My Hops Garden Project

[Gridlocked]

HA! Thanks LeSinge! It doesn't seem like that much when I look at it every day but the pictures put things in a different light. It may be a busy harvest season.

 

[mirogster]

Bump ...from C&B.
Awesome ep, awesome thread & hop garden. Cheers !!

 

[Gridlocked]

HA! Thanks man!!!!
cheers!!!

 

[Looper]

Awesome to see the growth and development over the years.

How are your hops doing this year? We need updates!

Great job by the way.

 

[Gridlocked]

I've been busy this spring with my side business, but I will get some pics soon.
With the late spring, they're FAR behind where they were last year, but they're doing pretty darn good.

 

[basementbrewbrad]

Subscribed. Awesome garden my friend. Can't wait to see how they turn out this year.

 

[1fast636]

How many pounds you end up with last year? I love the house being completely covered by hops lol trying to convince the wife to do this on our deck and build a small pergola type trellis on top of the deck for some privacy I think I am working in the favor of hops finally. Told I can make her teas and I can put them In her pillow for better sleep lol

 

[Gridlocked]

Thanks boys! It's tough to say exactly what I ended up with last year. My side business is busiest right around harvest time so I was picking and drying well into the night M-F and was just stuffing and Vacuum sealing whatever would fit. Plus, I had more than I could harvest alone and had 2-3 friends over who filled and kept a couple five-gallon pails each. I would say I ended up with 5-6 lbs for myself. But, that's really a guess.

 

[Looper]

Do you feed the plants with BioBloom throughout the season, or only at the end when they're flowering?

Thanks!

 

[Gridlocked]

That's a great question, Looper. One that I hadn't thought to mention.
I typically wait until they start to get burs and that's when I will start dosing them with the juice. I add compost once-a-month throughout the growing season, typically.

 

[WarrantedFED]

Third year Cascade off to a strong start here in Seattle:

 

[Boris_the_Russian]

You guys did an awesome Chop & Brew DIY episode on how to grow hops, suburban style! Garden looks very promising this year. Keep up the good work, cheers!

 

[Gridlocked]

Thank you!!! I had planned to take some pictures tonight but ran out of daylight. I will get some up soon

 

[Tombraider2]

My Cascades in Arlington are 5-10 foot all ready. My Chinooks are 10 as well. Give them some 10-10-10 and water daily

Great thread all

 

[Gridlocked]

Here they are as of this evening.

 

[HeneryPats]

Ok so idk if I have a problem or not, I am growing two strains of hops in my room. Both are growing fast and seem to be doom well. I do have a concern, one of my plants green yet has yellow spots. Looking for some insight.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

What up Ted......some of your children wanted to say hello.

First pic......chinooks (middle two in the row)

Second pic......cascades side by side

I'm still waiting on the child support check. Can't imagine what I would have on my hands if they were in ideal growing conditions....ie full sun, away from trees, etc.


Thanks again for the rhizomes last year!

 

[Gridlocked]

you're a sweetheart.

 

[Looper]

What thickness and weight bearing rope/string do you guys use?

I'm really hoping I used string that is strong and thick enough to hold 3 bines from 3rd year plants..

I can't remember what I used, it was a type of sisal string, maybe 15-20lbs? I doubled it back, which I'm really glad I did right now. Crossing my fingers it will be strong enough!!

 

[Gridlocked]

I elected to go with this stuff: http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/bevis-light-duty-sisal-rope/0000000044446http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/bevis-light-duty-sisal-rope/0000000044446
Light-Duty Sisal Rope
Part numbers - SSL8100MC-MP, SSL850MC-MP
Biodegradable, all-natural fiber rope
Must be stored dry to avoid rot and mildew
48 lbs. working load limit
1/4 in. diameter
White

 

[sok454]

I showed my wife your jungle and she got this unhappy look on her face and said. Great..... As in. That's the crap u planted all over my backyard. Yes honey. Yes it is.

 

[Looper]

I elected to go with this stuff: http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/bevis-light-duty-sisal-rope/0000000044446http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/bevis-light-duty-sisal-rope/0000000044446
Light-Duty Sisal Rope
Part numbers - SSL8100MC-MP, SSL850MC-MP
Biodegradable, all-natural fiber rope
Must be stored dry to avoid rot and mildew
48 lbs. working load limit
1/4 in. diameter
White

Nice, thanks for that!

Quarter inch huh? I saw this at the store, and should have got that thickness instead. Oh well. RDWHAHB right?

 

[Looper]

How we looking so far this year? We need an update!!

 

[Gridlocked]

I'll put up a few pics in the next day or two. Most of the plants have hit the eves of the house over the past couple days. I've got some drooping leaves on Mrs. Centennial on the house and I'm not sure why...

 

[Gridlocked]

Alright kids, here are the girls as of last night:

A new addition as of last night - a couple ropes for the Centennial to climb.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Looks great man! Looks like your gonna have your hands full again this year.

 

[basementbrewbrad]

Looks like those things are looking over the house to scope what they are going to attack. Those are impressive plants... Excited yet scared for when the time comes all 96 of my plants are like that

 

[drakerebel]

Nice looking family photo there!

And after seeing those ropes the way they are, I can't help but envision a lighted Xmas light display interweaved and you playing trans Siberian orchestra at night for the passers by!!! Happy Hoppidays!

 

[Looper]

Hey Ted,


I just picked up a liter of BioBloom on Amazon. Pumped to use it this season on my 3rd years.

When will you switch to this fertilizer?

I have a lot of sidearms formed right now, so should begin to see flowers to start forming. Not sure if I should wait until later in the cycle or not.

Thanks!

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Hey Ted,


I just picked up a liter of BioBloom on Amazon. Pumped to use it this season on my 3rd years.

When will you switch to this fertilizer?

I have a lot of sidearms formed right now, so should begin to see flowers to start forming. Not sure if I should wait until later in the cycle or not.

Thanks!

Also curious about this, i have some Super Bloom im looking to put on my first year cascade that is taking off like crazy, its easily 20 feet+ with some 4' sidearms....

 

[Gridlocked]

Howdy boys! I usually start the bio-bloom when the flowers start to form, or just before. So, if you've got side-arms popping, you'll want to start soon. One I start to see the little spurs, I will start to add that stuff. Once every-couple-weeks or so should do it. Read the bottle though.
Cheers - and post up some pics!!!

 

[Looper]

My 3rd years are going nuts here in Chicago!

Many of them are starting to flower or show signs of budding on the sidearms

When should I switch to BioBloom do you think? Is mid July too late?

Thanks!

 

[Gridlocked]

Just started with the BioBloom application this past week. I think I have some recent pics...

this is a few weeks ago:

The Centennial on the fence has never been as happy. As of 7/2, it's reached the top of the aluminum angle.

My neighbor's tree bounced off of the Chinook. Yeah, it's that bad ass. The other part of the tree that was removed just before the pic crunched my arb, but that's ok. The Chinook is pretty ok.

 

[Looper]

OP- at what point of the cones development do you stop feeding them BioBloom?

Only asking because I read something about "flushing" the plants for a week or two before harvesting.

Thanks

 

[atsorrento]

So for harvesting time, do you have to cut down the bines or can you just pick the hops off and let everything continue to grow?

 

[BigJay13]

So for harvesting time, do you have to cut down the bines or can you just pick the hops off and let everything continue to grow?

You can leave the bines and just take the hop cones. Cut the bines back in November when they turn brown.

 

[Gridlocked]

Looper - I'm not sure, I have never read that. I didn't document it, but I think that the last application of BioBloom was 3-4 weeks ago I hit them about once-a-week when the cones were just starting to form for the first three-ish weeks and then just watered normally.

Atsorrento - I have been pulling the flowers off of the vines this year. In previous years, when a large majority of the cones were ready, I chopped the whole vine down and harvested on a table. This year, I had some cones that were VERY ready and some that weren't so I left the vines up. I believe I will be chopping all of the vines down this week other than the first year. The plant will continue to grow and mature the root structure from harvest until the first frost, so I'm helping it out for next year by leaving it up.

 

[Gridlocked]

I realized I haven't shared this yet. Paul and I did an episode for Chop and Brew - how to grow hops at home:


And here is a follow up episode that talks a bit about harvest:

 

[Hoppopotomus]

What up Ted? How's the progress coming on your harvest? I wrapped mine up and all are vacuum sealed and in the freezer. I ended up with slightly over 2 1/2 lbs. (40.6 oz.) of dried hops after the harvest. Not terrible for only second years and taking into account the beating that they took this year. The vast majority is chinook and cascades, but I did get a fair amount of glacier and columbus. The centennial and hallertau both only produced an ounce or two dried. I went ahead and cut them all back (probably should have waited) and pulled down the trellis system to force myself to take the time to transplant them to a more ideal location and build a proper trellis system. I'll post some pics on my thread this weekend of the packaging process. Keep us posted, but I'm sure your pretty sick of picking hops by now.

 

[Gridlocked]

Hey man!
The harvest will be wrapped up on Sunday, most likely. It depends on how dried out the Chinook are. All of the Cascades are down, 95% of the Centennials are down and about 1/2 of the Magnums are down. What ARE left on the vine will be going into the kettle on Sunday - the Chinook are pending. No idea on how much I harvested. I've been drying and packaging them up incrementally and I've used some.

there are no leaves in this photo, your eyes are playing tricks on you.