How's everyones hops plants doing so far?

[LordEoin]

Its the circle of (beer) life
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.

[brenmurph]

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??

[Tom]

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.

[brenmurph]

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

[Tom]

Is anyone growing Mathon (old Goldings variety?)

Would love an aul dried hop swapsy.

[UpsidedownA (Andrew)]

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.

[Tom]

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!

[delzep]

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?

[brenmurph]

@ 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.

[montofk]

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...)

[Ciderhead]

bloody great rhubarb mines almost dead!

[LordEoin]

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

[Will_D]

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

[brenmurph]

 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

[LordEoin]

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.