Aww… they’re just babies! 
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I see many hops growing along our bike trail… I take it as though when they produce seeds that they aren’t as good as the sterile females? Many years ago when I first started, I remember dumping in the hop cones and seeing seeds floating about… Sneezles61
Oh yeah, that was the time when pellets weren’t as widely available… All those wet, soggy cones… Seemed as though there wasn’t as much trub though… Sneezles61
Does each bine need it’s own piece of twine to grow up? Or can multiple bines grow up the same strand?
Personally, I wind twine into a 2 strand twisted line (for added strength) and train 2 bines per line. My lines are 6 feet to the fence, then the bines use the fence and neighbors trees to grow. If you just use 15 feet of twine, I’d start worrying about strength and might braid three strands together per line.
I have no problems training up to 4 bines per twine, but I also use recycled hay bale plastic twine (my wife’s horses provide plenty of fertilizer and compost too!). Bines can get quite heavy, so I can see uberculture’s point that a natural fiber twine could break. From the bine’s perspective though, they do quite well with up to 4 bines per twine.
With first year hops, do you let all the shoots grow or do you cut them back to the strongest 3-4 bines? I’ve seen both methods recommended.
Personally, the first year, I let them all go. I wasn’t counting on getting any cones, so figured more foliage=stronger root development and growth. I still managed to get a few ounces, though. On the second year, when you plan on harvesting, then cut them back.
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That’s the method that makes the most sense to me. I got one rhizome each of Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Williamette. I saw yesterday that the soil temp here in Iowa is 54º so I’m hoping that’s warm enough to get them in the ground this weekend.
