Labels:text | font | paper | letter | black and white | document OCR: GREAT FERMENTATIONS of Marin Winemaking 87 LARKSPUR ST. . SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 . 415/459-2520 Brewing Supplies HOP GROWING Hops have an annual top, with a perennial root system. The top freezes or dies back after flowering, but the root will survive with no care in the garden, and sprout back next spring. Hops have a very vigorous root, and do poorly in pots or containers of any sort. They quickly become root bound and die. Hops should be planted in full sun, with plenty of upward room to grow. A mature hop vine will grow 20 Feet high. During the main part of the growing season, the hop plant will grow as much as 8 inches a day. Needless to say, they need well fertilized soil and plenty of water to sustain this growth rate. I have seen hops put out a "baby crop" the first year, but the authorities generally say that you expect flowering the second year. The flowers of almost all are sterile. They have no seeds. In fact, most garden hops will be seedless, since it is unlikely that there will be a male plant within pollination range. Commercial hops are polyploid, and seedless by nature. The vines are quite ornamental, and will trellis nicely. The # 1 hop pest in the Bay area is the snail ... they LOVE hops, and if you don't control your snails, they will most certainly control your hops. Maybe that's why snails like beer. The other pests are red spider mite and aphids. The nites and aphids cause the leaves to dry up and die as they feed on the sap. Mildew is a real problem in foggy areas. Never water the leaves directly with a sprinkler, because this causes mildew spores to be spread by the water bouncing off the leaves. Some people strip off the lower leaves to help prevent the spread of mildew. Both mildew and red spider mite can be controlled to some extent with sulfur dust, aphids with soap. Chemicals can also be used, of course. Hop cuttings or transplants should be soaked for several hours prior to planting. The buds look like little asparagus shoots. Plant with the buds UP. After the shoots are several inches long, select three or four of the most vigorous to be trained, and cut off all of the others as they appear. The cones should be picked just before they turn brown, and this will probably be sometime in late August, or early September. Watch them, smell them, and look for mature yellow pollen, green ripening to a golden color, and a plump ripeness. A mature cone, crushed by rubbing between your hands, will give you the characteristic arcoa. The danger of mildew continues after harvest, and can ruin your crop after picking, so dry them carefully, in a food dryer, microwave oven, in indirect sunlight, or in a vented oven with good air circulation at low heat. They may also be frozen.
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