Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[chrissyr63]

Thanks Terry - yes was thinking of alternating with miracle gro.
seems odd you stop feeding when the burrs (assume the flowers) start when with tomatoes I think you start feeding when they appear. Not that I'm a gardening (well I am but a not a good one!).

 

[terrym]

seems odd you stop feeding when the burrs (assume the flowers) start when with tomatoes I think you start feeding when they appear. Not that I'm a gardening (well I am but a not a good one!).

If you Google hop burr images you will see what to look for. Burrs slowly turn into cones.
And you are right. I don't start feeding my toms until the first trusses have set.

 

[chrissyr63]

First site I found started with
"Growing hops is one of the hardest crop choices in farming"

as I said not the best gardener - more a plant and hope for the best approach!

 

[terrym]

My two 2 year old Prima Donna (First Gold) hop plants growing in 20+ litre pots took a bit of a bashing on Saturday last when temperatures went above 30*C and we went out for the day, even though they are not in full sun all day. Although I water them most days when it hasn't rained and watered them on Friday evening I clearly hadn't given them enough, for when I had a look on Sunday morning both plants had withered, some of the leaves were burned, others were going yellow, some of the smaller secondaries had dried up and in general both plants looked in poor shape, one worse than the other. I actually thought I had lost them. Anyway the pots had a good drenching , and over the day they picked up with leading bines lifting up again. Subsequently I have watered more frequently. However more leaves are now going yellow and I think I could lose about half of them. The big lesson for me is to water more frequently, especially when its hot.
The good news is that I think new shoots are growing out of secondaries which I thought I had lost, although any hop yield I get may now be down, time will tell on that.
Anyone else with a similar experience?

PS Should add that these are dwarf hop type typically growing to 3 m max. However they are both about 4 m long, although 2 metres of that is horizontal, and therefore maybe bigger than they are supposed to be. Maybe that's one reason they struggle in the heat, given they are also in pots.

 

[Dutto]

My two 2 year old Prima Donna (First Gold) ............. both plants had withered, some of the leaves were burned, others were going yellow, ..........

I saw some photographs of Prima Donna Hops where towards the end of the season the leaves had yellowed to an extent where I would have thought they were dead or diseased! It's not the site I was looking at but check out the RHS colour descriptions.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/162460/Humulus-lupulus-Prima-Donna/Details

Maybe that's why they have the name "First Gold" because they are prone to be the first hop plant to change colour ...

... or maybe yours were just a lot thirsty!

PS
I'm wondering and more than a little concerned, about how my own little Prima Donna is coping with the +40*C temperatures that have been found in France! My only hope is that because it is at the bottom of the land it will get enough water to survive!

 

[terrym]

@Dutto .
Thanks for that.
That's very useful to know.
I think my virtually overnight leaf yellowing is more a sign of a few hours dehydration. I have to say I thought hop plants were supposed to be more resilient than this. Even potted tomato plants can seriously wilt if the roots dry out a little, but will fully recover within an hour or two of watering.

 

[dan125]

My hops in the ground are looking pretty good despite not being watered at all and the neighbour's weedkilling efforts (think I'd mixed it too dilute)
Had to cut back loads of new and side shoots to stop it getting too bushy - no sign of any actual hops yet though
Beagle and lurcher's arse for scale

 

[gar]

Hi Terry. I've the same type and age plants. And pretty much the same has happened to mine.
No hops last year and looking like a repeat performance this year...

 

[terrym]

Hi Terry. I've the same type and age plants. And pretty much the same has happened to mine.
No hops last year and looking like a repeat performance this year...

Oh! Not good to hear.
However I did get about 70/80g of dried hops last year and was hoping for more this year, until this happened.

 

[Pinter]

My prima Donna is in year 3 & it had this last year - thought it had died, but it grew again towards the end of the season - no hops though. This year it's struggling again. Not sure what it is, there were aphids & black fly & there's always and all over it (farming aphids). I've been watering it fairly regularly. It has a few side shoots so there is some hope

 

[terrym]

My prima Donna is in year 3 & it had this last year - thought it had died, but it grew again towards the end of the season - no hops though. This year it's struggling again. Not sure what it is, there were aphids & black fly & there's always and all over it (farming aphids). I've been watering it fairly regularly. It has a few side shoots so there is some hope

I've got some aphids but the ladybird nymphs are keeping them down. I removed more yellow/brown leaves today. However still some green leaves left and both plants have short healthy shoots at soil level although I intend to remove them. Also many tiny new shoots emerging higher up the bines. Less hopeful about getting a reasonable crop of hops though.

 

[Honk]

My Prima Donna is much the same, it was neglected last year and I got no hops but have been watering more regularly this year, looks healthier near the top so I'm hoping for a few.

 

[user 18729]

First attempt at growing hops this year. Planted Goldings and Challenger rhizomes in April. They’re a good 10 feet now and not slowing down. Would be nice to see a few cones in a few weeks but we will see!

 

[Cwrw666]

Isn't it a bit early to be getting any signs of cones yet - pretty sure it was well into August last year before I got anything showing.

 

[user 18729]

Isn't it a bit early to be getting any signs of cones yet - pretty sure it was well into August last year before I got anything showing.

August is just a few weeks away

 

[terrym]

Isn't it a bit early to be getting any signs of cones yet - pretty sure it was well into August last year before I got anything showing.

+1 on that
Last year (and my only year so far) I got the first burrs appearing early July and these changed into cones in August which I then picked in early/mid September. Burrs continued to appear well into August but they didn't come to much.

 

[dan125]

Just spotted this whilst pruning yet more side shoots out - the only one so far mind you

 

[terrym]

Just spotted this whilst pruning yet more side shoots out - the only one so far mind you

I think I'm jealous

 

[dan125]

I think I'm jealous

Already looking forward to this year's green hop brew, even if it just just a singular green hop

 

[user 18729]

Looking promising to me. Fingers crossed