Can I grow a bine from the seeds in my hops?

bigchris · Post by **bigchris** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:31 pm

I'm just wondering if it would be possible to grow my own hops by planting some of the cones from a recently bought pack of hops? Anyone tried this?

GrowlingDogBeer · Post by **GrowlingDogBeer** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:54 pm

I believe hops are notoriously hard to germinate from seed, but it probably can be done given the right conditions.

I would think it would be far easier to get hold of a rhizome, someone on here may even be able to help you out if they have some healthy hops growing.

Rookie · Post by **Rookie** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:25 pm

bigchris wrote:I'm just wondering if it would be possible to grow my own hops by planting some of the cones from a recently bought pack of hops? Anyone tried this?

It can be done although using a rhizome is way better. On the other hand what have you got to lose by trying? A lttle dirt, a little water, a little manure; put it in a flower pot and see what happens.

Rookie · Post by **Rookie** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:30 pm

I just had another thought (two in one day...wow). What variety of hop are you talking about? This could be a way to grow a hop like amarillo which is not available as a rhizome.

Eadweard · Post by **Eadweard** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:36 pm

I wouldn't bother, it might be a male!

Dr. Dextrin · Post by **Dr. Dextrin** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:40 pm

Cultivated varieties of most plants are usually propagated vegetatively (i.e. cuttings, dividing the roots, etc.) so that the new plant is a clone of the original. In general, you shouldn't expect seeds to produce a plant the same as the parent. Not many cultivars will come true-to-type from seed unless they are a seed-propagated strain (which hops aren't). You may get something vaguely similar though, if you're lucky. Or possibly not.

simple one · Post by **simple one** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:49 pm

Exactly what Dr Dextrin said... but also it will be 50/50 that it'll be a male plant too. So you'll need to grow many plants, first killing off the males, and then selecting the females for the properties you require.

bigchris · Post by **bigchris** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:51 pm

Thanks for the comments chaps. As Rookie guessed, I'm thinking about this for a US hop, the Citra that I received this week, that seems to have been so difficult to get hold of this year.

What have I got to loose. I'll plant a few pots worth and see what happens.

Dr. Dextrin · Post by **Dr. Dextrin** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:54 pm

It just occurred to me that ornamental hops propagate themselves from seed quite easily - in fact to the point of being a bit of a nuisance in gravel paths. So if I was doing this I might try putting the seeds on some compost, covering them in fine gravel and leaving them out over winter. This is a standard method that works well with many types of seed that need a period of cold before they'll germinate (no idea if that applies to hops). They then come up once it starts to warm up in spring. Alternatively, my plant propagation book says to sow the seeds in mid-spring with gentle heat. Take your pick, or maybe try both ways.

Spud395 · Post by **Spud395** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:40 pm

I'm guessing it's a bit like poultry breeding.
Modern egg producing or meat birds are hybrids and will not breed through.
They are selectively bred for 1 purpose from generations of carefully bred (parent) birds.
Which the breeders keep secret.

Eggs from these hybrid birds will not produce a bird with similar characteristic's.
You will be lucky or unlucky and may get an amazing bird, or a piece of dirt but never the same as your hybrid parent.

Rookie · Post by **Rookie** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:17 pm

Even if it does come up different from the parent plant it could turn out really good anyway.

scuppeteer · Post by **scuppeteer** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:15 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong but you want to plant the seed from a pack of hops from a brew shop?
If so, the hops have been cooked for at least 8 hours at about 180f... so chances are the seeds are cooked as well and therefore completely useless to propagate.
I did manage to grow from seed once (from an uncooked cone) but I must have planted 40 or so and got 1 in return!

bigchris · Post by **bigchris** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:00 pm

Thanks all, having read comments here and a little research, I've decided that I would be wasting my time trying to grow hops from the Citra cones I have. It seems unlikely that I would be able to get them to germinate, then if I did, I'd probably get 50% male and of the female plants it seems unlikely that any of them would produce hops like the original plant. This areticle was the final straw, but there were many others as well:-

http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2012/01/on- ... ns-of.html

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Can I grow a bine from the seeds in my hops?

Can I grow a bine from the seeds in my hops?

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