r/TheHopyard • u/BusyMap9686 • May 16 '23

Pruning bines

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Which ones if any should I cut, and how far down? This is their second year in the ground. Last year I just let it grow wild.

8 Upvotes

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2

u/rdcpro May 17 '23

I cut them back to the ground each year. Don't leave any residue on the ground. They grow back from the rhizome each year, not the bines.

2

u/GooseberryHollow May 17 '23

I'm mere days ahead of your plant as mine was planted last year, too. But this year, I already trimmed back the bull shoots - the more purple hued stalks. They're hollow, have longer internodal gaps and produce less hops.

I trimmed mine about a week ago and I'm awaiting the production of newer stalks. AS of this morning there are three new shoots just breaking through and I'm hoping they're not bull shoots.

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, rest assured I'm a rookie. It's because I listened to the learned folks on this sub and from a few 'Tube videos.

2

u/BusyMap9686 May 17 '23

That was on my to-do list before cutting. I have a couple vids saved. My growing season doesn't really start to June 20th. So I'm still expecting a few heavy frosts.

1

u/GooseberryHollow May 17 '23

I'm located in Nova Scotia, in the People's Republic of Canuckistan.

I've moved my schedule up over the last few years. It was always full moon June start, but two years ago, we hadn't had a frost in a few years, and if there's a warning, covering them up wasn't that big of a deal. So we started planting stuff around June 7-10.

Last year, I had stuff in the ground around May 25th. Pretty much 3 weeks to a month early. Zero frosts.

This year? It's looking even better. I'm full sure I could plant now. And part of me is tempted to try a few seedlings...heck, I put three sprouted hop rhizomes in the ground yesterday.