PapaBearJay
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- Joined
- Dec 5, 2012
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Papabearjay,
What are your recommendations for central Florida? Forget it?.
Very sandy soil. Deadly sun.
My recommendation would be to grow in LARGE containers, that you still have the capability to move.
A few things you'll need to consider...
Variety - You'll likely not be able to grow many European varieties. This is a function of photoperiod, as central FL will not receive the same amount and will not yield nearly as much if at all.
Nutrition - Nutrition will be tricky, they need a lot. Here's the issue, the temperatures will be much higher (in most cases), and the humidity will provide an environment which disease can thrive. Both of these factors will affect the plants ability to take up nutrients, due to the intense sunlight and supraoptimal temperatures.
Irrigation - They will need a lot, which could provide you with more issues. One easy way to cool down the plant would be to hose it down when you water it, but this will also provide a humid environment for mildews to thrive especially if you're not maintaining the canopy structure and clearing bottom growth. Also, you may find yourself frequently irrigating, which could lead to rot. Both drought stress and overwatering have very similar symptoms, and both can be compacted with nutritional problems.
Temperature - The two things I will associate with temperature quickly are nutritional deficiencies and dormancy. During active growth, and really during the peak growing season, supraoptimal temperatures will begin inhibiting the plants ability to uptake nutrients. Dormancy is a physiological requirement for plants, in which they need to receive some set of conditions in order to resume active growth. For hops, a 6-8 week period is needed for temperatures below a ~45 degrees, which is something I'm not sure FL can provide all that well.
Others here seem to be set on growing hops in FL, though I don't know how well they've done. If you truly want to grow hops, you'll find a way. Do not look at the information I provided you with as a reason to not do it, use them as a way to find ways around such barriers. If you put your mind to it, you'll be able to do it.
If you want any more help in variety or site selections, please feel free to ask, I'll do what I can to help.
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