Now that my hops are done for the year, what should be done to help them winter and be stronger next year? I have 6 second year plant and 3 first year plants.
Is there a way to manage root expansion and tame the shoots that come out from everywhere?
Is there a recommended soil nutrient or fertilizer that one should put in over the winter?
Last year I mixed some used grains and mulch and covered them up for the cold season.
Try to leave some foliage up and exposed until the vines die back naturally. Any photosynthesis that occurs at this time of the year (post flowering) will produce food which will be stored in the crown.
Once they die back, an inch or so of compost is a good idea as it will slowly break down over time to enrich the soil and help keep the crowns insulated over the next few months. By the third growing season, you might think about digging around the crown prior to early growth to harvest any rhizomes that have formed. If this is not done, the rhizomes can continue to spread and grow even
further under ground. Pretty simple actually.
ps: any grains applied should be composted first.
[quote=“B-Hoppy”]Try to leave some foliage up and exposed until the vines die back naturally. Any photosynthesis that occurs at this time of the year (post flowering) will produce food which will be stored in the crown.
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I did this last year with my first year goldings and it worked like a charm, lots of shoots and early. Way more than the second year the last time that I grew some goldings.
