28 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

So here it is - I have one of those metal poles that you could hang a plant from. I plan on drilling a hole into the railing of my deck and inserting it. I'll use the extra leg part to secure it to the railing to keep it from moving too much. Thoughts?[mod edit - image removed]

[Cliff Claven]

Depending on the strength of the pole, you may need to run a guy line anchored to the railing back by the house. Or if that creates a restriction to the staircase, run it to the roof line.The 1st year it should work. Following years the canopy of the vines may overload it.Nice idea.

[robert41]

are you planning on having multiple varieties or just one. more than one variety might get confusing towards the top in future years.also, i have very minimal experience growing hops but i believe the shoots grow out horizontally. I see you have your nice stone ring setup above grade. if the rhizome(s) is planted a few inches below soil i could see the shoots eventually meeting up with that stone wall, any thoughts about this?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Depending on the strength of the pole, you may need to run a guy line anchored to the railing back by the house. Or if that creates a restriction to the staircase, run it to the roof line.The 1st year it should work. Following years the canopy of the vines may overload it.Nice idea.

I was thinking the same thing this morning. I can get the pole to bend with about 30lbs of force.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

are you planning on having multiple varieties or just one. more than one variety might get confusing towards the top in future years.also, i have very minimal experience growing hops but i believe the shoots grow out horizontally. I see you have your nice stone ring setup above grade. if the rhizome(s) is planted a few inches below soil i could see the shoots eventually meeting up with that stone wall, any thoughts about this?

They will both be cascades in that location. I have no idea what will happen when they try to spread

[EWW]

They will both be cascades in that location. I have no idea what will happen when they try to spread

hops typically have pretty shallow roots, so I think the pile of stones that you have as a border (which looks to be about 1ft high from the pic) will help keep the spreading to a minimum.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

hops typically have pretty shallow roots, so I think the pile of stones that you have as a border (which looks to be about 1ft high from the pic) will help keep the spreading to a minimum.

Good to know...I'm definitely reconsidering my plans here. I'm not sure what my other options are. I could possibly build a frame out of pressure treated wood that I could hook to the top of that railing. The thing I liked about the metal rod idea is that it I could take it out when I'm not growing hops. Any bright ideas out there? I good enough word working skills I think...

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Okay - here is design 2.0.The difference is that I plan to put some eye hooks into the railing so I can wrap the rope through them a few times before going up to the top. This will serve to distribute most of the weight of the plants to the eye hooks and not on the pole. Any structural engineers (or if you play one on tv) want to chime in here?[mod edit - image removed]

[EWW]

don't know if you saw this article in BYO but their adjustable trellis mentioned in the article might be a K.I.S.S. solution that you could consider for this small hop bed.

[Mudd]

What if you train the 2 on the right to grow up along the step railling?Just a thought.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

What if you train the 2 on the right to grow up along the step railling?Just a thought.

That's a good plan B thought. I'd like to keep these growing on rope though so I don't need to work with them too much but if it came down to it I'll do what it takes!

[Mudd]

That's a good plan B thought. I'd like to keep these growing on rope though so I don't need to work with them too much but if it came down to it I'll do what it takes!

The more that I consider it, I like the idea of having the deck surrounded in bines.Maybe even a hop privacy screen?

[Stout_fan]

You're going to need a bigger pole!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

You're going to need a bigger pole!

Taller or thicker?(that's what she said)

[Stout_fan]

Taller or thicker?

Actually, she probably said both.But I just put up a trellis (yes, I hafta post pictures)that is 17 feet off of my deck. Which is 5' above ground for a total bine length of 22'IronKite and I are betting is isn't enough for my 4th year Cascades.OTOH, if you have wimp hops like my Hallertau, it will be more than sufficient.So whatcha' growin' ?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Actually, she probably said both.But I just put up a trellis (yes, I hafta post pictures)that is 17 feet off of my deck. Which is 5' above ground for a total bine length of 22'IronKite and I are betting is isn't enough for my 4th year Cascades.OTOH, if you have wimp hops like my Hallertau, it will be more than sufficient.So whatcha' growin' ?

Cascades :devil:I'd guess when all is said and done with this design I'll have about 18' of elevation. Email me some pics and I'll host em for you if you want - just send me a PM and I'll send you my e-mail.

[Stout_fan]

Cascades

You're going to need a bigger pole!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

You're going to need a bigger pole!

Maybe next year :devil:I don't know what I could use to make it taller. It kind of makes me wonder - how do you guys with the crazy high hop poles get them home? Those things wouldn't fit on a pickup truck even...

[Deerslyr]

Hey, that concept looks pretty good. I think I'm going to do something similar along a fence to elevate it higher than the 6 foot privacy fence, but now am realizing I need something that will be a bit more "stiff"... {huh huh... he said "stiff"}. I should probably check with my neighbor so see if he will be cool with it... but hell, his grapes are growning through the fence on my side (which I get to keep) so I don't think it will be an issue.

[DrunkenPanther]

Hey, that concept looks pretty good. I think I'm going to do something similar along a fence to elevate it higher than the 6 foot privacy fence, but now am realizing I need something that will be a bit more "stiff"... {huh huh... he said "stiff"}. I should probably check with my neighbor so see if he will be cool with it... but hell, his grapes are growning through the fence on my side (which I get to keep) so I don't think it will be an issue.

Hopefully your neighbor will help you get more stiff. :cheers:How big are his grape vines? I've been thinking of growing some grapes, but have no clue how long they take to mature or anything like that.