Seeds

So, I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that when I last brewed I found I had seeds in my second year Cascades. They’re most likely not viable seeds. The only thing I can assume, is that my plants were stressed by the heat this year, hermied out and produced seeds on their own.

BUT, what if there was a wild male plant around. I’m thinking I should pick some hops, pick or soak out the seeds, dry them out, and try planting them next spring when I start my tomato seed inside under lights.
Wouldn’t it be neat if they were actually viable and I had a new breed on my hands? I would assume that if the seeds did germinate then that would mean a male plant was in the vicinity, which would also mean that the hop plants that grew would not be a true cascade, correct? I understand it would take years of breeding between a male and female plant to truly come up with a new or different variety but I guess it’s something to think about.

I’m sure I’m totally reaching here, but don’t destroy my dream with your responses ha…

If you wait until spring to plant the seeds, they won’t germinate. They need to be stratified (stored cold & moist) for a few weeks. You can store them (dry) in the refrigerator until you can stratify. You don’t need to have a ‘wild’ male around, some plants make a few male flowers now and then. My Nuggets did that last year, and I just saw some on my Cascades yesterday. No matter what, the new plants you’ll grow won’t be Cascade. ~1/4 of them probably are sterile, ~1/4 of them will be male, and ~1/2 of them will be female. No two will be exactly the same, and none will be exactly like either parent.

:cheers:

Sometimes I have hop seedlings in the garden.

I do have one plant that seeded in and is a producer now. I call it Mysteerine.
Dank she is.

Have fun experimenting. You have years of good work ahead of you. :slight_smile:

Pinnah,

Do you know who the mommy was? My Lé Hood has been with me since the mid 90’s and must have come from a seed from hops included in a very late hop addition as she came up in the compost pile. Not a big producer but they have a thick peach syrup/grapefruit character. Kinda nice!

:lol: , not sure exactly, but I suspect a Chinook mother. The mysteerine is a bit odd, very pale yellow and elongated narrow flowers, and the leaves are mostly all finely divided three lobed. She is a wild one.

Cheers.