Cascade Hop Plants

Nugget Hop Plants

Hop plants have hit the top of the ropes again – 12 feet, bines are looped 6 feet around hose hangers (Cascades and Nugget hop plants total 18 feet tall with the loop – Magnum bines are a little over 10 feet tall).  I went to drop the hop bines another 6 feet and loop them around the hose hangers I mounted last week – Murphy (Murpy’s law – anything that can go wrong, will) reared his ugly friggen head.   Turns out when I looped the ropes/bines, the non-dominant bine (trailing the dominant bine by 6 feet) did not make the loop.   This caused the shorter bine to rejoin the rope at the top of the hose rack, making it difficult to loop the ropes and bines without getting them tangled when the shorter bines rejoin the top rope during there climb.

Magnum Hop Plants

While the taller bine on each rope (I have 2 bines per rope) is topped out,  the shorter bine on the rope will not be joined with the rope at the top of the hose rack.  Something learned from this setup – issues with more than one bine per rope.  Not a show stopper but an inconvenience trying to accommodate both bines on each rope.  It will still function in that I will not need a ladder to lower the hop vines at harvest time.

The hops plants (at least the Cascade and Nugget hops) grew 5 feet in the last week.  The Magnum hops are a little over 10 feet tall at this point – grew about a foot or two.  The Magnum has more and denser vegetation than the other two.  It appears to be a tie again between the Cascade hops plant and the Nugget hop plant at 18 feet in length.

While all three hop plants are sending out lateral shoots, the Cascade side shoots are much longer – 18 inches to 2 feet in length.  Should start seeing hop cones soon.  Hopefully the bines will fill out much more than they are now.

I may have to modify the hop trellis next year to accommodate 1 bine per rope (mount more ropes) or come up with some new ideas.  Anyway I am happy with the first year hops growth.  Hoping for a decent harvest despite this being the first year.  Growing hops next year from established hop rhizomes / root stock should faster yet!

Lateral Hop Shoots

I finally stripped the bottom of the bines of leaves and side shoots (lateral shoots).  I did not strip the hop bines the recommended 4 feet from the ground.  I went around 2 feet (can’t tell me a damn thing – always been a bit of a rebel).  You can see this on the bottom of the Magnum hop bine picture.  The purpose of removing the lower foliage is to allow airflow to prevent mildew (especially powdery mildew) and possibly deter some pests that may come from the ground – we’ll see.

There’s this weeks status on the hops plants.  I am also running out of rope, maybe 5 feet left to lower the bines for a total length of 23 feet – nothing to complain about though, proud of these hop plants!

Update – I found an online vendor for hop plants – 30 varieties!  Check them out here:

Hop Plants for Sale

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Technorati Tags: Growing Hops, hop plants, hops, hops plants

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Growing Hops on the Bine

Growing Hops

Growing hops is possible in almost every one of the United States of America.  Hops obviously exist in Europe, Asia and other locations but I will stick with what I am familiar with, the USA.  To grow hops you generally must be between the 35th and 55th parallel (see diagram below) elevation may make it possible to grow hops at slightly lower lattitudes.  Some varieties of hops do better than others in the extremes of this range (some like it hot, some not).  Currently, the northwest USA produces the largest crop of hops plants (Oregon, Washington Northern California…).

Hops (Humulus Lupulus) are a fast growing vine that requires large amounts of sunshine and nutrients from the soil to sustain their rapid growth.  Hop vines can grow up to 30 ft in length.  A perennial, which dies back every winter to the root stock also known as the crown.  Hop plants can be grown from hop rhizomes (underground stems) or seed (but usually hops rhizomes – only want female hop rhizomes).  Hop plantings are generally grown vertically but can be grown horizontally.  Most Hops plants require a 4 month growing season.

Only the female hop plants flower (the flower is the hop).  Males are used for pollination to seed the females but generally un-pollinated or seedless hops are preferred for brewing.  Beer hops are used for brewing beers and ales to counteract the sweetness of the barley, to provide aroma and also works as a preservative.  Hops have medicinal qualities and calming effects but that is out of scope for this blog.

Planting hops requires a nutrient dense, well drained soil with a PH between 6 and 8.  Most hop growers  go vertical with their plants so that must taken into consideration for planting.  Since most people (at least in the cities) have a 1/4 acre or less, use a side of their house or garage or tall poles and twine or rope.  Running twine from the ground to a roof line or overhang is very popular.  A common configuration is twine from a ground anchor to an eyelet attached high on a pole, house, garage or other building and zigzagged up and down (using a latch hook on the high end for easy removal).  If using a single pole, it would be a tee pee configuration.  There are many ways to rig the vines but rope seems to work the best compared to trellises when it comes to harvest time.

Soil should be prepared at least a couple weeks before planting to allow the soil amendments to blend together.  Soil should be dug down  a foot or more to ensure the root stock can grow unimpeded.  The soil should be mixed with organic materials (I am an organic kind of guy).  Decomposed manure, compost, leaves and/or grass clippings and wood ashes are all good soil amendments for hop gardens.  Drainage is very important for hop plants so be aware of slopes and valleys in the ground.  If planting against a house or garage without gutters (on the down slope side) beware the roof runoff.  A raised mound and drainage paths help in these cases and is a good idea for all hop planting.

Most hops are propagated from rhizomes, so that is what I will cover (besides I have never started from seed).  If you have a short growing season, you can start hop rhizomes indoors.  Once the threat of frost has passed, it is time to plant.  Plant 1 to 3 hop rhizomes in a grouping or mound (1 is usually sufficient), 1 to 4  inches below the soil’s surface (I go 3 to 4 inches deep).  Plant buds up and mounds about 3 feet apart, more (minimum 5 feet) if the next grouping is a different variety of hops.

When the shoots break ground and are about 1 foot long, select 1 to 3 of the hardiest hop bines (similar to, but different from vines) and train them to climb the rope in the same direction – most advise clockwise (not sure why).  Like everything, there are different ways to go about this, either 1 pole or rope per mound or 1 on each side of the mound (2 ropes/twine)  per mound – prune all other bines to focus all the growing energy to the selected vines or bines.  Difference between bines and vines: vines send out grasping shoots.  Bines use stiff hairlike follicles and wrapping around things to support themselves.

Depending on when you started or when the existing crowns started vines, the hops should be ready for harvest around mid August to mid September.  When mature, the hops will be squeezable rather than solid and have a paper like texture.  When you determine it is harvesting time, bring down the ropes or poles and pluck the hops from the vines.  The hops must be dried, either in a dehydrator, an oven no more than 140 degrees(with the door open) or at room temp spread out on a single layer on a raised screen to allow airflow.  Room temp drying is best for retaining flavor and aroma.

Once dried, the hops should be vacuum sealed and frozen for best results or fresh hops may be used immediately (after drying the hops).  If not vacuum sealed, at least remove as much air as you can from a sealable freezer bag and then freeze.  Shield the hops from light as that will prolong freshness also.

This is a bit abbreviated but gives you enough information to grow your own hops!  Read some books on how to grow your own hops and/or do some more Internet research to gain additional tips, tricks, methods and theories to maximize your hop growing abilities.  Just say no to hop drought and start growing hops.

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Technorati Tags: Beer Hops, buy hops, cascade hops, dry hop, fresh hops, grow hops, growing beer hops, Growing Hops, homebrew, homebrewing, hop growing, hop leaf, hop plants, hop rhizome, hop rhizomes, hop shortage, hops, hops grow, hops plant, hops plants, hops rhizomes, hops shortage, how to grow hops

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