Planting some hops this year and wondering if anyone has experience growing them in Texas. I'm in Waco, planning to grow some saaz and hallertau.
From the research I've done, it seems that Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook as best suited to our climate.
Neither will grow in our climate. It is too hot in the summer, not cold enough in the winter and we are too far south. The plants may grow bines but the likelihood of cones is extremely low. C hops and some of the other USDA-developed hops are your best bets and even then you need to be careful about designing where they grow and how you will water them.
I planted some last year and they have reappeared. I will say this -keep them in a big pot the first couple of years. All the ones I planted in the ground died.
I suggest asking this question in the Homebrewing forum. Several regular contributors in that forum also grow their own hops, and more insight might be available there.
I've seen a nursery selling Citra in Houston. This variety may be acclimated for warmer climates. Be aware that temperature, soil, and climate will dramatically affect the flavors in hops.
I grew Cascade and Magnum last year with great success. They are already sprouting up. It seems the Magnum comes due before the Cascade by a few weeks. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can.
Pretty sure Citra is still a proprietary strain so either they're selling you some other hop and telling you "it might change a bit" (which would be true). Or they're selling something they shouldn't be. Also, why would Citra be more acclimated than any other hop variety?
