Growing your own Hops

stalins_ma

Evening all,

I was wondering if any of you have grown your own hops before for the express purpose of complementing your homwbrew?

If so, have you bought it potted, from the rhizome or from a slip given to you?

When is a good time to plant and would you bother with the seeds? They're quite a sturdy plant and easy enough to grow from seed but I have read that you run the risk of planting male next to female which ruins the females productivity :rolleyes:

Any pointers would be helpful as I don't fancy splashing out 9quid for 100g of dry-hopping each and every time!

Cheers

Mashtun

As far as i know most people grow from rhizome cos you get a 50/50 split in terms of male/female plants growing from seed. Male plants dont have buds i.e. whats used as the hop addition.

I think taff off beoir.org has a few or at least he had at d homebrew expo in d well a few weeks ago

oblivious

stalins_ma wrote: »

When is a good time to plant and would you bother with the seeds? They're quite a sturdy plant and easy enough to grow from seed but I have read that you run the risk of planting male next to female which ruins the females productivity :rolleyes:

Easy enough to grown many of us do it, it best to go with Rhizomes as you will get crop in they first year, that will improve over the next few. The Rhizomes become available from November to February, plant them when their are in their dormant phase and give them plant of water when growing. Also a god plant feed is a good ideas as they are big used of nitrogen and other trace metals

Male hop plants are illegal in Ireland

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1965/en/si/0189.html

stalins_ma wrote: »

Any pointers would be helpful as I don't fancy splashing out 9quid for 100g of dry-hopping each and every time!Cheers

Where are you pay 9 euro?

an not all types will grown in this climate and the terror has a massive effect on the hop aromas and flavors

stalins_ma

oblivious wrote: »

Easy enough to grown many of us do it, it best to go with Rhizomes as you will get crop in they first year, that will improve over the next few. The Rhizomes become available from November to February, plant them when their are in their dormant phase and give them plant of water when growing. Also a god plant feed is a good ideas as they are big used of nitrogen and other trace metals

Male hop plants are illegal in Ireland

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1965/en/si/0189.html

Where are you pay 9 euro?

an not all types will grown in this climate and the terror has a massive effect on the hop aromas and flavors

Thanks for that - I didn't know they were illegal in Ireland!

Here is where I'm buying my hops at the moment as I can't find them cheaper anywhere else in Dublin:

http://www.mybeerandwine.ie/product_info.php?cPath=42_73&products_id=197

So your advice is hold off until the Spring and get my hands on a rhizome...or else plant a potted plant from a nursery in the Autumn?

Cheers

stalins_ma

Mashtun wrote: »

As far as i know most people grow from rhizome cos you get a 50/50 split in terms of male/female plants growing from seed. Male plants dont have buds i.e. whats used as the hop addition.

I think taff off beoir.org has a few or at least he had at d homebrew expo in d well a few weeks ago

Cheers Mash...I'll try contact taff on beoir and see what he has so...

oblivious

stalins_ma wrote: »

Thanks for that - I didn't know they were illegal in Ireland!

Its really an left over law form when hops where grown in Ireland to conserved the strains

domcq

I bought three Dwarf Hop 'Golden Tassels'* (in 1 litre pots) from this website http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/ a few weeks back. £7.95 each plus postage.

They arrived well packaged although one of the plants looked a little tired from the trip. I re-potted them amd they are doing ok now.

BeerNut

I have a Golden Tassels in its second year. Growing well but yet to produce a single cone.

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

I have a Golden Tassels in its second year. Growing well but yet to produce a single cone.

Did give it fertilizer it?

BeerNut

I've been giving it the odd splash of tomato food. But it's really more for decoration than produce. I haven't been training or trimming it the way you're supposed to.

stalins_ma

FYI All the advice I'm getting is to hold off until the Spring when the lads over on beoir.org have a load of rhizomes (roots) from the hop plant to share about. One could end up having several different varieties growing away in the garden come this time next year.

rubadub

Mashtun wrote: »

As far as i know most people grow from rhizome cos you get a 50/50 split in terms of male/female plants growing from seed. Male plants dont have buds i.e. whats used as the hop addition.

Wonder if they have feminized hop seeds, cannabis is meant to be closely related to hops, cannabis growers also want only female plants for buds so they developed feminized seeds over 10 years ago.

Mashtun

sounds fairly possible alright