Winterized Hops: Mold on Soil ?

[cuse88]

I winterized my hops a few weeks back here in NE Ohio. My hops are all in pots , so I put a light layer of mulch around the top and moved them in the garage (unheated).

My garage is probably right around 45 degrees. Is this to warm for hops through the winter? Also, I noticed some mold on the soil and the soil was still pretty moist, is this okay through the winter or do I need to try and dry them out?

I was thinking about moving them back outside to my front porch which is undercover for winter and uptight against the house, to protect against extreme freeze (we see a lot of temps below 0 here in NE Ohio). Unsure if this is a good idea or not in pots.

Thanks for any help. Cheers!

 

[B-Hoppy]

If you're in a situation where you have to keep them in pots and can dig holes to bury them over the winter, that would be a big plus as the Earth is one of the best hedges against abrupt freeze/thaw cycles. If you keep them in big enough pots you can keep them outside as I've done it with 5 gal buckets to see what would happen (all good - NEO and we had about a solid week of -0F that year). Growing them in the ground takes much of the worry out of the situation if you can.

 

[jrgtr42]

I've heard that hops want a good solid freeze over the winter to be healthiest next summer. That said...
As long as that mold stays on the surface of the soil and doesn't completely take over the pot, your rhizomes should be fine in there. I would recommend letting them stay outside and let them freeze.
Probably people with more potted hops experience will chime in - mine are down in the ground.

 

[cuse88]

I would dig them into the ground but where I'm at is all clay about 11-12 inches down. Near impossible to dig down enough for my pots ha.

 

[dirtyd90]

I've never had a problem with keeping my hops outside in their pots over winter. Been doing it for 5 years and it does get below zero for stretches here in St. Louis. Just leave them outside they will be fine.

 

[cuse88]

They are only in 18 inch pots right now (not sure if this makes a difference). Planning on getting larger pots for year 2 this spring.

 

[cuse88]

Giving this a bump for any other opinions

 

[thaymond]

Fwiw, I leave my potted starter hops outside during a Northern Illinois winter. I have had no issues with them. I have done so for a few years now. These have started from rhizomes and will be crowns next year. I have sold several of them and given some to friends as gifts, they have all produced hops the following year. Hops are harder to kill than keep alive. Cheers!

 

[cuse88]

I went ahead and put my hops back outside. Put them tight to the house, raked some leaves up around the pots, added another couple inches of mulch and covered them with a tarp. Hoping I should be in good shape.

 

[lurker18]

I still dont know why people treat their hops like they are fragile. I live in one of the most hostile climates there is on this board, -40C in the winter to +40C in the summer, and I do nothing with the hops except cut them to the ground after harvest. The ground is most definitely frozen solid well below the hops in the winter and they come back every year. Once established, you will find it is harder to kill them than keep them alive.