Homegrown hops 2023

And finally a few up so topping the hills/rows today. Installing twine in a week or 2.

 

At what height do you gut them back, or do you trim them flat as soon as they poke through? Do you trim them all down flat and then let new ones come in their place (and of these new ones you select 3 to trellis)? I had a great crop last year but I did not know what I was doing in the trimming department.

 

also another great video

 

when they get 1-3 inches tall then rip them down to the ground with a plastic knife cutting head attached to a big trimmer.
I usually have 2 twines per hil and have 2 shoots trained per twine

 

My chinook are on their 6th year and I’ve had to cut them back twice so far, I think this time around I’ll just let them go and start training 3-4 of the strongest shoots.

We ate some of the purple bull shoots this year, which is something I had never heard of! Very similar in flavor to broccolini and asparagus, definitely tougher/stringier though. Probably should’ve cooked them a bit longer on the grill

 

I have a question about using fertilizers for growing hops. Has anybody tried using oyster shell or fish based fertilizers for their crops of hops? Any info about good or bad experiences with oyster shell and fish based fertilizers would be greatly appreciated.

 

The hop plants I ordered from Great Lake Hops in Michigan came in yesterday. They even included a free hop plant to my surprise. I ordered a Hartwick and Prussian plant and they included a free Mt. Hood plant. I would like to purchase some Michigan Cooper plants but they only sell them in bulk sales right now.
The 2nd year Cascade hop plants are doing well.

 

Oyster shell is a slow acting fertilizer, depending on your biological activity it will release over the course of months or years.

Liquid fish is a great source of organic nitrogen and supports soil microbial health. I haven't done a lot of intentional feeding of my hops but they have seemed to appreciate fish hydrolysate when I've given it too them.

 

all my hops are popping up: Centennial (3) and Warrior (4)

 

Got my strings up yesterday. Lots of them are popping up. I need to redo my weed block and get a little better control on that front as the hops are getting crowded...

 

Blasted the hop yard with my plastic knived weed wacker 7 days ago. No sprouts yet, but they will come.

interesting point
Comet hops had the largest diameter bull shoots I’ve ever seen in many years.

 

The University of Tennessee is getting into the Hop business. They teamed up with Yee-Haw brewery to start an initiative to convince local farmers to switch to a Hop crop. They are having an open house at the farm on June 15th then going to Yee-Haw brewery after to do a question/answer session. Seems cool, wish I could attend but I have to work that day. These pictures are couple weeks old, they have bines growing up stringers now.
https://utianews.tennessee.edu/ut-h...eek-event-scheduled-for-june-15-in-knoxville/

 

Do you happen to know what hop variety(s) they are growing?

Cheers!

 

Mine first popped up in early April, I think.
|I let them go for a bit, then trimmed them down 2 weeks ago now (well, a week and a half|)
They've gone ballistic since then, growing like mad. |I meant to do harden work last weekend but didn't get to it - i have to do it this weekend, including stringing up the ropes and getting the bines up there.
i'll need to dig out the garden and get some of the excess foliage growth out of there, and some fertilizer in there. I think it hurt the rest of my veggies last year.
Though there's frost warnings here tonight - I think hops are hardy enough to take it, but I brought the rest of my seedlings (tomato and hot peppers, mostly) inside for the night.

 

They do not specify on the University’s website link. If I find out I will reply.

 

25 yesterday morning, young hop shoots froze. Today wilted over, guess we will wait for the next shoots