[gymrat]

If I tie a rope to the faceboard of my roof to use as a trellis for the plant to climb. Would the plant eventually damage my roof?

[morticaixavier]

If I tie a rope to the faceboard of my roof to use as a trellis for the plant to climb. Would the plant eventually damage my roof?

I hope not! I am planning the same thing. They do grow fast and get pretty big but I think we are talking about like a few pounds at most (maybe 10-20 tops) so I don't think there is any danger to your roof. They are BINES rather than VINES so they climb by wrapping themselves around a rope, tree, trellis etc. rather than by pushing into tiny cracks and making them bigger so I think it will be fine.

But if others have experience and can speak directly I would be interested as well.

[Pinski]

I don't think hops are tenacious enough to damage your roof because of their growing habits.

[tschmidlin]

Depending on how much they grow on the roof, it should be ok as long as you are careful pulling them off once they die back.  They can be quite clingy.

[Delo]

I attach twine to the faceboard of a one story addition to our house for four plantings.  Once they reach the roof,  I try to steer them to the side to keep them from growing onto the roof because they will burn up from the hot shingles.  For me, I'm more worried the roof will damage the plant. If I could move them under the two story part, I would.

[heavyeng]

This is my first time so not much help here, but I'm going to try zig-zagging the bines up and down from the ground to 8' and then back down...and repeat over and over.

If all grows as planned, I'll post up some pics as it goes.

[morticaixavier]

This is my first time so not much help here, but I'm going to try zig-zagging the bines up and down from the ground to 8' and then back down...and repeat over and over.

If all grows as planned, I'll post up some pics as it goes.

good luck! hops don't like to grow down. You might get it to work if they reach the top of the first 8' length and then have no support, they will fall down and then you can offer them the next piece of string to go up on. Or you could put a very strong grow light on the ground pointing up. then they might grow towards that. but it would have to be stronger than the sun... hmm I see a problem here.

[Pinski]

This is my first time so not much help here, but I'm going to try zig-zagging the bines up and down from the ground to 8' and then back down...and repeat over and over.

If all grows as planned, I'll post up some pics as it goes.

Yeah, like Mort said. Hops don't like to grow down. You're better off getting them to go latterally if vertical isn't an option.

[tomsawyer]

I have mine run up, and then horizontally after that.  They'll grab onto stuff but have no root-like things like an ivy.  Just be careful when you pull them down.

[richardt]

Try a "Belgian Fence" espalier if you only have one hop variety you're planting.  Otherwise, keep them vertical with minimal lateral branching or you'll mix the varieties together during harvesting.

[Delo]

Try a "Belgian Fence" espalier if you only have one hop variety you're planting.  Otherwise, keep them vertical with minimal lateral branching or you'll mix the varieties together during harvesting.

^This would be really cool. I unfortunately planted a Willamette between two Cascades, but I think I may do this anyway. No matter what I do they seem to intertwine anyway. 

[corkybstewart]

This is my first time so not much help here, but I'm going to try zig-zagging the bines up and down from the ground to 8' and then back down...and repeat over and over.

If all grows as planned, I'll post up some pics as it goes.

Yeah, like Mort said. Hops don't like to grow down. You're better off getting them to go latterally if vertical isn't an option.

Once the growing tip of the bine hangs downward it shuts off a key growth enzyme(or activates another, I can't remember which) and the plant quits growing.  It will then start producing laterals which for me have produced the most cones.  I have some on a 14' trellis, but my best producers are along a chainlink fence.

[denny]

I have mine run up, and then horizontally after that.  They'll grab onto stuff but have no root-like things like an ivy.  Just be careful when you pull them down.

Me, too.  Like this....

[weithman5]

i had mine going to a faceboard but i am replacing all my siding gutters etc. i am going to make a small trellis out of electrical conduit and just throw the strings up over the top and back down.