Planting hop rhizome questions.

[msa8967]

I spent the afternoon building a raised garden box in order to grow hops along a clothes line system. The box ended up with two separate compartments with each one being 2 feet by 3 feet and about 1 foot deep. I decided to split the raised box into 2 separate sections so I could possibly plant two different types of hops and now I have a couple of questions.

1. Should I use 1 or 2 rhizomes in each 2x3 ft section?

2. If I can grow a second type of hop what would people recommend to use for here in eastern Iowa? I ordered 2 cascade rhizomes before coming up with the idea of this split raised garden box so I would like to hear other ideas of what could be another good hop to grow. The hops will just be used for aroma additions and I was thinking of using Centennial for the second hop provided the answer to question 1 is I can have two rhizomes in this 2x3 ft space.

Thanks

 

[rlmiller10]

I spent the afternoon building a raised garden box in order to grow hops along a clothes line system. The box ended up with two separate compartments with each one being 2 feet by 3 feet and about 1 foot deep. I decided to split the raised box into 2 separate sections so I could possibly plant two different types of hops and now I have a couple of questions.

1. Should I use 1 or 2 rhizomes in each 2x3 ft section?

2. If I can grow a second type of hop what would people recommend to use for here in eastern Iowa? I ordered 2 cascade rhizomes before coming up with the idea of this split raised garden box so I would like to hear other ideas of what could be another good hop to grow. The hops will just be used for aroma additions and I was thinking of using Centennial for the second hop provided the answer to question 1 is I can have two rhizomes in this 2x3 ft space.

Thanks

You can definitely put two rhizomes in a 2 by 3 bed. As for the type I would not get centennial if you already have cascade as they are similar. I would go for something different like Chinook, Willamette or Simcoe. But it your taste buds you are making happy, not mine.

 

[LJvermonster]

You can definitely put two rhizomes in a 2 by 3 bed. As for the type I would not get centennial if you already have cascade as they are similar. I would go for something different like Chinook, Willamette or Simcoe. But it your taste buds you are making happy, not mine.

Wait, can you get Simcoe thizomez? I thought they were proprietary.

 

[msa8967]

You can definitely put two rhizomes in a 2 by 3 bed. As for the type I would not get centennial if you already have cascade as they are similar. I would go for something different like Chinook, Willamette or Simcoe. But it your taste buds you are making happy, not mine.

Perhaps I should have worded my first question more along the lines of how many vines could I expect a single rhizome to produce and support through its growth in one season. I will have enough space to have 6 lines for each 2x3 ft area. I don't know if it is realistic to expect a single rhizome to support 6 vines once it has been established.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[day_trippr]

Putting two different strains in a 2x3 foot space is begging for an eventual pita, imo. And as I've been brewing with home grown Cascade and Centennial (among others) there's a world of difference between the two.

I've been running between 4 and 6 bines for the last couple of years on my hops. This year I'm sticking to 4 per crown, to see if it affects the cone size...

Cheers!

 

[msa8967]

Putting two different strains in a 2x3 foot space is begging for an eventual pita, imo. And as I've been brewing with home grown Cascade and Centennial (among others) there's a world of difference between the two.

I've been running between 4 and 6 bines for the last couple of years on my hops. This year I'm sticking to 4 per crown, to see if it affects the cone size...

Cheers!

I should have been a bit more specific. I have two separate 2x3 ft raised boxes next to each other so I was wondering if I should put two of the same rhizome hop type in one box and two rhizomes of a different type in the other box. I built the box 2 feet wide by 6.5 ft long and came up with the idea of putting in a divider in order to possibly grow two different types of hops. My wife loves cascade as aroma in wet hop ales and fresh hop ales. She also loves Bell's Two Hearted which is heavy on Centennial. This is more of a project I am building to keep her happy with my brewing efforts.

 

[day_trippr]

I'd only plant two rhizomes of the same strain that close together if I was unsure of their viability and was just raising the odds of getting one plant to take.

I've not done that myself, so I wasn't confronted with what to do if both rhizomes decide they like where they are and start growing - and perhaps, competing. Remarkably, I suppose, all fifteen rhizomes I planted five years ago dug in and made themselves at home...

Cheers!

 

[msa8967]

So for building a support system is it better to use treated or untreated wood. Our Menards sells treated AC2 lumber that is suppose to be safe for growing veggies but I have no idea for hops.

 

[Pelikan]

Regarding treated vs untreated....very long story short, contemporary treated lumber uses a copper compound that's entirely safe unless you're eating it by the spoonful.

Regarding the beds, it's common mantra to separate differing varieties by at least 6, or better, 10 feet. You might not have a problem the first year but roots and rhizomes spread fast. Like the other dude said you might end up with a mess on your hands. A wood divider between the beds will do little more than serve as an aesthetic barrier unless it goes four or so feet down into the soil.

I have two separate beds with about 8 feet and a raspberry bush between them. Instead of a wood barrier you might consider planting your rhizomes at the extreme far ends of the bed, then planting something in the middle to act as a living barrier. In my experience plants tend to run the path of least resistance and generally won't penetrate the rootmass of another species.

 

[msa8967]

Here is a picture of the split garden box. Each section has interior dimensions of 2 ft by 3 ft with a depth of 12 inches. Does it look like I should just use one rhizome per section or could I possibly use two rhizomes? If I went with 2 I could plant them about 16 inches apart.

 

[PowderHoundMJ]

The geometry of my setup is almost identical to yours. I have 5 - 4'x4' beds all in a row that are separated by a 1 foot deep buried wood barrier. I did not raise my beds as much as you did, but before I installed it I tilled the soil to 2 feet deep and installed drip irrigation.

In each of the 5 sections of the garden, I planted two rhizomes of the same variety. So I have 5 varieties that each started from two rhizomes, and each is separated from it's neighbor.

It is now 4 years later and I have a jungle on my hands. I have 24 foot stringers hung to my eves and the plants just keep getting bigger every year. Each year they make it to the eve earlier and earlier, and now are approaching the top in mid may.

As of now, I still have the majority of the sprouting happening within a foot or two of where the original rhizomes were planted, but some are running quickly and growing under/over/around/through the barriers between varieties.

If I had my system to do all over again I would have planted half as many varieties as I did, and I would have dug deep (like 2+ feet) walls in the soil around each variety to keep them separate. I probably would still plant two rhizomes of each, but I would do them surprisingly close together, to maximize the distance from other varieties.

I love my hops, I'm glad I planted them, they are beautiful and shade my house in the summer... but these things are an invasive plant... they really take over. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend giving them a TON of space to grow.

 

[msa8967]

I think the last post has really helped me to see just planting one rhizome per section is the way to go with this. I can make a similar setup on the back side of the box.