Homegrown hops 2020

I usually have 2 bines per rope and train 4 bines per plant.
Production will depend on variety, soil fertility and your ability to combat weeds, insects and fungus/mold.

1 bines per plant will lead to less production of cones. I'd run at least 2 bines per plant, test your soil, fertilize per recommendations per the soil test, learn about insects, and the rest. Walk your hop yard weekly looking for problems.

 

I use masonry line, strong stuff. I have a hook in my eaves, I put two tent stakes in the ground and run the line in an inverted "V", from the stakes to the hook. I wrap three bines on each side. It works for me.

 

So when I built the hop trelis setup back in 2012, I actually documented the process in a couple of blog posts:
http://harleysvillehomestead.blogspot.com/2012/05/hop-trellis-build.html
http://harleysvillehomestead.blogspot.com/2012/06/hop-trellis-build-part-2.html

The concrete footers are probably way over engineered, but they've been rock solid every since. Every fall I un-bolt and take down the top halves of the second set of poles, and then put them back up when needed in the spring. The 2x4s for these sections have warped a little, but not too bad.

 

I got locust growing in the woodlot so I auger a 4 foot hole and wee waa part of a tree 6-8 inch diameter right in.

definatly not purdy,ie ripper, but very functional and rugged. use 1/4 inch cable between poles and baler twine for the bines. cheap and functional.

 

I see my house from there! Ever find any ginseng in them hills?

 

go ripper. lookin good, wish i could post pics. id show ya how cheap i really am, hahahahahh

 

My pvc and chicken wire is an abomination....

 

As long as it works, all good

 

My thoughts exactly. I work with some hunters. They usually leave a few roots in my toolbox for me every season. Brown bag style lol. Talk about a good energetic work day!!

 

All my bines on each line are of the same variety and each variety is spaced far enough apart so they don't screw around with each other.

 

A friend wanted some hops so I dug up cascade, centenial, chinook and Columbus for him. He planted them close and they intermingle , impossible to get apart, so, I refer to those bags as Glenys Blend.
Really quite nice.
My plants are 4-5 feet apart so very little mixing if any.

 

I seem to recall reading, only female plants produce cones. So, aren't they all female?

 

I think he meant that his bines are not so close as to physically cross over each other, and thus do not cause confusion about which variety is which.

 

Ah, ok. Clears that up!

 

Thanks vikeman

 

Installed a few lines yesterday. If it don't freeze this weekend I'll put up the rest Monday. If they do freeze and die, modem all down, rake off the debris and figure on a late crop.