Noob alert: Are my cones ready?

[gabbz]

They are fairly papery and feel light. And obviously they are starting to spread a bit, but I can't smell or see any lupulin (though I have no idea what it looks like. Just wondering what people can make of these images and whether or not they are ready to harvest.











Cheers,
Matt

 

[corkybstewart]

If they are first year bines there may not be significant lupulin. It's all in the way they feel, once they open and get papery you'll know it. It won't even hurt if the tips of some of the bracts even start to turn brown, then you know they're ready. But they do look very nice.

 

[jessox80]

Hold a cone with two hands and pull apart- does the cone cleave evenly and completely? When squeezing a cone on the bine does it immediately spring back into shape? If so, it's likely ready, but 1st year hops may not have as much magical fairy dust as an established plant.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

FYI: lupulin looks like pollen, little yellow dots inside the leaves around the stem. It starts off bright yellow and as the cones come to maturity it starts to darken to a golden color.
Read through some of the other threads on here for lists of the typical features to signify they are ready to harvest.

 

[Cyclman]

Cut one in half, or tear it in half, and see how many yellow dots of lupulin are in the cone.

This will also give you a sense of how "green" or dried the cone is. I let mine go until the tips are a little brown, but that may be too long.

You're after the lupulin, so if they feel dry, and they are full of the yellow stuff, you should be good.