Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[jceg316]

My hops growing in Kent aren't appearing yet. I think the temperature is warmer in London hence the shoots.

@dan125 are those first or second shoots?

 

[dan125]

My hops growing in Kent aren't appearing yet. I think the temperature is warmer in London hence the shoots.

@dan125 are those first or second shoots?

First shoots (I think) - there must have been about 30 shoots in total coming up and I just left the biggest ones.
Should I be getting rid of all of these and waiting for a 2nd lot to come up ???

 

[jceg316]

First shoots (I think) - there must have been about 30 shoots in total coming up and I just left the biggest ones.
Should I be getting rid of all of these and waiting for a 2nd lot to come up ???

I've read growers are supposed to chop all back, let the second shoots come through and only grow 3 or 4 shoots (which is what I do). I've also read growers are supposed chop all but 3 or 4 shoots back from the first set. I'd imagine both work out fine. I choose to do the former because I read the second set of shoots grow stronger.

 

[foxbat]

My hops are having a barnstorming year so far. This is the single EKG plant. it must be 5 metres already and actually looks like a thick hedge.

(It's in the ground not in one of those pots)

That's a fuggle on the left. Not nearly as massive as the EKG but still doing very well.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Try to find what it is ?????

 

[GerritT]

Taurus and Target a few days ago. Willamette didn't make it

 

[dan125]

My cascade has gone like the clappers this year

 

[prog99]

My Wye Challenger in its 1st year is reaching the end of the bamboo (6ftish). Never expected this in less than sunny Edinburgh but it clearly likes something. Need to think what I can rig up next to continue its quest to take over the garden.

 

[prog99]

I'll add a photo at some point but have constructed an extension with more poles and gaffer tape. It better not out grow this now.

 

[Dutto]

Year Two on my Prima Donna (a dwarf variety) in France.

Last year it didn't produce any flowers, got eaten by something (rabbits and insects?) and I think that the exposure to the sun had a detrimental effect

This year I have protected the six suckers it has produced with a surround, put in the angled frame to ward off the sun and sprayed it a couple of times with anti-insect spray; so maybe, with four to five months before I expect to recover any flowers, by September/October it will be thriving.

Here's hoping!

 

[Honk]

Also in year 2 prima Donna (in pot) and EKG (sail mast) last year just had enough to late hop one brew, reckon i should get a few this year.

 

[BillyD]

I saw a post on here where someone was selling some rhizomes so thought I'd have a go growing in pots. Initially made some Heath Robinson bamboo cane structures but the winds in April put paid to them so when 'er indoors said the kid's swing needed to go I hatched a cunning plan.

Had a bit of trouble with a caterpillar at one stage but there's a lots of side bines growing now and I don't know whether I should just let everything grow this first year and just take off the bottom 12 inches of leaves ?

Length/height wise it's the dwarf variety that has gone furthest whereas the normal one started loads of sideways stuff. It is a bit shady and the north-west is more known for rain than sun but it gives me something extra to do.

And yes I do know the grass needs cutting!

 

[Hoppy]

Hi All,
Apologies if some of this has been covered, I've only scanned the thread.
Commercially, the longest day of the year, about a week's time, is when the hops reach their limit on wirework, any further growth blocks light and reduces yield, just take this into account if your bines are getting less sunlight lower down, let the light in and they yield (existing cones develop better) further down.
jceg316
With regard to cutting back hops at the beginning of the season, this is done to prevent the above occurring, so the hops reach the top on the longest day (give or take a week depending on variety). If you have a mild winter, hops can get off too early and need cutting back. This year, the cold lasted quite late into the year, therefore was not needed as the hops were held back. if the second shoots came back stronger, growers would have the issue of sunlight mentioned above. What you say about training only 4 bines is good for this reason, if the plant becomes too bushy, yield suffers because of sunlight issues.

I also notice that your comments about US hops seem to be behind UK varieties, they do come on song later, as the growing season is longer in the US, therefore when grown in the UK, should be picked late September (last week), at the roughly same time as Target, UK commercially grown US hops have replaced some Target acreage, as it fits in with their picking window.
Hope this helps
BR
Hoppy

 

[gar]

prima donna. dwarf first gold. 2nd year. It's a bit puny.

 

[Dutto]

Can't agree more that "This year, the cold lasted quite late into the year ..."

Here's a photo of our bit of land (looking to the North) on the 29th March. The Prima Donna is up against the fence at the bottom of the garden and faces due south to get the most of the sun.

After a slow start on Year Two, it made great progress once it kicked off but as the heat can get quite fierce during June/July/August I have shaded the bottom half to maintain a bit of moisture around the roots. Here's hoping that it survives without too much depredation by insects and animals as it will get no attention before September!

 

[dan125]

Commercially, the longest day of the year, about a week's time, is when the hops reach their limit on wirework, any further growth blocks light and reduces yield, just take this into account if your bines are getting less sunlight lower down, let the light in and they yield (existing cones develop better) further down.

My plant has grown super bushy lower down, and I've cut back lots of side shoots to keep it under control. Should I be cutting out some of the large old leaves to let a bit of light in?
:cheers7:

 

[Hoppy]

Only if you have cones developing in the shaded area.

 

[dan125]

So my lovely big cascade has been decimated by insects/lavae
Does anyone know if these weird bugs are the cause of the problem or if they are helping like I presume the ladybirds are??
Also any advice about how to avoid the same happening next year would be much appreciated.

 

[Dutto]

Last year was "Year One" for my Prima Donna Plant. It looked great for a few weeks, contracted what looked like a disease after about six weeks and was decimated over the summer. It produced zero hop flowers.

This year, it looked as dead as a dodo until mid-April and then it came shooting up out of the soil and produced about 8 suckers. I immediately sprayed its leaves with an insecticide every week for the first two months and left it to its own devices at the start of June. I won't get back to take a look at how it's getting on until September at the earliest.

With regard to the above, that looks okay and I particularly like the optimism that the bug is beneficial!

There seems to be two lines of thought with regard to the cultivation of Hop Plants:

1. With careful planting, training, pruning and nurturing the hop plant can survive and produce hop flowers.
2. It is a weed that will grow anywhere and produce hop flowers after a few years.

Personally, I live in hope that number 2. is the true explanation! :thumb:

PS

This morning we were moving some old photographs around when SWMBO, noticing the one of the Prima Donna taken at the beginning of June, said "You'll be lucky if that's still there when we get back in September!"

An optimistic soul who really gets behind my brewing activities is SWMBO!

 

[BillyD]

I've been having a few problems with caterpillars and then this week one of the plants (I can't remember which variety it is) is covered with summat. I've just doused it with garlic spray and will keep an eye on it, these are first year plants and I'm just letting them do their own thing by and large.