growing hops; a few questions

I would only grow a variety that I REALLY like. This year I got over three pounds (dried) of Cascades (my only variety). My hops have spread significantly over the years. Assuming they thrive, any variety will do that unless you control them somehow. You want distance between them so that the bines are distinguishable when it comes time to harvest. There is no pollination going on, so that is not the issue. Some varieties are definitely more hardy than others. Cascades seem to be one of the hardier varieties (based on previous remarks here on BA). Hardiness may be climate dependent, so you may want to wee what others in your area are successfully growing.

 

1) It depends. See answer 2, space may be a constraint. Beer production requirements should be a consideration, do you brew a lot, you need a lot? I've heard 1.5 lbs wet per plant (1:5, dry:water). What type of beer do you drink, grow what you drink? What hops grow in your area, select hops that grow well? Generally people do one bittering hop and one aroma hop. I due to limited space only do an aroma, Cascade. I find bittering selection to have less of an impact on the overall beer than aroma, one bittering is one bittering which is another. So I put my energy on the aroma.

2) Yes rules of thumb vary, but generally I've seen feedback that you need a minimum of 3 feet center to center of like kind hops and 5 feet for different. 3 feet is because they need room to grow without being on top of each other and yes 5 feet to prevent cross pollination.

3) Plant early to have any hope of cone production.

 

Unless you have a male, there is no pollination. Males can pollinate over a distance of much more than 5 ft. What you are worried about are the suckers that go under the ground and come out with the crown of the hop, and you might select a sucker shoot along with the shoots of the plant you want in that hill. (see that was covered).

Think about what you use and get those.

 

I would plant as many as you can allowing 3ft between same types and 5 feet between differing.

I have 4...2 Cascade, Tetnanger, and Golding...though one of my Cascade fell victim to cutworms and didn't come back.

Make sure to choose a spot that gets a minimum of 6 hrs direct sunlight, have the ability to let the plants grow 18ft bines, and keep 1st year plants watered appropriately.

 

A lot of microclimates in Colorado...talk to a commercial grower there and see which types grow best.

It's a labor of love for a backyard grower...key word "labor"

 

I've read that different varieties grow better in different regions due to variables such as soil type, etc. so if you plant more than one type then you increase your chance of finding one that is suited for your back yard.

 

Yes, local conditions must be factored in. It's easy to grow hops but growing good hops is a different matter. That's why hop growing is concentrated in certain areas.Even in Kent, which is blessed for this purpose , hop farms a few miles apart would grow different varieties because of soil and other differences.

 

Here are some rules of thumb for hop growing.

Well drained soil. Hops do not do well if the roots are constantly wet.

Full sun for most of the day.

Water, hops can use a lot of water. Drip irrigation is used in Yakima Valley.

The type of hops will depend on the climate and micro-climate as said. If you are in a hot sunny dry place, try American varieties. If you are in a cooler and wetter place (West Slope), try some of the European varieties and derivatives. Yakima Valley is hot and dry, they grow the USA hops. The Willamette Valley is more temperate and wet, they grow more aroma varieties. My US varieties do fine, European ones usually not so much, but a temperate wet summer resulted in a good yield.

If you have established plants, you can get up to about 2 pounds dried per plant. The ratio of wet to dry is about 4.6 based on weight. If you use wet hops right off the bine, use a factor of 5 or 6 to get full wet hop character.

 

A few misconceptions here.

I would strongly suggest either a single variety or multiple varieties that you like to use together. The reason is that the root system will spread far beyond the recommended 5' spacing, so, unless you have a reliable way to distinguish the varieties, you won't know what you're harvesting. After five years, I have shoots coming up 30' from where I originally planted them - no idea if they're Cascade or Sterling. I expect to find them spreading ever farther as the years go by. The rhizomes laugh at your silly attempts to keep them apart!

Regarding water, while I won't argue with the drip system they're reportedly using in the Yakima Valley, I'm not sure what good it can possibly do in a residential setting with a 50'+ root radius (how often do you water your mature trees?). You would need the cooperation of your neighbors to make this effective, and even that assumes that the roots stay near the surface. Unless you live in an area where ground water is sparse - the desert, for example - water shouldn't be an issue.

Well drained soil - while that's generally a good strategy for any plant, you really don't have a lot of control here, again, because of the massive root system. Though it's probably critical in the first year or so until the plants are well established.

 

The issue is the crown/rhizomes spreading underground. I have mine planted closely, but they are in individual raised beds to avoid this issue. If not, every few years you will need to use a sharp spade or some other tool to cut the spreading rhizomes.

 

You need to remove the spreading rhizomes, since cutting them will simply result in two separate plants - one in the original location and one in the place you're trying to protect. The 'ends' you cut off will continue to thrive and spread.

 

Every year I trim the roots, pull the cut pieces out of the ground and plant them somewhere else so my hop farm will keep expanding, Next year I hope to have a small gazebo in the back yard with hops planted all around it for shade. I also plant them along fences.

 

Yes, good clarification.