2015 : Anyone have their hops growing yet?

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I'll grab photos later today but YES my hops are just starting to come out here in Central New York. We had a very large amount of snow this year ( 30 feet ) with a Month of super cold spell but snow was already on the ground at that point. So a nice insulator.
We JUST had our last melt down of what was left on the ground about 2 weeks ago. It was amazing as SOON as that snow melted and we had a couple 60 degree days, WHAM.
The first and most furious is an heirloom I suspect to be 50 to 100 years old. That is always the quickest but last year it suddenly died off. Not sure. The leaves and bines grew but cones suddenly died. Hope it was a fluke thing. It did not bother any of the other plants. I have Cascades just out of the ground and Centennials and Magnum's just barely trying to peak out. They'll all be out in a couple days I suspect. Hope its a good harvest for all this year, last year sucked here in Central NY. At least up here in the Southern Tug Hill where we had tons of rain in April and May, too much I believe. Also a wet summer all-in-all.
 
Hounds said:
The first and most furious is an heirloom I suspect to be 50 to 100 years old. That is always the quickest but last year it suddenly died off. Not sure. The leaves and bines grew but cones suddenly died. Hope it was a fluke thing.
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If the leaves/bines weren't too affected and all the cones kicked at the same time it might be a phosphorus/potassium deficiency. Maybe try a bloom booster (p-k) this year.

What kind of aroma and taste do you get from the heirloom? Very curious :mug:
 
I was using a 20-20-20 fert on all plants. Is that sufficient or not good for hops?
Also I had the heirloom tested and the numbers are similar to Cascade. In this area I believe Cluster was grown extensively so I'm going with that but who knows. its on an 1875 farm and is growing out of what appears to be an old stone structure which I believe was a hop house.
It does taste and have similar characteristics as a Cascade.
 
Just cut back the bull shoots on my plants yesterday. They were growing pretty fast so hopefully that's a good indicator for the next shoots.
 
I just recieved my rhizomes about 3 weeks ago (Cascade, Centennial & Columbus), planted 2 of each in-ground & I think the Centennial is starting to poke through now. I've been impatient (it's my first year) but I guess two weeks is pretty good to show signs of life. I'm hoping I can train them horizontally until the top of the fence and then angled up to the roof. Wish me luck...
 
Hounds said:
I was using a 20-20-20 fert on all plants. Is that sufficient or not good for hops?
Also I had the heirloom tested and the numbers are similar to Cascade. In this area I believe Cluster was grown extensively so I'm going with that but who knows. its on an 1875 farm and is growing out of what appears to be an old stone structure which I believe was a hop house.
It does taste and have similar characteristics as a Cascade.
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20-20-20 Is good to start but might be inadequate for full term growth. Standard ferts like that might build up excessive salts in the soil over the season and wind up locking certain elements out. It's very easy to overdo it with 20-20-20.

Maybe try some gentler organics this year. Epsoma is easy to find on the east coast and cheap. Try plant tone (5-3-3) until you see the first evidence of bloom, then switch to either flower tone or tomato tone. Application is generally once every four weeks during the grow season, with the dose (granular) scratched or raked into the soil surface around the plants. Pretty easy. All you have to do is water from there as needed.
 
Planted my hops on Friday to start them inside for a bit. And my hallertau has exploded. There was a shoot coming off the rhizome when I planted it but it still went through a couple inches of soil quickly. At least an inch per day. This is at 5 days. Also my wye viking and magnum have broken surface as well. Here's to a great start to the season, and a lot of lagers at some point down the road. I highly recommend fresh hops, all of my rhizomes arrived healthy and had sprouts before getting them in the ground.

View attachment 1429733119373.jpg
 
South Texas first timer here. I got my rhizomes from Hop Goblin about two weeks ago and got them in the ground pretty quick. I am trellising with 3/8 inch PP rope. I added Miracle Gro garden soil to the 12" deep holes and I have very sandy soil surrounding that with the rhizomes 1" below the surface. Patted down but not hard packed. Lots of little snails in the area, gonna drop some egg shells soon.

Centennials have just showed up a few days after my other two Willamettes. Strongest Willamette is pictured along with the new neighborhood "swing set".

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429738951.556010.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429739049.772400.jpg
 
Been getting some great growth from my other plants so far. This is a first year centennial and it's been planted for 2.5 weeks. Should I clip all but the big one? I figure it will make it expend all its energy into that shoot. Makes sense right?

View attachment 1430778561440.jpg
 
Actually you want to clip the big one. Typically the fastest growing shoot is a bull shoot. Mine send up about 5 that right now are about 2 feet taller than the rest, they will be cut this week.
 
neild5 said:
Actually you want to clip the big one. Typically the fastest growing shoot is a bull shoot. Mine send up about 5 that right now are about 2 feet taller than the rest, they will be cut this week.
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Really? Why would you cut the fastest growing one? I have a big one on my hallertau, and another one breaking ground below. Should I cut that one back too? It seems to be sturdy enough
 
I already have cones on some of my Cascades. I'll probably have my first harvest by the middle of the month, but it won't be much and they probably won't be very good but we'll see soon.
 
Oshkosh, WI Currently-
17/17 of my 2nd years came back up
21/22 Chinook rhizomes up
11/11 centennial rhizomes up
20/22 cascade rhizomes up... They were late starters
 
CarbonTom said:
Really? Why would you cut the fastest growing one? I have a big one on my hallertau, and another one breaking ground below. Should I cut that one back too? It seems to be sturdy enough
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It's normal to cut back the first round of shoots. Your getting rid of bull shoots, which even though they're bigger and growing faster, they will yield less and be less stable once they grow because their hollow stem. Also you clip your first shoots to help control downy mildew, the spores will overwinter and possibly infect your first shoots. Your first year you might not clip back due wanting to promote growth.
 
derrick45123 said:
It's normal to cut back the first round of shoots. Your getting rid of bull shoots, which even though they're bigger and growing faster, they will yield less and be less stable once they grow because their hollow stem. Also you clip your first shoots to help control downy mildew, the spores will overwinter and possibly infect your first shoots. Your first year you might not clip back due wanting to promote growth.
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Okay that makes sense then. Yes these are all first year plants, which is why I was hesitant to clip anything at all, I am not expecting to get any yield this year. Or at least from the 1 yr olds. I have a 2nd year glacier that I am excited to see something from.
 
+1 for clipping the bull shoots. You want the smaller ones to grow, because they will have closer spacing between the nodes and therefore yield more hops. I don't know what you guys who are posting pictures on this page are doing differently, but my 3rd year Cascade rhizome has probably grown about 10 feet so far at its highest point (I have 8 different sections of twine coming down from a pole about 15 feet in the air), and this is after I clipped the bull shoots when they were about 6 feet high. Are those first-year rhizomes you guys are using? Just curious.
 
CarbonTom said:
Should I clip all but the big one?
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Don't clip anything on a first year plantling until it has leaves and a chance to produce some of its own energy. Roots don't grow from nowhere. The whole bull-shoot controversy revolves around harvest quantities. You're not after a large harvest in year one; you want root developement
 
HAREEBROWNBEEST said:
Any tricks on getting the vine to "latch on" ? Mine only has one vine, or is it bine? Is this common?
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I want to say they naturally wind clockwise. It looks like you would begin winding one the top of the string because it appears to be naturally curling that way. In my experience, winding it early before it gets too long is easier than waiting and trying to wind it once it firms up.

Rhizomes usually have one or two bines. They focus on root development. The bines are usually pretty thin until roots are established. Next year, that Cascade will be a bushy beast.
 
2nd year Glacier.

Hops1 003.jpg

I left the 1st year cord and bines in place. Hoping it remembers where to climb. :D
 
I am trying a new platform from my own last year. Last year I used wicking beds, this year I am planting in my buddies farm.

Holy shnitzengruben - these things love the "char" that I put them into. The growth that you are looking at here folks is 5 weeks - yeaup - that's right 5 weeks...

take a look:

IMG_20150503_154301_708.jpg
 
thaymond said:
I want to say they naturally wind clockwise. It looks like you would begin winding one the top of the string because it appears to be naturally curling that way. In my experience, winding it early before it gets too long is easier than waiting and trying to wind it once it firms up.

Rhizomes usually have one or two bines. They focus on root development. The bines are usually pretty thin until roots are established. Next year, that Cascade will be a bushy beast.
Click to expand...

She did it all by herself!

View attachment 1431050582290.jpg
 
I planted two a couple weeks ago. Mr. Centennial and Mr. Chinook. Mr. Centennial is an extrovert, and has shot a bine of two inches to say hello. Mr Chinook is either an introvert, or dead. He refuses to leave his house for the light of day.
 
Been a mild winter here in Salem, OR. All my plants have come up this spring. Even the rhizomes i cut and replanted have come up. Some are ready to start training. Good start to the year, hope it continues. Good luck to everyone, lets get lots of hops.
 
fuzzy2133 said:
2nd year cascade. Cut all the first shoots last week. Seems to be growing slower than most of you. Wondering if it is the cooler weather slowing it down.
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Probably. AS someone who grew up in Morgan Hill I can say the weather will be good for hops. Lots of sunlight and humidity there to keep them happy.
 
May 8 and my shoots are just breaking through. Last year at this time they were at least 6 feet high.
Oh well, at least the snow is finally all melted.:D
 
My first successful attempt at growing hops.
Planted 4/7/15

Cascades:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129644.333616.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129664.836659.jpg

Liberty:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129687.803958.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129703.286529.jpg

Mt. Hood:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129729.142703.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431129740.489358.jpg


So far so good, I will see what happens to them around June/July when the 100+ degree days hit.

My plan is to get them going well this year in pots then build a appropriate trellis and plant in the ground next year.
 

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