So...You Want to Breed Your Own Hops.

[brewerelated]

It was 101 yesterday and it will 100 degrees today. There are aphids and spider mites on some of my plants, but I also have some lady bugs roaming around. I took a napkin and removed as much of the spider mites as I could and I misted them a little bit with a spray bottle. I read on the internet that spider mites love hot temperatures and hate water.

It doesn't look like any of my seedlings are going to survive. Not exactly sure why. I suspect that there is too much humidity or that I watered them too much. I am not sure. I need to get a male plant so I can produce my own supply of seeds. That way I can try this again and again until I figure out what I am doing wrong.

 

[alane1]

It was 101 yesterday and it will 100 degrees today. There are aphids and spider mites on some of my plants, but I also have some lady bugs roaming around. I took a napkin and removed as much of the spider mites as I could and I misted them a little bit with a spray bottle. I read on the internet that spider mites love hot temperatures and hate water.

It doesn't look like any of my seedlings are going to survive. Not exactly sure why. I suspect that there is too much humidity or that I watered them too much. I am not sure. I need to get a male plant so I can produce my own supply of seeds. That way I can try this again and again until I figure out what I am doing wrong.

If I get any this year I'll send you some pollen.

 

[brewerelated]

If I get any this year I'll send you some pollen.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

 

[brewerelated]

This might be straying from the thread a little bit, but I have a question about rooted cuttings and sunlight. I have some cuttings that I have successfully rooted.

I rooted them in rock wool cubes and then I transferred them to pots with potting mix. I started the cutting a week and a half ago. When should you start giving them sunlight?

I've had them on a window sill while I waited for them to root. I did not give them any direct sunlight.

Once they rooted I transferred them to a pot and I moved them outside into the shade where they get a little bit of indirect sunlight.

I haven't seen any new bines grow yet. There is just some root growth. The one leaf that the original cutting had is still there, but its starting to turn yellow and brown slightly.

Also how deep should you bury the cutting after it roots. My cutting has only one node and after I transferred the cutting to the pots I buried the one node under a little potting mix. I have the leaf and a little bit of stem sticking out of the potting mix. Check out my picture.

 

[DarkCoder]

This might be straying from the thread a little bit, but I have a question about rooted cuttings and sunlight. I have some cuttings that I have successfully rooted.

I rooted them in rock wool cubes and then I transferred them to pots with potting mix. I started the cutting a week and a half ago. When should you start giving them sunlight?

I've had them on a window sill while I waited for them to root. I did not give them any direct sunlight.

Once they rooted I transferred them to a pot and I moved them outside into the shade where they get a little bit of indirect sunlight.

I haven't seen any new bines grow yet. There is just some root growth. The one leaf that the original cutting had is still there, but its starting to turn yellow and brown slightly.

Also how deep should you bury the cutting after it roots. My cutting has only one node and after I transferred the cutting to the pots I buried the one node under a little potting mix. I have the leaf and a little bit of stem sticking out of the potting mix. Check out my picture.

I have wait almost 2 weeks to put them where they get direct sunlight almost all day long. Before that, they were receiving only the sunlight from 4PM to 5PM. But you are in California, I guess that sun rays are "stronger" there...

 

[brewerelated]

I have wait almost 2 weeks to put them where they get direct sunlight almost all day long. Before that, they were receiving only the sunlight from 4PM to 5PM. But you are in California, I guess that sun rays are "stronger" there...

It was over 100 Fahrenheit (37.78 C) last week for two days straight. It has since cooled down drastically to about 70 F (21.11 C) for the last 3 days.

I brought the plants outside when the weather cooled down. I still haven't put them in the direct sun though even with the cool weather. They've only been expose to direct sun for about 20 to 30 minutes once or twice.

How long does it take before you see new bine growth? The cutting seems to be holding steady. The leaf has been browing/yellowing at a very slow rate. I don't see any new bines growing yet, but I hope that the roots are continuing to grow since being place in the new potting mix. Should I mist them at all or should the plant be able to get moisture from its roots exclusively at this point?

 

[DarkCoder]

It was over 100 Fahrenheit (37.78 C) last week for two days straight. It has since cooled down drastically to about 70 F (21.11 C) for the last 3 days.

I brought the plants outside when the weather cooled down. I still haven't put them in the direct sun though even with the cool weather. They've only been expose to direct sun for about 20 to 30 minutes once or twice.

How long does it take before you see new bine growth? The cutting seems to be holding steady. The leaf has been browing/yellowing at a very slow rate. I don't see any new bines growing yet, but I hope that the roots are continuing to grow since being place in the new potting mix. Should I mist them at all or should the plant be able to get moisture from its roots exclusively at this point?

They should be able to get what they need from their roots. My cuttings are not all "growing new bines" yet (side arms buds on your cutting will start to grow and become the new bine). My cuttings have been outside in pots for almost 3 weeks now.

 

[alane1]

I've had success with cuttings by using root hormone, a sterile media and a weak light source( I.E. cool white flourescent) on a 24/0 cycle. I would mist the leaves with a spray bottle often. from what I remember you can move them to direct sunlight after the plant develops new foliage.

 

[PapaBearJay]

This might be straying from the thread a little bit, but I have a question about rooted cuttings and sunlight. I have some cuttings that I have successfully rooted.

I rooted them in rock wool cubes and then I transferred them to pots with potting mix. I started the cutting a week and a half ago. When should you start giving them sunlight?

I've had them on a window sill while I waited for them to root. I did not give them any direct sunlight.

Once they rooted I transferred them to a pot and I moved them outside into the shade where they get a little bit of indirect sunlight.

I haven't seen any new bines grow yet. There is just some root growth. The one leaf that the original cutting had is still there, but its starting to turn yellow and brown slightly.

Also how deep should you bury the cutting after it roots. My cutting has only one node and after I transferred the cutting to the pots I buried the one node under a little potting mix. I have the leaf and a little bit of stem sticking out of the potting mix. Check out my picture.

I don't mean a debbie-downer but...I've run into this issue before. Single-node cuttings do work! Herein lies the issue with single-node cuttings, is that that one node is now doing twice the work. Part of it has to differentiate into a shoot, and the other roots. Whereas two-node cuttings have the capacity to have one node performing each job.

If you'll remember those photos I posted previously of thee rooted cuttings you'll notice the areas on the lower portion of the stem that appear blanched. That is the original lower of two nodes that was placed beneath the soil surface that differentiated into the crown and root system.

So here lies the concern, you now need to provide the plant enough time to fully develop these systems, which will require greater time due to the lack of extra nodes to differentiate.

Feel free to ask questions if this doesn't make sense...I can draw it out too...

 

[PapaBearJay]

I've had success with cuttings by using root hormone, a sterile media and a weak light source( I.E. cool white flourescent) on a 24/0 cycle. I would mist the leaves with a spray bottle often. from what I remember you can move them to direct sunlight after the plant develops new foliage.

How many nodes were on your cuttings?

 

[PapaBearJay]

Sorry for the burst of action my fellow breeders, but things have been busy lately. I've been working on establishing an area solely for the seedlings, which has required extensive work on my part. Building a raised bed, transplanting, buying materials, etc.

That and catching up on yard work, etc.

I'll be bringing home more seedlings in the near future, and hardening them off and planting them out. Things might be tight for a bit. I'll check in with pictures as soon as I can.

 

[brewerelated]

I don't mean a debbie-downer but...I've run into this issue before. Single-node cuttings do work! Herein lies the issue with single-node cuttings, is that that one node is now doing twice the work. Part of it has to differentiate into a shoot, and the other roots. Whereas two-node cuttings have the capacity to have one node performing each job.

If you'll remember those photos I posted previously of thee rooted cuttings you'll notice the areas on the lower portion of the stem that appear blanched. That is the original lower of two nodes that was placed beneath the soil surface that differentiated into the crown and root system.

So here lies the concern, you now need to provide the plant enough time to fully develop these systems, which will require greater time due to the lack of extra nodes to differentiate.

Feel free to ask questions if this doesn't make sense...I can draw it out too...

I was debating whether to use one ore two nodes for the cutting. I was also wondering if I should leave one leaf or two leaves or two half leaves. With two nodes I imagine you would completely strip the lower node of leaves.

With the cutting only being a week and a half old and without any new bind growth yet, should I keep them away from direct sunlight? I don't have access to grow lights though. I've never really grown anything indoors. At the moment I just have the pots in the shade where they get some indirect light.

 

[cram]

When rooting cuttings, I'll cut a 1-1.5 foot section of plant. Usually that would have three to six leaf nodes. I pinch off the growing tip and leave the rest alone. Then I'll dig a diagonal trench in some soil outside (usually among my other hop plants) maybe six to eight inches deep and lay the cutting in it with the growth-tip end and at least one set of leaves exposed to sun light. Then I just water it as I would the established hops (in my area, that's almost every day). Without much fuss, almost all of these cuttings will take off. They usually suffer a bit for the first two weeks or so, then you see new laterals growing, which you can train up a line.

I dedicate a big pot or to these starters, a hop nursery of sorts. In the picture you can see one for some new Nugget plants. All of these started as cuttings. You can see, if you look close, where the growth tips were pinched off and where new laterals are forming.

 

[alane1]

How many nodes were on your cuttings?

I used to clip them from the side arms...so just one.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Has anyone filled out or made changing to the spreadsheet yet? I'd like some input from others. I'll be working slowly on collecting info from my own plants and seedlings.


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[Microscopist]

Lot of pages to read though so forgive me if I've missed something. One of the problems with breeding hops at home is lack of access to male plants - and the difficult in identifying worthwhile traits in the male line.

I'm wondering if anyone's borrowed a trick from breeders of the hops naughtier cousin and used silver thiosulphate to raise pollen from a female plant.

My bines ( bramling cross and mathon whitebine ) were only planted this year but I'm planning next year on trying the trick and crossing to a spicier more modern variety ( yet to be chosen ).

One advantage of this approach is you shouldn't get any males and as the subsequent plants are produced by cloning that isn't a problem.

Surely commercial breeders are doing this already?

 

[PapaBearJay]

I'm sure breeder's have developed a number of methods and made use of several more to increase chances of creating similar plants, but that said, it by no means is always successful.


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[brewerelated]

Lot of pages to read though so forgive me if I've missed something. One of the problems with breeding hops at home is lack of access to male plants - and the difficult in identifying worthwhile traits in the male line.

I'm wondering if anyone's borrowed a trick from breeders of the hops naughtier cousin and used silver thiosulphate to raise pollen from a female plant.

My bines ( bramling cross and mathon whitebine ) were only planted this year but I'm planning next year on trying the trick and crossing to a spicier more modern variety ( yet to be chosen ).

One advantage of this approach is you shouldn't get any males and as the subsequent plants are produced by cloning that isn't a problem.

Surely commercial breeders are doing this already?

There is a person who tried colloidal silver:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/growing-hops-seed-397219/index2.html

Now tell us more about Mathon Whitebine. I have never heard of that variety.

 

[nagmay]

There is a person who tried colloidal silver

Yeah, that would be me.

I was told again and again by growers and breeders that induced flowers wouldn't produce viable pollen... This seemed strange to me. So, for the past few years, I've tried pollinating with both natural and silver induced feminized pollen. After about a dozens failures, I had success last year.

The successful pollen was from a naturally induced hermi, but I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't also work using silver.

 

[PapaBearJay]

How has the season been so far for everyone? We've had a lot of rain here, with more on the way it seems. I've had some losses with quite a few seedlings, but I'm hoping that is over with. I'm still working on getting posts erected for my "breeding grounds", but otherwise things are doing okay. I'm working out some computational kinks right now with some software but hopefully the issues will be resolved soon.

Anyone else still having issues with pests or diseases?


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[DarkCoder]

How has the season been so far for everyone? We've had a lot of rain here, with more on the way it seems. I've had some losses with quite a few seedlings, but I'm hoping that is over with. I'm still working on getting posts erected for my "breeding grounds", but otherwise things are doing okay. I'm working out some computational kinks right now with some software but hopefully the issues will be resolved soon.

Anyone else still having issues with pests or diseases?


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Most of my seedlings are growing well, except for 2 that are weak...not growing much. No diseases. Not that much pests either, except for 1 or 2 caterpillars once in a while...no aphids.

I just install a couple of strings this evening, because 2 seedling outgrow their 8 feet poles and 3 seedling outgrow their 6 feet poles. I didn't expect them to grow that much the first year, but I won't complain about it !!

 

[Blue-Frog]

How has the season been so far for everyone? We've had a lot of rain here, with more on the way it seems. I've had some losses with quite a few seedlings...

Anyone else still having issues with pests or diseases?

I have lost three out of 3 that germinated so far...
I guess i was away ftom them too long, they grew spindly (insuffucuent light) and just bent over and wilted.


Hope you one of you guys get some pollen....

I have a hallertauer mittelfruh that only produces 5~6 gm a year.
In order to see what I can do, I have been propagating her to have something to expirement on. Those are doing fine. I think I would like to try the "Glen or Glenda" mateing game....

Nagmay?

 

[Microscopist]

Now tell us more about Mathon Whitebine. I have never heard of that variety.

I thought it might be an interesting mother plant to start breeding from - it's one of the earliest surviving varieties and one of the hops that went on to become Goldings. Originated in Hereford & Worcester ( where I grew up ) sometime in the 1790s. I want to cross it with something shorter with a citrus hint.

 

[alane1]

Anyone else still having issues with pests or diseases?

Not pests but pets...apparently dogs find the scent of fish fertilizer intoxicating!!!

 

[PapaBearJay]

So, I've been busy lately, as have all of you. Here's something to hold you over. I just finished this yesterday.




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[PapaBearJay]

Just some info on those interested in my cultivation techniques.

This year, the two second year plants were removed from the ground and transplanted back into a raised box (3'x3', there were 7 boxes total). First year rhizomes went into the other five boxes, and currently 21 plants inhabit the breeding grounds box. The singular raised boxes, each received 1-2 bags of topsoil and 1-2 bags of compost (3 bags total per box), and that was then worked into the existing soil from each spot. I have watered only a handful of times this season due to the large amount of rainfall this season, and have given a small amount of slow-release fertilizer and once with water-soluble. The breeding grounds received the same fertilizer treatments but the area consisted of 10 bags of each compost and topsoil that was then worked into the existing soil.

I would say that 5 of the 7 boxes will yield this year. One of which is a first year Cascade the is out-competing either of my second year Chinook or Nugget plants.

That said, I have many other first year seedlings that have not received such care (but only the strong survive!) and as I finish up some other projects I will work on repotting these seedlings.

 

[brewerelated]

I have no surviving seedlings, but the Neomexicana that I grow from rhizomes as well as the Smooth Cone that I grew from cutting are doing well. I will have to do things differently next time. I think my seedlings died from damping off.

 

[nagmay]

The weather in Oregon has been pretty optimal this year.

Planted 45 seedlings in the early spring and culled the slowest growing 20%. The rest are doing really well. Most are over 10' and covered in burrs. Its going to be hard to choose which ones to keep. Luckily, I don't have to decide right now.

2 out of the 3 neomexicanus plant that I have turned out to be boys. So, I have to decide soon if I want to fertilize any of the yearlings.

 

[alane1]

I got over 100 seeds to germinate, planted out about 75 and lost another 25. Of the 50 or so I have left about 15 have really taken off and the rest are just puttering along. They've all germinated at different times so it's hard for me to tell right now if it's genetics or age.

 

[alane1]

I have no surviving seedlings, but the Neomexicana that I grow from rhizomes as well as the Smooth Cone that I grew from cutting are doing well. I will have to do things differently next time. I think my seedlings died from damping off.

You may not have done anything wrong. From what I've noticed you would need about 200 or so seeds at a 10 to 15% germination rate, to get maybe 3-4 plants that are hardy.