Mt Hood hops stunted growth

[JoeMarsh88]

Hi,

I am brand new to HomeBrewTalk so right off the bat I apologize if I mess this up lol I'm still learning so constructive criticism is welcome. This year I have been trying to grow hops for the first time. I planted 3 different hops Willamette, Cascade and Mount hood. The Willamette never broke ground unfortunately but the Cascade and Mount hood did. The Cascade is doing wonderful .....but I can't say the same about the Mount Hood. So i figure I would post a pic and hopefully get some feedback. Some quick info, I planted the beginning of April I'm located in the St louis MO area and the average temp has been probably between high 80’s mid 90’s. I do short waterings twice a day. I have not added any sort of nutrients to the soil other then Bone meal when I planted the Rhizomes. The Mount Hood has stopped growing and seems to be turning yellowish in certain areas Is there no hope for this one? or is there something I can do to breathe life back into it. Thank you all for your input!

 

[PapaBearJay]

Did you conduct a soil test to see if addition of bone meal was necessary?

You're plants can become chlorotic for a number of reasons...

Also, depending the the temperatures there in St. Louis, it can restrict the plant's ability to uptake nutrients. Without knowing what you started off with in the soil, certain ratios of specific minerals are needed in the soil to maintain proper health and nutrient uptake, so by adding bone meal you can have impacted the ratio, thus decreasing nutrient uptake.

It is also getting late in the season, and most plants have hit their maximum height by now (rhizomes generally don't attain maximum height in the first year, there are exceptions) and proceeded to flower.

There could be a number of factors right now, but unfortunately there is not much in the way you can do in terms of corrective fertilization, because the plant is no longer actively taking up nutrients and will begin to senesce and die back. Were it to continue growing, I would recommend doing more infrequent heavier waterings, as that will force the plant to dig its roots deeper looking for water, as by now it has established a root system (you'd be surprised how quickly it can form).

 

[WayFrae]

Try adding some nitrogen-rich fertilizer like blood meal. Also, I have read that wood mulch sucks the nitrogen out of the soil which could be one reason your plant has stopped growing.

 

[krackin]

Looks like N deficiency. Foliar feed with fish emulsion for organic or Peters, Miracle Gro for balanced chemical fertilizer.

 

[JoeMarsh88]

Thank you guys for the input! I can see there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum. I will try some of the nutrients suggested and hope for the best. If it is too late for this guy does that mean I'll need to plant a new rhizome next year? does the rhizome die also?

PapaBearJay I did not conduct a soil test ....I should have and WILL be doing so next time.

 

[brooksy]

The rhizome does not die. It will go into dormancy till next year and that is when you can expect some hops. As for buying new rhizomes, only if you want new verieties

 

[B-Hoppy]

How closely spaced are the plants? If the Cascade is doing well and the MH not, one thing to consider is the possibility of some sort of debris buried in the soil in that spot. It could be anything from the root system of a dead tree, chunks of building debris (newer homes are prime for this type of problem), an old burn pile etc, etc, etc. I've seen problems like this manifest themselves when I worked in the lawn care industry and you really can't make a call until you rule things like this out. One simple tool is a soil probe. Most folks don't have one of those so your next best option is just to try to probe the surrounding soil with a spade or whatever you have handy. It does look like some sort of soil problem though. Good luck.

 

[JoeMarsh88]

Thanks for the reply B-Hoppy. The ground is very stoney where I live so I built 3x3 Garden boxes and filled them with top soil but I'm sure it is possible something got in the soil. Thanks for the info! I'll look into a soil probe.

 

[LeftyRighty]

I started Cascade, Mt Hood and a Golding this spring. Like you, the Cascade is doing great, looks nice, already reached 15+ ft, and covered with new cones setting on. The Mt Hood and Golding are about 1/3 size, compared to the Cascade, but healthy looking except for a few odd looking leaf, but no cones showing up yet.

I think this midwest weather or soil has a lot to do with it. Some hops strains will tolerate us, but just not do as well. Am going to give them a few years, if they produce, fine, if not, I'll be looking for different strains.

 

[anicola]

I live in SF East Bay. I had to pull my 3rd year Mt Hood and Liberty. They just never produced. They were infected with and too susecptable to the Mildew. Anemic yellowish leaves, throwing characteristic basal and aerial spikes , leaves browning and shriveling and burrs stunted and drying up before they formed cones.
They were a locus of infection for the
Cent, Golding, Columbus, Sterling, Glacier, and Horizon hills which are apparently more resistant


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[LeftyRighty]

Some quick info, I planted the beginning of April I'm located in the St louis MO area and the average temp has been probably between high 80’s mid 90’s. I do short waterings twice a day. I have not added any sort of nutrients to the soil other then Bone meal when I planted the Rhizomes. The Mount Hood has stopped growing and seems to be turning yellowish in certain areas Is there no hope for this one? or is there something I can do to breathe life back into it. !

I just dawned on me what you're doing wrong! You're drowning the plant - quit watering it. Roots need air too. Too much water will do just what's happening to your plant.

I may be a few hundred miles west of you, but I know we've been having similar spring/summer weather. I haven't watered my garden yet this year, and I've got everything from tomatos, peppers, corn, hops, tobacco, flowers. Wait until you see the hops' leaf wilt in the hot sun, then wait a couple days more, now is the time to water - give it a good slow soaking. It's normal for leaf to wilt in the hot sun, check it in the early AM or late evening. Yeah, I know, August is coming with heat, no rain, concrete-hard soil, cracks in the yard, typical. You still shouldn't need to water the plant more than 2 or 3 times in August. Let the plant tell you when it needs a drink.

 

[WayFrae]

I just dawned on me what you're doing wrong! You're drowning the plant - quit watering it. Roots need air too. Too much water will do just what's happening to your plant.

I may be a few hundred miles west of you, but I know we've been having similar spring/summer weather. I haven't watered my garden yet this year, and I've got everything from tomatos, peppers, corn, hops, tobacco, flowers. Wait until you see the hops' leaf wilt in the hot sun, then wait a couple days more, now is the time to water - give it a good slow soaking. It's normal for leaf to wilt in the hot sun, check it in the early AM or late evening. Yeah, I know, August is coming with heat, no rain, concrete-hard soil, cracks in the yard, typical. You still shouldn't need to water the plant more than 2 or 3 times in August. Let the plant tell you when it needs a drink.

Water 2-3 times in August?!? Maybe you get plenty of rain where you are but I don't think this is very good all around advice. I used to water every 3 days in the spring but with the 90-100°F weather, I have had to water every day and my plants love me for it.

 

[thaymond]

Get your soil tested like PBJ said. I buried mine this year in 1/3 manure, 1/3 mushroom compost, 1/3 topsoil mix with blood meal fertilizer (made into a 10-1 water solution) every 2 weeks, and a vigoro 10-10-10 solution weekly. This tends to give me decent results.

For next year, pull back your mulch from the crown and treat your soil according to its needs. This is what my plants need to do what they do and I seem to get good results. YRMV.