Redesigning my garden and would like to start growing my own hops, my question is is there any problem with cross contamination of hop varieties? Is it ok to plant more than one variety close together, or should they be placed some distance apart?
The only concern would be if they start bushing together you won’t know which is which. They do need a good amount of space for rooting, so don’t go too close.
Seems like the only way you could get cross contamination is if you had a male plant in with the females. You definitely don’t want to be growing make plants for several reasons. AFAIK, all reputable sellers only sell females.
My experience is the same as Stevie, they will find each other and you have to play Sherlock Holmes at harvest Time to make sure you know what is what. As Denny said they should all be female so no unwanted hybridization should happen.
Thanks for your suggestions, feeling alot better about planting more than one variety.
Some times there a subtle differences on the bines.
If by “cross contamination” you’re thinking of the crowns or sidearms growing together, there’s a chance. Most sources suggest planting different varieties at least 6 or 7 feet apart due to the fact that if you have two different (and) very vigorous varieties, there’s a chance their rhizomes may grow into one another. The picture in the link shows how far rhizomes can grow in just one season: Hop Returns: Canadian Red Vine Makes a Comeback - All About Beer If you dig and cut back the rhizomes on a yearly basis you probably can plant them a little closer and I’ve done so in the past but you really have to watch. Also, some varieties will put out sidearms that are quite long (up to 4-5 feet) so take this into consideration as to where and how far apart you train them.
Thanks for the info, I am thinking now that I will plant different varieties on the corners of my garden, approximately 20 feet apart. What I had originally meant by cross contamination was more of cross pollination. Did not want to end up with some unusual mix breed.
They’re dioecious so you’d have to have a male to pollinate the nearby gals. At that point some seeds would form and you’d have to grow those out to have varieties different than what you have planted. I’ve heard of it happening, but the chances are REALLY slim that a supplier would intentionally send out a male rhizome. Hoppy Trails~
Michigan Extension has some great info, but here’s a post from Great Lakes Hops:
http://www.greatlakeshops.com/hops-blog/selecting-the-right-trellis-design-to-grow-great-hops
They recommend spacing based on the root system size of your varieties. I’ve talked to the folks there, they’ve been very helpful!