Will this work well for growing?

[zanemoseley]

I've got a very steep hill behind my house, part has grass and a small section is too steep to mow, at least 30 degrees. I was thinking of putting a "t" post in the ground at the bottom and another at the top then running a heavy twine or wire between the two to keep the hops elevated.

Here's a picture of the proposed spot, I could weed eat slope quickly to clear the way. The soil is pretty poor clay but I would amend it quite heavily.

 

[Dynachrome]

Growing Hops?

I tried last year. I think I had way too much shade.

They need lots of sun.

 

[zanemoseley]

I would get quite a bit of sun here. I'm more wondering about the post and wire idea and the 30 degree'ish slope.

 

[day_trippr]

If that slope has a southern exposure it could be worth the effort to grow there. Given drainage shouldn't be a problem, I would cut into the slope to form shallow terraces, scoop out the hard scrabble/clay at each planting spot and fill back with some good stuff.

As for some kind of growing structure, the higher the plants can climb the better they'll do and the easier it'll be to harvest, as opposed to eventually growing into and through each other. If you can run a couple of suspension lines way up and hang drops down to each plant you could have a shot at a decent yield...

Cheers!

 

[feinbera]

I've only ever grown 'em straight up, or close to it, but, I hear you start running into trouble with the bines leaving the guide line and trying to grow straight up again at angles of 45° and shallower... it's no problem if you're willing to constantly train them back onto the twine, but you're gonna have a hard time finding a happy medium where they'll be high enough above the hill for the side-arms not to drag in the weeds, but low enough that training them back along the guide line every day won't be a pain.

There's a reason they're usually grown near-vertical... the initial set-up is a pain, but after that, the hops pretty much just take care of themselves without you having to do much until it's time to harvest.

 

[zanemoseley]

Looks like I need to get a plan B.

 

[nagmay]

Maybe not. While hops prefer to grow straight up, they will do fine with at an angle. Mine are at a 45 over the garden.

Why not just skip the post at the bottom of the hill and put a tall post at the top (or tie to those trees). This will maximize the angle.

As day_trippr mentioned, I would also suggest planting the rhizomes a few feet from the bottom of the slope on a small terrace. This will help with drainage.

Here's a 3 second sketch:

 

[zanemoseley]

I can probably get to 45 degrees quite easily. I can probably just anchor to a tree up toward the top then give the hops 20-22 feet diagnally to grow so they don't tangle up in the tree or get shaded. I've seen some people use those oversized eye bolt looking ground anchors that I can put right behind the plants. The slope does face the south a bit as well. Worst case is they don't grow well and I have to build something else, best case is I can grow hops without buildign much of anything.

 

[zanemoseley]

Well I took an angle gauge to the hill and its really only about 25 degrees. I did a little test and took a 20 ft piece of string and tied it on a tree about 7 feet high at the top of the hill and angled it down to the ground. I got about 42 degrees. I could easily get a ladder there and put an eye bolt in the tree 10-12 feet up, that should get me 50-55 degrees I would think. I don't think the trees will shade the plant much at all since the slope faces the south directly into the path of the sun. I will trim some of the trees too. I will post a picture when I'm done.

With a shallower angle will I have to use wire instead of rope to reduce sagging? Also if I make the lines 20 feet long will that be long enough where I could run multiple lines terminating on the same tree without them tangling?

 

[nagmay]

That sounds just about optimal.

For the hops over my garden, I tie 50lb hemp twine to an eye bolt in a nearby tree. You can use anything, but I like hemp - since at the end of the year it can be cut down with the bine and tossed in the compost.

The only trick with trees is to intentionally leave some slack in the line. You need to give the tree some room to sway, or it will break the rope/wire.

> Also if I make the lines 20 feet long will that be long enough where I could run multiple lines terminating on the same tree without them tangling?

Are you planning to plant multiple varieties? After a few years, the hops may very well be able to reach the tree. Mine use up the 25' twine and then grow 5-10' up the tree. They do get a bit tangled, but for me, that just means a little more time sorting at the end of the year.

 

[zanemoseley]

I've used some of the green twine used for gardening to string tomato plants up but its not the 50lb stuff. It tends to sag a lot once it gets wet. I just need to find something that won't stretch much. I'll look for the 50 lb hemp.

 

[zanemoseley]

I do plan on a few varieties. I have several trees in that area. Perhaps I could do 2-3 of the same type hop and dedicate it to that tree only so they don't mix together. Honestly I don't know if I could tell them apart once they are mixed but I guess you get good at that once you start growing them.

 

[zanemoseley]

I bought a tie out stake from Lowes to try out. Looks like this http://www.amazon.com/Cider-Mill-Spiral-Tie-Stake/dp/B000633OLI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360712516&sr=8-2&keywords=tie+out+stake You guys think it will be strong enough?

I looked at the twine they stock at Lowes. They didn't have hemp but carry 1/4" sisal twine which is rated at 48lb, will this stuff keep its shape or will it stretch too much to use? I saw the thinner stuff I have used for gardening that sags once wet and its called jute twine.

I may try to pick 3 different hop varieties and dedicate each to a tree so they don't mix together. I might do 2-3 plants per variety.

 

[zanemoseley]

Another staking idea I had was to get something like 8' garden timbers and use the 3' metal stakes they sell at Lowes to secure to the ground. Then I could put eye bolts into the timber at various spots to tie the twine to. Basically I'd have 3 plants in a row then stake the timber down behind the plants and tie down.

I may be over thinking the staking of the plants but I guess I'm more worried since at 50-55 degrees the stake will have a lot more incentive to pull out than someone that has nearly vertical lines that will have almost no load on the stake.

 

[nagmay]

The sisal may sag. If it does, replace it with something better next year.

The first year hop bines are only going to be a fraction the weight of a mature plant. Either staking method should be fine - though the timber idea is really clever. It allows for a sturdy, flexible layout and would help create the terrace idea. Use cedar if you can. Pressure treater lumber can leach toxins into the soil.