Harvested my second year Columbus & Chinook and first year Cascade & Centennials and made a few observations.
The second year Chinook & Columbus produced fewer cones, and the cones they did produce were smaller than my first year plants. However, the cones they did produce were noticeably more resinous. When picking these cones, I could feel the sticky oils - like sap, on my hands. The first year cones were dry and papery.
I bet a lot of first time hop growers like me overwater their first year rhizomes, and harvest too early.
I had a couple of rhizomes that didn't make it, and I think I drowned them. I had read people posting about gallons of water per day/week and didn't realize that could only work for established plants with huge root systems. Let those new rhizomes get dry between watering.
After my first harvest, I was checking on some cones that I had left on the bine and found a few flowers that I had missed and which were now completely light brown, and definitely past their prime. Out of curiosity, I picked a few of these and ripped them open to smell. The lupulin had gone from bright yellow to dark golden/almost orange and the aroma was outrageously good hoppyness. The smell I got from my harvested cones was green vegetal, with a hint of hops, maybe. Next year, I will definitely wait longer and let those suckers get much closer to the edge of dried-out brown before I pick.
The second year Chinook & Columbus produced fewer cones, and the cones they did produce were smaller than my first year plants. However, the cones they did produce were noticeably more resinous. When picking these cones, I could feel the sticky oils - like sap, on my hands. The first year cones were dry and papery.
I bet a lot of first time hop growers like me overwater their first year rhizomes, and harvest too early.
I had a couple of rhizomes that didn't make it, and I think I drowned them. I had read people posting about gallons of water per day/week and didn't realize that could only work for established plants with huge root systems. Let those new rhizomes get dry between watering.
After my first harvest, I was checking on some cones that I had left on the bine and found a few flowers that I had missed and which were now completely light brown, and definitely past their prime. Out of curiosity, I picked a few of these and ripped them open to smell. The lupulin had gone from bright yellow to dark golden/almost orange and the aroma was outrageously good hoppyness. The smell I got from my harvested cones was green vegetal, with a hint of hops, maybe. Next year, I will definitely wait longer and let those suckers get much closer to the edge of dried-out brown before I pick.
