South Florida Hop Growing

[Velliety]

Tricky, I just saw that Great Lakes has some cascade crowns for sale - 72 hours only.

 

[TrickyDick]

Hey! I'm on those cascade crowns! Thanks!


TD

DONE! Four crowns coming my way. Wonder if I can make a beer called four crown ale with first seasons harvest.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

With four crowns you should definitely be getting a solid harvest. Wait till you see how huge the crowns they sell are.

 

[shataway]

Finally seeing some green!

 

[TrickyDick]

Seemed criminal uprooting my rhizomes in place of the new "crowns". I think that some were field grade plugs. Regardless, still much more developed than my existing. I was thinking about planting the magnum rhizomes on the old kids Playset to let them climb that, it realized the puppy might get into the hops. Where the other hops a planted are behind a row of rosebushes mostly and in big planters, more puppy safe than in the dirt.
I'll post some pictures once I get my "trellis" installed, which is really just some coir twine.

TD

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I can't speak for everyone's dog here but I can say mine never messes with my hops at all. I even throw my hops out in the yard post boil and he never shows any bit of interest in them.

I wouldn't throw out your rhizomes either. No reason to really. Just transplant them if need be so you have more plants.

 

[TrickyDick]

Not many good places to re-locate without having a huge hassle come harvest time

TD

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Not many good places to re-locate without having a huge hassle come harvest time

TD

I don't know if it would work in your space but I've been thinking of making a sort of trellis with a hinge in it. Say the trellis is 15ft, more of just a piece of wood with a hook at the top to hook twine on. Have a hinge around the 4-5ft mark that you can use to slowly lower the upper half of the trellis to harvest. Then when your done you just raise it back up. Probably sounds more complicated than it is on paper.

 

[Erroneous]

Seemed criminal uprooting my rhizomes in place of the new "crowns". I think that some were field grade plugs. Regardless, still much more developed than my existing. I was thinking about planting the magnum rhizomes on the old kids Playset to let them climb that, it realized the puppy might get into the hops. Where the other hops a planted are behind a row of rosebushes mostly and in big planters, more puppy safe than in the dirt.
I'll post some pictures once I get my "trellis" installed, which is really just some coir twine.

TD

You can always install chicken wire around the hops

 

[TrickyDick]

Here are hops so far

This week I string the twine and pulley setup.

TD

 

[TrickyDick]

Here you can sort of see my setup for the vines to climb.

How many should be trained from each plant? I have three vines I believe, on most hops. Found some ladybugs!!! Keep those bugs away! Looks like already been having some chewing on the sterling plant. Organocide has been ordered. What are recommended fertilizers? I have some fish emulsion that's a bit old, and man does it smell horrendous!!

TD

 

[HydroGeologist]

You may want to cancel that Organocide order. Ladybugs are considered highly beneficial. Some organic growers actually buy them by the thousands and let them loose on their crops! (They eat up the aphids that eat your hops). Unless the Organocide is safe for ladybugs?

Fertilizers higher in nitrogen are recommended for the early growth stage of hops. You can then switch to less nitrogen when sidearms start showing, increase phosphorous. High nitrogen late in the game reduces the lupulin production in hops.

Not sure if they are, but if these are first year plants, don't trim any bines off, train them all up to help establish a strong crown. You can trim the bottom leaves off to keep the base of the plant drier and less friendly to insects/fungus once the plants are tall enough where it wouldn't hurt them too much.

 

[TrickyDick]

You may want to cancel that Organocide order. Ladybugs are considered highly beneficial. Some organic growers actually buy them by the thousands and let them loose on their crops! (They eat up the aphids that eat your hops). Unless the Organocide is safe for ladybugs?

Fertilizers higher in nitrogen are recommended for the early growth stage of hops. You can then switch to less nitrogen when sidearms start showing, increase phosphorous. High nitrogen late in the game reduces the lupulin production in hops.

Not sure if they are, but if these are first year plants, don't trim any bines off, train them all up to help establish a strong crown. You can trim the bottom leaves off to keep the base of the plant drier and less friendly to insects/fungus once the plants are tall enough where it wouldn't hurt them too much.

I knew ladybugs were good, but I only saw a single insect. Ill keep my eyes peeled for more, and other bugs as well.

Thanks for the fertilizer advice. I know they give three numbers for fertilizers, but I don't recall what they stand for. Probably nitrogen, phosphorous, and some other nutrient amount. Are you able to elaborate? I used miracle gro potting moisture control mix cause it was the cheapest. I think it has some fertilizer in already. How soon can I supplement additional fertilizer?

These are first year plants. Too late on trimming the the bines. I will not trim any further now that I know.

Thanks for the expertise!

TD

 

[HydroGeologist]

Gotcha, I misunderstood the bug sentence. N-P-K are the fertilizer numbers. Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium. That miracle grow soil is good, it's what I used to start off some rhizomes last year which are now in the ground and doing exceptionally well. I just used fish emulsion starting around 3 months from when the bines first broke. I added that once a month until the side arms showed up.

Growth stage suggested NPK ratio: 2-1-2
Flowering stage suggested NPK ratio: 1-3-2

This is what I use and it works for me. Anyone agree/disagree?

There is an awesome post by gridlocked here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/my-hops-garden-project-176340/

He explains what he used and it sure looks like it worked! He's got one hell of a backyard hop garden.

 

[Brewmech]

The Teamaker hops have come back with a vengeance.

Willamette died off a bit and is starting to come back.

Columbus was covered in mildew and was dying, I trimmed it back, put in the drip irrigation and used neem oil on it.

Magnum was stinted a bit, but is now growing good again.

Overall... you can see the teamaker on the end is taking off like crazy now.

Cheers!

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Gotcha, I misunderstood the bug sentence. N-P-K are the fertilizer numbers. Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium. That miracle grow soil is good, it's what I used to start off some rhizomes last year which are now in the ground and doing exceptionally well. I just used fish emulsion starting around 3 months from when the bines first broke. I added that once a month until the side arms showed up.

Growth stage suggested NPK ratio: 2-1-2
Flowering stage suggested NPK ratio: 1-3-2

This is what I use and it works for me. Anyone agree/disagree?

There is an awesome post by gridlocked here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/my-hops-garden-project-176340/

He explains what he used and it sure looks like it worked! He's got one hell of a backyard hop garden.

Those numbers look about right. Just check if the nutes are slow release or not. Fish emulsion isn't slow release so the plants get a nice boost whenever you use it. I'd stick to somewhere between every other week to once a month. As well when your getting near harvest your going to want to stop giving them any nutes to flush the plants.

 

[shataway]

Finally seeing some green!

And now the longest bine is over 13 ft long with 3 others no to far behind!

 

[Dusk2dust]

I guess its my turn to add some more photos,

 

[TrickyDick]

Looks like I'm getting to where I need some fertilizer. I saw the recommended early and late stage NPK levels. Any recommended brands? I have some probably dried up and rock hard Fertrell 2-1-1 and 3-1-1 made of fish and seaweed. I think is probably too dried and hardened to use.

TD

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Any brand of fish emulsion should do fine.


Here's a couple pics of some early cones I've got. Hopefully it will stop raining for a day so I can give the bines a spray down with Organocide.

 

[Dusk2dust]

I'm hoping this large amount of rain we have been getting isn't too much for them, where they are it has good drainage but its been coming down in buckets here.

 

[Ddubduder]

It's the same here, two days now of constant drizzle, and about four hours now of extreme downpour. I've been hearing something around 9in in the last few hours. Fingers crossed my drainage is good enough.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

They should be fine. Hops are one of the most hardy plants I've ever grown.

 

[Brewmech]

Well, my columbus is getting it's first side arms and cones! The tea maker is now over my head. I think I am finally getting the hang of this hop growing thing.

What was the rule of thumb? What kind of fertilizer do you need when the cones start emerging?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Well, my columbus is getting it's first side arms and cones! The tea maker is now over my head. I think I am finally getting the hang of this hop growing thing.

What was the rule of thumb? What kind of fertilizer do you need when the cones start emerging?

Lower nitrogen and higher phosphorus.

 

[Crito]

Bone meal. Or something like 5 - 15 - 5. I just put a good amount of bone meal and it says slow release for 8 weeks.

 

[TrickyDick]

Cascade is Rockin!

Chinook is Semi-Rockin

Columbus is Struggling

Sterling is preparing to be rocking very soon!

Got Cones on the Cascade and Chinook already.

Photos on iPhone to MacBook via photostream is not quite like they show on the TV commercials or else I'd be posting pics.

TD

 

[TrickyDick]

Cascade has cones and is closest to camera in group photo. Behind are chinook and Columbus kinda overlapping. Last is sterling.

On vacation so I hope that Mother Nature gives them plenty of water while I'm gone.

TD

 

[Brewmech]

Willamette (or magnum) on left isn't doing well, not really taking off. Columbus has some hops and the other side of the plant is getting taller finally. The magnum has one good bine getting taller, and on the far right the Tea Maker is growing at about 3-4 inches a day. I'm training it to grow across the top of the pergola. I'll get some hops this year, but it's my first and I just want to get the plants established well.

 

[TrickyDick]

Well3 of four plants going crazy!



The cascade is biggest but the cones have little scent to them when pressed between fingers

The chinook smells great and also doing well. I think could b ready to harvest..

Lots of cones on first two plants.

The Columbus is doing poorly. Poor height.

The sterling was also doing poorly,then took off And is a bit leggy. The tallest but least developed of all! No cones!

So how to know when they're ready to pick??

TD