New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Brewing => Hops => Topic started by: Thomas on May 12, 2011, 12:10:07 AM

Title: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on May 12, 2011, 12:10:07 AM
Who else has planted hop rhizomes already? I put the rhizomes I got from Brian into 5 gallon pots with lots or organic soil, and they are just starting to break the surface. Im hoping they will survive alright on a third storey balcony. Ill post some pics once they start growing.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: JohnQ on May 12, 2011, 07:12:48 AM
We have planted...

6 Cascade
6 Centennial
6 Fuggle
6 Magnum
8 Nugget from Brian
6 Willamette

They all came from Left Fields in BC except for the Nugget.

We didn't get them in until a few days ago, so nothing is showing yet, will post pics once the trellising in up.

JW
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on May 12, 2011, 07:43:22 AM
I'll be planting them this weekend.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: brew on May 12, 2011, 09:42:12 AM
I have 2 Cascade and 2 Willamette (thanks Brian!) - in the ground two weeks (as of tomorrow) - 1 Cascade is has broken the surface so I'm going to run some bailer twine for it this weekend...

I was originally going to put some poles in the ground for a couple of them, but I was wondering how they would do with twine to a tree that's about 10 feet away - it would go up at a 45 degree angle (maybe a bit more) - do you think they would do OK with that?
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Richard on May 12, 2011, 01:40:54 PM
brew: i might be talking shite (it happens), but I recall seeing a picture from creeping Brian_S's facebook where he has done exactly that (45deg climb for a hop plant). The plant looked happy :P
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Brian_S on May 12, 2011, 05:28:57 PM
Glad my babies are thriving...well surviving anyway.  

My plants hit 10ish feet the first year and as long as they can climb you should be OK.  The 45 degree angle seems to work fine, the more important factor is keeping only 2 to 4 growing vines per plant else you end up with a mass of tangled vine and few cones.  Once you have your 2 to 4 strongest vines just keep plucking the growing tips off new vines (just above where the first set of leaves start and that vine will stop growing.

As for the pots I dropped a couple of teamaker rhizomes in 1 gallon pots 2 weeks ago and they seem to be happy and as long as the pot allows water to drain they should survive but I have no long term experience.

B
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: brew on May 12, 2011, 06:22:43 PM
Cool  :mrgreen: glad to hear this can work - thanks!
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on May 12, 2011, 11:10:58 PM
I planted 7 today:

2 Cascade
2 Chinook
2 Centennial
1 Willamette

I will be moving at some point this summer, so they are in pots, maybe 4 gallons of dirt in each, one rhisome per pot. I used tomato cages rather than a trellis to make the future transplanting easier.

As we learned from the scraggly bush of hops at the Picaroons brewery, hops don't actually need any structure to grow on to be successful.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on May 17, 2011, 12:54:35 PM
how long after planting did your hops break the surface of the dirt?
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on May 17, 2011, 02:02:47 PM
My hops broke the surface mabey a week ago, but so far havent grown much more then an inch high. I think a combination of the cold,wet, dark weather, and being on my deck where they only have 8 hours sunlight is to blame.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on May 19, 2011, 01:32:57 PM
Two of my seven plants have broken ground (Cascade and Willamette). Will post photos when they have leaves.
Title: First sign
Post by: JohnQ on May 19, 2011, 04:28:03 PM
First one popped up on day 10, it's a Fuggle
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on May 19, 2011, 11:58:00 PM
I was trying to aerate the top layer of soil a bit and snapped a tiny shoot off. I hope it will survive.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on May 20, 2011, 10:00:46 AM
My 2nd year Cascade has plenty of sprouts, the tallest is about 20cm high now. The 3rd year Nugget is also coming up very strong, with one run away chute that's a good 45-50cm tall already.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on May 20, 2011, 10:01:54 AM
The Nugget....
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on May 25, 2011, 08:08:56 PM
As of now, I have six shoots that have broken ground (two with leaves) coming from 4 rhizomes. Still waiting on three of the rhizomes to show.

Shoots having broken ground: Cascade x2, Willamette x1, Centiennal x3.

Still waiting on: Chinook
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on June 07, 2011, 09:07:18 AM
My hops are all doing well, but a word of warning for anyone using container hops like me:

The drainage holes on / near the bottom of the planters do not serve their function as well as they should when using rich soil (i.e. with compost/manure/etc), and as such the bottom part of the planter will collect standing water and may rot, killing the plant, or at least hurting it.

A cordless powerdrill (less risk of electrical shock from water contact) with a 1/2'' bit works nicely to make a few drainage holes at the bottom on the sides for added drainage.

When I did, some swampy water flowed out a couple of the pots right away.

If you are using clay or ceramic, drilling may crack the pot. This is best for plasic or wood pots.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Dave Savoie on June 07, 2011, 09:13:20 AM
should be using some bonemeal !!!
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on June 07, 2011, 10:42:16 AM
I live with a vegetarian, so no to bonemeal, but probably yes to making a weeping tile at the base out of gravel next time.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on June 10, 2011, 02:38:12 PM
My hops so far:
willamette
[attachment=3:1vizw0pk]IMG027.jpg[/attachment:1vizw0pk]
cascade
[attachment=2:1vizw0pk]IMG028.jpg[/attachment:1vizw0pk]
nugget
[attachment=1:1vizw0pk]IMG029.jpg[/attachment:1vizw0pk]
and nugget
[attachment=0:1vizw0pk]IMG030.jpg[/attachment:1vizw0pk]

The cascade and nugget grew about a foot before they slowed down for a week. I fed them some miracle grow and they took right off again. From now on I will give all my plants a watering with miracle grow once a week to give them lots of nitrogen to grow. Also, does anyone know how much I should be watering them? I reasoned that hops are water hungry plants, and that a well developed root system in a 4 gallon pot will soak up lots of water when growing in hot summer temperatures, so I have been giving them each ~0.5L morning and eavening.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Brian_S on June 10, 2011, 04:11:04 PM
I'd give them plenty of water in thier first year, plus as they are in pots the excess should just run off.

For what its worth the parent Willamette and Cascade plants most of the rhizomes came from are at about 12 feet now.  The Willamette has leaves the size of my hand.

B
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on July 06, 2011, 01:27:57 PM
Does anyone know when to expect cones to start developing? I remember the Picaroons hops were ready for picking around the end of september. My hops are going crazy, and have succesfully taken over most of my deck, and the tomatoes. I'll post some up-to date pics soon.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on July 06, 2011, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: "Thomas"
Does anyone know when to expect cones to start developing? I remember the Picaroons hops were ready for picking around the end of september. My hops are going crazy, and have succesfully taken over most of my deck, and the tomatoes. I'll post some up-to date pics soon.


You probably won't see development until the end of this month. The picture below is from August 5th

I have typically harvested in the September 20-26th range with mine.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on August 20, 2011, 10:23:34 PM
How are people's hops looking now? Harvest isn't too far away... what are you planning to do with yours?
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Richard on August 21, 2011, 12:24:25 AM
Quote from: "Hawoh"
what are you planning to do with yours?


Mostly plot revenge for them not producing hop cones yet...

Next year I shall have a garden of my own rather than passing off rhizomes to casual gardeners.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on August 21, 2011, 09:23:15 AM
my 1st year container hops have lots of leaves, but no cones yet. I'm going to dig a hole in my garden plot, put them in (still in containers), cover with mulch, and they should be kept alive well over the winter. In the spring, I'll either plant them in the ground or get really big containers.

I got 7/7 rhisomes to grow so thats pretty good.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on August 21, 2011, 11:02:35 AM
Quote from: "Richard"
Quote from: "Hawoh"
what are you planning to do with yours?


Mostly plot revenge for them not producing hop cones yet...

Next year I shall have a garden of my own rather than passing off rhizomes to casual gardeners.


It will take a couple years for them to really produce much.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Brian_S on August 21, 2011, 08:52:32 PM
I did a bit of an unofficial experiment this year and got some pleasantly surprising results.  I had ordered up 4 Teammaker rhizomes from Freshhops and as I was running low on space in my hop yard only 2 got planted, the other 2 went into 1 Gal pots.  I had dug about a 1 Gal size hole for the ones in the yard and filled the holes with compost, I then filled the pots with an equal amount of compost.

It would appear the potted plants are loving it as they got to about 18 feet and have skads of cones while the plants in the ground got to about 4 feet and no cones.

My 2 thoughts on this are that A) my soil is too acid/basic for their liking or B) They really love heat, which they got more of being in black pots above ground.  (I suppose a combination of both isn't out of the question.)

I still have to do some PH test on the compost and my soil but I think this fall each plant in the yard will get an extra does of compost and I'm considering that black plastic roll next season to help retain heat.

B
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on August 21, 2011, 08:58:59 PM
Quote from: "Brian_S"


I still have to do some PH test on the compost and my soil but I think this fall each plant in the yard will get an extra does of compost and I'm considering that black plastic roll next season to help retain heat.




Please post the PH findings. I have anecdotal evidence in line with yours. One of my plants gets about 1 to 1.5 more hours of full sun and has performed 10x better. I also put compost on the plants to winter last year and they are both taller and producing more than last year. That said, the plants are a couple years old now, so maturity is likely coming into play there too.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Richard on August 21, 2011, 10:49:42 PM
Yeah I'm hoping it's mostly the maturity thing... The soil pH issue is also a good call, as the ones I have were just put in the ground and had manure-based fertiliser put on them on a somewhat irregular basis.

Mine have a very strange situation going on where one end of the row they're planted on is doing fairly badly, where the opposite end is doing very well. That ties in with the idea that they like a lot of direct sunlight, as the more exposed end is doing markedly better. I'll post some pictures next time I'm in the 'chi.

Hawoh: kinda jealous of your crop there... looks excellent :D

Anyone planning any wet-hop beers?
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on August 22, 2011, 07:33:47 AM
Quote from: "Richard"

Hawoh: kinda jealous of your crop there... looks excellent :D


I'm thinking of using mine wet. My biggest bounty (pictured) are Nugget so my plan is to probably use them all in one shot towards a batch modeled after Troegs Nugget Nectar (http://www.troegs.com/our_brews/nugget_nectar.aspx). Although it tempting to keep some and spread them over more than one brew.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Dave Savoie on August 22, 2011, 07:39:57 AM
Is there any real benifit to using wet hops VS freshly dried ones and do wet hops give more of a Vegetal or green flavor
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: JohnQ on August 22, 2011, 12:20:11 PM
Quote from: "Brian_S"

My 2 thoughts on this are that A) my soil is too acid/basic for their liking or B) They really love heat, which they got more of being in black pots above ground.  (I suppose a combination of both isn't out of the question.)
B



Is it possible that the the 2 in the pots had much better drainage, as they tend to want the rhizome wet, but the roots not so much?  Pots tend to drain the liquid and only retain the dampness that the soil has absorbed.

It was lack of sufficient drainage that totalled my crop, and the ones that I've rescued are still between 2 and 4 feet.

I know my gardener has to water her planters every day, while the stuff in the ground can go much longer without adding water.

JQ
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Brian_S on September 11, 2011, 12:27:00 PM
So hows the harvest going?

I just picked my 5 month old potted teamakers (2 plants) and got 16oz of wet cones, as a comparison my 3 year old cascade produced ~34oz of wet cones (2 plants).  There appears to be a definite advantage in yield by potting rather than ground planting a baby plant.  (A larger sample is required of course)

I also did a wet hopped batch of the Haus Pale ale from Homebrewtalk and man does it smell nice.  I increased the quantity of each hop addition by a factor of 5.5 to compensate for the extra moisture......Ummm 11 oz of cascade.

B
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: JohnQ on September 11, 2011, 12:43:32 PM
What emoticon would be the appropriate one for envy?

JQ
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Brian_S on September 18, 2011, 10:57:36 AM
So any updates?  Did anyone gets cones and if so how did you go about drying and packaging?

B
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Kyle on September 18, 2011, 12:09:39 PM
no cones this year, but lots of leaves. Next year they'll go in the ground instead of containers. All 7 plants lived.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: brew on September 18, 2011, 12:26:37 PM
No cones for me either - my cascade seemed to have a hard summer - but they are in the ground now and will stay there...
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Hawoh on September 18, 2011, 08:58:54 PM
I only got about 20 grams in the 1st year of my Nugget plant and 0 grams of Cascade in its first year, so don't be discouraged by 1st year results. They take a couple years to mature and really yield a good crop.

To top things off, this year was a horrible year, at least for my hops. I have a lot of cones, but a lot have browned and died, which I've never seen before.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Richard on September 18, 2011, 09:01:04 PM
Yeah mine are thin on the ground (or rather, the vine) too... I'm cool with that if they perform better next year.
Title: Re: 2011 Hops crop
Post by: Thomas on October 11, 2011, 06:09:35 PM
I'm late to the hop harvest here but I wanted to throw in my results. Unfortunitly I labeled all my plants with marker on duct tape and quickly lost track of which plants were which, but I had a kinda awesome harvest. I had to move for September 1st, which meant cutting down my huge hops and tomato plants, but had I left my hops in place I could have done a few brews. All of my plants produced cones, likely 3-6oz wet per plant. I picked off what I could and dried them, but they were still slightly immature and I won't be using them for anything other then looking pretty in a bowl. Even though I grew my plant in 4 gal pots on my deck they took off like crazy. By the end of september they had taken over the deck, each plant had 2-6 bines, and had grown all along my 20 foot deck.