Monday, August 23, 2010
Diminishing Hope for Hops
I'm pretty much giving up hope on getting a batch of hops this year. Houston followed up the wettest July on record with the hottest August (and the month isn't even over yet). The almost constant rains of July didn't give the soil much of a chance to dry, slowing growth and cause the leaves to yellow. Now the ridiculous heat of August is taking its toll as well. If anyone else is growing hops in Houston, I'd love to hear about your results for this year.
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Your hop experiment is progressing exactly as mine did... my first year the vines got about 12' tall, and I got a handful of hops. 2nd year hops started to form, but they all died. Vines only got about 7' tall. This was my 3rd year, and my vines never got bigger than a shoelace, and topped out around a foot tall.
ReplyDeleteThe rhizomes are getting weaker and weaker as the years pass, and I'm pretty sure nothing will come up next year (4th year).
Well, that's not very encouraging news. I'm planning on digging up my rhizomes and replanting them next spring with fresh soil and fertilizers and perhaps using larger pots. They both have new growth lately with new green bines an leaves, but doubtful I'll get any new hop cones for this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat size pots did you use for your hops the last 2 years?
ReplyDeleteWino - They're 20" pots, the largest I could find at Lowes. However, later on I found larger containers such as tubs and storage bins that may have worked better.
ReplyDeleteI'm giving it a shot for this first time this year. I've got a 4'x6' raised bed I want to use and plans for a 20' trellis. I'm most concerned about the heat. The bed is located on the east side of the house, so will be partly protected from the afternoon sun. I'm still researching ideas for cooling the plants on those 100+ degree days.
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