Photo of 1 year old crown.

[GilaMinumBeer]

I had a boy crown last year and as most of you know, having boys in a sorority house can only lead to things getting "seeded".

So, I pulled it up and donated it to a local greenhouse. I have replacement rhisomes coming. If anyone ever wondered what the crown looks like after a year here ya' go.

I kept the photo large for the effect. The car is a 2003 Volvo V40 Turbo wagon. The soils that these plant are in is custom so, it was actually pretty easy to coerce this much plant out.

This is merely a close up of the main "trunk" so-to-speak. This plant started as a medium sized Vee shaped rhisome.

Prosit!

 

[The Soft Underbelly]

Yeiks! I do not envy the task of up rooting the 3 varieties i planted in one bed.... glad i didn't get off my a*s this weekend and do it now....seems like only a tangled mess awaits....

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It wasn't that bad for me. Took about 15 minutes. Of course, I have really loose soil and I wanted to preserve as much of the root system as I could.

Root pruning may be an easier way to approach yours if your soils are firm.

 

[The Soft Underbelly]

yeah, i'm pretty sure pruning will be in order regardless. there's also the question of what to do with them until i get the new garden bed built. I have buckets set aside that i was gonna drill holes in the bottom and us as pots, but if mine are anything like yours, that may not do the trick..... ah well, all part of the adventure.

wow! i still cant believe that a 1 year crown. Did it try and drive away with your car?

 

[olllllo]

I am picturing the John Hurt / Alien effect with your car.

 

[Revvy]

I am picturing the John Hurt / Alien effect with your car.

First place I went to when I saw that monster sitting on the car.....

 

[aekdbbop]

that is bizarre..

thanks for sharing.

 

[EvilTOJ]

OH GOD KILL IT KILL IT WITH FIRE AYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!or nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

 

[rednekhippiemotrcyclfreak]

So, can you share the recipe for your custom soil?

 

[McKBrew]

Just based on the amount of shoots coming out of my potted Fuggle this year and how far some are from the center of the pot, I can only imagine what lurks under the soil.

 

[Clayton]

what type is that,, i guess i am the only one who wants males!

i have 24 hop bines growing this year (all fem), had 12 last year.. but i have a ton of land (20 acres) and i want to play with breeding ,

the seeds dont hurt anything anyway thay just throw you weight off you need more seeded hops becase of hop seed weight. seedless hops is a new thing thay all had seeds for the first few hundred years.

but i would like to grow some from seed so i know how old thay are.
hops only live so long and are only really productive 2/3 that amout of time.
and the rizomes you buy are the age of the original seeding.
so if you got a rizome from a 5 year old hop that came from a 10 year old seedling , your brand spanken new rizome is 15 years old and you just got it.

Next time i am in okc you should let me get some of that

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So, can you share the recipe for your custom soil?

Equal parts sand, composted manure, compost (? Misc source), and loam. Purchased from a local greenhouse supply.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

what type is that,, i guess i am the only one who wants males!

i have 24 hop bines growing this year (all fem), had 12 last year.. but i have a ton of land (20 acres) and i want to play with breeding ,

the seeds dont hurt anything anyway thay just throw you weight off you need more seeded hops becase of hop seed weight. seedless hops is a new thing thay all had seeds for the first few hundred years.

but i would like to grow some from seed so i know how old thay are.
hops only live so long and are only really productive 2/3 that amout of time.
and the rizomes you buy are the age of the original seeding.
so if you got a rizome from a 5 year old hop that came from a 10 year old seedling , your brand spanken new rizome is 15 years old and you just got it.

Next time i am in okc you should let me get some of that

Sorry buddy, it's already gone to a local greenhouse (Myriad Gardens). Not really sure what they intend to do with it. Would be cool to see it some day in the gardens but, it's prolly going into a gardeners personal collection.

I know that seeds are harmless and if this plant had been bi-sexual I'd have kept it but, it was all boy and made not a single flowery cone so, it had to go to make room for something I could use. It was a Chinook btw, and was replaced with 4 new Chinook 'zomes. Very happy ones too, they have already sprouted after only a week in the box.

I have read that hops do have a useful life expectancy and realize that most of the jumbo or whole crown sales you see occasionally are the result of yards turning their stock but, FWIW, I have "heard" that a hops "half life" is on the order of 3 decades. That's long enough for me. Not sure if I'll have the energy to cultivate my own hops for the next 30 to 60 years. Harvest of 13 plants is a Bit....well, it's arduous. Mine all seem to be ready about the same time. Takes me nearly a week to harvest, dry, and package.

Last years harvest was a meager 3 pounds dried and lemme tell ya' that is a LOT of friggin work gone solo. Yields will only improve. And I am not even talking about the plant care through til harvest nor have I even begun to start root pruning these dudes, umm, dudettes that is.

Whew!