Rhizome season begins in March and usually lasts up to May, weather permitting.  Below is some imformation to read up on and start planning on your planting location. Good luck this growing season and many hoppy brewing days ahead.

STORAGE: If you are unable to plant the rhizomes right away, place the bags in a refrigerator until planting. If there is excess moisture in the shipping bag, air it out before refrigerating. If the rhizomes are too wet, they will rot. Please don’t ever wrap rhizomes in DRY or wet towels. This just encourages rotting organisms.

 PLANTING INDOORS:  If it is best to start the plants in pots indoors, stand  the rhizome piece vertically with the buds pointing up. (The buds on hop rhizomes look similar to the eyes on a potato.)  Plant the whole rhizome into the soil. Any pot with good drainage and potting soil will work fine. If your pot is not deep enough, you can cut the rhizome shorter and plant two pieces, but be sure each piece has a least one bud. Do not over-water the pots; the rhizomes will rot. You should see growth in about a week at room temperature. (65 + degrees) After the shoot is about six inches long, you will need to provide a climbing support such as a bamboo chopstick, stake or a stiff wire. You will need to help the growing shoot wind around the support, by training the shoot clockwise around it. After the plants are really growing, (about two months) you should fertilize them with any balanced potted plant fertilizer (i.e. Miracle-Gro®). First thing in the morning or late in the evening, gradually place the plants in a location that receives several hours of direct sunlight each day. You can plant the growing rhizomes outside after the last hard frost in your area. Plant so that the pot soil surface is about one or two inches below the new soil location.

PLANTING OUTDOORS: If you start the rhizomes directly outside, dig a narrow hole and stand the rhizome in it with the buds pointing up. Cover the rhizome so it is one or two inches below the soil surface. Be sure to water thoroughly at planting. Monitor the soil moisture to keep it moist, but NOT saturated with water. Saturated soil will have standing water. The shoots will emerge about the same time as other herbaceous perennials such as peonies or chrysanthemums do. After the shoots emerge, you will need to provide climbing supports. The plants may need help training up the support.  Encourage upward growth by training the shoot clockwise around the support (they grow toward sunlight). Keep the soil moist until the plants have established a fibrous root system, then water as needed. Hop plants benefit from application of a garden fertilizer (i.e. Mega) in spring and summer during the growing season.

Here are a few links  to watch how we grow and train our rhizomes here on the farm.

We appreciate your business and wish you well this growing season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcBuaVyTfiU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9OqXOgdkMc