2nd year hops, which to train, which to trim?

[fizgig]

I have a Centennial and a Cascade plant coming back for the second year, I bought hop crowns from Great Lakes last year and got about 5oz dried off them, not bad for 1 year.

All the bines growing this year look nearly the same to me, I've read to trim back any bull shoots and only train 3-4 bines, but if anyone can tell a difference in these pictures, let me know. Also, should I trim them now or wait until they're bigger?

 

[fizgig]

Closeups:

 

[krenshaw]

I'm interested in this as well.. I have three from last year and an in the same situation.. Help would be appreciated

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

I too have a 2nd year, Willamette, and when mine got about that size, I trimmed the longest ones and left about 8 that I will let grow and train 4 of those.

I left the smallest ones after I trimmed as they wld be the least likely to be bulls.

It hasn't been a week yet and a few of the shortest are really starting to take off.

 

[nagmay]

"if anyone can tell a difference in these pictures, let me know"

Sure, the bulls are the 3rd, 4th and 11th in a counter-clockwise rotation starting from the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day shines upon...

J/K - it is nearly impossible to tell the bulls without cutting them open and looking for a hollow core. This is why commercial growers cut back all the first shoots. These first shoots are also the most likely to harbor mildew form the previous season. So, there's another bonus.

They usually whack off the entire top of the crown. I prefer to be a bit more delicate and use some clippers. Don't worry, they'll send out new shoots in just a few days.

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

And usually the spacing between the nodes are further apart on bull shoots which will mean less yield per bine. But I agree, you can't know for sure unless you start snipping.

If you dont want to chop all of them down, just cut the longest and leave the shortest few to train.

 

[McRoth]

Thanks for the tips! I just trimmed the tallest of my 2nd year hops.

 

[fizgig]

Thanks, I've read they look different but I've rolled these over in my hands and inspected, couldn't tell. I'll trim them up except the smallest ones.

 

[fizgig]

I checked stiffness, stem shape and thickness, it didn't seem to matter, what I did notice is the bulls had their leaves much further apart (so that's what stretched internodes means in the literature, the space between the nodes/leaves is longer) and be less leafy in general on the cascade and it had a bunch of them, the centennial didn't seem to have any bulls, super leafy and thick stemmed. Bull on the top in these pics.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

I noticed the bulls are hollow not firm. Give them a squeeze and they collapse easily.

 

[mjs3]

If anyone can help me with what i should do with my second year, please do.
One bine is 21" high while the others are just starting to sprout.
I had no harvest last year, but the plant grew 3 stories high just out of a pot (philly has mostly concrete yards!).
I plan on transferring after this year.
I'd be happy to see even just an ounce this year!

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

Trim ur tall one because it appears to be a bull shoot. The nodes are pretty far spaced apart and im betting its hollow on the inside.

Your others should be fine, but there's no guarantee that some of those won't be bulls either.