Beer Forum

I'm a first year, container hop grower and things are going well so far. My Nugget is at least 2 feet tall and most of the others are beginning to clime the string. I doubled up on Mount Hood and Centennial rhizomes and all four have sprouted, but I have a Willamette rhizome that has showed no signs of life after 3 & 1/2 weeks. What I'm wondering is should I move one of my Mount Hood or Centennial into the pot where the Willamette is now to give them some room or if the Willamette still has a chance of growing?

Hey Dogtown- just a couple things to consider:
-Make sure they're getting enough sun, as well as water (usually during the first growing year, the soil should stay moist pretty much all the time)
-Don't plant too many in one container. Their root balls will get HUGE, and they will spread all over the place, but won't produce well if they're all crammed in there.
-I think I heard somewhere you're supposed to grow the same hops in one container together (at least, that's what I've done).
-Sometimes, rhizomes won't grow for whatever reason -- so you may find by the end of this season that that one rhizome just didn't do anything. Personally, I'd leave it where it is for at least this year, just to see if it's a "late bloomer" (but maybe that's stupid advice on my part -- I did that last year and the dang thing never grew).
-Hops really appreciate fertilizers like fish emulsion -- may want to pick up some of that, too.

Check the archives for the episode they did a few months ago on growing your own hops; that may answer your questions (and perhaps be more factual than my two cents here).

Cheers!
Kim

I went six weeks after dropping in my rhizomes with nothing to speak of. I was just about to crap in my when low and behold . Thats right, three plants broke through the ground like breaking out of the bar drunk. I think I may have been an and gone a bit deep on them, like 3-4 inches, so I'm sure it's (1) entirely my fault and (2) the reason it took some time. I guess the is on my side this time. Hopefully we'll be throwing a and kicking back some home brews like these two... , or him...

Cheers,

HopHed