| Author |
Message |
    
Walt Fischer (24.221.196.114)
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 11:38 pm: | 
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Okk.. welp my hops are all done doing their first year thing.
Its still looking healthy with leaves n all, just all the hops are picked.
Should i chop it down at the ground, or let it die back on its own, then chop it... or just stare at it till it drys up n goes away....;>
Walt
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Dave Witt (64.12.97.9)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 12:37 am: |
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Yeah, do that. ;>
The commercial growers cut the whole vine down at harvest. I usually let mine die at first frost before cutting. Probly doesn't matter. |
JT (24.169.135.171)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 02:21 am: |
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I was wondering the same thing. But the only way that I could access all of my cones was to pull down the vines. I then cut off the vines after I harvested the cones. Since hops are next to impossible to get rid of (short of pulling out the roots) they will probably be back with a vengeance next year. That's all I need...P*ssed off hops. I hope they teach me a lesson and come back ten fold. |
Belly Buster Bob (142.177.83.245)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 02:44 am: |
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yeah I had to stand on tippy toes to get the last of my 9 hops.
You guys are killin me!! |
chumley (216.161.217.89)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 03:26 am: |
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I always cut down my hops (I am not going to stand on a 20 ft tall ladder to pick them). I then sit down in a chair in the backyard with the vines across my legs, and pick them while drinking a homebrew. They come back fine year after year. |
Harwich Hall Of Fame (208.59.33.27)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 10:23 am: |
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when do you bury the bines? how deep? what part? |
Kevin Conard (68.117.133.48)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 12:03 pm: |
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According to literature at Freshop.com "The plants will pull the moisture and nutrients back into the rhizome at the end of the season so it is best to let them die back and cut them down at the end of the season." Also, there may be diseases, molds, mildews, etc., on the old bines so they also suggest either throwing them away in the trash or burning them.
As for burying the bines, you can make new rhizomes if you bury the untrained bines at the beginning of the year. Giv'em to your friends, they're like cudzu.
Kevin |
Harwich Hall Of Fame (208.59.33.27)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 01:35 pm: |
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how can you do that if it takes all season to grow them? is there a way to store the bines over the winter??? Im confused. |
Kevin Conard (65.196.239.165)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 02:07 pm: |
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If you want to make new rhizomes bury a few of the bines that you don't train. I usually do this in the spring, but freshops says you can also do this later in the season. They will grow roots and the following spring you can dig them up cut them off the main rootball and give them to friends. Otherwise, if I'm understanding your concern/confusion correctly, the bines naturally die back every year and then grow new the following spring.
Hops are an incredibly vigorous, almost to vigorous, plant. I have some growing in a rope trellis against my garage and they began to grow through the eaves and into the garage. They are next to impossible to kill unless they get a disease of some sort. They put on six or more inches a day during late spring and into early summer. Don't sweat it. The only thing you really have to be concerned about is if whatever it is growning on is sturdy enough to support it next year. The second year they really take off.
Hope this helps,
Also try www.freshops.com. They have a nice hop gardening section. Pretty much everything I said I parroted from them.
Kevin |
Harwich Hall Of Fame (208.59.33.27)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 02:28 pm: |
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thanks |
Dave Witt (152.163.252.67)
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 10:28 pm: |
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Chumley,
I actually cut my bines on a couple plants, this year, because they were infested with spider mites. If I left them another week, they would have turned totally brown anyway. I normally lower the bines to pick.
For anyone interested:
Somebody here 3-4 yrs ago posted an idea about how you can take 2 top rails (pipe) of a chain link fence and cut one in half and pound it in the ground. The other whole piece fits inside it and thus makes it removeable to harvest. You can get the top rails at HD or Menards, etc. for around $6 ea. I attached a 1x2 cedar board about 30" long with a U clamp to the top of each pole, with a screw eye in ea end. Then I train two vines ea on two twine lines to the top. Works great and the top is around 13' high. |
Brews and Views Archive 2003