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Author Topic: Growing Hops, Which bines?  (Read 4625 times)

Offline piszkiewiczp

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2011, 07:32:42 am »
You want a really big pot, otherwise they will become root bound after the first or second year. 

Someone mentions 5-gallon above - will that do? Or should I go higher? Do I need to get any special plants to help with drainage?

Also, here's another question, somewhat related. I wanted to grow the vines up along the side of my deck, but after that I wanted to train them to go horizontally to form a sort of canopy over the deck. Is this possible?

I think that even a 5 gal is too small - You should think about a half barrel. This fall I transplanted 3 (Sterling, Willamette & Newport) 3 year old rhizomes. The main root masses were the size of softballs and there were roots running out 6-8 feet.

Offline corkybstewart

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2011, 08:32:59 am »
http://s362.photobucket.com/albums/oo65/rocdoc1/my%20beer%20stuff/?action=view&current=WeeHeavyOctober2009001.jpg

This is a 6 year old Cascade crown grown in desert conditions with drip irrigation.  Just imagine if it had access to lots more water!  The chair is a standard plastic lawn chair
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Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2011, 08:39:10 am »
Phil, since you are in France, you might be able to find half of a wine barrel, which might be about right.  I have seen pictures of mature crowns that pretty much fill a 5 cu ft wheelbarrow when being transplanted.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2011, 03:47:45 pm by hopfenundmalz »
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Offline phillamb168

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2011, 09:59:44 am »
True, but I was looking at this more from a 'pots are easier' perspective, except when it gets to be a half barrel... I think I'll stick it in the ground :-) Thanks guys.
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Offline bluesman

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2011, 10:04:55 am »
I've had the best luck with my Magnum and Cascade. My Sterling have a love affair with spider mites as they have perished from the onslought of spider mites in the last three years. I've tried hosing them down daily without success. I'm afraid to use any pesticides on them. I'm at a loss with those pesky devils. However the Cascade bine fairs well against them. The Magnum has had decent years the last two.
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2011, 10:31:39 am »
Also, here's another question, somewhat related. I wanted to grow the vines up along the side of my deck, but after that I wanted to train them to go horizontally to form a sort of canopy over the deck. Is this possible?
They will grow horizontally with no problems, although you might need to train them a bit.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline alikocho

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2011, 12:43:36 pm »
I've had the best luck with my Magnum and Cascade. My Sterling have a love affair with spider mites as they have perished from the onslought of spider mites in the last three years. I've tried hosing them down daily without success. I'm afraid to use any pesticides on them. I'm at a loss with those pesky devils. However the Cascade bine fairs well against them. The Magnum has had decent years the last two.

To deal with the bugs, try making up a spray from some warm water, garlic and chilli. Spray liberally.
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Offline corkybstewart

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2011, 03:03:15 pm »
Also, here's another question, somewhat related. I wanted to grow the vines up along the side of my deck, but after that I wanted to train them to go horizontally to form a sort of canopy over the deck. Is this possible?
They will grow horizontally with no problems, although you might need to train them a bit.
I have a few that grow along a fence and they produce as well as the vertical ones and are much easier to harvest.  I read that once the growing tip reaches the max height it can and droops over an enzyme is produced(or production stops) and the plant begins making laterals.  They can get very bushy, I think I remember seeing pictures of Denny's hops along a fence.
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Offline pinnah

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #23 on: January 24, 2011, 03:28:34 pm »
I am a bush hopper, for the most part. 

Limited height, and not needing an elaborate (and potentially gaudy) trellis system
are tools that the home gardener can really take advantage of.

Don't let anybody tell you that hops will not produce if only grown to 8-10 foot tall.


Conditions vary across the NA region, but here in the intermountain west:
easy growers for me include Magnum, Sterling, Mt. Hood, Cascade, Nugget, Zeus, Crystal, Chinook.
Hard to produce are Hallertauer, Santiam, Tett, Perle, Willamette.....

Have fun planning.

Offline pinnah

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #24 on: January 24, 2011, 03:37:39 pm »
Um yea, dano, forget that gaudy statement...I just looked at that picture of your wood arbor...that thing is beautiful! :-*


Offline dano14041

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2011, 06:10:21 pm »
Um yea, dano, forget that gaudy statement...I just looked at that picture of your wood arbor...that thing is beautiful! :-*



Thank you!
I didn't build it specifically for hops, but once I started brewing I figured it would work well. And the hops could pull double duty as shade and beer ingredient.  ;D
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Offline brewmasternpb

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2011, 10:18:37 pm »
Honestly, I didn't use half barrells, and they are doing fine... I will transplant after 2 more years though.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5083257_grow-hops-pot-bucket.html
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Offline phillamb168

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Re: Growing Hops, Which bines?
« Reply #27 on: February 07, 2011, 01:53:58 am »
Instead of cleaning my kettles I decided to plant the hops I had received last week. Our soil is what my dad ("master gardener") called Loamy, but what I saw sure did seem like clay. I wonder what that'll do to the hops. It's super fertile, though.

Anyway here's what I did:

Post hole digger to about a foot down, put in a mix of the aerated soil and some moss that the hops had come in, up to about 7" deep.

I put each hop rhizome (spaced about 3 feet apart) on top of a bit of moss for drainage, and then covered in pre-fertilized potting soil - just sprinkled it on top, no packing etc. Then I finished up with a bit more of that soil I had dug up.

Rhizomes are down about 4" below the soil so I HOPE that's far enough to be below the frost line.

here's the real question, though. They were in the paper bag they were shipped in with wet moss for a week, and bines had already sprouted. The EKGs had for example about 4 bines, each about 4" long. When I planted them I tried to be as delicate as I could but I saw that one or two had bent - kinda reminded me of what happens when you bend mung bean sprouts too far. It's not broken, but who knows. Anyway, My concern is that, because they've already sprouted, and there's at least one more month before the end of frosts, my hops will die. Should I put one of those plastic anti-frost doohickies over the soil? Or should I RDWHAHB.
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