Do i really need an 18 foot trellis

[wxman73]

So I'm thinking about growing hops, and have learned how high they grow. Do i really need i tall trellis or could i get away with something closer to 6 feet and just get less production and growth?


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[reinstone]

So I'm thinking about growing hops, and have learned how high they grow. Do i really need i tall trellis or could i get away with something closer to 6 feet and just get less production and growth?


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Yeah. They will still grow fine. I had eight feet and lots of hops.

 

[Shane5151]

They want to run, so if your not going high you have to let grow horizontal. I'm in the northeast and mine hit 16' in mid-May. They really want grow on something. If you don't want anything permanent, try a 2x4 in a 5gallon pail filled with concrete.


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[Greatlakeshops]

They prefer to grow vertically and although they will grow short and horizontal, this will without a doubt reduce yields. The bines that grow horizontally just don't seem to yield out the same.

Since many varieties don't start coning until they are a few feet off the ground, the shorter your trellis, typically the worse your yield is going to be.

The plants are very vigorous and most of them grow really well regardless. If you grow tall and mostly vertical you will have the best results though. The plants naturally want to grow up.

 

[wxman73]

Thanks all for the info. I will grow them vertically but not to their full extent. My wife and neighbors might get mad if i let them grow to full height! Thanks again!


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[MrHadack]

I have two trellises, each about 8 feet high. I have one on either side of a walkway leading into my backyard. I ran a few strings from the top of one trellis to the other, and planted hops under one of them. The hops grow up their own trellis, and then across the strings to the top of the other one. The hops have no problem growing laterally along the strings, and the yield along that point is tremendous. So it does not need to be entirely vertical. Also, it creates a gorgeous canopy over the walkway, and they are low enough to harvest without a ladder. After planting two rhizomes a couple years ago, I got almost 2 pounds of hops this past year.

 

[Homercidal]

I put up some 14' poles and they grow right up and over that no problem. My construction is a 4' post buried in the ground with a bit of concrete to help steady it. Then I mount a 14' (or maybe it was 16'...) post on top of that and hold it together with 2x4s on each side, with bolts running through it all. When I want to hang strings or take down the hops I just remove one bolt, loosen the others, and lower the post.

I don't think it looks too bad. Wives and neighbors likely have a different opinion, but my wife doesn't seem to mind them. She only dislikes picking hops.

 

[wxman73]

Thanks all. Going to have to think this through. I have an incredible amount of rocks in soil. Which makes burying a proper base a job i don't want to do. I've been told I'm building a deck this year, for which i will rent a post hole digger. But i don't want to wait until then to start growing. I'll need to come up with something creative for now. How much weight should i be prepared to support per hop plant?


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[Homercidal]

They can get fairly heavy, but it's not too bad for a 4x4. If you are concerned with string, I use sisal twine, little smaller than my little finger.

I wouldn't necessarily be concerned with getting the MOST hops. If running a tall vertical is an issue, you will get plenty of hops going up and then over. Hops need lots of water and lots of sunshine. Keep the bugs and mildew off them. A couple of plants will give a good amount of hops in a couple of years.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]How much weight should i be prepared to support per hop plant?

With good soil, full exposure, judicious watering and feeding, twenty pounds...

Cheers!

 

[Crito]

You could let them grow then lay them down so they can grow straight. Limit hop bines to two or three per crown. After they reach twelve. Hang the first six feet back up and let the next 12 to 28 feet grow on the first bine

 

[thaymond]

I just attached some rope to my roof and let them climb that way, this year we discontinued e dish on the roof, and all the rope will be attached to that. I have them growing diagonally, and most plants hit 16 feet +. My nugget would have grown to 25 feet if it had the space.

 

[thaymond]

Rise from the dead! Info maybe for next year. Do you NEED an 18' trellis? No. You need enough to allow the plant to grow as much as it wants.

My lines are 48' and wrap all the way around the 4x4 cage, and most of my plants grew at minimum 20'. This is only 6' tall. Happy hopping!

 

[jrgtr42]

I built my trellis 12 feet high, and the established plants got up there in record time. It's not going up and over this year, but it's sort of curling around itself up there.

 

[FrozenFloridian]

I have 2 20' green treat 6x6 posts 48" in the ground. Spaced about 20' apart with 7 mature crowns. I'm in Iowa and my yields are stupid big! I have to reduce the number of plants next year because the logistics of harvesting so many hops is an impossible task for myself.