So first Year Hop Growers - how'd it turn out ?

[7Enigma]

Yeah, I understand that about miracle gro. But it's hard to not be impressed by the boost they seem to get. For the next year I am going to use sediment from my fish pond. I have a 6000 gallon koi pond. They tend to crap a lot! As luck will happen, the new location that I have decided on for my hops is directly next to my pond filters. I will have an unlimited supply of algae and fish poo enriched water to put on the plants.

Like I said, the first year was experimiental, but the second year will be more of the same. I'm in no rush.

When I do water changes on my tank at home I use the dirty water for the hops and other plants as well. I dose ferts for the plants in my tank and so the used water is perfect since it has a nice low level of nutrients. What is really beneficial to the plants is when I clean out my filter. The water turns almost black with bacteria and sediment when I squish the filters in the dirty water, and this goes directly around the plants for a nice feeding.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I have so much fish crap I think I could sell it on ebay!

I have five 55 gallon drums used as filters, all of them produce enough sediment to build a pile of rotting gunk around each plant. It took me a while to get my ass into gear this year, but next year I will be prepared!

 

[7Enigma]

That is a LOT of nitrAte production. Have you ever measured the nitrAte level in the pond?

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

That is a LOT of nitrAte production. Have you ever measured the nitrAte level in the pond?

I used to. It was healthy enough for the fish for a few years. I knew all the acceptable levels and everything. Then I noticed that nothing ever changed (PH, Nitrites, Nitrates) when I did no treatments. I figured it was reasonably balanced with the filters and all (110 gall settling chambers, 165 gall lava rock nitrifying bacteria), so now I leave them alone mostly, they do great.....Does this mean I've got to learn all that stuff again for my hop plants!? Oh bollocks! My brain already dumped that knowlege so that I could learn some brewing stuff!

 

[Mk010101]

I planted centennial and nugget. I was a bit concerned with our temps out here, but I decided to give it a try. Planted them in late April. It took them almost 3 weeks to sprout, which wasn't good because right after that our temps soared into the 100's for about a month. Needless to say they took a long time to really get going. I have a continual drip system and one day the system failed at the nugget (was about 2 inches high at the time) and by that evening, they were dead. Never did grow back.

Now the centennial are about 4-5 feet high, which seems small, but still small. I guess I expected them to be much bigger by now, but perhaps next year they will grow like crazy.

 

[7Enigma]

I used to. It was healthy enough for the fish for a few years. I knew all the acceptable levels and everything. Then I noticed that nothing ever changed (PH, Nitrites, Nitrates) when I did no treatments. I figured it was reasonably balanced with the filters and all (110 gall settling chambers, 165 gall lava rock nitrifying bacteria), so now I leave them alone mostly, they do great.....Does this mean I've got to learn all that stuff again for my hop plants!? Oh bollocks! My brain already dumped that knowlege so that I could learn some brewing stuff!

No need to learn that again for the hops, I was just concerned about the amount of nitrAte in the water. Your bacteria will convert all the ammonia and nitrIte to nitrAte, but from there it stays around unless removed by plants, or in the case of a home aquarium through a water change. High levels of nitrAtes (in the hundreds of ppm) are not good long term for fish. I'd just get a liquid test kit (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals is what I use) and measure the nitrAte level. If it's over 100ppm I would be a bit concerned.

An easy way to get rid of nitrAtes in the water is with aquatic plants. Some can be used as decoration in the pond (if the koi don't eat them), while many people have tanks exclusively for nitrAte removal (say a 55 gallon container full of duckweed/anacharis/wisteria/milfoil). A 55 gallon drum like yours would work, even better would be something flatter that gets more sun (say 6-12" deep and a couple feet long). Put that at the end before the water goes back into the pond, with a filter on the outlet to prevent the pest plants from getting into your pond, and you will have a very effective nitrAte sponge that will keep the water nice for the fish. When the plants get out of hand and start to slow the flow of water, take 3/4 of them out and compost them for use on the hops!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Thanks, but I have no problems with the pond. I'm just wondering how much pond crap to give my hops!

 

[Dig]

I purchased 10 rhizomes from freshops and received 11.:rockin:

5 (4+1 free) centennial

2 Willamette

2 Goldings

2 Mt. hood

I split them up 5 outside and 6 in my greenhouse.

Out of the 5 outside only one is still alive due to the intense central texas heat. We have had at least 20, but maybe 30+ days of 100 or higher. My soil is feet deep in sandy loam, but the extreme heat combined with the lack of water did the trick. My girls even got watered from my garden with regular frequency, but they just can't handle the heat.

On the flip side, the 6 in my green house look awesome. I have already harvested off one centennial, but only about a dozen cones. However that plant is kicking off a second round of cones. Another centinnial has way over 100 cones and is turning into a shrub. All the others are doing very well, but no cone formation as of yet. They are all in 15-25 gallon containers of soiless media, but they get plenty of love.

I have no idea of determining heighth of the big ones because at about 5 feet I trained them horizontally. They turn into shrubs. I would guess 15-20 foot tall for the big one. The small ones would be 7-10 foot tall. I am guessing that they will grow for another 2-3 months at least.

 

[Jonnio]

I was a very late starter, but I have been very happy with how well my hops have grown here in Alabama. I am quite certain that if I don't get some cones late in the year then next year will be a great crop.

I can say without doubt that earthboxes work well for anyone that has crappy soil or an otherwise adverse climate.

 

[thebeerengineer]

Below is a link to some pics of my first year cascade and crystal hop bines. I had a bad storm come through in June that knocked down my makeshift trelis. I plan to erect a much larger one next year, and plan to add some more varity to my garden. Any sugestions on good hop variities. I am thinkinh williamette and fugels for next year. I think I will add two a year and then possibly some day be self sufficent on hops.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...&MyToken=7fe97f5d-556a-4f1a-b6ab-799cefa310e2

 

[rod]

i got small plants from richters and planted 2 hallertau and 2 cascades the first week of june.
all 4 are between 16-18 feet tall (used miracle gro twice and always water with fish pond water)
i see a bunch of burrs on them all but they are tiny.
my camera battery died - will try for pics this weekend.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

i got small plants from richters and planted 2 hallertau and 2 cascades the first week of june.
all 4 are between 16-18 feet tall (used miracle gro twice and always water with fish pond water)
i see a bunch of burrs on them all but they are tiny.
my camera battery died - will try for pics this weekend.

Another fish pond watering guy! There is something that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about watering with water that has been conditioned by living a natural life for a while. I seriously worry about our over chlorinated water in these parts! I'll be taking pics soon too if everyone promises me that those little spikey buggers are not a total embarrasment!

 

[rod]

my tap water here is loaded with chloramines - i didn't want to use it on my hops

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

my tap water here is loaded with chloramines - i didn't want to use it on my hops

Me either! I went to the trouble of making a connection to my pump outllet so that i can water the whole garden from my pond. The first half of the summer I was totally self sufficient from my pond alone in terms of water (lots of rainfall). If anything happens to me, the missus will have no clue on how to use all my half assed modifications. :cross:

 

[tentacles]

All talk and no action in this thread... I put mine in dirt around early June. Planted 1 magnum and 1 cascade, the magnum did not survive. The cascade has done well, I think, it's about 9 feet tall. Lots of daylight this far north, but we did have some cold spells in june. Even a bit of snow, though it didn't stick, and some slightly below freezing temps one day.

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11965&cat=1
https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11968&cat=1

Are those cones forming, it looks a bit different than the branching I've seen to date. Not that I need hops this year, plenty in the freezer.

 

[7Enigma]

my tap water here is loaded with chloramines - i didn't want to use it on my hops

Bah! That's free nitrogen for the plants! Unfortunately the chlorine is probably not good for the soil however (killing all the microbes that make fertile soil so good), so you are probably better off not using the tap water if you can avoid it.

But if you live in an area with low chloramine levels (say 1-2ppm) it is like a free very VERY weak fertilizer. It shouldn't harm the plants in the least and will supplly a bit of nitrogen.

 

[T-Hops]

Overall I have been happy with my hops this first year. I planted 5 rhizomes and all 5 have grown and produced hops the first year. The cones are still small but hopefully they will grow more in the next few weeks.

 

[snazzy]

1 centenial grew good but no cones.

2 cascades washed out by heavy rain.

3 nuggets that I think might eat my house, they have a ton of flowers on them. We'll see if they turn out to be a ton of hops.

 

[megavites]

Ok<
1st year and i have to say I can't wait to start picking some hops.

I have alot of cones on my Cascade, my Northern Brewer came on strong later and had a bunch (smell great) and my Willamette is pulling up the rear.
I keep looking and as far as I've read, you start culling the herd when you see them go from yellow (lupin covered) to brown edges on the leaves.

I notice some of the upper Cascade cones have really opened up, but I thought you harvest at the end of August. Some here have gotten a second harvest, so I'm a little confused as to when is the perfect time. I don't want to pick to soon.
All in all, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the first year growth. They hit 16ft and would have gone higher if my trellis was bigger.

 

[Schlenkerla]

So far awesome......https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=74054

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

Cascade: Ordered one rhizome, they sent two but one died. The one that lived got off to a slow start but now has many nice sized cones. I estimate I may get an ounce off of it this first year.

Fuggles: Slow start as well but the last couple of weeks has been growing several inches a day. I don't expect to see any cones this year.

Nugget: Took off well and has about twice as many cones as the cascade.

Willamette: Twenty plus feet tall, took off fast but thus far no cones. I see what I think will be cones soon on it though.

Right now I have them climbing tomato cages and then climbing twine up the side of my garage. Next year I will have a support made out of pipe and I expect the second year to really do well.

 

[7Enigma]

Ok folks, finally got around to taking some pics. Today was the day I started harvesting hops on my cascade(s). The following pictures are from 3 "1st year" cascade plants spaced apart by about 2 feet around an 8ft tall pole with a U-shaped piece of metal at the top to allow for more top growth. These are "1st year" because they were actually very small plants taken from my dad's friend. They were 6" sections of bine with a bit of root on them so not like the rhizomes you get from an online store. Without further ado, here's the shots:

Picture of the cascade setup *AFTER* the first harvest. Please note for those not sure they have the space this was done in a triangle of land about 1/2 the size of an office cubicle. So you really don't need much space, just a fertile soil, and ample sun and water. You're looking at my neighbor's car and driveway in the background...yeah they weren't thrilled when I told them what I was doing.

Here's a closeup shot looking up near the top where the U-shaped piece of tubing is installed. I think this turned out to be a really good idea for those of us that have to use the teepee setup. It allows for a lot more space at the top where the majority of the hops are produced.

And here is the first harvest.

I've been really confused as the proper time to harvest, and the hops are in many different stages of maturity, even on the same plant. Notice in the foreground the brown edges of the leaves. I was told this is a good indication they are ready for picking. And I can already see the next batch of flowers starting so it will be a daily picking event for the foreseeable future (since the pole is only 8' high I have a small ladder that I use to pluck them right off the bine without damaging the plant). I used an old school Jansport backpack, wore it backwards so it was in front of me, and put a bag inside. This way I could use both hands to pick and not have to worry about pulling a bine hard to get the cone off (probably another indication some of the hops are still not ready to harvest).

Dang it! My edit got deleted after I tried to use another smiley. In short, it seems pictures make hops look less ripe than they are, so this may be why some don't look ripe enough when in person they may be ready. I'm too lazy to rewrite my comments in detail!

 

[Okiebrewer]

Ok so I have hops spread all over the place. I have one first year Glacier at my dad's place growing all over his deck. It took a very long time for that one to take off but last I heard it was about 8 feet tall and no cones. That was a few weeks ago though so who knows. I have 3 plants at my girlfriends parents house. A cascade a sunbeam and a fuggle. They are all growing well. The sunbeam was in the lead at somewhere between 8-10 feet but is slowing now and is actually looking pretty crappy from the oklahoma sun even though it is shade half the day. The cascade is being fairly sluggish but still going and the fuggle is about 6-8 feet tall. None are showing flowers. At my mothers house which is nextdoor to mine I have 8 plants. 2 of each magnum, nugget, williamette, and centennial. All are growing and 2 have reached the top of the 18 foot trellis I built there and are covered in buds. I have no idea which 2 have reached the top since my mom has lost the paper that I wrote down which hops were which. At least she's taking good care of them. I don't think I will be able to salvage any brewable cones this year as I won't be home until sept. but at least they'll have a head start for next year. I gave a friend of mine about 10 rhizomes of fuggles and helped him get them started before I left. We planted two rhizomes per mound since they had been in the fridge so long and I wasn't sure how they'd do. He was very amused to tell me that they have taken over 1/4 of the back yard and he has nothing else to string them on and once they reached the top of their 6 foot stakes they went back to the ground and then just made a huge bush. I realize this is not the healthiest way to grow hops but when he told me how fast they grew I couldn't help but laugh. He said that you could see where weeds had tried to grow around them only to get strangled out. I told him they were called the garden wolf but he wouldn't listen.

 

[The Soft Underbelly]

7Enigma, tell your neighbor that i said he can shove it. Those hops are a thing of beauty! Excellent work man!

 

[98EXL]

so far 2 ounces of B. Gold and 1.5 ounces of Chinook.

Fuggle has died, and 2 centennials are no more than 1' tall.

I'm going to rearrange everything for next year come this fall....should be awesomer next year. I also have to make my trelis I think at least 25' tall

 

[Jeff48]

centennial 10ft 4 cones
cascades 14ft 50+ cones
magnums 8 ft. 20+ cones
goldings 8 ft 0 cones

it could be worse

 

[rod]

these were planted around june 1 this year from plants from richters
the trellis is approx 18 feet tall

 

[clemson55]

Cascade is putting out some hops now, probably 25-50 in the works. Fuggles has a few forming. Mt. Hood nothing to show even though its the largest plant.

 

[7Enigma]

7Enigma, tell your neighbor that i said he can shove it. Those hops are a thing of beauty! Excellent work man!

LOL, it's on my property, he has to deal with it whether he likes it or not. Sure it looks like a flag pole with some twine attached during the early part of the season and winter, but once the foliage starts to fill in I think it would be tough to say it looks ugly, even if you don't like vines/hops. I plucked off 2 yesterday since we were talking out front and rubbed them between my hands and let him smell. His eyes lit up and said, "Man that really does smell like hops!". Hopefully he's finally turning the corner. The wife (his), I could care less about her feelings.

 

[Honey]

Love the pics, what did you do about drying?