10 replies to this topic

[dungeonbrewer]

This is a cascade variety. I have 2 other varieties and let me say..2 or 3 shoots is all that they are showing with only 5" shoots. The cascade is going nuts and I can't remember what the rule is for 2 year plants. Am i supposed to cut back most of these shoots and leave just 2-3? Some shoots are already behind the fence and going strong..I would say some of these are at least 36"

[pods8]

Rule of thumb is let 2-3 shots go and trim the rest.

[Stout_fan]

The diameter of the shoot is less than the diameter of your thumb, so it is OK to beat your wife with them.Supposedly one of the possible sources for the idiom.Other than that.. what Pods said.

[JimInNJ]

According to FreshHops:Do not prune baby hops, let everything grow. When the young vines are about 1 foot long in more mature hops, 3-4 vines are trained clockwise per string which has been staked to the hill. It is common to run 2-3 strings per hill. Remaining weaker vine should be cut off at the ground so more energy can be focused to the trained vines.Elsewhere in the same document:Only 2-3 vines should be trained onto each string with 2 strings per plant. All subsequent vines, which can be extensive with older plants should be cut off. Vines are ready to be trained when they are about 12" long and must be gently wrapped clockwise onto the string without kinking. Once trained, the vine will take care of itself unless you want the vine to grow horizontally, this must be done manually.- Jim

[Bearphin]

If your in Australia, do you train them counter clockwise???

[JimInNJ]

Even without considering the coriolis effect, that entire clockwise thing has always confused me. Is it from my perspective looking down at the plant, or from the plants perspective looking up the string?- Jim

[MyaCullen]

If your in Australia, do you train them counter clockwise???

yes

[MyaCullen]

Even without considering the coriolis effect, that entire clockwise thing has always confused me. Is it from my perspective looking down at the plant, or from the plants perspective looking up the string?- Jim

down IIRC

[Kremer]

It you let them grow a little you'll see the tips of the bines reaching around for something to climb, spiraling in the clockwise direction.I need to prune back my 2nd year plants this weekend, they look like shrubs and the tallest bines are already 10' high on the chinook and 5' on the fuggle.

[Greatfookin]

They try to follow the path of the sun all day, and then wrap around to await its return.

[gnef]

What was quote before is what I've heard. 2-3 bines per string, with two strings per mound (if you have mounds) or per rhizome.This means you want to have a total of around 4-6 bines per rhizome. I've heard anecdotal accounts that you will have fewer cones, but the cones will be larger. If you leave all the bines, you will have more cones, but they will be smaller. What this means to me, is that you do more work for the same mass of cones when harvesting.I just planted rhizomes this year, so I will let them grow as much as they can. Next year, I intend to limit each mount to 6 bines. Some I will allow to do more, so I can propagate the bines into more rhizomes.