Nasty Moldy Rhizomes

So I pre-ordered three varieties of rhizomes (3 each) from MoreBeer back in early January. The long anticipated package arrived today and much to my disappointment, the rhizomes were sent in a 12"x12"x8" box with no packing material, taking some abuse on their journey, and all of the Cascades look disgusting.

Any idea if these puppies are still worth sticking in some soil? I sent an email enquiring about replacements.

Hey Broth,

Very sorry for the inconvenience and the sub-par rhizomes you were sent. We should have some leftover, so hopefully sending out new ones shouldn't be an issue. With thousands of rhizomes arriving and having to ship out instantly, looks like we missed a few with mold!

Please PM me if our customer service team hasn't gotten back to you and I will help to get some replacements sent out. Hopefully there aren't too many of them out there like that, but again, we're very sorry for this inconvenience. I would still recommend planting them, as sometimes even perfectly healthy looking rhizomes will not sprout (while other times moldy ones do!).

Sincerely,
Matt

Thanks for the reply Jipper. I did get a speedy response from the support staff. Thank you very much for your support, I really appreciate how MoreBeer has handled this. Turned my frown upside down!

I'll pop em in the ground and hope for the best! Thanks again!

Glad they were able to take care of you quickly! I've asked our quality control manager (customer service manager) to double check the replacements for mold prior to shipping. Hopefully this doesn't happen again, but good luck on the ones you currently have too!

Cheers,
Matt

Guess you got your answer and more rhizomes! Nice score. I would definitely plant what you got there. Plenty of good parts, the soil will eat up the nasty parts.

I got some that were way moldier than those and they are doing just fine. Already breaking out of the ground. I did sprinkle a little hormodin(root hormone) on them when I planted.

Well, I got curious and asked hubby about this. He says that some mold on the rhizomes(or any root starter), such as pictured or even worse, will not affect whether or not it is viable, nor how much it produces. He says, "When it starts getting moldy, that's when you need to get it in the ground." He says it's also possible that this could be beneficial, a harmless mold fighting off other fungi that could ruin your hops. Like having white oak snakes in your yard(harmless), to keep away rattlesnakes. Everything I know about gardening and farming, hubby taught me, in that regard he always says "do not believe everything you hear on the Internet!!!"

In connection with molds, Dry rot is also another pest which damages wood. It can cause widespread structural damage. Dry rot is probably a term feared by most homeowners. Dry rot can very well result in the growth of other more toxic molds such as the black mold. Homeowners have to look at for a number of things, but something one should keep an eye out for is poria incrassata. Poria is a form of dry rot which is rather menacing, though the rotten thing is that once you've spotted it, you're in deep trouble.