This summer will be my third summer of growing hops and I was wondering if anybody sold rhizomes they trimmed from their plants. I have three plants at the moment but I am giving my two Nugget plants to my neighbor who wanted to get into growing hops. I was just thinking that I could make a little money from the rhizomes seems how I am digging them up anyway. Being a broke college student I figured I need some way to pay for all my brewing supplies haha.
You’d likely be okay selling them locally.
I would think once you start crossing state lines you might get into some issues with permitting and licensure. Exporting and interstate transport of living stock can be heavily regulated.
Just a SWAG on my part. I’m guessing others on the board know more than me about these things.
Paul
My guess is that unless you do it large scale there isn’t enough money there to be worth the work.
This was what I was thinking. Rhizomes are cheap enough for sources where a buyer has a reasonable amount of faith in their care and health.
If you’re trimming anyway give it a go. Toss them up on your local craigslist and homebrew clubs.
I don’t know where you are, but I think there is a ban on sending rhizomes to Washington state.
If those plants were growing in a ‘happy place’, you should have a decent amount of rhizomes to trim off of the crowns when you dig them up. The rhizomes will grow out horizontally away from the center of the crown like tentacles on an octopus and are generally located within the top 6 inches of soil. Can’t figure out how to post pictures here so here’s a link with a great picture of a canadian redvine crown I excavated a few years back: Hop Returns: Canadian Red Vine Makes a Comeback - All About Beer. Just start digging with the shovel oriented like in the picture and dig all the way around the crown lifting the rhizomes as you go. Cut them back to the crown and then into about 6-8 inch lengths (usually two sets of buds), sell, replant or whatever you’d like. One other option is to stick the rhizomes into pots for this year so you can sell whole plants this fall or next year. Hoppy Trails~
Thanks for all the feedback everybody. I understand the work to do is probably not worth the money to do it at this scale but two of the plants I am going to get rid of anyway so I figured why not pay for some textbooks(or more than likely beer).
If you can sell them locally, go for it.
I always prefer to sell things I don’t need anymore to folks that will use them instead just giving them away. Often it seems like giving someone a thing makes it seem like “junk” and they appreciate it less. Have them pay a few dollars for it and it becomes a prize they will use with pride.
I have 2 kids in college (another one done and one who’s still in HS) and appreciate any help in buying a text book or two that we can get.
Good luck!!
Paul