NZ home grown hops

[Robbie]

I have first year hops growing well. What I would like to know is when I can expect to see flowers and then cones being produced? If any in first year? I understand their should be very little yield in the first year so I'm not expecting too much but any indication would be great!

I am growing Smooth Cone from Waimea Nurseries.

thanks!

[Chris]

From my understanding (watching videos etc)

First year is rapid growth (height wise, requires alot of fertilization)

"Harvest:
You will not get any flowers in the first year as the plant is establishing the rootstock. The hops are ready for picking in mid-March to late May. The hop cone will turn from a moist silky feel to being dry and papery. When the edges begin to turn brown they are ready to be picked. They will ripen at various stages."

Second year is a decent yield; then ever year after is better. (assuming feeding watering etc is done properly)

If it is growing where you want it to grow, wait for next year and then post photos :D

check out this

http://www.seedaholic.com/humulus-lupulus-hops.html for more info

[Robbie]

Great, thanks Chris.

I have been reading as much material as I can but finding any information directly about New Zealand has been difficult, which is sort of doesn't make sense as we have an established industry here... 

thanks again!

[Chris]

An established commercial industry; NZ Hops Ltd don't want people growing their own hops (not because of profit; although that could be) because they don't want contamination and diseases to effect the quality of the hops made.

Therefore we don't really have a culture of homegrown hops and cultivation.

just my view :)

[Peter Church]

I did get enough off my first year danscade cutting for a liberal late hop addition in a brew  last year so just keep up the water and fert and see what happens, cones at harvest filled a 5litre bucket from memory, didn't weigh much though

[Robbie]

Did you bother drying them or do a wet hop?

[Peter Church]

we have a dehydrator so I dried them 

[Peter Church]

Looking foward to this years version, got my pale ale dialled in more now, didn't get the hop hit I hoped for at the time but put more effort into water treatme t and better ph monitoring now so should get the home grown hops standing out a bit more this year

[Nathan]

What sort of fert and water schedule should be used........I have just left mine to there own devices so far, They are growing high but only very flimsy single shoots with no signs of flowers etc

[Chris]

For reference later

Bufalo hop fertiliser guide

http://buffalo.uwex.edu/files/2011/01/fertilizer-guide.pdf

Growing hops small scale

http://www.crannogales.com/HopsManual.pdf

Bio security NZ (seed import etc)

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/imports/plants/high-value...

[Robbie]

A bit of lunch time reading there, thanks Chris

[Robbie]

Just got back from my holiday to be welcomed by a bunch of these bad boy flowers!

[Ollie Goulden]

my second year hops are growing really well. any suggestions for recipes to use "mystery German" would be great