This year I planted three hop varieties (Cascade, Chinook, and Columbus) from Great Lakes Hops ‘crowns’. Each plant is in a well drained 5 gallon plastic bucket with regular watering.
The plants were ‘bucketed’ two months ago and have grown very little. The Chinook put out a two foot bine then stopped. The tip is there so it was not compromised but it looks as if it just stopped growing.
As an avid gardener, I am capable and confident that my growing practices are OK.
Should I expect more out of two month old plants? Will they start to grow foliage, stop growing, then pickup again?
Hops are said to like a wet head and dry feet. That means They get enough water in soil that drains well. Does the bucket have drain holes? Dig down a little and see if it is damp/saturated. If it is the roots are waterlogged.
I’ve grown hops in large planters for 4 years. I’ve had good luck so far, but I’ve learned that some rhizomes just never really do well. The first year I had 4 rhizomes, three did fine, and one grew a few feet tall and just stopped. It did better the next year, but still never for more that a few feet long. Last year I dug them up, broke up the healthiest crowns, and replanted them all. This time all four are doing well.
Very warm spring here! They look pretty good from the picture, but some of the bines are pretty weak, and they’re slowing down a lot already. So yeah, I don’t have a lot to complain about, but while they shot up quickly I’m noticing some lag now.
Photos posted. These are sad looking plants. Something is eating the leaves of the Chinook. I just sprayed Sevin Spray Bug Killer on it.
The leaves of the cascade look burnt, as if something is in the water. As you can see with the tomato leafs in the same photo, that plant is doing awesome.
Aphids or spider mites on the underside of the leaves? When I’ve seen leaves like that on my plants it’s spider mites. They seem to show up when it first gets wet and if untreated they can wear down five foot bines to dead leaves and stall further growth on those bines.
How big are the crowns? Could it be that the plants are stressed because of the mass of crown in a small space? I am more familiar with starting with small 4-6" rhizome cuttings.
The crowns were about 5-6 inches, not too small or big.
Standard potting soil with a little steer manure and rice hulls. The plants get water twice a day along with the other plants in the garden. I have tomatoes on the vine already. Everything in the garden is growing well, vigorous in fact, with the exception of these three hop plants.
There are plants in between and behind these buckets - they too are growing well. No issues.
I hit all of the plants occasionally with Miracle Grow plant food - not too much.
Its not too hot yet so I doubt the soil is too warm right now. Nonetheless, I will repot in larger containers this weekend. I have something like a 20 gallon nursery pot, big and black, with plenty of drainage.
I am surprised at how these look two months after being potted. The crowns were small but did have buds or bines when I planted them.
So what’s wrong with buckets & hops? Is it just the smaller volume or something else?
I grow tomatoes and peppers in buckets and they grow like I owe them money
