hop seeds

[jberrouard]

I have grown a lot of hops from rizhomes but recently came across hop seeds on eBaY. I have never heard of hop seeds has anyone had any experience with these? I put the link below.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amarillo-go...ltDomain_0&hash=item19d8b597fc#ht_1970wt_1255

 

[feinbera]

Rhizomes are genetically identical to the mother plant, so, you know exactly what you're going to get, both in terms of flavor/aroma/bittering characteristics and in terms of being vigorous, disease-resistant, and high-yield enough (not to mention, female) to even be worth growing in the first place.

Seeds are a crap shoot -- they may turn out male, they may grow poorly or not sprout at all, they may not produce many cones, and the cones they do produce may taste like ass. Which is all fine and dandy if you know what you're getting, but what you're certainly not getting is something that's gonna taste anything like Amarillo.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Seeds are a crap shoot -- they may turn out male, they may grow poorly or not sprout at all, they may not produce many cones, and the cones they do produce may taste like ass. Which is all fine and dandy if you know what you're getting, but what you're certainly not getting is something that's gonna taste anything like Amarillo.

I totally agree with the crap shoot sentiment! That statement is very true, so true that it's not too far fetched that you could potentially end up with something MORE appealing that Amarillo. The odds aren't stacked in your favor but it could be the long shot of that crap shoot. I'm not a gamblin' man so I like to play it safe with clones. Just sayin' . . .

 

[nagmay]

"it's not too far fetched that you could potentially end up with something MORE appealing that Amarillo."

That might be true if the parents were brewing hops.

These ebay listings are scams. If you even get hop seeds, they will most likely be ornamental hops... since large quantities of those seeds are readily available. While they technically can be use for brewing/breeding, ornamental hops are not going to ever be the next Amarillo.

"has anyone had any experience"
I do have experience starting wild hops fro seed. It's difficult, but can be done:
http://gabriel.nagmay.com/2013/03/hops-from-seed/

 

[Stokes_]

I was going to start this thread myself. Does anyone know where you can buy hop seeds online that has a wide variety of types?

 

[nagmay]

"Does anyone know where you can buy hop seeds online that has a wide variety of types?"

Short answer: You can’t.

More: Hops don’t grow true from seed. Anyone selling seeds for a particular variety are either setting up a scam, or they simply don’t understand hop genetics.

As stated above: You can get “ornamental” hop seeds from ebay, amazon and various seed companies online. While they technically can be use for brewing/breeding, the acid levels and aroma qualities are going to be a crap shoot.

 

[B-Hoppy]

I was going to start this thread myself. Does anyone know where you can buy hop seeds online that has a wide variety of types?

If you use whole hops, the easiest way to get things going is to compost all your spent hops from brewing. No matter how diligent the growers are about keeping males away from their yards, eventually some get pollinated and make seeds.

In the Fall after I plant my garlic, I spread an inch or so of compost over the patch to help with weed control and usually find a bunch of seedlings coming up. These are some of the ones I just thinned out of the garlic patch last weekend, most likely all have parents that worked for the brewing industry. Now that I have a little spare time again it's back to playing!

Sorry about the picture quality.

 

[Stokes_]

"Does anyone know where you can buy hop seeds online that has a wide variety of types?"

Short answer: You can’t.

More: Hops don’t grow true from seed. Anyone selling seeds for a particular variety are either setting up a scam, or they simply don’t understand hop genetics.

As stated above: You can get “ornamental” hop seeds from ebay, amazon and various seed companies online. While they technically can be use for brewing/breeding, the acid levels and aroma qualities are going to be a crap shoot.

Wow, that sucks. I ordered only a few rhizomes back in March and they're flourishing, I really want to get some more plants going. Guess I'll have to wait until next March to order more rhizomes :smack:

 

[nagmay]

B-Hoppy,
Wow, that's really cool. I compost lots of whole hops, but have never had any sprouts. Maybe my compost just gets too hot...

If you ever interested in trading for some of those, please let me know.

 

[Stokes_]

How long will my plants grown from rhizomes produce on average?

 

[B-Hoppy]

Stokes,

If you're just looking to start some more, check out http://www.freshops.com/. He'll have rhizomes for at least another month.

Also, as long as nothing terrible happens to your plants, they can live for a very long time. Some of the first cuttings I got (1986?) were from Upstate NY. The fellow I got them from told me they were from plants used to start the first commercial hop yard in Madison County back in the early 1800's. The Canadian Redvine I got from him is still rockin' hard.

 

[B-Hoppy]

B-Hoppy,
Wow, that's really cool. I compost lots of whole hops, but have never had any sprouts. Maybe my compost just gets too hot...


If you ever interested in trading for some of those, please let me know.

I would imagine that if they were able to survive a kettle full of boiling wort they'd be able to get through the heat of compost.

Not allowed to ship into Oregon, sorry. If you're really interested in breeding, just head down to the USDA farm in Corvallis and they'll be able to hook you up with everything you need.

 

[nagmay]

I have found the USDA Germplasm repository to be (understandably) less-than-helpful for hobbyist breeders. Despite that, I have had some success propagating wild seeds.

I was just hoping to expand the genetics a bit. Thanks anyway.

 

[Stokes_]

Stokes,

If you're just looking to start some more, check out http://www.freshops.com/. He'll have rhizomes for at least another month.

Also, as long as nothing terrible happens to your plants, they can live for a very long time. Some of the first cuttings I got (1986?) were from Upstate NY. The fellow I got them from told me they were from plants used to start the first commercial hop yard in Madison County back in the early 1800's. The Canadian Redvine I got from him is still rockin' hard.

THANK YOU!! Thought I was doomed! I'm going to order asap.

 

[GVH_Dan]

If you use whole hops, the easiest way to get things going is to compost all your spent hops from brewing.

As smart of a guy as you are, Bob, you need to take a class on proper composting. Once you get that right mix of brown, green and moisture that pile will start smoking. Then the seeds will die...hop, tomato, whatever.

I've found that a mixture of dead stuff, grass clippings and pet bunny waste does a good job. Get yourself a pet rabbit. Or if you want, I'll be happy to send you one of ours. I'm tired of replacing chewed through electrical cords.

OK, back on topic...

 

[B-Hoppy]

Hahaha. Dan, there's a big difference between being smart and knowing lots of useless stuff.

I went all out with composting after college and had a lot more energy and time on my side back then. Lots of the same aspects that go into brewing also apply to well managed compost and I choose to lean a little harder toward the brewing. Nowadays, as long as the pile eventually turns to (black) gold, it's all good.

 

[PapaBearJay]

B-Hoppy,

You are allowed to ship to MN, feel like passing on a couple seedlings my way, whether whole plants or cuttings?

Thanks,

PBJ