So I bought 2 rhizomes each of three varieties, chinook, cascade, and centennial. I was wondering if anyone has any experience growing hops? I preordered so I'm not getting then until March or April, just trying to plan. I have a pretty good length (30 feet ish) of south facing chain link fence with about a 3 foot wide dirt patch between the fence and the sidewalk. The fence is only like 5ft tall, I know that hops are supposed to really grow tall, but could I train the vine to grow horizontally a bit, or should I plan on installing some sort of support for subsequent years as it tries to go higher?
Just bought some Hops Rhizomes
- Thread starter deadmongoose
- Start date
fertilizer. lots of it.
lots of water.
lots of string too.
lots of water.
lots of string too.
5' is too short. go for like 15 feet at least.
Thanks all, I think I'll probably just put up poles every 10ft or so then and string them. I'm pretty excited to grow hops, and the lady of the house is on board which is a bonus, she's not a huge fan of the garden being 75% peppers.
Good luck this year. From what I read every year they get bigger and bigger. I saw they are pretty hearty as long as the ground doesn't freeze solid in the first couple of years. After the third year they are apparently impossible to kill without trying.D3monic said:
deadmongoose said:
i had spiter mites infest mine badly before i knew what had happened.
they didnt die as a result, but were utterly trashed.
if your house is oriented correctly, id seriously suggest running them up your house right to the roofline peak... provided this will not block any windows.... or look bad in some way.
im telling you though. 10 feet is not enough. they literally grow AT LEAST 1"+ each and every day. i had mine in 10 gallon bags, hand watered with fertilizer solution every evening, and they drank it bone dry before i could get home. i put them into a 35 gallon tree container but this is when the mites showed up.
they love loose draining high pore space soil... and nitrogen. they love nitrogen.
when they set cones they look amazing... but when the cones push open your nose will shoot loads down the front of your shirt.
maby not as good as a citrus bloom, but they smell absolutly amazing. pick a cone then pound it up in your hands... smells like sex.
I grew several, but most enjoyed Hallertauer Mittelfrüh (Hopfen) which I grew up a 7.5m line.. That's slightly under 25 feet. After harvest I just gave it away as I don't really brew myself, but I just love the smell. Made quite some people happy with the hops as well.
My top 5 based on results a Friend made beer with;
1. Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
2. Tettnanger
3. Hallertauer Bitter
4. Merkur Bitter
5. Nugget (a US hops strain)
They do well in containers, but you need at least 8 gallon containers for watersupply at hot days + some compost. Also feed twice as often as you chili plants, full strength. They can grow crazy fast.
My top 5 based on results a Friend made beer with;
1. Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
2. Tettnanger
3. Hallertauer Bitter
4. Merkur Bitter
5. Nugget (a US hops strain)
They do well in containers, but you need at least 8 gallon containers for watersupply at hot days + some compost. Also feed twice as often as you chili plants, full strength. They can grow crazy fast.
I have a few different varieties that I grow. Mine grow about 10 ft up in the air then kind of just wrap around the top of everything. Easy to grow. I have mine in the ground and they seem to love it even in my soil which is heavy in clay. You will have fun growing those varieties. Give them a support system that will allow them to grow 10-15ft in the air. It has to be strong also, they get pretty heavy when they are covered in cones.
That is crazy ironic that you made this thread. I just got 3 varieties delivered today! I am going to be growing Magnum, Cascade, and Brewer's Gold. I am hoping I can grow mine horizontally down a 6' fence.
Scuba_Steve said:
they CAN be trained to go horizontally... but i could tell they much preferred to head straight up.
pretty much had to manually turn them around the lines every day or so.
http://beerlegends.com/hops-planting-location-and-trellis-design
check out the last one.
thats how id go if i was to try again.
pressure treated 2x6's are about a dollar a foot last i saw.... if you can find a lumber yard that stocks 16'+ planks you could probably knock together something for a couple hundred bucks.
earth anchors... wire... tensioners and the lumber... what else?
Scuba_Steve said:
Best of luck to you, I'm going to take some pictures throughout the season, we should compare our crops.
queequeg152 said:
That is a great link, thanks for that. I've spent the last hour reading everything on there, lots of great info, but now I'm afraid of mold and fungus.
deadmongoose said:
mold and fungus on... the wood? or the plants?
On the plant, there was an entire section dedicated to diseases they are susceptible to.queequeg152 said:
lol i just looked at the pictures.
well. there are a number of ways to control mold and mildew. copper sulfate being the most common one.
honestly id worry more about the mites.
well. there are a number of ways to control mold and mildew. copper sulfate being the most common one.
honestly id worry more about the mites.
I have been growing hops for years to use for my home brew. They will grow along the fence with no problems. One of the easiest plants to grow, trim some of the smaller side vines and train the larger one's to grow where you want them. I use 100lb test fishing line and they go to the top of roof from my deck.
they will grow up fishing line? damn tenacious plants.
i had mine going up 1/8" ish nylon cloths line.
i had mine going up 1/8" ish nylon cloths line.
I figured as much. Its a vine after all. If I let it grow a few feet and then move it where I want it, its not like it is going to tell me no and move itself back. I just need to steer it in the direction I want every week or so.FreeportBum said:
The worst thing for hops is a fungus called (I believe it's called in english) mildew. Make sure the plants get morning Sunshine so that they dry up in the morning. Also make sure you only have female plants as the male ones cause your hops to be very bitter. Good suppliers usually only sell female plants, though wild hops in your area can ruin your crops as well (if they even occur in the wild in your area).
Some varieties grow bigger than others, just ask your supplier - I bet they will give you a straight answer. Offcourse it's also related to your nitrogen ferting, but some varieties just grow ridiculiously big.
Some varieties grow bigger than others, just ask your supplier - I bet they will give you a straight answer. Offcourse it's also related to your nitrogen ferting, but some varieties just grow ridiculiously big.