty 34°F to 58°F.

Temperatures dipping briefly below 50°F do not make it a cold March by hop standards, they are temperate plants. They love a bit of frost in winter. But one adaptation to life at high latitudes is a lot of their biology is driven by day length and it really confuses them if it gets too warm too soon. They germinate because of "spring" temperatures at rhizome depth, then once they get to the surface they find the day length is too short and they go into "spring dormancy" for a few weeks.

I know hop breeders who are far more worried about the effect of climate change causing warmer winters than summer droughts, it's a really big thing.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I can't seem to get good results from any other variety than nuggets. While I do get a small amount of cones from cascade and Columbus they produce very little in comparison to nuggets. I had a 3 yr old Saaz at home to come up first this year but it simply fizzled out and died.

Anyone else have these issues?

Fortunately, I’m getting a usable yeild from most of my cultivars, some do better than others. My Fuggles are fading and I had a Saaz that didn’t even make a season, but I believe that was mostly due to having cement too close, so I’m not adverse to giving that one another go. Yes, as stated above climate, temps and such requirements differ. At least Nuggets is a nice dual use hop.