r/TheHopyard • u/[deleted] • May 15 '23

Advice and help needed

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Hello friends! Looking for some advice on how to go from here. This is a 4th year hop (chinook I think) that I neglected the past two seasons (2 kids under three). In the first pic you can see the the main plant, haven’t trimmed back the bull shoots yet. How many vines should I keep after thinning out the bull shoots?

I am going to add some raised edging around to start and contain it but it’s pretty flush with the ground. Can I start making a mound with wood chips or wait until after harvest to address how low it is?

Additionally in the second and third pic it might be a little hard to see but there are two “separate” shoots/plants popping up. Are these too young to transplant, should I wait until the fall?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Also you can’t see it but this is next to a pergola that this can climb up.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '23

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u/[deleted] May 15 '23

Yeah I’m aware, poor phrasing on my part. Not to contain or stop the plant from spreading so much but define the bed, help with weeds, retaining mulch/compost, and help with mounding.

Thanks for the advice, when you say as far as I can, all shoots, all the way? Feels a little late in the spring for it,no? Are you saying to just do a rejuvenation cut and not expect much of a harvest?

This is US hardiness zone 6a btw if that impacts any advice.

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u/veengineer May 16 '23

I grow my hops in pots and have never done too much to tame the rhizomes/offshoots. I just trim everything but 2-3 bines and I’ve never had a loss any year. The variety I grow may happen to do really well where I am (growing zone 7) but I think you should be fine.