Need advice on transferring 1st year

[ParanoidAndroid]

I planted 3 cascade rhizomes this spring. I put them in 20 in tall and 18 inch wide pots. They grew decent with the longest at about 10 feet. However its like they hit a point where they just stopped growing. I chalked this up to my pot size and it limiting root growth, so I started building some 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft cedar beds (1 foot tall) for them. The goal was to transfer and get a little more growth and maybe be further along ahead next season.

Well, as with every project, the building of the beds took longer than anticipated. I am debating on replanting them now since it's fall. I am however in Alabama so there are still some warm days available.

Should I transfer and is there a possibility of a little more growth?


BTW, cedar fencing makes for cheap raised beds.

 

[B-Hoppy]

I've had 100% success rate moving plants once they die back in the fall for about 20 years now (in NE Ohio I should say). Internally, the plants have a mechanism(s) that trigger them to start shutting down after the days begin to get shorter so I don't know if you'd get much additional growth by moving them right now. You can try it on one now and move the others later to see what happens?

 

[triethylborane]

I've had 100% success rate moving plants once they die back in the fall for about 20 years now (in NE Ohio I should say). Internally, the plants have a mechanism(s) that trigger them to start shutting down after the days begin to get shorter so I don't know if you'd get much additional growth by moving them right now.

Agree, though Ive found that when I transplant hop or even iris rhizomes here in zone 5b/6a that the rhizome will still grow nubs into late early Dec, unless the rhizome is completely removed from soil and stored in a burlap bag or similar.

Id transplant into the new frames, but keep watering to a minimum.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Going from pots into the ground, you are fine. Do it. And in a mild climate like Alabama, doubly so. Even here in Chicago, I would move them into the ground in fall. In a pot, even in a sheltered detached garage, the cold can still permeate on all sides of the pot, so the pot can freeze over and kill the plant. I lose one of my potted hydrangea each year on average. Once they are in the ground, there is a degree of protection and temperature consistency the soil provides. In Alabama is is probably a non-issue since you won't see temperatures hard enough to freeze more than an inch or two of the ground.

Filling raised beds is also a great time to make amendments - like compost, peat, vermiculite, manure, or whatever else your particular soil may need. Hops are pretty much weeds, so they should do okay in just about anything, but soil amendments and some fertilizer can certainly help.