Hop Growing 2015

[Jambo]

After my first attempt last year in which a Wye Challenger barely got a foot high before dieing off, I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

Fingers crossed for better success this year. I'm planning to get some kind of cloche on it ASAP, see if I can get the soil temperature up a bit, and then protect the plant from wind, slugs and bunnies when it comes up!

[seymour]

Wow, the 2015 growing season conversation already? I wish I could participate, my ground's frozen hard with several inches of snow on top. Oddly, my Wye Challenger plant died last year too.

But better luck this year, and keep us posted on your progress!

[Stewb]

I've just received some bare root rhizomes from willingham nurseries this week- A Prima Donna, a Fuggle and an Early Bird- nothing like traditionally english

They're all wrapped up in some nice wet paper in the fridge and i'll be planting them out this weekend- it's the planned saturday morning recovery plan after the Boston Spa beer festival tonight!

[Beer O'Clock]

I planted out my Willingham supplied bare root rhizomes two weeks ago. Northern Brewer and Challenger.

They haven't died yet

[scuppeteer]

I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

You do realise this is a decorative hop only, its absolutely crap for brewing!

[andyCo]

I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

You do realise this is a decorative hop only, its absolutely crap for brewing!

I've got a golden tassels plant , tho it states dwarf mine last year reached between 6-8m, as for being crap for brewing read this thread viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11784

I green hopped late on with loads turned out great.

Andy

[seymour]

I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

You do realise this is a decorative hop only, its absolutely crap for brewing!

I've got a golden tassels plant , tho it states dwarf mine last year reached between 6-8m, as for being crap for brewing read this thread viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11784 I green hopped late on with loads turned out great.

Really? That's interesting, I've never heard of anyone brewing with those. I'm intrigued. Andy, what did your beer taste/smell like? Scuppeteer, do you know if Golden Tassels/Diva has ever been scientifically analyzed for Alpha Acid percentage, oil composition, etc?

[andyCo]

Seymour, when I said great I probably ment more like pretty good
As for tasting notes ...I never really write anything down on tasting , if I like the beer I reapeat it and tweak if if needed.
The diva plant was in its second year and produced lots of cones, its planted next to my cascade which planted next to my sazz plant which both were in the first year and didn't produce a great deal of hops .
The diva cones when picked were very sticky with lots of yellow lupin and as I said the yeld was good .Tasting the hops green I would put then in low AA % 4-6
Don't get me wrong it ain't no galaxy hop but I wouldn't label then as useless either.
I green hopped a beer with the lot but 90% was diva.
This year I do a all diva beer and report back.

Andy

[tourer]

Lifted my perle and East Kent out of their pots early winter they've put on some strong roots, transplanted in the ground in a load of john innes number 3. so that should get them of to a good start. Although J/Innes is a good compost it does have limited feed for the plants so it'll be a muck/liquid feed after a few weeks when they pop up. By the way Seymour, update, my French Hop seeds are not showing any life as yet. They are sitting up a corner in the kitchen on the floor.

[seymour]

By the way Seymour, update, my French Hop seeds are not showing any life as yet. They are sitting up a corner in the kitchen on the floor.

Keep your fingers crossed, hops seeds can take a long time to sprout. They somehow seem to have a real awareness of seasons too, so they might wait until later spring, as long as they don't rot first...

[Jambo]

I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

You do realise this is a decorative hop only, its absolutely crap for brewing!

Eek. I wasn't aware they were considered crap, the aplus site fairly bigs them up. I'll see how it goes anyway, then maybe add something more exotic next year (Saaz would be my ideal).

[scuppeteer]

I am willing to be corrected as Andy states, but a green hop is very a different animal to dried. They're certainly not grown commercially other than for garden centres. Wouldn't have a clue on the AA% Seymour, but would imagine around the 5% mark. A friend of mine has one so maybe I'll make a brew in the Autumn with them. I'm only going on what I've read elsewhere, but then a lot of old varieties were considered to be not to the English taste and are starting to make a comeback.

Tourer, if you have no signs by Mid May I would give up on them. They only need 1/2 inch of soil cover. I didn't plant mine until Early March last year and was a good 6 weeks before they started. Try to keep the soil temperature as even as possible, not too hot, not too cold.

[jmc]

After my first attempt last year in which a Wye Challenger barely got a foot high before dieing off, I've just planted a golden tassles dwarf plant from aplus.

Fingers crossed for better success this year. I'm planning to get some kind of cloche on it ASAP, see if I can get the soil temperature up a bit, and then protect the plant from wind, slugs and bunnies when it comes up!

For a cheap (free) cloche I cut the bottoms off old 5L Ashbeck PET bottles


I've used on hops before.

Currently 2 on my rhubarb!

Edit - Just noticed my Challenger has just started to sprout. Only about 1-2cm.
Highlighted with red spots

[SBMongoose]

Hi guys,

I forgot to cut the bines last autum. Am I too late to do this now, or do I even need to? Will new growth start from shoots anyway from the rhizome, or will it try to bring back last years bines?

[scuppeteer]

Hi guys,

I forgot to cut the bines last autum. Am I too late to do this now, or do I even need to? Will new growth start from shoots anyway from the rhizome, or will it try to bring back last years bines?

Old bines are just dead wood, cut them right back to the ground (As JMC's pic). Makes it look tidy as well.