Anyone else have a problem growing Magnum

I’ve got 7 varieties growing at my house. 5 of them are first year and I put them up against the house where they don’t get as much sun as they should. Then there are two cascades and a magnum on my two story stucco shed, both second year. The two cascades cannot be stopped. They are growing like gang busters. I’m on par to reach at least 4 pounds dried this year with the two cascades. (already harvested twice!)

The Magnum, on the otherhand, is pissing me off ha… It grew the same it’s first year as it did this year. Grew up with only one or two gigantic bines, not a lot of hanging arms or anything. Then it goes though a phase where it looks like it’s dying, then some new shoots start up the twine, and it’s still looking like a single bine because there’s no real arms hanging out. By the end of the season it will put out a paltry 20 or 40 hops at the top and and that’s it. I guess I’ll try moving it but it’s gotten the same compost from the garden, the same water, same ferts and is just the runt of the three on the shed.

I really wish it would do better. Would love to have some homegrown Magnum to bitter with.
Just wondering if it’s something I’m doing or is Magnum a more finicky variety to grow.

My Magnum does OK here in MO, it does have something of the growth habit you describe. You might try lopping the top of the bine off when it gets fairly long, this will break the apcial dominance temporarily and should promote side shoots. I’ve also heard you are supposed to cut down the first bine that comes out of the rhizome, don’t know that this will affect growth of subsequent bines although one would suspect that the same elimination of apical dominance might give several more the chance to come out at once.