Hops on the Ground

[WildHopHunter]

So here in the Boston area we have been getting a ridculous amount of rain this year. Yesterday my hop trellis finally gave up, between the soft ground and wind load it fell over. This trellis had been supporting 5 different 2nd year hop plants. The hops were well over 12 feet high with plenty of laterals, infant hop cones were just starting to form.

I gave up, pulled the trellis out of the ground, cut the hop plants off of the twine and left them to grow laying on the ground. Do I stand a chance of getting a harvest this years or are my plants done for?

I hate to put in 2 months of work to watch everything go down the drain.
Looks like I will have to put a lot more planning into my trellis design for next year.

 

[Indianhead_Brewer]

Yeah, we've had a pretty wet season here in the Upper Midwest too. I wouldn't think all is lost for this season, but all the contact with the ground is going to make you pretty susceptible to mildew especially if conditions remain wet.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

I'm in my 3rd year of simply growing on a fence (something always comes up to prevent the trellis). I get more hops than I can use in a year from 4 plants on the fence. Anything to get them higher will be better. Even on the fence it is obvious that more hops are produced at the top of the fence and toward the southwest side where they get afternoon/evening sun.