2019 hop crop

The little spade looking thing that's pointing to 12 o'clock, is that an infant burr/spur?
If yes, at what point in its development should I stop applying neem oil?

 

Okay, thanks. If I'm thinking right that 'spade' is what the burrs will eventually grow from, and stop the neem oil when the burrs start to open up (or just before).
I get the concept....don't want neem oil or other pesticides on the flowers.

 

Sounds good. I have a flat adapter for drying shoes in a dryer so maybe i'll try that on low heat.

 

You could lay a thermometer on the flat adapter. The link below says some of the desirable oils have a flash point of 100°....Gorm says his get to 110°+ and I'm guessing he's happy with his results.
http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2012/12/09/hop-drying-at-home/

 

Your selected quote from that article has me curious. The use of the term 'flash point' typically means a temp where rapid ignition occurs when discussing flammable liquids. Here I think they just mean the point of volatilizing the oils, but the author is very casual about using those words. I can see where dried hops are probably highly combustible because of the dry plant matter and the oils, but has anyone ever seen a warning that they should be considered in a flammable category when drying them? (Maybe you can tell from this question that I used to be a safety engineer. )

 

You can apply neem oil up until the day of harvest, or so they say. I tend to stop about a week before unless it is going to be gross and humid (new england...). But I also use other sprays that aren't neem oil and say that they can be used right up to harvest as well.

I would like to point out that drying the hop to the point it falls apart is technically too dry. I am sure if you use store or use the hops quickly they will be fine. But typically you want to stop just before they fall apart.

 

Yeah, I thought, "What? Huh?" when reading flash point.

Not me, and MoreBeer didn't ship any "Caution - Flammable When Dried" tags with my rhizomes.

Oh well. once a safety engineer,....

 

I've got five plants, from left to right: Shaddock, Centennial, Petoskey, Hartwick, Southern Cross:


The Shaddock, Petoskey, and Hartwick are from Great Lakes' "Heritage Collection," So I'm not sure what to expect. They're all GLH crowns on their first year, except the Centennial, which was given to my by my grandpa (it's a second year from a rhizome). I also decided to try a bit of an experimental trellis design, since I'm renting my house.

I cut the Centennial back to the ground when I got it, since it was so much bigger than the others at the time, and I had read about "bull shoots." I'm wondering now if I've done some damage, as it's trailing behind the others. I also have had some Japanese beetle issues, but I'm picking them off by hand every day. They don't seem to be hurting the plants too much.

Anyway, the two on the ends (Southern Cross and Shaddock) just started putting out burrs! I'm very excited, as this is my first time getting this far growing hops. Now that they're entering the flowering stage, should I be changing my watering/fertilizing schedule? I've been watering every day/every other day and fertilizing about once a month with a dry 12-5-7 fertilizer.

Southern Cross:


Shaddock:

 

I had 10 or 12 shoots from each of 2 hills (2 rhizomes in each hill). When the spouts got about 4" - 6" tall I cut back all but the sturdiest looking 2 and cut away any others that came up later. I read it on the internet so it must be right, huh?

 

Fertilize once a week. Depending on what you are using, you might want to change the mix a little. Watering should be daily. Particularly with the heat we are seeing you want to keep them watered. If the soil around the plant looks and feels dry, then they need water.

As for cutting back the earlier shoots, you do want to do this, but I have found that it takes a little practice (or maybe I am just weird...). I like to leave the earliest shoots until I know which ones I want to train. I focus on some of the newest shoots and let them grow. Once they are a good size, I cut back all the other shoots. This way the other shoots help the plant survive the early spring, then it is just the bines I want that are left.

 

Anyone having problems with spotted lantern fly on their hops? They're in my yard but have'nt seen them on the hop vines yet.

 

Try neem oil on some and see how they do. I am in maine so not an issue here yet. This site looks good for control and basic info: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-for-homeowners

Neem would be my first try, if you are having a real issue and don't want to use the other stuff they list. Additionally I wonder if the Japanese beetle trick of a cheap cigar in a bucket of water would work on these?

Additionally,, how are peoples crops coming along? I have good sized fuggels cones and some comet, nugget, cascade and EKG start to form up.

 

I'm pleasantly surprised to have a few spurs, but am still looking at this as setting the stage for next year.

In the picture are 'side-bines' coming out from where leaves were trimmed for air flow. They're like suckers on a tomato plant.
Are those desirable and have potential to produce cones.....or should they be removed?

 

Can someone give me a few tips on when to pick? My cones are getting pretty big. When I pull a cone off and rub, it's very citrus-y. These are cascade.



PS. Japanese beetles are a bitch.