Half-inch EMT conduit is not strong enough to support even first year growth in a heavy thunderstorm.
My first-year Challenger plants have exceeded my expectations by a large margin because I have never had any success with British hop cultivars. These things are mutants. They laughed at the Japanese beetles during the recent swarm. I waged chemical warfare on those nasty little foliage destroyers last Saturday. I took the fight directly to them on their favorite treat in my yard; namely, the Yoshino Cherry trees that are planted near my house. Carbaryl (brand name Sevin) makes quick work of a Japanese beetle swarm if you apply it correctly. I hit my hops with neem oil only to discover that it was the wrong kind of neem oil. I used clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil, which is the anti-fungal, miticide component. I needed to use azadirachtin, which is the component of neem oil that works like a life cycle disrupting hormone on leaf eaters while not killing predator insects. For those who want to avoid making the mistake that I made, the only product that I have found that contains azadirachtin is Safer BioNEEM. I had to order this product because it is not sold locally.
Front to back: Cascade, Fuggle H, Horizon, Santiam, Spalt Select, and Challenger (my neighbor’s sheep are off in the distance)
The distance from the ground to the PVC tee at the top is 10 feet.
My Fuggle H hills did not fare as well with the Japanese beetles, but they are starting to produce cones. The other hills are in the burr stage to some extent.
Challenger is a beast. The only other hop cultivars with which I have experienced anywhere near this kind of first year growth are Southern Brewer and Kirin II, both of which where bred for latitude 39 or shorter photoperiods (sadly, I dug those crowns out when I took my extended hiatus from the hobby). The binds on my Challenger hills exceeded the 10’ mark early last month. There is at least five feet of growth dangling down from the PVC tee. One would not expect a hop that was bred to grow in alkaline soil at the 51st parallel would grow in acidic soil at the 39th parallel.
I feel your pain. My previous residence was on a postage stamp-sized surburban lot. The upside to owning a small surburban lot is that it can be mowed in under an hour with a push mower.
The sheep belong to my neighbor. They get loose periodically and munch on my grass when they are really wooly. However, they do not get near the fence after they have been sheared.
I’ve always it would be nice to have a crowd-sourced map of home-grown hops with the varieties planted and some measure of production (dry weight per hill is what I use) and the location. It’s a question that comes up a lot on forums. What’s your location?
I’m in Vermont, have ~13 varieties growing, with Cascade, Chinook, and Saxon leading production after 5 years or so at it.
I’m originally a “flat lander” from Southern Illinois, now settled in Vermont. Its a terrific place to live for a ton of reasons. I’m very lucky to be here. Burlington Brewing Co dude grew up here apparently & moved back like many Vermonters do. Haven’t had his beer yet.
I live in Maryland. Chinook and Cascade also grow well in Maryland. In fact, they are almost stupid proof cultivars for anyone who lives above the 35th parallel.
FLBrewer earned my respect this year. I guess that no one told him that hops are photoperiod sensitive. All of Florida is below the 31st parallel.
We are at the 32nd here in Dallas and hops will grow and produce. I know people down towards Houston who also have decent luck. I am sure my plants would be happier further north though.
I am at 42.5 degrees latitude, and these are ranked in order of production in a mainly gravel soil.
Cascade
Chinook - it is really turning into a beast, may pass Cascade this year.
Mt. Hood, Sterling, Centennial, Nugget.
Ultra
Hallertau, Tettnanger, Magnum, Willamette. The last 2 are not in the best positions for sun.
EKG was dug up last year due to lack of production. A handful in a good year was not worth the effort to string and harvest.
