How to grow Hops

Where to plant

Plant hops in a sunny, well-drained spot, away from plants that would suffer in their shade. Sandy or silt loam is ideal. Add compost to sandy soil to hold moisture, and something such as coconut coir to heavy clay to improve air in the soil. Hops do not like wet feet.

Plan the support first. Commercial hops grow on 18 to 20-foot trellises, but a 14 to 15-foot pole, trellis or string system is enough at home. A shorter support works if you do not need the biggest crop.

• The Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West, Mid-South, Southern Plains and Northern California: plant dormant rhizomes in early spring once the ground thaws.
• Alaska: plant in May once the ground thaws. The short season means a light first crop.
• Florida, the Gulf South, Texas, the desert, Southern California and Hawaii: hops need cold winters and long summer days and crop poorly, so the calendar does not recommend them there.

Choosing a variety

Brewing hops are either bittering types, high in bitter acids, or aroma types with a more balanced oil profile. Ornamental hops are chosen for leaf color, such as golden or purple foliage, though many still produce cones. Oregon State University notes that 'Cascade' and 'Crystal' resist powdery mildew. Buy female plants from a virus-free source, as only females make cones.

How to plant

1. Plant a dormant rhizome upright, with the top just below the soil surface, in early spring. Plant potted hops once the danger of a killing frost has passed, at the same level as in the pot.
2. Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart if growing more than one.
3. Water in well, then keep the soil evenly moist without waterlogging.
4. In the first year, a 4-foot stake is enough; the aim is a strong root system rather than a crop. Do not strip leaves from young plants.
5. From the second year, when new bines are about 3 feet long, choose a few strong ones and wind them clockwise around each string or pole. Remove or bury the rest.

Watering and feeding

Hops need steady moisture all season and grow very fast in summer heat, when a mature plant may use several gallons of water a day. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings rather than keeping it soggy. Water at the base, ideally by drip, to keep the leaves dry and reduce disease.

Feed with nitrogen in spring and early summer, for example a tablespoon of a balanced fertilizer near the plant every two weeks from April to mid-July. Feeding is not usually needed after mid-July.

Pruning and care through the year

• Unused bines climb anything they touch, including other plants, so trim them off or bury them to make new rhizomes.
• Where downy mildew is a problem, removing the leaves from the bottom 1 to 3 feet of each plant after training helps.
• Cut the dead bines down after frost in fall. The crown regrows from the rhizome in spring.
• Keep dogs away from hops, fresh or spent. The ASPCA lists hops as toxic to dogs.

Harvesting

Hops usually mature from mid-August to mid-September. Check cones from the upper part of the plant: ripe cones feel dry and papery, and the lupulin inside is golden yellow with a strong hoppy smell. Unripe cones feel soft and green, with pale lupulin.

Dry cones in a shady, airy place on mesh trays, below about 125°F if you use warm air. Seal dried cones in bags with the air pressed out and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Propagation and saving seed

Take rhizomes from an established plant in winter while it is dormant. Cut pieces about 3 inches long with several buds and plant them upright. Stem cuttings with one node also root, best in spring and early summer, within about two weeks in moist sand.