My hop garden 3rd year

[Stingo]

This is the third year of my hop garden. I have 2 each of Nugget, Cascade, and E Kent Golding. I live in the Chicago area. My Nugget variety by far has done the best but this is likely because of the exposure to sunlight in the area where they are planted. However everything is more balanced this year and I am quite pleased. Everything is firmly established now. I may move soon and hate the thought of losing them. I wonder if I can dig them up and take them with me?

The hop plants are easily taller than the roof of my house, I have them strung between 20 foot poles. Nice thick big broad leafs and lots of activity on side shoots. I am regularly pruning away new growth from the ground to concentrate energy up the plant. Its amazing to see how far away from the center the roots are spreading causing sprouts to come up several feet away.

As of today, May 24, no buds evident, too early. We'll see.

Regards
Keith

[Mad Scientist]

Well, a picutre or two would help. You can dig rhizomes in the fall. The new owner/tennant may look at you funny, but hey, what are you going to do?

[HogieWan]

I never understood how it's fine to dig up the root, cut a piece off and both roots will be fine, but moving the whole root is somehow bad.

Can someone explain?

[Payson]

I never understood how it's fine to dig up the root, cut a piece off and both roots will be fine, but moving the whole root is somehow bad.
Is that supposed to be the case? I've not heard that. Bizarre if it's true!!

[corkybstewart]

I moved 3 entire roots this year, and I also dug 3 up and gave them to Boerne. They were doing well in spite of being in small pots.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Stingo
As of today, May 24, no buds evident, too early. We'll see.

You don't suppose cicadas like hop roots...do you? :eek:

S.

[Stingo]

we have several thousand cicadas in our yard that popped up this week. Its amazing, and they congregate on one maple tree in our back yard. So far none seen on the hops. If they do like them at least we know they have good taste!

Keith

[BrewDog]

Originally posted by steveh
You don't suppose cicadas like hop roots...do you? :eek:

S.

I remember an article in either BYO or Zymurgy a couple years ago about a guy that did a CicadAle. Long protein rest was the thing that stuck out in my mind on that brew....

[Stingo]

Originally posted by Boerne Brew
Well, a picutre or two would help. You can dig rhizomes in the fall. The new owner/tennant may look at you funny, but hey, what are you going to do?

Here is a pic of my hop plants. I have two 20 foot poles with pulleys at the top, aircraft wire cable arranged as main support. Hop twine for vertical growth of vine. When it is time to harvest I lower the plants with the pulley system a little at a time until I have picked everything. Works so far but this year should be a bumper crop, we'll see.

Anyway, roots firmly established. I guess I will have to start over with the root.

Keith

[chazwicke]

Very cool system. Your plants look nice too. I'll have picts of mine soon. I've got them growing on a gazebo.

[Derekt2]

Originally posted by BrewDog
I remember an article in either BYO or Zymurgy a couple years ago about a guy that did a CicadAle. Long protein rest was the thing that stuck out in my mind on that brew....

Heh, that guy shops at my place and the recipe was a Barleywine. IIRC, correctly he saved some to try in 15 years when they re-emerge.

[Stingo]

Originally posted by Derekt2
Heh, that guy shops at my place and the recipe was a Barleywine. IIRC, correctly he saved some to try in 15 years when they re-emerge.

From my backyard cicada zoo. I just do NOT plan on using them as hops! Jeez!:eek:

[Mad Scientist]

Wow...nice we don't get those things here in west TX

[chazwicke]

We had them a few years ago in my area. And I recall the time before that too as a buddy of mine ate some cicada chili
. They make excellent fish bait by the way

[CampAjohn]

Stingo, thanks for the pics; your hops look great! Are the 20 ft. poles steel pipe or what? I am using some recycled ~16ft. lumber right now, and will need to replace them in a couple years. They need to be 3-4 ft. taller.

I moved two entire hop plants this year. They are behaving like first year plants, limited vertical growth. On another hop string someone said that is due to most energy going into rhizome growth.

[HarkJohnny]

mine are third year as well and the glacier is going to town.... has well exceeded the 15ft of climb it had available and is now just growing all over itself. didn't get half that big last year!

and as of last week I can see a couple of cones just starting! woohoo!

I have a cascade too that's about 12ft at highest and is nowhere as big as the glacier plant.

here's a pic from a couple weeks ago... glaciers on left (much fuller now) and cascades on right.

[Stingo]

Originally posted by CampAjohn
Stingo, thanks for the pics; your hops look great! Are the 20 ft. poles steel pipe or what? I am using some recycled ~16ft. lumber right now, and will need to replace them in a couple years. They need to be 3-4 ft. taller.

I moved two entire hop plants this year. They are behaving like first year plants, limited vertical growth. On another hop string someone said that is due to most energy going into rhizome growth.

The poles are two 10' lengths of galvanized plumbing pipe. I think the bottom one is 1.5" with a reducer to allow the top pipe to be 1". By the time I pounded the bottom one down into the soil the whole thing is about 17" tall or so. Pipe caps on top, hole drilled through to allow threaded eyebolts so I could hook pulleys to allow my lowering. The only thing I regret is not having the guts to drill into my roof for a staywire to keep the poles from falling inwards under the weight of the growing plant. THere is a reason why the real hop poles are basically telephone poles!

My plants need feeding, the leaves are a little tan/brown and curling under and it started about the time I was getting side shoots. Now I am getting bristles or beginnings of hop cones, and they need the extra energy. Either that or I have some other problem.

Not sure Ill need to move the plant, looks like I may not move until harvest is over. So in that case I can take some root with me, plant it to get it going a bit maybe.

[CampAjohn]

Thanks for the info on the steel water pipe uprights, Stingo.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Originally posted by BrewDog
I remember an article in either BYO or Zymurgy a couple years ago about a guy that did a CicadAle. Long protein rest was the thing that stuck out in my mind on that brew....

Now that's just disgusting, Kind of like that guy on Northern Brewer who brews with bugs.... (((Shiver)))
The only bugs I want to eat are those that come out of the sea (lobsters, shrimp, scallops) or those that come out of creeks or rivers (Crawdads)

[Mad Scientist]

The best crawdads (kudos for using the correct word) come from a swamp.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Boerne Brew
The best crawdads (kudos for using the correct word) come from a swamp.

correct word? they're called crawfish!

[Mad Scientist]

Crawdads.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Is Weekend Update going retro?
Next you'll see Jane Curtain and Chevy Chase doing the point/counterpoint bit where Chevy Chase says "Jane you Ignorant slut!" :D

[Stingo]

Despite all the cicadas on my hops I am now seeing an explosion of hop cone early growth, Bristles I think they are called.

Anyway, my local garden store that I rely on could no longer get an ORTHO fertilizer product for mid season growth that was high in the middle number, i.e. 10-50-10. This middle number is best for flowering plants, hops included. either ORTHO changed the product without telling anyone or the store could not get a good enough deal from them. Either way, they found a source that makes it for them in powder form and I add it to a water can and water the ground around the roots. 1x every 10-14 days.

So far so good. I am still getting holes in my leaves and some curling but it may also be lack of regular watering. But it all seems to be working so far.

Maybe some pics tomorrow, it is dark here now.

Cheers!

[barleyburps]

They make excellent fish bait by the way

I second that. . .I grew up using them for bait everytime they came out. . .