Jump to content
Coopers Community

Anyone Else Growing Hops This Year?


PhilboBaggins

Recommended Posts

I am. :)

 

This is a my 2nd year Chinook from Dr. Smurto. Its first year yielded bugger all but this year it has gone monkey shit.

 

4pzv.jpg

 

skkz.jpg

 

There are flowers popping up all over the damn thing. To be frank, I absolutely hate brewing with whole flowers, but I think I'll make an exception this year and dump them all in a home grown Chinook IPA.

 

Anyone else growing? (Hops)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup! I've got a Cascade and a Centenial. They are both under a foot of snow at the moment. They are one season old and I got about a mason jar full of flowers from each. I'm looking forward to next summer.

 

I'd like to get a Chinnok too.

 

I hear you about brewing with whole flowers. Have you ever tried mash hopping? its a good way of using whole cones without the big mess. Remember fresh is best! you can't get them much fresher than right off the bine.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
I am. :)

 

This is a my 2nd year Chinook from Dr. Smurto. Its first year yielded bugger all but this year it has gone monkey shit.

 

4pzv.jpg

 

skkz.jpg

 

There are flowers popping up all over the damn thing. To be frank' date=' I absolutely hate brewing with whole flowers, but I think I'll make an exception this year and dump them all in a home grown Chinook IPA.

 

Anyone else growing? (Hops)[/quote']

 

Hops are looking good Phil

 

is the fence around them to stop your dogs getting to them? i have read that hops are deadly to dogs if tehy eat them

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hops are looking good Phil

 

is the fence around them to stop your dogs getting to them? i have read that hops are deadly to dogs if tehy eat them

 

I've heard that as well. The fence is for the dog, but more so that he doesn't eat the manure/dynamic lifter/blood and bone from the soil. He's an idiot.

 

All picked and I reckon I got about 1/2 kilo of hops.

 

Brewing with them tomorrow hopefully.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Jumping on the bandwagon, three transplanted from pots today on the windiest day this year. Left some room for another three. Starting them of on short mesh, I am looking for some huge poles. If they survive the night I'll post some pics tomorrow.

 

Cheers

Scottie

Valley Brew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good afternoon (I hope) Scottie

 

I've never been able to put anything over you, so you know exactly where my skills lie*.

 

Gardening is certainly not one. In fact, forty years ago I couldn't even grow marijuana, and everyone told me it grew like a weed. However, my neighbour has a green thumb and some hops that are looking good. I don't know if this is the proper method, yet he has a single tall post about 2.5 metres on the eastern side of a fence, with wires forming a flat triangle from various horizontal distances from the base to the top of the single post. He's using 4 wires in total, and the outer wires are anchored in the ground about 2 metres from the base of the pole, to the top of the pole itself. The two inner ones about a metre. I think he used some old Hills Hoist type wire, and the hop vines/runners (whatever) seem to have no problem growing up them. He reckons it is a simple and inexpensive way to do - but as I mentioned, you'd only listen to my suggestions after a LOT of Ben's barley wine.

 

Cheers, Phil

 

Notes:

* If you do ever find an area where my skill might lie, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know.

 

Edited 5:15 pm: Try to make it understandable to Earthtonian English speakers.

 

Edited again 5:30 pm: It's become blatantly obvious I can't describe things in words. So what I'm trying to get across is this flagpole method but only in 2 dimensions so it's flat! Don't worry, I'm going back to the naughty corner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Phil

 

You're a champ. My gardening skills aren't that great either, however we punch out Silverbeat, Mint, Tomatoes and beans by the kgs. I love the ideas that you posted, the trellis is very important apparently a hop bine can weigh up to 20kgs.

 

A break in the storm so here is my first pic, I am hopeful that I will end up with something like PB2 and Philbo have achieved

 

IMG_03131_zps6b0a8d63.jpg

 

Is your neighbour the sharing kind?

 

Cheers from the Valley Brew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Scottsman, are they separate rhizomes, and how far apart are they?

 

It's 3rd year for my Chinook and the shoots are spread out over a metre wide at the base. surprised

 

Needless to say they will spread MUCH farther outwards from there wrapping themselves around anything in their path.

 

What I'm getting at is that if yours are all separate varieties there may be a chance of them mingling bines and trust me, once they fill out you won't know which is which.

 

I'll go and get some pics of mine. I'm pretty scared. crying

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Phil

 

They are separate bines, but the same variety. I was going to plant them is separate locations but this location turned out to be the only suitable spot. I will leave a bigger gap between these three and the next couple that will be a different strain.

 

Yes I am concerned about the fact that they spread and take over the garden, and I am concerned about my ability to trim/cut the rhizome to keep them under control without killing them off.

 

Cheers

Scottie of the Valley Brew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...and you guys are certain you want to go ahead with this? I've only done some very limited reading but it sounds like real War of the Worlds stuff. Assuming I haven't been led up the garden path:


  • The bines (?) grow up to 30 feet


  • At peak times, they can grow 2 feet in one day


  • The roots can grow down 15 feet

 

I thought Ebola and climate change were the world's biggest disasters, but now I'm convinced its hop growers! ninja

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey P2

 

You haven't been led up the garden path. The Valley in which I reside was once the epicentre of hop growing in Australia. As you walk along some of the walking tracks in the valley you can easily find thriving hop bines, uncared for but a timely reminder of yesteryear. Last summer I picked some cones off a bine that had twisted its way around a branch on a blackberry bush. I could easily brew a wild hop brew, however I have no idea of the hop type - if I was so inclined I guess I could do some hop history research sideways ----hang on whistling

 

 

Cheers from the Valley Brew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...