Transferring hops plants from container to ground...

[sfinger]

Hi all! Last year I planted four pots (approx. 5 gallon size) with hops rhyzomes. I did get some hops last year. I stored the pots in the garage over winter (I am in Aurora, IL where it gets quite cold) and put them out again this year, added some compost and they are all growing well, with a couple bines already at the 13 foot mark. I have four strings per pot and they are all covered and healthy.

I would like to put the plants in the ground at the end of this season and give them a permanent home--any suggestions as to how to treat the root ball? Do I need to trim it, and if so, is there a good way to clip it so that I can share any extra rhyzomes with my brewing buddies?

One more question--I have heard that hops plants are pretty invasive. Should I put some sort of barrier in the ground around them to keep them from spreading too much?

Thanks much and take care!

 

[B-Hoppy]

all you have to do is wait for the vines to die back this fall and then empty the buckets (lop off any roots that grew down out of the drainage holes), shake the soil loose from the crown and prune any rhizomes shooting out. these rhizomes can be kept in a shallow 6 inch trench in the ground until spring. they'll wake up come march/april just like nothing ever happened. the crown should be planted in a prepared area and then mulched over for the winter. as for invasiveness, they can become invasive if YOU LET THEM! in the spring, if you take a shovel and prune out from the crown about a foot, all the way around the plant in a circular motion, you can contain the rhizomes from spreading. easy as pie. if you happen to plant somewhere that you cannot prune the entire 360 around the plant, you may have a problem. example: planted next to a stockade fence (neighbor on the other side has big dog that doesn't like you), in the front edge of a deck (rhizomes grow under deck and come up through slats) etc.. i hope you get the idea. it's not like they have legs and can pick up and walk to different locations throughout your property and wait to see if you can find them. we have the shovels, they have roots.

 

[sfinger]

all you have to do is wait for the vines to die back this fall and then empty the buckets (lop off any roots that grew down out of the drainage holes), shake the soil loose from the crown and prune any rhizomes shooting out. these rhizomes can be kept in a shallow 6 inch trench in the ground until spring. they'll wake up come march/april just like nothing ever happened. the crown should be planted in a prepared area and then mulched over for the winter. as for invasiveness, they can become invasive if YOU LET THEM! in the spring, if you take a shovel and prune out from the crown about a foot, all the way around the plant in a circular motion, you can contain the rhizomes from spreading. easy as pie. if you happen to plant somewhere that you cannot prune the entire 360 around the plant, you may have a problem. example: planted next to a stockade fence (neighbor on the other side has big dog that doesn't like you), in the front edge of a deck (rhizomes grow under deck and come up through slats) etc.. i hope you get the idea. it's not like they have legs and can pick up and walk to different locations throughout your property and wait to see if you can find them. we have the shovels, they have roots.

Thanks much for taking the time to explain everything so well, B-Hoppy, I appreciate it!

 

[B-Hoppy]

i forgot to mention that one of the most important things is the orientation of the rhizome when you plant it. if you are looking for ease of maintenance, you should plant it vertically. if you want to promote rhizomatous growth in order to make cuttings, plant horizontally. believe me, it makes a BIG difference. happy hopping!

 

[Randar]

i forgot to mention that one of the most important things is the orientation of the rhizome when you plant it. if you are looking for ease of maintenance, you should plant it vertically. if you want to promote rhizomatous growth in order to make cuttings, plant horizontally. believe me, it makes a BIG difference. happy hopping!

To the OP: This effect is much debated!

 

[JarrodH]

I planted in half whiskey barrels 3 years ago and finally put one of my two hops (that were in barrels) into the ground. What a pain! I rolled it, dug out the sides and finally it came out in a huge wheel shaped block. I dug a big hole filled it partially with compost and potting soil and then plopped it down and covered the hole up with more dirt and compost after pulling out some of the roots to help them grow outside the main huge root ball. I posted some pics in the thread "Root bound maybe?"

 

[B-Hoppy]

To the OP: This effect is much debated!

much debated, but once you experience the phenomenon, you will believe. hop on!!!

after 20 some years of doing this, i'm just trying to help people not make the mistakes that made me consider giving this hobby up many times over the years. now it's all good!

 

[sfinger]

I planted in half whiskey barrels 3 years ago and finally put one of my two hops (that were in barrels) into the ground. What a pain! I rolled it, dug out the sides and finally it came out in a huge wheel shaped block. I dug a big hole filled it partially with compost and potting soil and then plopped it down and covered the hole up with more dirt and compost after pulling out some of the roots to help them grow outside the main huge root ball. I posted some pics in the thread "Root bound maybe?"

Holy cow JarrodH, I found the post and that root ball looked insane! How are they doing now that you transplanted them? Are you doing anything to keep them from spreading?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[sfinger]

much debated, but once you experience the phenomenon, you will believe. hop on!!!

after 20 some years of doing this, i'm just trying to help people not make the mistakes that made me consider giving this hobby up many times over the years. now it's all good!

Thanks much to both of you...maybe I will try a couple one way and a couple the other way and do a test...

 

[JarrodH]

Holy cow JarrodH, I found the post and that root ball looked insane! How are they doing now that you transplanted them? Are you doing anything to keep them from spreading?

Thanks for sharing!

The Tet that I transplanted is starting to grow again. I dont have room to put the Northern Brewer in the ground. The Tet been stuck at about 50 little 1-2 inch bines for a month or two. I dont think it liked the transplant overall, but it will be better for it in the end. It just has started in the last week or two to grow up higher than that. Last year was pretty much the same where it had explosive growth around this time. I am not doing anything to keep the roots in one area, but below 6 inches we have all clay here and I dont think the hops are going to grow through that. (It bent a pickaxe it was so hard of clay)