Winterization

[Cubslover]

I know it's best to cut them back and cover the base, but does anyone here do anything else to their plants before winter hits?

I cover mine with a couple inches of compost followed by a couple inches of mulch and finally two burlap sacks folded twice and staked down over the rhizomes.

Does anyone throw some mild fertilizer down in the late fall before doing this?

Also, one of my plants died back shortly after harvest, should I order a new rhizome to take its place or do you think it's ok? (Chinook)

 

[solbes]

I throw a bag of composted manure over each hop mound in late fall. Other than that I have not done anything. This in northern Minnesota where it got to -45F once last winter, so I know they are plenty hardy.

 

[DarkCoder]

Also, one of my plants died back shortly after harvest, should I order a new rhizome to take its place or do you think it's ok? (Chinook)

Hops is an incredible plant. One of my first year Chinook rhizome "died" (so I thought) last year in June. It had only 1 foot of growth when it "died". This year in May, I had a little surprise... the Chinook throw 1 bine. The little lady went asleep for almost 1 year, with only 1 month of growth on her first year. Nice Sleeping Beauty story, hey ?!?

If you are really worried, dig gently with your hands around where the bines were coming out of the ground, you should already see next year's buds on the crown.

 

[Cubslover]

Hops is an incredible plant. One of my first year Chinook rhizome "died" (so I thought) last year in June. It had only 1 foot of growth when it "died". This year in May, I had a little surprise... the Chinook throw 1 bine. The little lady went asleep for almost 1 year, with only 1 month of growth on her first year. Nice Sleeping Beauty story, hey ?!?

If you are really worried, dig gently with your hands around where the bines were coming out of the ground, you should already see next year's buds on the crown.

Thanks, no worries, just wondering.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

I put a nice ammount of mulch and packed it down a bit then put a slab of stone over it..that should work right?

 

[Cubslover]

If imagine so.

I put 8" of mulch down, followed by a burlap sack stapled to the ground and a landscape stone on the top.

The base of my hops had buds all over.