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Seeds

Ingredients
#1

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…

#2

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.

#3

: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:

#4

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!

#5

: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.

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