My Hop Garden..

[James Mac]

Got a Hop Plant as a present in Jan. planted it and was told to remove the first two shoots when they come up problem 13 shoots have come up and are growing like mad, Do I just let them all grow.

[Motorbikeman]

I did let them all grow last year, but the problem was it turned into a tangle mess . 

Cut away most and leave 5 or 6 of the best.  And as time goes by cut to 3 or 4 of the strongest. When the get about 10" tall. Start training them onto one vine string.   

Be very careful not to damage the vine as as they are very delicate at a young age. , especially the tip.  If the tip breaks, its the end of that vine.

The more that get cut away the better for growth as the plants energy will not be spent growing out the ways.

After cutting mine, they have doubled in height after 10 days and are now being trained onto string. 

[DarraghKS]

My three Northern Brewers are taking a little bit longer to come up this year but doing well all the same.

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[Martin.k]

I have to transplant my opal and target this weekend as they are 6 - 8 inches long now.

[Motorbikeman]

Mine are flying now.      In 10 days they have doubled in size.   Pruning early really does work well.  Look how healthy and thick the stocks are.

Now around 4 ft.

[Motorbikeman]

Over 10 feet tall today.   Im running out of cane to creep up

[Leann ull]

Looking lovely in the sun keep feeding and watering!

[Motorbikeman]

They are getting a bit out of control at this point.   

I had a 12 foot stake for them to climb.  When they reached the top, they dropped half way and made it back to the top. 

These things would grow 25 feet high no problem.     ( note the big dead patch on the grass after dumping 45L of oxy cleaner on it)

[Leann ull]

I've serious hop growers envy!
If fed and watered properly in the heat we had they can do easily up to the full apex of a roof and looks like you have them in a sun trap there too, can you train them horizontal now or to the roof?, and eye hook on a rope so that you can lower them down at the end of the season would save you a lot of hassle
Your neighbours must be impressed I can imagine the conversation "what the fucks he growing, I don't know go round and ask him, no you go round, looks like weed, it's cutting out all the light..."

I'd keep feeding and watering them they have another 3 months to go

[Motorbikeman]

I prepped the soil last winter by digging in a couple of bales of horse manure mixed with slow release fertilizer pellets. 

The problem is now,  I have nowhere else to let them grow into.

Im not too worried as I know I will have more hops than I can ever use from these plants. Even if they break. 

    Last years growth did not equal this and I have loads in the freezer. 

Keeping them from growing into each other is difficult though.   

One does not want Magnum mixed into Tettnanger as they bitter much stronger.     

[Leann ull]

They look bloody amazing can you run them 90 degrees in different directions one towards the house the other towards to bottom of the garden?
They are greedy feckers and the horse shit and fertiliser clearly did a great job for ya.

[krockett]

I have mine going up like yours vertically, then up to string tied to the roof of my house - gives 'em about 25 foot in total. This was taken a couple of weeks ago - they're 12/15 foot tall now (tip of the wall here is 10 foot).

[helmet]

Am I too late to plant this fella out?

[Motorbikeman]

no.  from what i understand, you want a good vegetation period before the hops flower. This maximises  your yield.  Get it out now and let it grow as much as you can.  It will produce hops.  just less.

[helmet]

Sound, any particular treatment needed for the soil?