Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[Sandimas]

Actually been a poor growing year, my chillies were rubbish too.

That mirrors our 2023 summer here in the UK, both my hops and chillies were poor. In fact, I've been growing chillis for almost 20 years and there was just no heat in any of them last summer, I guess it was the lack of sunlight: was warm enough, just cloudy nearly every day. 2024 seems to be going the same way

 

[531Man]

2023 was only my first hop growing season here in Kent so I restricted growth to 1 bine per rootstock.
Enough for 2 brews 18L each, late additions only.
2024 and the shoots are showing from the ground up to 5cm so far on all 3 plantings.
They are all the dwarf Prima Donna so this year I think I'll just let'em rip and see what happens.
Our chillies 2023 crop was down, but as hot as ever (mini greenhouse, SW facing small walled garden). Tabasco variety.

 

[sifty]

Commercial brewers here using green hops (ie undried) work on adding 7x what they would use of dried hops, in the US they seem to work on 5-6x, either way - there's a lot of water in them.

Also to my eyes they look a touch under-ripe in your photo.

Yeah I'm not organised for a green hop brew so threw some in the dehydrator at 35 degs last night, will do them in batches, vacuum pack and freeze.
Regards being ready, there was a lot of brown tips not apparent in the photos, they were papery to the touch, and popped off the plant in one piece with no stalks. So I 'think' that's about right?

 

[sifty]

That mirrors our 2023 summer here in the UK, both my hops and chillies were poor. In fact, I've been growing chillis for almost 20 years and there was just no heat in any of them last summer, I guess it was the lack of sunlight: was warm enough, just cloudy nearly every day. 2024 seems to be going the same way

They are great companion plants...
And yes think it was the mixed weather, had some hot days but a lot of cold spells in between, and rain was either none for days/weeks or torrents.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Yeah I'm not organised for a green hop brew so threw some in the dehydrator at 35 degs last night, will do them in batches, vacuum pack and freeze.
Regards being ready, there was a lot of brown tips not apparent in the photos, they were papery to the touch, and popped off the plant in one piece with no stalks. So I 'think' that's about right?

Fair enough, sounds about right, it was just a thought based on the flavour comment. I don't know if it's the photos but both cones and leaves look rather pale, they could perhaps benefit from some nitrogen??

 

[sifty]

Ah good point, they probably could. I pretty much left them alone this year, previous years I've fed them manure, compost and flower fertiliser. Given the rate they grow no doubt the soil is a bit depleted...

 

[531Man]

Ah good point, they probably could. I pretty much left them alone this year, previous years I've fed them manure, compost and flower fertiliser. Given the rate they grow no doubt the soil is a bit depleted...

That reminds me, I had better get some on mine pronto!

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Maybe a couple of weeks later than ideal but I finally got my twine up ready for this years crop of Centenial and Fuggles. Ignore the hazelnut tree in the foreground.

 

[Nucbrewer]

How many plants do you have? only my cascade is showing any sign of life at the moment.

 

[Sandimas]

only my cascade is showing any sign of life at the moment.

No sign of my Cascade yet which is a bit worrying, although they do grow at different rates : my Challenger is about 2ft high but the clear winner so far is these Styrian Goldings, they look about 5ft high, could reach the top of the support by the end of the month.

Edit: just found the Cascade, only about 2 inches out of the soil.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Something to watch out for after this warm winter is spring dormancy, where they germinate but when they reach the surface realise that the day length is all wrong and so shut down for a few weeks and end up a few weeks behind which then affects total yields. Bramling Cross is notorious for it, but all the Golding family suffer from it to some extent. It's worse when it's warm and dry, so the wet could have saved them.

 

[Sandimas]

Last year was interesting and probably the worst year so far for me: the Styrian Goldings & Challenger had a nice early growth spurt but the dry spell in late Spring made them all shrivel up. They recovered to a degree, but the Cascade had a more linear growth and was the best in 2023, conversely the Challenger was best in 2022.

So far this year has seen more linear growth with them all, albeit a bit slow due to the cloud / temp / amount of rain. Will be interesting to see which hop is best this year.

 

[531Man]

My Prima Donna #1.
Getting away nicely.
On a different wall #2 has one shoot similar, with other shoots some way behind but still leafing up.
#3 on that same SE wall as #2, but shoots have that stunted look as described with no leaves spreading, even the 150mm high one. .
It is more shaded, and its roots may be fighting lilles.
Perhaps it needs to be transplanted elsewhere.
There's certainly been no shortage of ground water this Spring!

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

How many plants do you have? only my cascade is showing any sign of life at the moment.

I planted one each of Fuggles and Centenial three years ago. This is their fourth season. Fuggle is rampant in comparison to the Centenial.

 

[Sandimas]

End of April and the Styrian Goldings are the clear winners, already at the top of the supports

Challenger are playing catch-up but are now on the go

Cascade are barely out of the soil and not even onto the supports yet :-( Been a very dull/cold spring so maybe that's the reason?

Be interesting how they all turn out. Last year was similar but the Styrian's early growth was it's downfall, the late Spring drought made it shrivel up and it never recovered, the slower-growing Cascade actually turned out the best crop.

 

[Sandimas]

On Sunday I found a rogue Challenger rhizone so re-planted it on the opposite side of the path where the other end of the arch support structure is. In 48hrs it's grown enough to almost reach the support bines. Happy days - more free hops

 

[531Man]

On Sunday I found a rogue Challenger rhizone so re-planted it on the opposite side of the path where the other end of the arch support structure is. In 48hrs it's grown enough to almost reach the support bines. Happy days - more free hops

View attachment 99184

Like the man ( @Northern_Brewer ) said. In paraphrase, 'In essence, hops are weeds'.
Give them a chance and they'll take over the (temperate) world.
Good luck with the new Challenger.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

We've only got 45 days to go until midsummer's day which is the traditional time they reach the top of the wirework, although in reality it seems to be a couple of weeks after that. My Amos Early Bird (Golding clone) only unfurled its first leaf a couple of days ago (slight spring dormancy effect?), so it's got to grow at 5" per day until 21st June - truly it's crazy how fast they grow in late May/early June.

 

[Cwrw666]

Hop garden sorted out. Left to right, prima Donna and 2 cascades. A redsel eastwell (or something like that) plus challenger and progress.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

A redsel eastwell (or something like that) plus challenger and progress.

https://essentiallyhops.co.uk/product/hops/grow-your-own-hops/redsells-eastwell/
Redsell's Eastwell is a Golding selection made at Tony Redsell’s (a local grower) farm in 1988 when Wye College was trying to find viroid free stock of all varieties.

Eastwell is one of the classic Golding clones. Tony Redsell is the doyen of East Kent hop growers, he was the main man behind getting East Kent Goldings recognised as a geographical indication like Parma ham or Champagne.

I was in a commercial garden at the weekend and it was really noticeable how the Fuggles were already ~5' up the strings but the Goldings had bushed out at the bottom but hadn't really got going up the string.