Hop Growing 2014

[scuppeteer]

Anyone got a Bramling X that's more than 2" tall yet?

[DC]

Hi all, I thought I would post an update on my hops, they are doing quite well compared to the last 2 seasons

The middle hop plant is challenger and it's up tot the windowsill of the big window in the picture below, from left to right they are Fuggles, Challenger, Cascade. I have a question regarding the hop plants, what happens when they reach the top of the string ? Do I nip the top off the top of the hop plant to encourage it to spread out instead of growing up over.


Cheers DC

[scuppeteer]

DC, never take the tips off. They will find something to hold onto (like your gutter) or wrap themselves back round the string. To be honest your strings look almost tall enough anyway.

[snakepie@hotmail.com]

+1 to scupeteers advice

[boingy]

Mine get to the top, head out into thin air and eventually become heavy enough to double back on themselves. It's untidy but the plant seems happy enough. Probably also worth mentioning that all the hops seem to grow on the top half of the plant so I'd be reluctant to do anything that might affect the productive bit!

[DC]

Hi Guys, thanks for the replies and tips I will leave them be and just see what happens it will be interesting to see how they develope once they reach the top of their respective strings. I will post further pictures as they grow

Cheers DC

[Jambo]

Pretty sure mine has been killed off by getting the potash of ammonia on the foliage! One shoot left now, about 8 in. tall! I'll make a PET bottle cloche for it tonight. I believe they like to go clockwise - is that looking down at the plant or the plant looking up!?

[boingy]

Pretty sure mine has been killed off by getting the potash of ammonia on the foliage! One shoot left now, about 8 in. tall! I'll make a PET bottle cloche for it tonight. I believe they like to go clockwise - is that looking down at the plant or the plant looking up!?

I don't know about the ammonia, other than to say that the only feed my hops get are an annual mulch with compost/manure in the winter.

They grow clockwise from the plant's viewpoint.

[andybiochem]

Here's how mine are doing...








All doing pretty well along the wall (sort of West-slightly-south facing, WSW). A TON of greenfly though.

Also got some new rhizomes in a couple of pots, they're going to grow up a garden canopy frame (the canopy canvas cover was ripped in strong winds over winter).

[Blackaddler]

To get rid of the greenfly, squirt some washing up liquid into a spray bottle, and dilute with water.

You'll probably need to spray the aphids a few times to get rid of them.

[themadhippy]

add a few gloves of garlic in with the washing up liquid and they'll bugger off even quicker

[YeastWhisperer]

I planted 12 small crowns from Great Lakes Hops last September. I am surprised that any of the crowns survived because we experienced a hot and dry early fall and a ridiculously long and cold winter. After an agonizingly slow start, my hills are finally starting to grow.

From front to back: Cascade, Fuggle H, Horizon, Santiam, Spalt Select, and Wye Challenger ( I placed my hop yard near my neighbor's sheep paddock to take advantage of the free fertilizer ).




From front to back (opposite view): Wye Challenger, Spalt Select, Santiam, Horizon, Fuggle H, and Cascade.



I also planted a couple of Amalia (Neomexicanus) hops rhizomes in early May, but they have not yet emerged. Amalia is a wild hop cultivar from New Mexico. The rhizomes were thin with only one bud per rhizome.

[SiHoltye]

Is that multihead? I heard that was Mexican. If so yum. That is a seriously tasty hop.

[YeastWhisperer]

Amalia and Multihead are selections of Humulus lupulus L. var. neomexicanus, which is a wild hop. The hop was found in New Mexico, not Mexico; hence, the "neo" in neomexicanus. It was also found in Colorado. Amalia is supposed to have a rich earthy flavor profile that contains a good dose of orange and some pear. The Amalia rhizomes that I received where the size of twigs; therefore, I am not holding my breath.

The cultivar that is really surprising me is Fuggle H, which is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) selection of Fuggle. Fuggle H is outperforming all of the other cultivars that I planted except for Horizon. I was hesitant to plant British cultivars because of my soil and climate. I attempted to grow Goldings on my property shortly before I took a long hiatus from the hobby. The experiment was a miserable failure. Goldings hates Maryland's hot summers and my soil, which is acidic. Fuggle is far less picky about soil pH. Hopefully, it is more heat tolerant than Goldings.

[DC]

Hey Guys, just thought I would post a quick update on how my hops are getting on, I am hoping the plants are going to spread out abit from the main bines over the next few months not sure where their going to end up now they have reached the top of their strings

2 out of the 3 hop plants have reached the top of their strings


The 3rd one has a little way to go


Once ive wound the hops back onto the string plant 3 should be almost to the top of its string, another week or so i reckon


The plant on the right had made a bid for the guttering but has decided to wander over to visit plant 1 plant 1 has thought Sod This I am off and made a bid for the window


Cheers DC