Just got an email from Midwest saying their hop rhizomes are available for pre-order. I would like to get 4 bines to see if I can grow them down here in the hot south. Which ones would you recommend?
Cascade has grown the strongest and produced the most for me.
Been able to grow cascade, centennial and magnum in S.C.
Have to water them a lot though. That L Nino bi3ch or whatever has been holding the rain back for the past several years during the summer. If I ever run across that bastard… gonna knock the hell out of them.
Where’s the third person voice? You been drinking again?
+1 to Centennial and Magnum, very robust in hot conditions and disease resistant. On the other hand, my Sterling has sucked hind teet for the last two years. Susceptible to spider mites and jsut generally weak.
Keep in mind that if you plant different varieties, keep them well separated. Mine were five feet apart and they are already starting to grow into each other after two years.
When you say the hot south is that the hot dry south or the hot wet south? I grow Cascade and Nugget in the hot dry south but nothing else has worked at all for me.
Yes. Northeast Oklahoma; the summer starts out wet and hot and ends up hot and dry.
I plan on planting two on each side of this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15193128@N02/5376370215/in/set-72157625614267325/
About 1 ft on each side of the corner. I am going to add a 10 X 10 deck on each side next spring.
Columbus and Chinook grew well in pots for me, and I’m in Colorado… Not as humid or hot as OK, but much drier. I had to water them once a day.
What size pots?
Tubercle went to bed early. Don’t know who was posting this.
“my Sterling has sucked hind teet for the last two years. Susceptible to spider mites and jsut generally weak.”
Same problem here. 2 years of fairly good production then died.
I’ll know more this year but from what I’ve seen so far… Sterling is weak as tubercle and tomsawyer have said, so is Goldings imo. Nugget is pretty good but Cascade, Centennial and Fuggle are strong growers. I’ll probably have to dig them up and space them out further because mine are only 6 or so feet apart between varieties. I may drop down to just those that grow well, I want to add Magnum this year.
Not sure, 5 gallon pots maybe? It works pretty well.
I think I am going to try Magnum and Cascade.
Has anyone ever tried Pearle?
Thanks for all the advice!
Dano
Wait, you can plant hops in pots? I thought you HAD to do them in the ground? If true this changes everything.
You want a really big pot, otherwise they will become root bound after the first or second year.
Someone mentions 5-gallon above - will that do? Or should I go higher? Do I need to get any special plants to help with drainage?
Also, here’s another question, somewhat related. I wanted to grow the vines up along the side of my deck, but after that I wanted to train them to go horizontally to form a sort of canopy over the deck. Is this possible?
I think that even a 5 gal is too small - You should think about a half barrel. This fall I transplanted 3 (Sterling, Willamette & Newport) 3 year old rhizomes. The main root masses were the size of softballs and there were roots running out 6-8 feet.
This is a 6 year old Cascade crown grown in desert conditions with drip irrigation. Just imagine if it had access to lots more water! The chair is a standard plastic lawn chair
Phil, since you are in France, you might be able to find half of a wine barrel, which might be about right. I have seen pictures of mature crowns that pretty much fill a 5 cu ft wheelbarrow when being transplanted.
True, but I was looking at this more from a ‘pots are easier’ perspective, except when it gets to be a half barrel… I think I’ll stick it in the ground 
Thanks guys.
I’ve had the best luck with my Magnum and Cascade. My Sterling have a love affair with spider mites as they have perished from the onslought of spider mites in the last three years. I’ve tried hosing them down daily without success. I’m afraid to use any pesticides on them. I’m at a loss with those pesky devils. However the Cascade bine fairs well against them. The Magnum has had decent years the last two.