When flowers turn to cones.

[trevorc13]

I have a bunch of flowers on my cascades right now and the burrs are looking like they're turning brown. I hope they're not dying. Is this normal when the flowers turn to cones, or is it an issue to deal with?

 

[cram]

Yikes. that doesn't look promising for those burrs. Has it been super hot there? Looks to me like they got burned. Has your watering schedule changed? Also, depending on the variety, most often those burrs usually are attached to longer side arms (or laterals) in which there would be more burrs forming. My guess is those are going to wither away and fall off before they turn to hops--hopefully, I am wrong.

 

[trevorc13]

Damn! Um...2nd opinion anyone? It has been really hot the last few days. About 1/4 to 1/2 are like this. I water about every other day. They're container hops.

 

[damdaman]

I'm not sure about the potential problems of discoloration, but containers can easily get root-bound, which prevents water from penetrating deep into the soil. When you water, the surface appears to get wet, but a surface crust + bound roots can lead to most of the water sliding down the sides of the pots and out the drainage holes.

 

[trevorc13]

These are 1st year hops so I'm not sure how easily it would get root bound. The rest of the plant looks good for the most part.

 

[damdaman]

You might be surprised. Unfortunately the only way to find out that I know of is to examine the soil on the bottom of the pot, and see how dry it is. This risks damaging the roots as you dig down, obviously.

 

[bruin_ale]

this is my first year getting a harvest.. none of my flowers browned like that before forming cones. I would say it doesn't look good for those ones, but I'm not exactly an expert either.

 

[Phunhog]

I had a few cones do that on my Cascade...mainly on the lower 1/3 of the plant. The hops on top though are HUGE and healthy

 

[trevorc13]

I had a few cones do that on my Cascade...mainly on the lower 1/3 of the plant. The hops on top though are HUGE and healthy

Sounds like mine. What happened with your burnt hops?

 

[Phunhog]

Sounds like mine. What happened with your burnt hops?

They just kinda withered away. Like I said the rest of the plant is doing great so I never worried about it.

 

[trevorc13]

Looks like the burnt "hairs" are disappearing and the cones beneath are showing up! I was hoping that would happen. A few cones died off but i have a good feeling about the rest.