Hop Rhizomes - What Next?

[Aleman]

Ok some people may have received a small jiffy bag with some dirty twigs in it. . . . What do you do now.

What I've done with mine is to put them in 6" pots covered with moist John Innes No.3 (one per pot). The pots have gone into a plastic box sat on some straw (or use bubble wrap etc), and I have then covered then with straw and bubble wrap to protect them from the frost . . . I'll leave them like that until March when I will put them outside. When there is evidence of growth, then they will get planted out in the final positions . . . Which gives me the chance to dig a lot of horse sh!t into the bed.

Alternatively you can plant then out directly into the soil . . . I'd go for about 4 inches deep, and cover the soil with a good layer of straw for frost protection. . . The only real issue would be water logging if your soil is not free draining.

For the time being you need to dig a lot of organic matter in the soil, fuggles grows rampant and needs a lot of nutrients to support that.

 

[shaunsbrew]

thanks for the tips hope i can grow them where indoors do you keep them untill march and do i need to water each week etc

 

[highwayman]

Thanks for the update Aleman :thumb: I am going to pot mine tomorrow. Can they go into the Greenhouse for winter? No heating though :hmm:

 

[Wez]

Royal Fail are still playing football with mine

 

[evanvine]

Just stick em in the ground withh 2" cover and forget them.
You may in a couple of years wish you'd never dunit.

 

[Aleman]

EV is right, Fuggles is a bit rampant . . . at the moment with all the rain round here mine would be swimming, and I'm not really happy recommending to put new root cuttings in waterlogged soil . . . but I am sure that the method would work fine.

My cuttings are in a plastic box in a corner of the shed, so an unheated greenhouse would be fine, as would anywhere outside out of the rain. As long as the soil in the pots is moist there is no need to water . . . in fact I would try an avoid it if at all possible, to try and avoid the roots rotting from sitting in waterlogged soil.

 

[corby_brewer]

Mine arrived this morning :party:

 

[evanvine]

In a hop growing establishment the hop plants are planted in mounds about 450mm high and 1500mm diameter to enable drainage so as the rhizomes don’t rot.
The major draw back to a good crop is however rain on the leaves, burrs and cones.
Hence good and bad years!
The roots them selves can go down 10 meters.
The top dressing of mulch is really only to keep the mound from drying out.
As regards feeding, a lot of sources recommend this, yet I’ve never seen convolvulus (Bindweed) struggle!

 

[shaunsbrew]

mine arrived today in perfect condition :thumb: thanks again tony

 

[Wez]

Got mine today cheers :thumb:

 

[markp]

Received mine also Aleman.....many thanks :thumb:

They will be fine as has been described. You just need to stop them drying out or freezing.
If you can; when planting out, I would advise putting it in a raised bed......I have prepared one especially for the task. This will confine the plant to some degree and you know exactly where it is.

If you plant in open ground....do not rotivate the area when the plant dies back next autumn. If you do, you will end up with a hop jungle from all the cut up rhizomes :lol:
Someone I know did just that with a comfrey patch once :whistle:

 

[Muddydisco]

Spent the morning getting my ground ready for my lovely fuggles and others
Put down a ton of horse muck Literally, had two 1 ton bags full of the stuff in my van it's stinks now!
Next weekend another load will be collected for the rhubarb, rasberry's and black currants might as well get it while I can.

Next will be the contruction of the hop frame that will be a post of it's own

Thanks aleman :thumb:

 

[corby_brewer]

rhubarb, rasberry's and black currants

Does that mean you could be making some wine in the future then mate?

 

[Wez]

Spent the morning getting my ground ready for my lovely fuggles and others
Put down a ton of horse muck Literally, had two 1 ton bags full of the stuff in my van it's stinks now!
Next weekend another load will be collected for the rhubarb, rasberry's and black currants might as well get it while I can.

Next will be the contruction of the hop frame that will be a post of it's own

Thanks aleman :thumb:

Sounds like a busy day, all being well I'll be at the allotment next Sunday digging in I have a mate staying over next weekend, he wont know whats hit him when I get him to help out :whistle: we will have a **** load to move, literally :lol:

 

[evanvine]

I'll be very interested to see the pics of your "hop frame" MD.
I use the "Wigwam" method at the moment.
Took 4 cuttings from my "Chardonney" last year, 3 have been added to my greenhouse and 1 is destined for a friend.
Roll on global warming!

 

[Muddydisco]

I was going for a horizontal frame work but think it was you said I'd have to train them to along rather than up so going for a bigwam Yes you know me nothing small looking at 5-6 meter pole and 10 guide wires running up to it :grin: 6 fuggles 2 Target 2 Northdown, Hope thats enough :rofl:

 

[evanvine]

MD
I've put pulleys at the top of mine so as I can lower the individual strings for plant maintenance and harvesting.

 

[Muddydisco]

so will mine and over 150m of rope!

 

[evanvine]

That's ok, 6mm polypropelene comes on 200M drums so you will have some spare!

 

[Sean_Mc]

Any tips on drying the hops when harvested. Also what do you look for when collecting