New Grower running out of room

[jrbraley]

Hey guys!

I am new to the forums. I have been brewing for the past few years and decided to start growing some hops.

I am growing 3 different kinds of Hops, Centennial, Cascade and Sorachi.

I built a 8 foot tall 6 foot across trellis. I thought this would be plenty of height for my first year hops. Boy was I wrong.

The trellis is similar to the picture below. THIS IS NOT MY SETUP.

The Centennial has gone absolutely crazy. It is the end of May and they have already reached the top of my trellis.

My plan is to let it start growing horizontal, but then I am worried all my hops will get all mixed up.

Should I start cutting the top of my plant? Or should I let them all go crazy across the top of the trellis?

I also am debating throwing a grappling hook with a line up to my roof, but I live in a neighborhood that probably wouldn't like that

Advice is much appreciated.

 

[brewcat]

I only grow about 7 feet vertical then start going horizontal. The way it is going my cascade will grow all the way horizontal and back again. Since yours are first year I probably would just go horizontal. Mine are 6 year and I still haven't messed with doing a higher trellis. Easy picking when you don't have to get the ladder out.

 

[day_trippr]

lol! My plants are 15+ feet tall and have another ~7' of twine before they reach the suspension line. It's been an epic growing Spring here!

THIS IS NOT MY SETUP.

Cheers!

 

[WilliamSlayer]

Try running another line next to the first and go back DOWN towards the ground. That will double your length!

 

[sumbrewindude]

Don't cut them.

You've got two choices - 1, figure out a way for them to go horizontally from the top and then wind them as they grow, or 2 - just let the mess grow until it flops over the trestle and them starts climbing back up itself and makes a giant mess. Either way you're in for a good time this summer.

My first year plants ended up being about +18' long if that helps, and this year it looks like they'll be longer for sure.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, since the 2nd year I have had bines well over 30 feet long by harvest time.
Once they've climbed to the suspension lines I train them horizontally and they literally just keep growing along and sending out more side-arms and cones 'til it's time to reap the bounty.

It can get crazy.



I've seen pictures of hop yards in Europe where the bines have flopped over the suspension lines and are hanging down quite a ways by harvest time. Their lines are like 6 meters high and the flop length looks like another 4-5 meters. So, something like 35 feet by the time they get whacked.

Healthy hops are growing machines...

Cheers! (yes, this is my set-up )

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Running out of room? You could always send some to the rest of us.

 

[rekoob]

Don't cut the tops.

I'm in the same boat, my trellis' are about seven feet and I already have bines a few feet past that on some plants.

The largest one I added a few lines going across the yard to another structure, the rest I'm just going to train them around the top of the trellis and see what happens.

Only a few of them are first year plants but in the past they were all in pots and this year I put them in the ground, so far so good.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

This set up is not my idea, but borrowed from thaymond a fellow HBT poster....

My current 7 feet of growth is only trained up to the first foot of the 6 foot high cage with twine that I created.

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