Anyone have experience growing hops?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 3, 2015.

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  1. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    I've been thinking a lot about growing some hops this year in my beer garden (where I only grow beer ingredients like pumpkin, lavender, etc.) and I was wondering when you should plant, how often you should water, and what the soil composition should look like. I live in Indiana. Any advice would be helpful.
     
  2. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Plant in full sun on a mound with wind shelter if possible. Water and fertilize adequately, but don't overdo it. Hops grow like weeds even in mediocre soil. They will take over...plant at least 10 feet apart and give them something to climb on. I have a dozen varieties and most seem to be doing well. Cheers
     
  3. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

  5. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    Thanks for all the help. I have read some stuff through googling it on my own, but I was wanting some first hand experience. I appreciate all the info.
     
  6. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    I live in KY. I have Centennial and Chinook (the Cascade died). Knowing what I know now, I would not have bothered given the space that I have. They are on the south side of my garage, gets lots of sun, but they can only climb ~10ft, so I don't get enough hops to make it worthwhile. I would plan on a trellis or something that will allow hops to grow at least 15 ft in addition to the lots of water, sun,...

    hope that helps
     
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  7. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,891) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    Like everyone else has said, its real easy. Just plant the rhizome .5-1 ft underground, and be sure it's next to something that it can climb up. Lots of sun exposure during the day, and plenty dark at night (make sure there are no street lights nearby that are on all night). They will come back harder every year. Don't be disappointed with your first growth hops - I only got about 2 handfuls off 4 plants my first year. The 3rd year and so on are full force though. They will take over! Have fun. Having your own hops is great for doing wet hop ales.
     
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  8. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    There is all kinds of info on the Internet, but searching something that is close to home may give you the best answer for your climate, soil, etc. I don't know if the answers to your needs are in this link from Purdue University, but there are all kinds of links inside the article that may take you to where you need to be. (If this does not help, then look at Michigan State's Ag site. They do a lot of work in this area.
    http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/rele...r-to-help-farmers-get-into-hops-business.html
     
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  9. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    So, when is the best time to plant? Do I need to wait until the soil warms up a bit? We are consistently getting days in the 60's here in central Indiana, but there are still some cold nights on occasion.
     
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    FWIW, I planted my hop rhizome in mid-April (Southeastern PA). My guess is that you could place your rhizome in the ground now and it will ‘pop up’ when it is ready (conditions proper for growth).

    The classic way to train a hop plant is via a trellis using some sort of cord; the plant then spirals up the cord.

    I chose an ornamental approach using an arched trellis. My hop plant provides a lot of hop cones. You will only get a few cones the first year, more the second year and by the third year you should have a ‘bumper’ crop.

    Below is a photograph of my hop plant mid-summer (with a glass of Grodziskie in the foreground).

    Cheers!

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    Wow. I think I'm going to go for it. The idea of doing a fresh hopped pale ale has me intrigued and I am always looking for a new way to make an old recipe.

    I'll contact my LHBS and see if they have any rhizomes left, I know i missed out on the pre-order.
     
  12. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    How many hops do you get with that "setup". That looks similar to what I have at the end of the summer and the best I have got is a 5 gallon bucket almost full. That sounds like a lot, but when I weighed them, it was something like 12oz (I think) and most of that is water (80%). I used them as fresh hops all in one 5 gallon batch and it did not add much at all.
     
  13. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    In September 2014 I picked 12 ounces of wet hops to brew a wet hopped Harvest Ale. There were still lots of hop cones left on the plant (I have no idea how much; two-three pounds?). I should mention that this is the third year of this hop plant.

    Cheers!
     
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  14. tngolfer

    tngolfer Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2012 Tennessee

    I planted Cascade and Centennial (two rhizomes each mound) last year. My planter bed is approximately 32"x96" with a 2x12 frame around the perimeter and a divider to keep the roots from criss-crossing. Due to my wife's constraints my trellis is only 8 ft tall in a 'T' shape with a string hanging down each side, anchored by a rock. I didn't get many hop cones last year (two handfuls from each plant). The Cascade have already started shooting up. Centennial are a little slower but they were last year also.

    I mixed top soil, sand, planting mix in a 4:2:1 mixture. It drains well which is important. I will water if the soil about an inch down is starting to feel dry. My plants are on the west side of my house so they get the hotter part of the day. House faces south so there was no way my wife would buy into that.
     
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  15. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,775) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    I have some Newport hops, first year didn't get any cones, second year roughly a pound (4 oz dried) from 5 bines.
    for the third year, I yanked 3 of them out, replaced with Cascade and Nugget. The cascade came up, maybe a handful of cones, but I got almost the same output on the 2 Newport left.
    THen last fall I moved, and had to yank them all up to move them. They were out of ground longer than I would have liked, but id get them in eventually. They haven't yet come up, but less than a week ago they were covered with snow, so I'm not yet worrying.
     
  16. NewGlarusFan

    NewGlarusFan Initiate (0) Jun 26, 2013 Illinois

    I planted my Nugget this past Saturday. It was warm and soil was moist. May have been a little early, but the root was growing out of the box it came in that I had in the fridge.

    I figured that guy needed to be in the ground ASAP.
     
  17. EdRoss

    EdRoss Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2015 Maryland

    I have 8 bines here at my home, I have the room. Hops are pretty forgiving overall, they do have a few pests in the disease and insects department. Mine are situated in a row in between 2 large pine trees. I have a stainless wire ran across these two trees like a clothes line 25' high.

    Each spring I toss over my climbing lines and anchor with 2 anchor points creating a peak. I use those dog line augers that go into the ground $5 a piece and reuse every year. When time to harvest I go to the side they are not growing on and cut the line. Simply lower the bine down. Its a easy set up,works great, nothing fancy.

    I have found a good slow release fertilizer works best. Fast release like miracle grow creates a lot of flush growth. This is what a lot of your diseases and bugs love. Also like grapes etc, it may take a season or two until your hops become super productive. The first year they are just trying to get roots,acclimate, and basically stay alive.
     
  18. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    Indiana is a good place to grow hops. Most of the midwest was home to large amounts of hop production until powdery mildew destroyed the crop and they found it more economical to be grown in the west where the humidity is lower. Find a modern hybrid that is resistant to powdery mildew that you prefer. In 3-5 years you will get enough hops from one hop plant to do 1 homebrew with. Which is fun-an end of season fresh hop beer. Some years are better some are worse. We grow several plants, chinook, willamette, cascade, sterling, nugget, goldings (died), and centennial. Our 2 chinook plants and 2 sterling plants are powerhouses. We grew enough hops on a good year to get 2 batches of fresh hop homebrew, and then sent the rest of the fresh hops to a local brewery for them to use! Some years are good some are bad-like any crop.
     
  19. medb

    medb Devotee (329) Aug 27, 2013 California

    How important is it to constrain the root area? Will the roots really spread and impact on any nearby plants?
     
  20. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    Hops will spread a lot over time. I just noticed tonight that both of my hop mounds are covering a huge area. They are 5 years old and I have used a shovel each year but the last to try to keep them contained. One of them has shoots that covers a 2.5-3 ft radius. Based on this, I suspect they would eat my whole yard given enough time.
     
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