Chronicle of growing my own.

Crazy Climber · Post by **Crazy Climber** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 11:19 am

Dumb question from a hop-growing newb here, but....how deep did you guys plant your rhizomes? I've read varying suggestions online, some saying about 7 inches deep, others saying right near the surface.
I read the 7" deep thing first, and did it that way, in mid-late May. I've had very little signs of life from my six rhizomes. One Chinook is doing very well and is over a foot tall; a second Chinook has a few sprouts but are only a few inches tall. Of my 3 Northern Brewer rhizomes, I've only got one tiny leaf showing above ground at this point.

Not much success there, so I'm wondering if I planted 'em too deep, and if I should dig 'em up and move them closer to the surface.

Thoughts?

mtsoxfan · Post by **mtsoxfan** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 4:42 pm

Mine are about 1" down. How long have they been planted, when did they sprout? How much direct sun? We are close, so we should have similiar results, other than you planted deeper. I thought mine were lagging, but Galaxy are 5", Columbus 3' and Willimette almost 4'... they sprouted (guessing) 5-6 weeks ago... I planted two pots of each, anch each variety is of similiar growth. Although the bugs are primarily eating the Williamette. Barstardges...

Crazy Climber · Post by **Crazy Climber** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 5:18 pm

mtsoxfan wrote:Mine are about 1" down. How long have they been planted, when did they sprout? How much direct sun? We are close, so we should have similiar results, other than you planted deeper. I thought mine were lagging, but Galaxy are 5", Columbus 3' and Willimette almost 4'... they sprouted (guessing) 5-6 weeks ago... I planted two pots of each, anch each variety is of similiar growth. Although the bugs are primarily eating the Williamette. Barstardges...

How long have they been planted? -- they went in the ground the week before Memorial Day, IIRC. Yeah, I got a late start, I know.
when did they sprout? -- The first one, after maybe 7-10 days. The other two that have sprouted, perhaps a week later than that.
How much direct sun? -- Chinook gets direct sun through the morning until about 3pm. Northern Brewer gets shaded starting around 1:30pm.

I've read that NB can be a laggard, so I suppose in retrospect I should've put that in the sunnier location, but...in retrospect, I wish I had planted them both shallower. I've been wondering if I got "dud" rhizomes from my LHBS, but maybe it's too early for me to say. If yours sprouted over a month ago...mine haven't even been in the ground a month. So maybe I should RDWHAHB.

mtsoxfan · Post by **mtsoxfan** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 5:42 pm

I only write of my 5-6 weeks of experiences... JohnSand has experience, and will chime in I'm sure.

John Sand · Post by **John Sand** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 5:51 pm

I agree that the pictured bug is not an aphid. I also think I may have aphids, but I haven't worn my good glasses outside!

I don't remember how deep I planted mine, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 7". But there is also this: give them time. First year hops will not produce much anyway. Just let them grow and establish roots. Also, hops are pretty hardy. I'm no great gardener, I just put them in the best spot I could, added 6 month fertilizer, and watered them in dry spells. We don't get full sun anywhere in our yard, mine still thrive. 16'+ tall is ideal, mine are 6'. I did some searches and read the hop growing section on HBT. It's kind of like brewing: relax, don't worry, have fun with it.

DaYooper · Post by **DaYooper** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:01 am

Commercially the bines are cut when harvested. They pretty much have to in able to go thru the picker, but there are some that say it allows the roots to store the energy rather than just putting it into the leaves when picked. Im going to take them down regardless as am not hand picking a field!

Is the chomping only happening on the lower leaves or across the whole plant? If only the lower perhaps it could be slugs (ewwww). You will usually see slimy trails on the leaves of that is the case. Otherwise, it could be almost any leaf eater and you can spray with a vegetable insecticide. Personally, once the cones start forming I would stop as there is really no way to wash the cones and at that point you should have enough foliage so as not to worry about it affecting the plant.

Post by **gwcr** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 2:24 pm

Here's a good resource for some common Hops challenges.

Hop Diseases and Pests

Crazy Climber · Post by **Crazy Climber** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:42 pm

I wish I knew where I had read this, but the info I acted upon was to dig a hole a foot deep, and fill with about 5 inches of compost/fertilizer, and then add the rhizomes and cover back up -- hence, 7" deep.

EVERYTHING I've read since then says only an inch or two is fine. <sigh>

Oh well, on the bright side, I don't have any issues with insects or disease! (I have one bine that is about a foot tall, and two others that measure an inch or two.)

mtsoxfan · Post by **mtsoxfan** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:27 pm

Not slugs... at least no signs of them. I sprayed the leaves on the plants that were getting eaten with a soap/water solution. I'm at my step daughter college orientation for a few days, I'll see what they look like when I get back. I did see some white (possible) fly aphid type thingys on some leaves. They didn't move, but I smushed them anyway... it is only a couple of plants, but definetly from the bottom leaves up. I've inspected at first light, during the day at various times, and in the evening. unless slugs are nocternal, I didn't see any.

John Sand · Post by **John Sand** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:34 pm

Slugs are nocturnal, and we have many here. My lower leaves are chewed too, but there are so many leaves I don't worry too much. Tobacco tea is also lethal to most insects. I've tried the bowl of beer trick on slugs, I didn't like it. All the neighborhood slugs gathered for a keg party. The big ones just hung on the edge and drank the beer. Then they got obnoxious!

jimjohson · Post by **jimjohson** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:08 am

mtsoxfan lady bugs eat aphids. http://www.thebeneficialinsectco.com/ap ... dybugs.htm at least in SWMBO's flower garden, they're more effective than poison.

Post by **philm00x** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 3:19 pm

Well here they are after just under 2 months. NB on left and Cascade on right. See, the Cascade are already at the top.

Inkleg · Post by **Inkleg** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 5:34 pm

John Sand wrote:The big ones just hung on the edge and drank the beer. Then they got obnoxious!

There is nothing worse than a drunk slug and trust me I've known a few.

John Sand · Post by **John Sand** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 10:04 pm

Inkleg wrote:
John Sand wrote:The big ones just hung on the edge and drank the beer. Then they got obnoxious!

There is nothing worse than a drunk slug and trust me I've known a few.

Post by **gwcr** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:31 am

philm00x wrote:Well here they are after just under 2 months. NB on left and Cascade on right. See, the Cascade are already at the top.

Looking good! Not sure how you got them to grow sideways like that, but congrats!

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