Homegrown hops 2020

The primary reason is multiple of these. Fewer bines means the plant is trying to grow less, thus what there is will be more productive. Fewer bines means nutrients don't get split up. And the big one is disease. More matter means more space for things to hide and not get enough air flow or preventative (pesticide or fungicide) in to the area thus leading to infestation or a diseased plant. Another reason is typically weight. Coir used by hop farmers have 120 lb load rating. If you are using twin and know it's rating you are ok, but the cheaper coir is only around 80lb and you are pushing that in wind with two bines from mature plants.

 

Ripper, I'd instal a second line in the future and train 2 per line. Granitebeard is spot on in his idea. One time I ran 6 on one line. Even with the heavy baler twine it broke and upon inspection I had the beginnings of a big dease outbreak. So it all got hauled out and burned in the furnace. Can't fool around wheni T comes to desease,s. They can stay in the ground for years and then it's a constant battle.

 

I'm not sure what the strength of the masonry line I use is but I've never had one break. I did however, have the hooks pull out of the eaves on a windy day. Thanks to the 2 inches of snow dumped on me last night, I haven't strung mine up yet. When I have a nice crop growing, I'll post some pictures.

 

I had to pull out a three-year old Bramling Cross plant last fall due to disease. The leaves would wilt up and turn brown. It still managed to grow it's full length but after a while any new growth would always wilt up and turn brown. It even managed to produce hops, though they also turned brown. I have three other plants that I planted at the same time and they are perfectly healthy and productive, so I assumed the Bramling Cross was susceptible to something that the other plants were not. So about 2 weeks ago I planted a Cascade plant, that I received from Great Lakes Hops, in the same raised bed that the Bramling was in. I see that it's leaves are already doing something similar. Arg! Any thoughts? A virus or something?

 

what did the root ball look like? was ther rot , odd coloring on the roots, or was there obviouse boring insect damage? inquiring minds want to know

 

I can think of a couple things, but without pictures it is hard to tell. This link provides a good run down of different diseases that it could be but were it seems to be a hill, I would looks at diseases that stay in the soil there. Might be worth trying some of the preventatives, or just pulling out the soil and putting new stuff in, still plenty of time to save a plant (mostly for next year) or start new this year.

Link: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/hops/hops-plant-diseases.htm

 

Ya know, being the noob hop grower that I am, I never looked at it very closely, I just pulled the crown and tossed it in my lawn waste bin to take to the compost site in town. I suppose I probably should have.

 

Hmm...I was thinking maybe downy mildew, but after looking at some google pics, that doesn't look quite right. Looking at images and descriptions on this USA Hops data sheet, I'm almost thinking it might be a virus of some sort.
https://www.usahops.org/cabinet/data/4.pdf

Interesting that they actually specify Golding type hops or Golding parentage as being more susceptible, as Bramling Cross has a Golden parentage, I believe. Course, that doesn't explain the Cascade...

 

Yeah, each type has susceptibility depending on heritage, you just have to look up what has what. Great Lakes Hops does a good job specifying on their site for each variety of hop, and the have a great google docs section linked from their site. There are too many possibilities really. Without know what you a little more about the root or bines them selves, it is tough to make a call.

 

Yep, Verticillium wilt def seems like a likely culprit as well, particularly seeing as how it can be non-lethal, which would explain the full growth. It does say that Cascades are less susceptible than other hops, so will be curious to see what it does. I'll have to wait to get some more growth and cut open a bine to see if it is discolored.

 

Picked up some more masonry line to get my bines training. I was surprised to see it's only 15 lb test. Strongest they had. It's what I've always used so....

 

At what point in the season are you guys cutting back the other bines from the crown ? I’ve got some bushy hops , the winning bines are starting to climb, should I hack back the rest now or wait a bit ?

 

If the bines you plan on training are tall enough, I'd whack the rest back now. I've whacked a bit before I was ready to train. I have one more plant to train when they get a bit taller, so I'm leaving that one alone for now.

 

i do the same as peach. on the tettnang the are so many bines growing all over i actually bush hog some on my first pass of the season which was friday. others get weed wacked or cut by hand

 

It got hot, them damp which brings on the the fungus, so,,,, 2 applikays of neem oil. Really came on fast. Watch yer plants.

 

Yep, I have been treating mine since before the shoots were up, starting too early is never possible.