National Homebrew Club Ireland

I have a fuggles plant (kindly donated by Tube) that has shot up and is about 2.4m or so (its up a 6 foot wall and turned 90 degrees along a trellis.

There are som offshoots growing about halfway up it that are about 9 inches long or so...should I leave them alone or snip them off?

frm wot i understand, its the offshoots thatl give u most of your cones- but someone else should confirm this cos im not certain

Only the sideshoots higher up the plant. The rest just photosynthesize.

It's up to you, but you could let them grow for added plant support and prettiness, or if you're worried about moulds etc. growing, you can cut the leaves from the bottom foot or so, to prevent that. Fuggles is susceptible to fungus, but I can't remember if it's one that affects the lower leaves or not.

Seeing as you asked, mine are doing feckin' great.

I've one offshoot at 6 inches above the soil, 2 at about 5 foot, and 2 at about 6 foot

16 foot long and sideshoots 3 foot long.. like something from a 70's horror movie its taking over ythe polytunnell...they are even making their own supports by twining 3-4 side shoots and has moved over 2 foot and clung on to another hop plant.

Im leaving all the side shoots as I too believe from my research that they produce cones.

Quote from: Tom on July 03, 2013, 05:17:06 PM
Only the sideshoots higher up the plant. The rest just photosynthesize.

It's up to you, but you could let them grow for added plant support and prettiness, or if you're worried about moulds etc. growing, you can cut the leaves from the bottom foot or so, to prevent that. Fuggles is susceptible to fungus, but I can't remember if it's one that affects the lower leaves or not.

Seeing as you asked, mine are doing feckin' great.

I agree and good tip for others to consider.

I trimmed sideshoots off the first 16 inches from the ground

Since I planted mine properly they've rocketed up.
My Hallertauer is about 6 foot and the Smaragd is about 9 foot.
I'm going to need to extend my netting sooner than I thought  ;D

ive got mine in 15L containers and they're still pretty small, about 3-4 ft id say. I think ill just stick em in the ground soon enough though - Cascade and dwarf gold.

Quote from: Il Tubo on July 03, 2013, 11:28:22 PM
It's not length, but girth that matters. Seriously ;)

Girth is good to satisfy an area, but you gotta reach that area first...

But anyway... i was wondering. If you snip the tip of the bine once it gets to a level you're happy with, will the plant then concentrate on side chutes and flowers? like cutting the top off a tree.

flying, give them food and enough room.

(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z226/feckless7/General/null_zps7be70d29.jpg) (http://s188.photobucket.com/user/feckless7/media/General/null_zps7be70d29.jpg.html)

What food you giving them? I haven't used any

Noticed lots of tiny flies under the leaves. Little white guys. Any recommendation for a treatment to remove them. I've tried soap and water and it hasn't bothered them.

theres a garlic soak treatment thing too

Would that mean smelly Hops?

Planting onions in close proximity to sensitive plants keeps bugs away.
Onion can mask the smell of the other plants, and bugs don't like onions.

Quote from: Il Tubo on July 04, 2013, 09:19:11 AM
It's in the wiki.

Did you use soap+water when it was raining?

I (mis)read the wiki and sprayed when it wasnt raining.  :-[

Will give it another go.

Quote from: delzep on July 04, 2013, 08:53:50 AM
What food you giving them? I haven't used any

Plenty of well rotted manure over winter as a mulch, tomato feed about every 10 days when flowering or just before it. And water, lots of water every few days if there is no heavy rain. I saw some ladybirds on one of my plants last week, glad they called it home as it prevents s build up of aphids.

Mine are only about 18" -  2' long each at the moment and most of this has been in the last few weeks, (EKG doing better than my cascade).
They got off to a slow start, I got mine with Drowning Manatee, and his seemed to shoot off before mine for some reason.
(They were in a green house for the first couple of months with that crappy April/May we got thought it would be better)

They're now growing in soil in a directly south facing location with netting behind which is supported by a 'briary bush' (think that's the latin name for it? :-\) the netting goes up to around 6ft, but I could probably add more to acheive more height...., Do you think the bush will interfere with the hop or will the hop stay quite close to the net itself? I'll be able to get behind the net to keep the bush trimmed   ??? ...  so hopefully it'll be fine. I don't mind if I don't get optimal yield from my plants, as long as I get enough for maybe 10 brews a year....
The other thing is my hops are spaced about 4' apart from each other. I think this might be a bit close.....
To be honest I'm not totally happy with their location at the moment, and often think about moving it before they get much longer, but don't really know where else to put them. I'll try get a picture up see what y'all think.
Horizontally speaking they have about 15' of length to grow on, with the plants located in the middle this means each plant can grow up to about 6' high and sideways by 7-8' each, I will need to 'encourage' them to take the right course and not just get tangled up with each other.

My Cascade, Magnum and Saaz (in the ir first year are growing very slowly - only about 18"

Quote from: LordEoin on July 04, 2013, 02:53:57 AM

Quote from: Il Tubo on July 03, 2013, 11:28:22 PM
It's not length, but girth that matters. Seriously ;)

Girth is good to satisfy an area, but you gotta reach that area first...

But anyway... i was wondering. If you snip the tip of the bine once it gets to a level you're happy with, will the plant then concentrate on side chutes and flowers? like cutting the top off a tree.

I suspect not. Side shoots will grow with gay abandon, but only the top half or third of the bine sends out cone-forming sideshoots, so you'll be basically cutting off your actual production. If you want to shorten the plant and still produce cones, try cutting about 6 foot from somewhere in the middle  :P

And while we're spoiling the fun, hop bines are 'pre-programmed', so they already know how many cones they'll produce by April. YOU get to find out in August. I read this in some American hop thesis, so it MUST be true.   ;D

Calvinist hops eh?  ;D

feck it so, I'll just borrow a ladder and extend the netting all the way up the side of the house.

Planted fuggles and cascade in April. They're over 2m already. No feed so far other than planting in a manure rich soil. Actually think I may have some wet hops for an ale come harvest.  8)

My cascade, Fuggles, EKG. And challenger are at least 5m high and loads of side shoots. Looks like it will be a bumper crop this summer. Starting to think of some wet hop ale recipes  ::)

I looked up today and saw that one of my bines had made it all the way to the top of the gable and was trying to get across the roof, another one is reaching for the electricity wire.

(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/29072013649_zps4adefad6.jpg)

Thats a great sight!
Mine had a rough start but I have 1 thats 3M+ high and going sideways now, a few smaller ones catching up, one at 3m.

It won't be long now!
Looks like I'll be butchering another keg to add 2 more varieties next year  ;D

Whats with the butchering?!
Have you spare kegs?

There's no such thing as a 'spare' keg. It's like a 'spare cigarette'...  :-X

Oh my god, man. Bucket's are about €2, and aren't rare as hens teeth!

@tube - this is their first year planted and they were pretty beat up when they arrived in the post, so i was just going to leave them do their thing and get established. But I might pinch them off now alright as otherwise they'll be climbing along the ESB wire and probably be the end of me at harvest.

@tom - buckets are ugly. I was originally going to pot them in buckets, but I just kept my eyes open and pulled this keg out of a river. A few hours and grinder discs later i had a far more fitting bed for them. (grow from a keg, end in a beer). The area below them is also dig down a few feet to allow them to root properly without becoming potbound. The last thing I'd describe pub kegs as is 'rare as hens teeth', look in any builder's yard or construction site and you'll find them in the stupidest of places, acting as tables, chairs, etc

I like your circle of life for hops, but I don't think I've ever tasted any hops in a keg beer! ;)

As for rarity, I do see them places (outside pubs, building sites etc) but I don't like pinching things when I'm sober...

They do look good though.

Its the circle of (beer) life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk&feature=player_detailpage&t=92)
I never said 'pinch' kegs, ones outside pubs are offbounds. They're in use.
But when you see one washed up on a shore somewhere, just littering the place, I consider that fair game.

in flower..in the polytunnel... looks like theres thousands of then...wondering will the all survive to cones?/

any expert tips for feeding / looking after hops once they start flowering??

Feed with Nitrogen (N) and Potassium (K) throughout June, according to one American study. They apparently stop their nutrient uptake by July.

See this for more info.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/fg/fg79-e.pdf (section on Nitrogen pg3)

Mulch with or compost the leaves once the plant's done, and it will return a lot of the nutrients to the soil.

they reached about 5 metres long in the polytunnel and threw plenty of rich looking side branches. I trained them off in all directions so a hell of a lot of growth.  The foliage growth seems to have slowed the week before the flowers / cones start appearing.

Ive been feeding a mix of general fertiliser and chicken manure that I saw on a documentary about hop growing in kent.. so far looking promising.

Gud luck to everyone elses hope theres in abundance... ;)  we had a fairly good summer this year so fingers crossed all the Irish utdoor ones crop well

Is anyone growing Mathon (old Goldings variety?)

Would love an aul dried hop swapsy.

Here's a couple of pictures of my hops at the moment. I like growing them up the side of the house because you get shade in the summer and they die back in the winter so you get more light when you need it. The second is the view from the window. You can see the burrs/flowers are already out, but unfortunately it doesn't look like there are too many of them. I was watering them in the first part of July, but luckily the last couple of weeks I haven't had to.

p.s. this is my first time attaching files to a post. there should be two pictures around somewhere.

They look great! The wind the last two days has played havoc with mine. Anything in the garden over a foot tall got one hell of a beating. :(  Some very sorry looking hops!

Other plants are grown, but really, who cares!

I've got loads of those burrs on my fuggle plant too...about 80 - 100 I'd guess. Does every burr turn into a cone, or is there a typical percentage of them that do?

@ delzep

me too have thousands of cones forming in the polytunnel on my Target and Hallertauer Aroma, really happy with them... Outdoor ones are all flowering but one ( hersbruker) aint doin well has a load of tiny black fly like feckers on it and it is lookin not so good.  Ill make more room in the polytunnel for next year and see how they perform.

This is a pic of mine, it's a bit like the where's wally game.. hopefully you can spot the green hop leafs in amongst all the other green. It's growing up a netting which it has now overshot and is using the bushy thing behind it for support.  I've read that hops die back in winter, does anyone know how much by? All the way back to roots? If so I might have opportunity to hack that bush back a bit... Or thin it out so its less competition for the hops.
(EKG on the left, Cascade on the right by the way...)

bloody great rhubarb mines almost dead!

My rhubarb always dies in its first year :(
But my hallertauer Mittelfruh have litle flowers/burrs now!

Quote from: LordEoin on August 06, 2013, 05:39:14 PM
My rhubarb always dies in its first year :(
But my hallertauer Mittelfruh have litle flowers/burrs now!

Err!! Rhubarb is a "Per-en-ee-al" - It always dies off at the end of summer, goes dormant and regrows in the early spring!

When its died off just pile a load of FYM or HS or even BS if you can get it on top and it will reward you next seasson

 Last nights garden dinner................Rhubarb and marmalade sauce with chopped beetroot stems, potato salad with greek yogurt, onion, garlic and mint, beetroot salad with cucumber and olive oil..and a selecton of lettuces.....and not forgetting the boiled quail eggs........what a wonderful summer treat all from the garden :)

Cant wait for my first beer from my hop garden :D

Quote from: Will_D on August 06, 2013, 09:18:30 PM

Quote from: LordEoin on August 06, 2013, 05:39:14 PM
My rhubarb always dies in its first year :(
But my hallertauer Mittelfruh have litle flowers/burrs now!

Err!! Rhubarb is a "Per-en-ee-al" - It always dies off at the end of summer, goes dormant and regrows in the early spring!

When its died off just pile a load of FYM or HS or even BS if you can get it on top and it will reward you next seasson

Err!! Mine "dies-in-its-first-year". not dormant. rotten and dead. Not sure why. Its just one of those things I can't grow. Rhubarb and goosberries.  :'(

Aah I see. Maybe try a different location or even a big container?

I can grow rhubarb and gooseberry. What I can't grow are radishes, scallions and mint !! ???

I have mint coming out my ears. The 'Mojito Patch' is getting strong  ;D

Goes to show how different dirt suits different plants

Thats one of my five a day, or at least thats what I was claiming after the 7th at last years christmas party

I, too, have a patch of mint for only one purpose. I see a trend forming here. Incidentally, my Wormwood plants are doing very well...

Checked my hop plants for the first time in about 2 weeks. They are flying up in my folks greenhouse. Loads of small cones starting to form in the top half of the plant. Looks about 100. Should I strip some of the leaves back from around the base to help sending neutrients to the cones nearer the top?

I went away for a week and when I cam e back my previously healthy cascade was looking like this...
(http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9833819/Pictures/hopcrop.jpg)

Most of the leaves are gone from bottom third of the plant. The top third is full of shoots and little cone precursors. I'm a bit worried something is spreading up. Or is this normal?

I visited mine yesterday and as it happpens there was a horticulturalist present.
I had a few yellow leaves lower down too (And a caterpillar had wrapped itself in a leaf higher up)
My yellows are more than likely inadequate water and/or nutrition. I don't think I am root bound.
I had been feeding Tomato Food it seemed to do OK, but was told that Nitrogen and Potash are meant to be great.
Chicken Pellets, I believe, contain this.

Hi Folks

I know it is the wrong time of year, but I am seriously thinking about growing my own hops.

This may be a bit cheeky, but when the time is right could someone please send me a shoot - I would pay for postage etc.

Thanks
BrewBilly

@Brewbilly, Jan , Feb is the best time.
Patience, then post again.

Mine are in the soil and nd nothing to cause root bind. I can't believe they could be suffering lack of water after recent weather? Also fed mine with tomato food earlier in the summer. The snails are definitely having a go though. Put down pellets and sprayed with pesticide anyway. Looking like slim pickings if they continue to wither.  :(

Mine are growing along a fence. It can get a bit windy there occasionally. You think they're wind burnt?

Yep, I agree with the windburn. Variety dependent, though. My First Gold seems immune, but Nugget looks like something left behind after a napalm attack.

Regarding the crop, it's the same with any flower. The plant really wants to flower, and will divert its energy into seed production, especially if it thinks it's f*cked. To do that it will lose leaves further down to concentrate nutrients and water to where it needs to procreate.

(yes, I know seed production is male dependant, you won't have seeds etc etc).

Quote from: johnrm on August 08, 2013, 09:09:00 PM
@Brewbilly, Jan , Feb is the best time.
Patience, then post again.

I'll post again in Jan/Feb

Cheers for the advice. Hopefully get enough from it for one wet hop brew.

@BrewBilly, as Johnrm says, patience! There are plenty of hops in the NHC to go around, but splitting them off at the stage in the year is not going to yield any results. I'll gladly post you/bring you up some hops next year. Matthew has quite a healthy Challenger he got from me too!
[/quote]

I should be splitting a hallertau Aroma and a Target which have been thriving in polytunnel... and 4 others outdoor....no shortage of rhizomes this year :)

Fuggles - (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/23/ry9u9etu.jpg)
How far from harvesting?

Cascade - (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/23/papu4a7a.jpg)
Quite a different looking flower so far. Hope it's ok.

If all them furry f*ckers turn to cones I'll be making a tasty wet hop ale. :-D

Mine must be Cascade then (thought they were fuggles) I have a few little flowers like above.
@Brewbilly, apparently it is possible to grow from cuttings or an offshoot as well as rhizomes
Lookie here...
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/propagating-hop-cuttings-68429/

Some interesting stuff.

Was concerned they might be male. Fuggles formed straight into cones. I presume these will develop into cones too.

Willingham nursery. I'd say it's female... Right?

They're female.
Them tassly bits are to attract males  ::)
Mine are the same, just waiting to flower!

must get some pics of the hallertau in the polytunnel, cones inch and half long and thousands of them.

target beside them smaller cos they mature later thousands on that too.  Delighted with the progress.

My outdoor Saaz doin great few hundred healthy cones and saphir, taurus and hersbruker doin ok as well but not a fruitfull as the others

My fuggles plant have both cones and burrs at the mo

Quote from: delzep on August 22, 2013, 10:29:14 PM
My fuggles plant have both cones and burrs at the mo

just pick a few every day as they mature.

Im almost ready to harvest the hallertauer but its still throwin out new flowers on other parts of the plant so I presume I will be harvestin over a couple of weeks as they mature

Some questions re the hops.

1. How do you know when the cones are ready for harvesting?
2. Once you harvest what is the procedure for drying out the hops?

I have fuggles, goldings and Hallertau. Green fly got them while I was on holidays unfortunately so my crop is smaller than it would have been otherwise.

Shanna

Quote from: Shanna on August 23, 2013, 12:35:29 AM
Some questions re the hops.

1. How do you know when the cones are ready for harvesting?
2. Once you harvest what is the procedure for drying out the hops?

I have fuggles, goldings and Hallertau. Green fly got them while I was on holidays unfortunately so my crop is smaller than it would have been otherwise.

Shanna

Ahh shame bout greenfly.. get some ladybirds in, mine took care of the white fly, aphids and greenfly..theve been partying all summer..the produced a great new crop of new ladybirds in june and they all set to work. heres a passage to consider for nect year:

Probably the most familiar of our beetles, ladybirds are one of the few insects widely regarded with respect and even affection. This friendship is an old one.

Ladybirds have long been connected with good fortune in myths and legends, and from an early age children still learn to treasure them through storybooks and rhymes. Such high regard is well-earned. Most ladybirds and their young (larvae) are carnivorous, feeding on and helping to control large numbers of insect pests, particularly greenfly. They can also eat mites, scale insects, mealy bugs and small caterpillars.



ATTRACTING LADYBIRDS INTO THE GARDEN
As one of the major natural predators of greenfly, ladybirds have a special place in the garden. Here are some ways you can make your garden ladybird-friendly.


Cultivate a patch of nettles (Urtica dioica): The nettle aphid (not a garden pest) is one of the earliest to appear in the spring. It is a favourite food of hungry ladybirds coming out of hibernation and looking for somewhere to lay their eggs. The nettles should be in a sunny spot. Cut them back in summer to encourage ladybirds to move onto other plants.



Don't panic and spray as soon as you see greenfly: Give natural predators, including ladybirds, a chance. Be patient! Ladybirds and other predators will only settle in if there is a plentiful supply of food i.e. greenfly.



Avoid pesticide sprays: Even approved organic sprays can harm beneficial insects. Both derris and pyrethrum have been shown to be harmful to adult ladybirds, their eggs and larvae. If you get desperate use soft soap or insecticidal soap to spot spray pest colonies. Try to avoid directly spraying ladybirds or their larvae, removing them first whenever possible. The organically approved fungicide sprays - Bordeaux mixture and sulphur are relatively safe for ladybirds (but sulphur can harm other beneficial insects).



Rescue lost ladybird larvae: Ladybirds do not always lay their eggs near a food source and the larvae are not very efficient at finding their prey. They do not use sight or smell - just move up the plant hoping to bump into a tasty morsel. If you find them wandering aimlessly move them to an aphid colony.



Leave hibernation sites for ladybirds: Hibernating ladybirds shelter in dying vegetation/plant debris, so delay cutting back or clearing up borders until spring. Dead-head plants with hollow stems to give ladybirds easier access, or cut stems back then stack them in a dryish sheltered spot. The hollow stems of plants such as angelica and fennel (Umbellifer family) make favourite hibernation sites.

Can anyone recommend what to do next with regards when and how to harvest cones, and how they can be used? I have some cones and some burrs....should I pick the cones now or leave them be? Some of them are getting a wee bit brown around some of the leaves of the cone (its a fuggle plant by the way in its first year)

(http://i.imgur.com/pi61IiM.jpg?1)

Once dried they can be frozen yeah?

Quote from: Il Tubo on August 24, 2013, 11:31:05 AM

Or just make a brew and chuck em in wet. But you'll need about 6 times the dry weight.

Wow I thought it was only double weight, 6X thats a lots of hops.

In terms of cones though, it's exactly the same quantity. Commercially dried hops are about 8% ish mositure and fresh are about 80%. The moisture content won't bitter the beer, unfortunately.

Figures not exact.

Quote from: Tom on August 24, 2013, 04:30:25 PM
Figures not exact.

Thats a bit like E&OE then or IMO  ;)

Exactly.

I got no burrs on my fuggle plant but I think the cones are nearly ready for picking.
Cascade on the other hand is still all burrs. No sign of a cone yet. I presume its cos fuggles are a more local variety? Anything that will help the cascade cone?

Wasn't me Shane. Only have cascade and fuggle. My EKG rotted in the ground.

I picked about 7 or 8 cones the other day as they were browning, put them in a paper bag and into the hotpress....the shrivelled to about half their size and are sorta like crepe paper now so I bagged them and put them in the freezer. Does this sound like the right thing to do? I've loads more cones and burrs turning into cones on the plant too. Does the plant kind of indicate when the cones need to be picked? Is it getting to the stage where the cones would need to be picked on an almost daily basis, a few at a time?

Quote from: Il Tubo on August 28, 2013, 08:51:22 PM
Different hops crop at different times and are classified as early, medium or late croppers.

yep my hallertauier aroma ( Magnum?) are the size of small bananas :D and the Saaz that was bare a few weeks ago is now full of cones the size of grapes. the others like saphir are only startin to flower. My Target in the polytunnel is only startin to show good growth in the cones after the hairy things arrived a few weeks ago. My Hersbruker is only startin to produce signs of cones now and my taurus is F***** coz the whitefly had a party last month and the lazy B****** ladybirds only woke up a week after the flies appeared. >:(

all in all 5 outa 6 aint bad ... Ill be picking hops for weeks.

Anyone down this weekend for the beer weekend can witness a glorious hop production and maybe even pick a few thats ready :)

wat dates that?  my hallertauer will be harvested first...i fully intent to make a fresh hop beer

thats loads of time... thought thats only for medal winners?

ye it says only for medal winners >:(

may be nice to do the harp clone with my homegrown hallertauer and saaz ( original recipe) from my garden.. Lager malt from MCI and yeast from Pat the Baker :D

thattll b Irish

Quote from: Il Tubo on August 28, 2013, 11:37:48 PM

Quote from: brenmurph on August 28, 2013, 11:31:12 PM
thats loads of time... thought thats only for medal winners?

Have a look
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,3678.0.html

QuoteEach beer is a medal winner, and the elusive Ormeau Dark stout national homebrew competition winner will be present on cask!

my smaragd has a load of small green cones, the hallertauer hersbrucker is covered in burs from about 4 fet off the ground to the top :)

yep, and from that link you also posted this one

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/ai1ec_event/homebrew-beer-festival/?instance_id=505

Think this digital moisture meter (https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-5th-september/products-detail-page/ps/p/digital-moisture-meter/) would be of any use for checking hops after drying? probably not, just doing a little Aldi dreaming...

My first year hops are fairly small, I assume next year they will be more substantial.

TT

seems like a lot of leaves and not many flowers?  Could it be wrong fertiliser ?


have a look at my saaz is the opposite...its all flowers and no leaves.

heres an up to date

have good crop saaz hersbruker and an excellent crop of Target and Hallertau in polytunnel

also have taurus and saphir producin enough for few brewups :)

bloody hell, that's some thick crop of big cones!! :o

Ye its worth coming to our brewday just to see the polytunnel crop!!.
We counted them and they are in the thousands.. and big... up to 2 " long  we are hugely surprised.. mentioned that to a very knowledgeable brew person at an event recently and he thought I was for the birds ;)

i'm not.. theyre there for everybody to see and not a steroid in sight.. just tlc, proper feeding, climate and water :)

and the first pic are the target hops...3 weeks behind the hallertauer..
The saaz up the page are two weeks behind and booming in a windy spot contrary to whats recomended, which makes me wonder is it heat e.g sunny wall they need or just carefull feeding and watering...cosz the Saaz are beautiful and numerous for a crop grown in shit conditions just as an experiment.

BTW I used a general flower fertiliser and chicken manure on all my hop plants and rotten grass early on to supply loads of nitrogen.

we should do a course on hop growing coz i dont see / cant understand why we are buying hops.. My hops will do dozens of brews at the very least

My hops don't smell like hops. They just smell like grass or leaves or whatever

mine are the same at teh moment. I was wondering when they get their smell.

as long as they are grassy they arnt ready.

they should be very papery and break in half easy and have some dried brown hints on the leaves.

That's kinda how my Hallertauer Mittelfruh are now.
But only some have browning tips to the petals, most are still green.
They do  smell quite hoppy when smooshed between fingers, and have some yellow pollen inside.
I chewed one and it tasted a bit grassy for about a second, then really hoppy, then really bitter.
The further down the bine I go, the smaller the cones get, but they're still hoppy.
Should I harvest them or give them a little more time for the small cones to grow and the lot to dry out a bit more?
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/13092013700_zps8f980e5c.jpg)
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/13092013702_zps2d777015.jpg)
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/13092013704_zpsd39263b8.jpg)

also, although all of the bottom leaves are falling off now new chutes are growing
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/13092013705_zps79f2203f.jpg)

lookin good lordeoin..lots cones few leaves as per previous u must be feeding the right food to them ;)

I actually fed them feic all but when i planted them I laced the soil with compost, grass clippings, chicken sh*t etc :)
Think they're ready to harvest? or should I hold off a bit until they dry a bit more?

Ive been usin chken S**t as well, was highly recomended and worked wonders ;D

My foolproof method: wait for others to do it first, then pick a week later.

@Slohops finished harvesting today, @Yorkshire hops and @Simply hops seems to have started a couple of days ago (12th). @Charles Farham haven't tweeted.

Last year, with a much better spring, Dublin pickers harvested around the 17th IIRC. I'd say give it another few days. Being so close to the Arctic Circle where I live I'm planning on harvesting Fuggles some time mid week, and the rest a few days later. They don't look at all ready!

I suppose i'll do it next weekend so.
Maybe my smaragd will be more ready too. THey're still small and grassy

Some hop growers say that leaving the hops even longer than the usual crop date improves the aroma further, but that the downside is reduced storability. Not a concern if you're fresh-hopping.

I read/make up a lot of shit, but I'm sure that one's been picked up legitimately.

I harvested a kilo of Wgv yesterday along with 600 g first gold and 300g fuggles. The fuggles don't look ready at all so only took the biggies. Still plenty of hops left though. I'd say I've another kilo or two but I'm going to leave them a while longer.

Harvested my Hallertaur Mittelfruh today, only 300grams, but not bad for one rhizome in its first year :)
(http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/eoinlayton/Beer/16092013715_zps169d9af9.jpg)
The smaragd are a bit behind, so I'll leave them another week or so.

Now, recipe googling time..  ;D

re how much fresh hops versus dried ones..
yesterday I made 34 litres of the harp lager 1962 brecipe with my fresh hops.
I was completly confused by the various references to how much dries versus fresh to use with many reports stating 5-6 times.

Ivve made the brew and tasted today from fermenter  and also tasted the finished wort yester day.
using beersmith I designed the lager recipe having modified the beersmith german pilsner to suit the characteristics os the Harp recipe.
i am delighted with the bitterness and the taste and aroma of the hops in the brew, in fact therre may be slightly on the hoppy side.

Heres the hop shedule for recipe versus what I actually used

Hallertauer ( normally 5% aa) 60 minutes 20g.........actually used 50g of fresh hops
Target (normally 10% aa) 30 minutes  14g....actually used 24g fresh hops
Saaz (normally 5% aa) 2 mins and switch off......leave saaz in primary 10 g.....actually used  18g fresh hops

So as ye see Ive roughly double and have a good result. there is a chance that the polytunnel hops are drier than the ones outside therefore ounce for ounce the needs volume differ
So just warning to be careful as its easier to add hops than to take them out so if ye follow general recomendations to add 5-6 times the amount you may be in trouble.

Would you be better off drying them first?
We're interested in the oils which will stay in place even when dried.
Plus then your recipe is going to be more easily managed and better replicated with dried hops in the future as wet hops are only available for a short time. (Unless you freeze)

Just caught hold of this thread -  300grm first year, my Nugget didn't even flower ! Is this usual ? 

Bleeding snails were eating my fuggles so had to harvest my tiny crop of them yesterday. Cascade not ready yet and they're strangely immune to snails.

Going to harvest mine this weekend regardless of their condition. I don't expect a large harvest.

Picked and  split open a Fuggle cone, smells nice and hoppy but still slightly grassy/leafy. Gonna leave it a week then harvest I reckon

I was reading an article about wasps being used as organic controllers of Aphids.
I reckon you chaps would be up for a GB next year ;D
http://www.biobest.be/producten/115/3/0/0/

Wasps or ladybirds

Hmmmm tough choice

Yes. Wasps are just the addition. Mrs would be delighted with that. :-D

Does anybody have hops that are as pungent and as pleasant as what they buy from online shop. I dired out my fuggles from this year and they just dont smell right at all.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/22/yge3a7u3.jpg)

My first year fuggles harvest. Chuffed! :)

TT

My 'Crop' was 41g. Wet.
I just about have 1 addition.

Quote from: shiny on September 21, 2013, 07:21:37 PM
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/22/yge3a7u3.jpg)

My first year fuggles harvest. Chuffed! :)

TT

Cool looks like you harvested around the same time as me. Are you getting the same kind of pungency that you would get from a shop bought packet

I have never used fuggles before but they smell great and are absolutely plastered with lupulin. When they are dried this could change though....?

My fuggles smell great. I think I picked a tad too early but what the heck.
More interested in my cascade cos I want to make a wet hop brew with them. That's something you can't do unless you grow your own really.

I'll harvest my fuggles in a day or two

do you lads just pop them in a paper back and into the hotpress for a day or two, then bag them and into the freezer they go?

Quote from: delzep on September 21, 2013, 09:16:33 PM
I'll harvest my fuggles in a day or two

do you lads just pop them in a paper back and into the hotpress for a day or two, then bag them and into the freezer they go?

That's what I'm doing. They're pretty dry after a couple of days. I'm going to dry for another couple of days and then freeze.

Quote from: delzep on September 21, 2013, 09:16:33 PM
I'll harvest my fuggles in a day or two

do you lads just pop them in a paper back and into the hotpress for a day or two, then bag them and into the freezer they go?

I'm thinking of putting them in a sieve in the hot press. Might give them an 'aul sthur every now and again.

And your boxers will smell lovely ;D

Sent from my divining rod v2.0

Amongst other things! I didn't get anything from my first gold hops though....

Quote from: Brewer Gerard on September 21, 2013, 07:18:39 PM
Does anybody have hops that are as pungent and as pleasant as what they buy from online shop. I dired out my fuggles from this year and they just dont smell right at all.

j

All mine are very aromatic. Especially de saaz. Bit like fresh coffee versus instant

I had a huge crop of Fuggles this year, some Challenger and a handful of cascade.  All drying on paper towels, just moving them about a bit every now and then.

Quote from: delzep on September 21, 2013, 09:16:33 PM
I'll harvest my fuggles in a day or two

do you lads just pop them in a paper back and into the hotpress for a day or two, then bag them and into the freezer they go?

I made an oast by sticking a hairdryer in the side of a cardboard box. placed the hops on oven shleves spaced apart using teacups. taped it all up and poked some small holes in the end for air to eascape. Worked quite well i must say

Torn between drying some of the hops (Fuggles maybe) and making a wet hop with the rest, or just putting the lot in wet and hoping for the best...

Still some way off a harvest for me yet though. At least another week. No dryness, no crinkly brown edges, not much aroma, only a modest amount of lupulin.

BTW: drying won't affect the lupulin levels. It will oxidise some of the essential oils slightly, but only if you overdo the temp. Which you can't in a hotpress.

I got 1kg of wet hops from my second year Target.  That's plenty for me.
I'm drying them in big brown paper potato sacks.  I'll weigh them again before bagging to see how much moisture they lose.
How many days at room temp should it take?  I'm thinking 3 or 4?

Ikea do Hop Dryers...
http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/20477-2/

I used these last year. Perfect!

got 253g of Fuggles  ;D

Good man.
Wet or dry?

Quote from: johnrm on September 23, 2013, 01:45:47 PM
Ikea do Hop Dryers...
http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/20477-2/

I used these last year. Perfect!

That's clever.

Quote from: Tom on September 23, 2013, 08:59:54 PM

Quote from: johnrm on September 23, 2013, 01:45:47 PM
Ikea do Hop Dryers...
http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/20477-2/

I used these last year. Perfect!

That's clever.

+1 Very Good! Definitely doing that next year.

550 g fairly dry hallertauer, 350 gram of wet saaz, about 200 g of  fairly dry saphir, and the target in the polytunnel will yield up to a kilo. I also have  a handfull or hersbruker and the Taurus didnt do well at all got hit bigtime with whitefly and i didnt use any spray as its against my code of gardening :)

did anyone every consider an AC unit in a small room.. Cold dry air will preserve the aromatic oils the heat will evaporate

Useful?

http://www.czhops.cz/tc/pdf/optimisation.pdf

Quote from: johnrm on September 23, 2013, 04:07:20 PM
Good man.
Wet or dry?

What ye mean?

ah didnt know that... there were loads of references to cooler drying..  Im freezin loads of mine slightly  wet, drying some of each and using a few fairly soon  ( sunday, the stout brewday for the event) . The target wil be goin into the stout along with some Saphir to give the Murphy's aroma.

@BrenMurph Freezing then thawing wet hops might affect your trub/hop removal at the end of the boil. Thawed hops are quite likely to disintegrate in the boil, so it'd be like using pellets.

Quote from: Il Tubo on September 23, 2013, 09:17:59 PM

Quote from: delzep on September 23, 2013, 09:16:48 PM

Quote from: johnrm on September 23, 2013, 04:07:20 PM
Good man.
Wet or dry?

What ye mean?

Hops weigh roughly 6 times more when wet than when dried.

If your recipe calls for 100g, dry is implied so it'll mean 600g of wet hops.

So when they are picked, they are considered wet (even though they were picked on a hot sunny day)?

I disagree shane... we had a wet hop brewday last week when we made the harp lager 1962 recipe.. I used only double the Beersmith recomendation not anywhere 6 times.
weve been tasting daily ( via our new taster tap on the conical :) ;) :D ;D 8) and the bitterness and aroma is fine. I suspect it depends on how dry they are on the plant and guess that without some moisture gismo we may have to guess at that.  I read a few bits on fresh hop brewing and it may be worth considering if fresh hops have a lot more aroma than processed dried.. I bet they do... so I cant agree.. Would be nice if everyone using fresh hops kept some log and maybe a meet up to taste fresh hop beers is in order.

@ tube
I heard references to that ok ...ive also read that its not true.   thats why im drying part and freezing part.. Ill then make a brew and use fresh versus  dry and see  what comes out

its ridiculous to say that fresh hops have  80% moisture... depending on where they are, how ripe they are, whether they are in a dry hot polytuinnel or out in pissy wet rain on a shitty autumn day in Ireland...all hops on a plant arnt 80% moisture just like every field of barley isnt at the same moisture. A grain farmers bill for drying his product may be 1 grand or 10 grand depending on the  moisture of the grain depending on the weather and other factors. Thats why they love to harvest on the last day of a dry spell

My fuggles harvest... 23g dry weight. Picked few days ago and it weighed 104g at that time. The empirical evidence in my case backs up the 80% moisture estimate.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/24/eve6y3am.jpg)

I was chattin to con trass and that idea  passed his mnd.. wonderful region for hops id say if he decided to grow them.. hes just trialling brewing of cider and he may go commercial. I have a bottle of his festival cider we got the weekend. ill take it to lucan and let yis try it :) along with the beetroot beer and the coors clone. :)

Quote from: imark on September 23, 2013, 09:52:21 PM
My fuggles harvest... 23g dry weight. Picked few days ago and it weighed 104g at that time. The empirical evidence in my case backs up the 80% moisture estimate.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/24/eve6y3am.jpg)

thats 4 and a half times mark :)  not six ::) :D?

all im sayin is that we should consider the extra aroma from unprocessed hops and the potential variation of moisture content depending on weather at harvest, location e.g warm dry polytunnel or the ripeness of the cones the longer on the plant the drier they get hence the shrivel up and turn a dry burnt brown with fleckall moisture. lots of variables to consider... so as per my other thread argument... be carefull when using fresh hops in a brew cos if u over hop ur brew is effed and if u under hop u can add more.
Commercials have QC controls and im sure they have the skillls to harvest hops at certain moisture levels and so on.. as home brewers and home hop growers it may be unwise to follow commercial rules or guidelines. to reiterate I used hallertauer from the polytunnel and used only twice the beersmith recipe amount and have a well bittered and aromatic lager in process

Alls I know is I lost 77% weight to moisture. For my wet hop ale I'll split the difference and go with 4 times dry weight.

use a moderate amount and test... its easy to boil up some more in a small pot if necessary :)
we can get a thread goin when we all have a few beers made with the fresh hops :) and possibly a taster day somewhere..  ive already got two brews with the fresh stuff :)

My Hallertauer Hersbrucker were 300g fresh and after a week in the hot press with an occasional shake they're now 75g.
Busy and not in the mood for maths, but they're pretty round figures for someone to play with.

Quote from: LordEoin on September 23, 2013, 11:28:28 PM
My Hallertauer Hersbrucker were 300g fresh and after a week in the hot press with an occasional shake they're now 75g.
Busy and not in the mood for maths, but they're pretty round figures for someone to play with.

75% moisture.

Close enough! :)

I couldn't help myself  :-[

Also, a handy hint for those of you that don't have vacuum packers.
Put your hops in a freezer bag, crumple the open end between your thumb and index finger, suck all the air out by mouth, double tie and bang into the freezer.
That should take out enough air to keep them happy  :)

so who else has a hot press that smells of dope at the mo?

ye... i used the oven at 50c house smells great :D

Vacuum packed mine tonight.  Dry weights are 9g cascade (after being beaten by frost and aphids), 41g Challenger and 228g Fuggles.  I reckon the Fuggles must suit the northern weather better.

Did I read something that said I can't/won't be able to harvest hops in the first year?
I planted the rhizomes in March this year (Mar 13), the plants have shot up and just noticed this evening the thing is full of cones. Are these useable or is it preferable to wait until next year?... They do look and smell like hop cones!... Just wasn't at all expecting anything this year, so had put the whole hop thing to the back of my mind, will be a nice surprise if I have some to use!... Just curious what I originally read or heard to make me think I had to wait 1 year+?

Mine were in their first year too and I got 300G (wet weight) from the hallertauer hersbrucker, but only 70G of small cones from the smaragd.
They're fine to use, and we'll get a bigger harvest of larger cones next year now that they're extablished :)

My plant is already starting to die back...or as I like to call it - hibernation for a bumper second year  8)

got 79g dry from 253g wet...so about 30%

Quote from: montofk on September 28, 2013, 08:04:29 PM
Did I read something that said I can't/won't be able to harvest hops in the first year?
I planted the rhizomes in March this year (Mar 13), the plants have shot up and just noticed this evening the thing is full of cones. Are these useable or is it preferable to wait until next year?... They do look and smell like hop cones!... Just wasn't at all expecting anything this year, so had put the whole hop thing to the back of my mind, will be a nice surprise if I have some to use!... Just curious what I originally read or heard to make me think I had to wait 1 year+?

That may be grapes ur thinking of  :)

Aye you can use them, they just don't do their best for a few years.

I've finally got some cones ready on my Fuggles. The lupulin trebled overnight!

Out of 1kg of wet Target hops I ended up with 278g dried and bagged.  I didn't believe the figures quoted here for moisture %, but as usual the info was accurate!

Thanks all for the responses.... Will be great to even get a 100g out of it... Strangely it's the cascade that's hopped out, there's a nearby EKG that's done nothing so far.... I'd have thought the EKG being more used to this climate would have done better...

So is there a window for getting these picked? I've actually planted these up at my folks place, and won't be up there again until mid October... Can I wait until then or do I need to be picking them off and saving them as they reach full size? When I saw at the weekend, there were a few good sized ones but a lot were little, think more will come if I wait but don't to be losing those first ones in the way that might happen to fruit, ie first fruits out go off or fall off or get eaten etc ...... Does that happen to hop cones? (silly question possibly!) or will the hops stay on the plant and remain healthy until the cold weather takes hold and puts everything back into hibernation?

Eventually it will go into hibernation. First frost usually. As for the hop cone size, as far as my experience goes they've reached the size they'll get to by now.

I'm about to harvest my Fuggles as it's JUST about ready, but the rest as still another week at least!

On the plus side, I don't have time to brew till next week.

I'm going to brew a wet hop beer with my cascade this Sunday. They'll be picked and in the pot within 2hrs.

I was surprised at how much more cones they produced that the fuggles also. My EKG ratted in the ground.

Ive two keggs of the Fresh hop lager and its only gorgeous :) go for it

#FFS bren, you're making harp sound good!

Tom its very good...I told yis the recipe...how can it not be good?

Lager malt, Pilsner malt
Decocted / caramelised
Hallertauer hops
Saaz hops
and a clean lager yeast
4 weeks on ice

and with fresh hops :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

to quote Ryan harvey, Tim Hawn Sam Calagione from Dogfish brewery re their seasonal wet hop american summer

"Fresh hops add a unique flavour that just cant be got from processed hops"

My first year home grown hops will be making the ultimate sacrifice and heading into the kettle tomorrow for my Christmas beer. Surprised how much I got for the first year.

My hops seemed to love this hot still summer - my best crop in ten years, even though I think I neglected them as much as usual   8)

(http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u608/brettdundee/WhereIsTheHenhouse_zpsfa64e6e7.jpg)

That's my 8 foot long hen house on the left now barely visible..  I pretty much need a machete now to get to the eggs and provide food and water.

(http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u608/brettdundee/BurstingOutOfTunnel_zps2c9d03fa.jpg)

Here they are bursting out every orifice. This door is not accessible until harvest day.

(http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u608/brettdundee/ChickenFenceCovered_zps519cd6ca.jpg)

I planted a few plants along this fence three years ago thinking they would like it. 2011 & 2012 there was no growth (couple of spindly 1 foot high vines) . Then 2013 - 30 foot of the 5 foot high fence is a hops wall.
You might notice the hops under plastic in the background.

Does anyone have any idea how to dry this quantity ?

I used these yokes before...
http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/20477-2/

I must not have dried mine enough, half of them went brown in the fridge. Didn't vacuum them as I had planned to use them in a couple of weeks. Ah well...

TT

Just now broaching the idea with the missus of a trip to Ikea and sprucing up the decor in the dining room - Its the latest fashion;

(http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u608/brettdundee/diningroom_zps3993a09a.png)

Imagine the smell !!

Sigh... no fresh hop ale till next year then.

Perfect Brett! Looks like a jungle.

Covered my cascade last night cos of the frost. They're going in the kettle tomorrow. Sole reason for me growing them was for a wet hop ale.  ;D

Hi there

What should one do to the hop plants once the hops have been harvested? I would assume old vines should be cut back? if so how far should one go?

Shanna

QuoteI would assume old vines should be cut back? if so how far should one go?

All the way. One inch above the ground. They will die back anyways. Next year all growth will sprout from the root.

QuotePerfect Brett! Looks like a jungle.

Pray for frost free week. Some hops went a little brown after the frost on Friday morning.

Quote from: brettdundee on October 12, 2013, 10:07:07 PM

QuoteI would assume old vines should be cut back? if so how far should one go?

All the way. One inch above the ground. They will die back anyways. Next year all growth will sprout from the root.

Interesting that you go so low. The vine at the base of my plants are nearly as thick as a finger. Thanks for the tip.

Shanna

Just leave them alone! The final bit of autum sun will put in some final energy into the rhizome(under grounf root thing).

The first frost will kill off the bines to ground level.

Its like bulbs: After the flower has been dead headed just allow the foliage to die back naturally.

This way you get bigger bulbs and hops next year!

still harvestin...Saphir tonight...polytunnel full of Target tomora, have some helpers in for it...rewarding them with beer of course :)

Interesting and encouraging to see the bits of brown on that pic Bren.  was a bit nervous of mine as I'm only getting to harvest today and tomorrow. Think the low temps earlier in the week browned mine a bit... Any thoughts? Think its just superficial damage? This is about the worst example, other cones look better.. Still smell good n hoppy...

they will nbrown on the plant just like the leaves will wither. When dried the will dry up and brown a little.   Smell lovely and bitterness if very aparent. Enen tho dried when rubbed between fingers theres lot of sticky and aromatic resin which seems to be a good sign of nice hops.  Maybe next year we can have a hop workshop. I did advertise my first fresh brewday as an opportunity for all those interested in hops to come together that weekend but there was a poor turnout. I think theres quite a lot on interest and I dond see fresh hop interest dwindling any time soon
regards Bren

Fixed my fuggles plant to the fence the other day. Its just over 6 foot tall already  ???

got a ekg and northdown the day weekend of the competition.
the ekg is doing well had already started sprouting when it arrived, left it leaning against a piece of string before the weekend and its wrapping itself around it every day or two.
no life out of the northdown yet

I'm leaving mine grow wild this year and only watering them.
This is their second year and they're really growing thick and fast :)

Mine are doing their thing.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s180/nigerford/beerstuff/2912E7AB-FC2D-4DEF-BA33-16FB7C4D9E83_zpsj9qxwnor.jpg

That greenhouse will get full fast  ;D

Thats the plan  ;D

flying.....anyone got a gazillion ladybirds in their garden??   shud help keep greenfly, blackfly, whitefly and other fly at bay :)

yeah, i noticed more ladybirds than usual this year alright

Last year was HUGH for Ladybirds*. Looks like this year will be even HUGHER

*Ladybirds: The first recorded beetle species that hired Saachi & Saachi as there PR agents

The book deal was then a given

Mine are doing fine and there are a few ladybirds around. Last year green fly played havoc with mine.

I heard that the black spots on a ladybird grow darker and more numerous by consuming the souls entire families of greenfly.
True fact!

do we exterminate the ones with few spots then ;D

no, just flick them a little to stir up their inner rage and soulhunger

or gather them in a jar, starve them for a week and throw in some greenfly...that may change their placid predator status to one more agressive ;D and beneficial to our hop plants!

like rats in a metal bucket!

Goldings plant year 2 (got this one from Tube) is now a good 12ft and healthy
Prima Donna year 1 grown from a rhyzome (sp?) Are extremely healthy and at 6ft of an expected 9ft max height.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/16/ery6ema3.jpg) Goldings

Prima Donna
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/16/abugu5am.jpg)

ur feeding dem well declan  :) improved since last I saw them

mine are bout 30 to 40 feet and starting to go sideways :)

Wow! Awesome, look forward to seeing them again in a few weeks.

Yeah gave them all a dose of pot-ash the other day, can nearly watch the difference!!

Looking good Declan
- whats this magic pot ash you speak of ?

Natural powder thingy you mix with water-potassium magnesium etc etc etc Basically a type of fertiliser the big hop farms use

my goldings are close to 15ft and can see some flowers starting to grow.  the northdown was a late bloomer and is almost 10ft

Get a compost bin and wenbu brew compost the used hops and trub. Fertilise ur hop plants about dis time of year. As i understand it at first sign of life in march nitrogen required (composted grass/ greens) and later pitassium / potash for the flower maturation

And dont forget to water dem if in pots

Think we need a fresh hop extravaganza here in sept :)

goldings, looks like its reached it's final height
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/14524056810_93fa062115_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/o8rA5A)

northdown
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/14710432372_31e6803b42_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/opUP3m)

I have mounthood courtesy of tom last year , all over the roof of me 10ft shed,! At what stage should they develope cones

Another couple of  weeks I'd say. My goldings have just sprouted all their little fluffy burr things over the weekend there

the top half of my goldings have the burrs too

I reckon I've about 400 burrs on my fuggles plant

Quote from: delzep on July 21, 2014, 09:01:39 PM
I reckon I've about 400 burrs on my fuggles plant

That one word "plant" is the difference between getting strange looks off people or nods of approval. 

I'll have 400 cones on me bush in a few weeks  ???

You never collected last year so you snooze you lose

i got these - think mine is a bit behind, but still looking good

Yeah Ive started getting those burrs about a week or 2 ago. Judging from some websites - it could take a good 2 months before crop ready to harvest  - that means middle of October or more ! what was the experience last year - is that way too late for outdoors ?

How late is late?... It's getting near late August now, mine look sh*te to be honest! I'm sure this time last year I had signs of cones ...

I think they have competition from the hedge row at the back of them, not sure why else it would be failing... tempted to relocate this autumn when they die back.   do they relocate well? Or maybe there's still time for cones!?
(I have EKG and Cascade by the way)

Where do ye buy them from?

My tettnanger plants are doing quite well this year. Have a load of big full cones. I reckon first harvest maybe next week. Still a load of small cones as well.


(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s180/nigerford/beerstuff/769EB479-46A9-4560-B6B7-97882643E518_zpslw7ni2z7.jpg) (http://s152.photobucket.com/user/nigerford/media/beerstuff/769EB479-46A9-4560-B6B7-97882643E518_zpslw7ni2z7.jpg.html)

One of my plants isn't looking well. Aside from the leaves being in bad shape I noticed black spots on the cones. See the pictures below. Any ideas what this is? Are the hops for the bin?
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/6eac2b68a8f44dc4569732554c83ecbe.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/97c8b6ff9544161ccc57598a281a4630.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/201b584ce89382624209f8c4a76cc1c4.jpg)

@imark not 100% man but looks like you might have a bit of a mite problem, check under the leaves for bugs also for webs covering parts full of black or orange spots. look also for green/black fly and scale bug (almost flat green micro sizes bugs on the bottom of the leaves). the spots on the leaves are a sign of bugs like these and could easily cause the discoloration on the hops so i would check into that 1st. mites are most common tho and hops are very susceptibleto them

@Covey theres a bunch of places you could get plants from if you dont want to ask other growers/brewers id recommend http://www.willingham-nurseries.co.uk/hop.html but generally any of us are quite happy to give a bit of root stock or cuttings to fellow brewers

Brewed with my first harvest today. About 225g of freshly picked Tettnanger were sacrificed to the brewing gods. All in the last 15 mins.
Have some more to harvest in the next week or so. 

Covey, I have challenger plant that I'll be cutting rhizomes off next year. My two cascade plants are only 2 years old so I'm not sure if they'll be ready for taking rhizomes, but if they are your welcome to some of them all.

I might harvest and brew on Friday....gonna need a bucket I reckon  8)

You gotta earn your hops by harvesting

Quote from: Fal on September 17, 2014, 09:15:24 PM
Covey, I have challenger plant that I'll be cutting rhizomes off next year. My two cascade plants are only 2 years old so I'm not sure if they'll be ready for taking rhizomes, but if they are your welcome to some of them all.

Thats would be great, thanks a mill keep me posted

Had another look at my cascade in daylight today. Small caterpillars crawling all over them and millions of tiny white feckers. The hops are rotting on the vine. I'm going to tear it down tomorrow and burn it. Very disappointing
I'm wondering if it will be any good for next year or if I should dig it out while I'm at it.

The root should be fine if it has pushed up that lot. The damage and infestation sends to have happened overground

Quote from: buttercups on September 17, 2014, 08:19:20 PM
@imark not 100% man but looks like you might have a bit of a mite problem, check under the leaves for bugs also for webs covering parts full of black or orange spots. look also for green/black fly and scale bug (almost flat green micro sizes bugs on the bottom of the leaves). the spots on the leaves are a sign of bugs like these and could easily cause the discoloration on the hops so i would check into that 1st. mites are most common tho and hops are very susceptibleto them

@Covey theres a bunch of places you could get plants from if you dont want to ask other growers/brewers id recommend http://www.willingham-nurseries.co.uk/hop.html but generally any of us are quite happy to give a bit of root stock or cuttings to fellow brewers

ok if any one can spare some cuttings i would love to have a go. I will be going to the comp in galway on the 25th and gladly accept any hop plants !!!

Quote from: johnrm on September 18, 2014, 10:55:12 PM
The root should be fine if it has pushed up that lot. The damage and infestation sends to have happened overground

Hope so. I'll move it and see how it gets on next year.