Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[jceg316]

When do you think it's a good idea to split the rhizomes?

 

[johnnyboy1965]

When do you think it's a good idea to split the rhizomes?

How old are they?
Are they planted in the ground or in pots?

 

[jceg316]

How old are they?
Are they planted in the ground or in pots?

They are in the ground, 3+ years old.

 

[Cwrw666]

Its time to give your hop plants a little TLC. You should have, by now harvested
and cut down leaving a short stub. Pile the tops high with any organic matter, well rotted horse manure is best but anything organic to keep them cosy during the winter.

I'd better get on with that then - I didn't cut my vines down when I harvested the hops, on the grounds that it would do the plants good to be able to reabsorb nutrients from the leaves as they died in the autumn.

As for brews - I only got enough (cascade) to do the 0 minute addition for a 23L brew of IPA. Which I did. Tasted good when I barrelled it but haven't tried the conditioned stuff yet. Also glad I made a brew so soon after harvesting as I had 10g left over and they all went brown and moldy despite being crispy dry when I bagged them. Think I'll freeze them after drying next year.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

They are in the ground, 3+ years old.

3+ years is a good time to lift and divide. Early spring is the best time to do this. It should be done just as the new shoots are breaking the surface of the soil. There is a way of "forcing" the shoots to grow, its very simple and very cheap.
Get a builders bucket (99p, from Homebase/B+Q/Wickes) and drill a hole about 6 inches wide in the bottom. Place this over the crown of the bine

 

[terrym]

I have two new Prima Donna rhizomes planted in late January in large pots which are currently on my south facing patio near to the house. I have just noticed the first shoot poking through in one pot.
So maybe others in the south of England may have the same.
Time to check perhaps!!

 

[Honk]

I had 3 shoots up on my EKG a few weeks ago before the snow, I covered them with a cut up coke bottle and as far as I can tell they are still ok. Didn't get anything off this plant in its first year but hopefully will this.

 

[Honk]

Just noticed that my other hop plant (prima Donna) now in its second year has got 14 shoots emerging and snow forecast for tonight. Have put a cloche? Over it but am I right in thinking I should thin these shoots out to about 3?

 

[IainM]

I've also got some shoots from my EKG. Never grown anything before in my life, apart from when I was six and grew some cress in a cup with some kitchen paper in it. Should I cover them up to brace for the cold weather this weekend? When do I need to give them something to climb?

 

[Honk]

Hops are pretty hardy once established but I'd recommend you try and protect it from the frosts / snow especially if it's a new plant. I will probably give mine something to climb in a few weeks once it starts to warm up a bit.

 

[sdt7618]

I take it you guys are all much futher south!! we don't get anything growing here for another month!!

Going to use cheap para cord this year to build my trellis work, use garden twine last year and to be fair about half snapped with the weight of the hop plants once the got to full size

 

[marlon]

Only one of my 3 rhyzomes has shoots at mo - and l'm in east Kent - but once it warms up they'll start growing fast. I plan to give them strings to climb next month.

 

[Dutto]

Remember this from mid-November last year?

I'm afraid that my Prima Donna has been left to her own devices. After taking the photograph I cut her back to stumps, disentangles the hops from the trellis and covered everything with a layer of compost.

The lad that cuts the grass for us sent this photograph a month ago. If you zoom in to maximum and look at the fence to the left of the trailer hitch, you will see that either A) A huge weed has taken over the fence to the left hand side of the trellis or B) The Prima Donna has kicked off big-time and is trying to climb the fence!

Knowing my luck, in about ten days time I will be cutting down a big weed and searching for the remains of a hop rhizome that had almost become a member of the family! :thumb:

 

[AdrianTrace]

My Prima Donna has several 1" shoots, all burnt brown by last week's snow. But being a voracious weed, I trust it to recover completely :thumb:

This is the same rhizome that spent 2 years in a 4" pot at the end of the inlaws garden with no care, but has now filled a 2 foot tub. It's nearly as hard to kill as bindweed

 

[jceg316]

I split a couple of rhizomes. My fuggles is huge so I've taken a big cutting and planted it at my wife's farm along with my cascade. I tried to take a cutting of a Chinook at my inlaw's but not sure I took enough. On both the fuggles and Cascade I noticed shoots appearing, this was late Feb.

 

[terrym]

My second rhizome has today produced a shoot. However I have covered both pots to protect them from the cold weather forecast for the next few days, based on this I found on tinterweb today...the new sprouts in spring are very sensitive to frost, however, and can be killed if frozen overnight. Seemed like a good idea :thumb:

 

[Godsdog]

Just covered all mine with dead leaf mulch to protect them until the warmer weather kicks in

 

[jceg316]

Has anyone cut their first shoots yet? My fuggles and Saaz are looking like they're ready where as my Cascade is still a bit small.

 

[sdt7618]

All four of mine now have tiny first shoots. Just going to let them on with it. Will get the strings up in a few weeks or so.

Limiting each plant to two vines this year. 3 was to much and made a complete mess of the string works after that got going.

 

[dan125]

I cut off loads of shoots on my 2nd yr cascade plant at the w/e with the biggest shoot at about 1ft tall
Its only one plant but spread alot last year and I've left three clumps of 3 shoots to go up the 3 strings I have.
I don't really know what I'm doing with this as i just let it go last year. Thinking I should maybe take more off now - what do you think??