Should I Prune My Hops??

[PKisNJ]

Hello everybody I am tapping into the fountain of knowledge to ask if I should prune my hop plants, specifically a Columbus plant that currently has about 7 bines at about 5-6" each. I know it's best to have 2 bines at the most working their way up the hop line so I wonder if its best to have the plant dedicate more energy to those two bines. Here is a pic:








Thanks!!

 

[coosabrew]

First year plant? If so, train everything that comes out of the ground so that root production will be the main focus. Year 2, train the 4 strongest bines that shoot up and cut the rest.