Growing Hops in Pots is difficult but not impossible; read the article to find everything related to this beautiful flowering plant.
Hop Plant (Humulus lupulus) is also known as strobiles or seed cones; hops are the blooms of this plant. This is a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. The flowers are used as a stabilizing, flavoring, and bittering agent in beer. They are also used in herbal medicines and beverages. The plant has female and male plants, but only female ones are used for commercial purposes. When grown commercially, this herbaceous perennial is usually grown as a climber in a string, which is known as a Hopfield, hop yard, or hop garden. It can be a challenge to grow hops in containers, but it is possible if you follow the correct directions. Learn details for growing hops in pots below.
Propagating Hops
Hop plants can be grown by rhizomes; it is a small chunk of the root which is taken from the root system of the mother plant. Keep in mind that hops are dioecious species; this implies they have male and female reproductive forms on plants. It means female hop plants can produce blooms known as cones.
If you are planning to propagate from store-bought seeds, you will have a 50 percent chance of having flowers or hops. So, it will be better to propagate plants from rhizomes taken from the female plants instead of growing the plant from seeds. Follow the below directions for planting hops in containers from rhizomes.
Fill a pot with well-draining potting mix, set an adjustable trellis, screw a hook and loop into the end of a stake and place this into the container. Shake the staking front to back and side by side to make some space around the wood; tamp down more potting mix into this area to provide space for extra support.
Make a hole and propagate the rhizome 2-3 inches below the soil horizontally or vertically; both methods will work.
Change the potting mix above the rhizome and keep the soil moist till the first sprout emerges.
Container Size
Choose at least 20 inches wide and deep pot with drainage holes; hop plants have a strong root system, so you can plant two rhizomes per container of this size.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Planting Hops in a pot
Location
Keep the pots in a sunny area with at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. You can grow hops on the balcony facing south.
Soil
Hop plants prefer well-draining soil; the perfect mix comprises 1 part perlite and four parts of fresh soil. The soil has to be more acidic; check it with a pH testing kit if it is low, then mix some green tea leaves or used coffee grounds. Contrary, if the soil pH is high, purchase Sulfur and Aluminum Sulphate from a garden store and mix it with the soil.
Water
Water the plants deeply so they run from the drainage holes. Allow the soil surface to dry out up to 3- inches before watering. Also, increase the watering when sprouts develop and water the plant daily in a hot climate.
Hops Care in Pots
Fertilizer
Hops need frequent feeding to grow strenuously; use liquid soluble diluted to 1/4 strength. The roots of this plant are vulnerable to burning from too strong fertilizer.
Weeding
Keep in mind to remove weeds in your hop container; hops dislike to compete with weeds for nutrients and water.
Pruning and Trellis
Prune the vines when they are tall enough to overgrown the trellis. Remove the vine tips by cutting after the node. This will boost branching from the main stem and encourage the production of cones. Snip off the lower leaves to promote air-circulation.
During the early stages, an angled trellis helps the hops establish. Check them every day as they grow fast and wrap around the twine in a criss-cross pattern.
Overwintering
Protect the roots in winter from frost is a key element of growing hops in pots if you are living in a cold climate. Though hops are quite hardy, when planted in pots the frost can pervade and kill the roots. To avoid any damage, move the pots indoors as plants go dormant in winter they will not require any sunlight or water hence cool garage or basement will be perfect.
If you are growing hops on a balcony, shift the plant against the building, where it gets some heat. Coat the soil surface with mulch, straw, or blankets.
Harvest
In the first year after planting, hops focus energy on building a strong root system; following the second year, you’ll see a few cones, but the actual first harvest comes in the third year. Though early harvest is also possible.
