Is the crown that was in the center dead???

[Esmitee]

I live in NJ right at the shore, I have a 4 year old Fuggles plant looks like the center of the crown has died off, BUT ALL around it there many many new and healthy shoots. All of these shoots are traveling away from the center.Can I dig these up and relocate them to the center area where the crown looks like it's dead? If I do dig them up, will I be killing the new shoots?

You can see the 2 wood stakes with the rope on it, And the 2 Plant name stakes. The area near them was the crown of the 4 year old dead crown

 

[B-Hoppy]

Those new shoots are popping up from rhizomes that grew outward from the crown, and yes you can dig them up and replant without worrying about damaging the new growth. My question would be "why did the central part of the crown die in the first place?". Could be some soil/nutrient issues with all the sand and the moss? Keep us posted.

 

[Esmitee]

Those new shoots are popping up from rhizomes that grew outward from the crown, and yes you can dig them up and replant without worrying about damaging the new growth. My question would be "why did the central part of the crown die in the first place?". Could be some soil/nutrient issues with all the sand and the moss? Keep us posted.

I have no idea why it bit the dust, although, there little peepers coming up around the center where the crown was. Also, I have willamette and cascade on each side of this Fuggle, They seem to be doing very well. I will keep you posted Tomorrow I'm going to dig them up and replant. Thanks

 

[B-Hoppy]

Right on. If you stand over the center of the crown and look down, the rhizomes radiate outward like the spokes on a bicycle wheel. Just take your shovel and start between a few of the imaginary spokes a foot or so out and begin lifting the soil up & you should see them at around 4 or 6 inches deep. Follow them back to the crown, chop and replant.

 

[Esmitee]

You saying I should dug out the center ares, The original crown, and replant the shoots all back in the center?. Now after replanting the new shoots, would they be considered and cared for as 1st year plants?
Also, the other plants I have are also spreading, to control them from intermixed with it's neighbors next to them, how do I do that?

 

[B-Hoppy]

Once you locate and identify one of the rhizomes that's growing out from the crown, loosen the soil below it and follow it back to the crown. You should be able to see if there's any life left in the crown and replant the new ones if necessary. If you originally started with rhizomes, what you're digging up is the exact same thing, plus or minus some new growth and should be treated like any other first year rhizomes.

One growing season after you plant a rhizome, you can technically call it a crown because it's developed a root system of it's own and has formed buds that will grow into new shoots the following spring. A year or two more, and you can call it a mature crown meaning that it has most likely accumulated enough excess energy to start producing rhizomes of it's own. Once these form, they can grow out away from the crown for quite a way each year (3 feet is not unreasonable, especially in sandy, loose soil). If you have two plants spaced 5 feet apart, you may have rhizomes from each grow together by the end of the year. If you have room, you can plant them farther apart to help keep this from happening. If you don't, you should plan on starting to do some root pruning (rhizome pruning more accurately) at the beginning of the 3rd year. Just dig a trench around the crown and cut back any rhizomes you find. You won't set the plant back and will help keep it from spreading. Hope this helps.

 

[Barley_Bob]

I'm not an expert on hops, but I am a pretty avid gardener, and I'd file this under "who cares?". As the new growth gets larger, guide it onto your posts or wires. If the crown is dead, the existing new plants will recolonize that space in no time.

Replant if you want. If you have a stray way out there, pop it in the middle. But by mid-summer, those huge spaces between the plants will be negligible, because your little sprouts are going to grow!

A note on B-Hoppy's comment, when you rhizome prune, you can move the newly cultivated sprouts (that you've just cut off from the crown) to new locations to expand your hop garden. Happy growing!

 

[Esmitee]

Once you locate and identify one of the rhizomes that's growing out from the crown, loosen the soil below it and follow it back to the crown. You should be able to see if there's any life left in the crown and replant the new ones if necessary. If you originally started with rhizomes, what you're digging up is the exact same thing, plus or minus some new growth and should be treated like any other first year rhizomes.

One growing season after you plant a rhizome, you can technically call it a crown because it's developed a root system of it's own and has formed buds that will grow into new shoots the following spring. A year or two more, and you can call it a mature crown meaning that it has most likely accumulated enough excess energy to start producing rhizomes of it's own. Once these form, they can grow out away from the crown for quite a way each year (3 feet is not unreasonable, especially in sandy, loose soil). If you have two plants spaced 5 feet apart, you may have rhizomes from each grow together by the end of the year. If you have room, you can plant them farther apart to help keep this from happening. If you don't, you should plan on starting to do some root pruning (rhizome pruning more accurately) at the beginning of the 3rd year. Just dig a trench around the crown and cut back any rhizomes you find. You won't set the plant back and will help keep it from spreading. Hope this helps.

Well thank you B Hoppy , Yes, your crystal clear info Indeed helps me alot.
I still didn't have a chance to do anything to the plant yet. Actually I'm glad I didn't after reading your reply. I have my plants very close together, only due to space limitations. They are now trying to intermix and I know it's time to do something about it, I now have the correct information to do something about it! Thanks again!

 

[Esmitee]

Well Ok Barley Bob and B Hoppy ! Thinking back at the end of last fall, I dumped compost that I had left over and put it on the now cut down bines. I'm guessing , maybe it burned that 1 hop plant in question
Anyway, I did what you said and dug up those rouge bines that were spreading? And dug trenches so I didnt have to sever the bine from the dead crown I could redirect the bines to the center of the crown. In the other hops that were close to this one, I did the same thing and also cut some of the bines to start more plants and transplanted some of them to a different area..Thanks They are looking better already