First year centennial hop plant that that has two main bines. I left for vacation and when I returned I noticed that the bottom six feet of the bines are very busy, meaning that are are putting out several lateral vines. Plants are approximately 20 feet up the rope and putting out cones. My question — what should I do with all the extraneous vines around the base? Will these too crawl skyward and produce hops? I can always create another rope apparatus. I can’t seem to upload pictures. Will try later.
Clear anything from the ground around the bines you have already trained up you cords. Any extra growth will just suck water and nutients from the soil that your main bines need for healthy growth and will not produce cones. Cover the exposed soil with mulch to retain ground moisture and trim all leaves up your bines for about a foot to prevent mildew. Happy hopping.
