Second Year Hops Questions

[IwanaBrich]

This is my second and most disappointing year of growing 4 varieties of hops (Nugget, Newport, Cascade and Magnum).

For some reason only the Cascade seemed to flourish this year. The other three didn't produce near as much cones as the first year. In fact the Magnum and Nugget hardly produced any cones at all. Is this normal for 2 year old vines?

The cascade vines on the other hand produced a ton more than last year. In fact, the vines got so heavy that the jute lines broke and the vines fell! Unfortunately they were down a day or so before I noticed. Since the cones were ready for picking so I harvested them rather than rehanging them. I collected about about 4 gallons worth of hops cones (almost a full 5 gallon pail). The odd thing is that the hops smell extremely grassy, even after drying them. So grassy I don't know if I should use them. Only after I smash a cone and shove it in my nose do I smell the hops aroma, but the grass smell is still there. I don't remember getting the grassy smell last year. Is this normal or are the hops only just compost material?

Your opinions are appreciated!

Thanks

 

[porterpounder]

MY magnums and cascades are always my best producers. We had very little rain this year and the plants I didn't water regularly didn't produce well at all.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Some folks who have superior olfactory abilities say they can smell the hop oils just by being near the cones. Myself and many others can't so it's recommended to physically bust open the lupulin glands by rubbing and mashing the cones between the palms of your hands. This helps to release the aromatic oils to give you a sense of how ripe they are judging by the depth of the aroma.

As for them still smelling grassy, maybe they were still a little too young when you picked them.

Most plants in their second season should behave like your cascade did as they seem to struggle a little bit while they're establishing a root system. After the roots are dug in, it's all systems go! You may have some other issues on the poor growers that is causing the poor performance.

 

[thaymond]

There are a lot of variables in plant growth that impact your final results. Soil pH and nutrients, water and watering schedule, sun exposure and weather, pests and pest control, all can play major roles in either a good crop or a flop. Without knowing any of these, it would be tough to focus in on changing what your doing to improve your results. Get a soil test to know what you're working with, then amend your soil with the fertilizer you need. Keep track of watering your plants regularly. Monitor and treat for pests. Weather and rain are impossible to control, but working the other three variable out of the equation will help yields. Also, making sure that your plants get the right amount of sun will help.

In my limited experience, off the bine hops have a grassy smell. They smell grassy when I am drying them in my oast. It's only when I move them after drying to package them that the monster hop smell comes alive. Like B-Hoppy said, breaking one open and rubbing it will burst the lupin glands and release the aroma. That's likely what I'm doing with packaging.

If they came down early, they will not have much of a smell. I could smell my Chinook and Zeus plants from a distance this year, but they are also high alpha and high aroma. Cascade and Nugget, I could not. I only got the smell by crushing and rubbing cones.

Best of luck next year with your harvest. Changing some of the above variables may help to improve your yields.