Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[sifty]

Picked some yesterday.

I'll try to knock a brew out asap, I've put around 300g into a Tupperware container in the fridge for that, looking at a Best Bitter as they're mainly Fuggle.

For some reason the Cascade cones look very similar to the Fuggles this year, they were noticably different last year. Leaving them to their own devices has made things difficult, I trained the bines last year so was easy to pick and label the different varieties. Lesson learnt...

 

[sifty]

And because they're mixed, I won't bother dehydrating and bagging them. I just vacuum packed them in 250g batches and bunged them in the freezer. Not sure this is the best method but I've still got heaps in the freezer from last year.
Think they'll be ok for experimental earthy, floral brews chucked in wet, although the unknown properties bothers my methodical mindset...

 

[531Man]

I known what you mean @sifty
But they're good looking hops, so bung them in late stage and just enjoy.
Remember they're wet hops, so somewhere between 5 and 7 X normal dry hop weight.

 

[531Man]

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!!

I was scrolling through this thread and found this your old posting.
My exact same post was made on 15th March 2023 (ie a week ago) also my first year of growing Prima Donna /First Gold.
I put up my 1st plant's stringing yesterday.

The other 2 (which are bud sprouting a little behind) will have to wait until the weather is a bit dryer.
Fair-weather gardening only for me.
ps I read on here about over winter clamping over.
Oops I thought, I had the died-back bine stems from Autumn growth totally exposed, but they seem fine with multiple little shoots showing at the bases.
And we did have continous days of proper frosts here.
I think we would do well not agonise overly and remember, hops are a weed.
Life will find a way!
Speaking of which I will have to watch out for invading little beasties, if accounts on here are anything to go by.

 

[531Man]

Oh, wires and jute netting will go up later, the initial stringing takes precedence.

 

[SMP Brewery]

As this is year one for mine and I have 3 growing for example on my Cascade, is it the strongest 2 I keep and cut anything else back?

 

[531Man]

As this is year one for mine and I have 3 growing for example on my Cascade, is it the strongest 2 I keep and cut anything else back?


View attachment 83744

I have a similar quandry.
From what I have read, those strongest growing bine shoots may be 'bull bines' and should be cut back.
As a guide I believe bull bines are hollow and weaker and more prone to breakage, have a much larger gap between leaf pairs, the stems may be redder in colour, and later produce fewer hops.
Any more knowledgeable input would be appreciated here.

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

I'm a bit concerned that after a good first year mine haven't even come out of the ground yet.

 

[Sandimas]

I'm a bit concerned that after a good first year mine haven't even come out of the ground yet.

Don't worry, everything is really late this year - only 1 of my 3 hops is poking through yet.

We had hardly any sunshine in March with all the rain, even the grass hasn't grown: first time I can ever remember not cutting the grass is March. And all the other plants and veg are well behind.

 

[531Man]

Sorry, LRB, perhaps they're a little tired after last year's efforts.
Are they covered by a deep mound?
Maybe the shoots have just not broken cover yet.

This reply from @sifty on bull bine identification last autumn:

I just go by the frequency of leaves. The first shoots are long and vigorous climbers but only have leaves every 200mm or so. Later ones are much more 'leafy' so will produce more flowers.
I have 2 Fuggle plants on the outside and a Cascade in between them so cannot really go by colour. The Fuggles are purple while Cascade are green. Luckily the hops are very different in appearance so no problem separating them at harvest...

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

Sorry, LRB, perhaps they're a little tired after last year's efforts.
Are they covered by a deep mound?
Maybe the shoots have just not broken cover yet.

This reply from @sifty on bull bine identification last autumn:

I just go by the frequency of leaves. The first shoots are long and vigorous climbers but only have leaves every 200mm or so. Later ones are much more 'leafy' so will produce more flowers.
I have 2 Fuggle plants on the outside and a Cascade in between them so cannot really go by colour. The Fuggles are purple while Cascade are green. Luckily the hops are very different in appearance so no problem separating them at harvest...

Mine are in big pots, cut down water barrels, and they had settled a lot so I topped up with compost and seaweed (as fertilizer) last year.
Hopefully they are just working their way up through it!

 

[sifty]

Luckily the hops are very different in appearance so no problem separating them at harvest...

Ha. Was the case last season (the Fuggles were much 'tighter' and sort of rounded, while the Cascade were more pointed and 'looser'). This year was much harder to differentiate...

 

[prog99]

I'm a bit concerned that after a good first year mine haven't even come out of the ground yet.

Mine are out(2nd year) and I’m in the north of scotland

 

[sifty]

The 'Wild About Hops' website is a great resource for hop information. Growing, harvesting and winter care guides, plus recipes etc...

https://www.wildabouthops.nz/hop_resource_guides.html
It's NZ based so you may have to reverse the seasons...

 

[SMP Brewery]

For us first years this looks the required paragraph.

• In newly planted hop yards, the growth that first appears is a cause for celebration. New growers have a tendency to let every shoot grow and climb. The first bines that appear from the hop crown are usually strong and vigorous bull canes. They will produce hops but will not be as productive as the next bines to emerge so the best practise is to lay these bull canes flat on the ground. What you are looking for are bines with the leaf nodes at the minimum distance apart (use the bull canes you laid on the ground to compare the new bines internodal distance). The reason for this is the hop flowers which become hop cones are borne on laterals that emerge at the leaf nodes. The more leaf nodes on a bine the more hop cones. Select two or three of the most productive bines and wrap them clockwise around your support system. The support system can be a strings attached to a trellis, a tall pole, or any structure that will provide height.

 

[531Man]

For us first years this looks the required paragraph.

• In newly planted hop yards, the growth that first appears is a cause for celebration. New growers have a tendency to let every shoot grow and climb. The first bines that appear from the hop crown are usually strong and vigorous bull canes. They will produce hops but will not be as productive as the next bines to emerge so the best practise is to lay these bull canes flat on the ground. What you are looking for are bines with the leaf nodes at the minimum distance apart (use the bull canes you laid on the ground to compare the new bines internodal distance). The reason for this is the hop flowers which become hop cones are borne on laterals that emerge at the leaf nodes. The more leaf nodes on a bine the more hop cones. Select two or three of the most productive bines and wrap them clockwise around your support system. The support system can be a strings attached to a trellis, a tall pole, or any structure that will provide height.

Thanks @SMP Brewery , that's exactly the helpful information that we newbie hop growers need.

Re. the bit about 'clockwise'.
I always struggle with that kind of advice, so observed last autumn's natural growth of about 1metre for my 3 newly planted hop plants.
The 'clockwise' winding around the string/pole is from our perspective looking at the bine from above;
Not as observed from below i.e. from the perspective of the plant where it would appear to be counter clockwise.
Try getting your heads around that if you can.

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

Thanks @SMP Brewery , that's exactly the helpful information that we newbie hop growers need.

Re. the bit about 'clockwise'.
I always struggle with that kind of advice, so observed last autumn's natural growth of about 1metre for my 3 newly planted hop plants.
The 'clockwise' winding around the string/pole is from our perspective looking at the bine from above;
Not as observed from below i.e. from the perspective of the plant where it would appear to be counter clockwise.
Try getting your heads around that if you can.

On this matter, is it true that they grow anti clockwise in the Southern hemisphere?

 

[sifty]

I just checked...
Took a snap of my withering plants to confirm...

Seems counter-intuitive as I imagined they followed the sun, which goes from left to right in this pic...

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

I'm a little disappointed in this.

 

[531Man]

On this matter, is it true that they grow anti clockwise in the Southern hemisphere?

That's only if they are N. hemisphere bred varieties, the shoots would grow down into the soil, with their roots in the air.
Then they would look like Boabab trees.
Makes harvesting hops a little tricky; Commercial growers would have to have bring in peanut harvesting equipment, I suppose.
That's why the breed their own varieties down under.