Home Grown Hops - Part 2 of 3: Second year plants and drying techniques.

Welcome back! You’ve made it through your first year of growing, so what's next? Now it’s time to get excited because this year your established plants are about to show significant growth and cone production. For Part 2 of this series, we have also enlisted friend and customer, David Aiken of Checkerhead Brewing in Shirley, BC who has also been cultivating his own backyard hops for the last few years. We hope you’ll find his insights and videos on growing hops at home helpful. Now, let’s get growing!

Where to start?

If you recall where we left the plants in Part 1, there was still 3 feet of growth above the crown. You want to leave this growth on until early spring because while there is sufficient light, the remaining bines can still photosynthesize - the biological process of converting light into chemical energy - and transfer those stored nutrients to the crown, better preparing the plant for the upcoming season. After the risk of frost for your area has passed and the new shoots have not yet emerged, it’s time to do some spring cleaning. You want to start by cutting away all of the previous year’s growth and bines down to the soil and clear away any other debris that may have built up over the winter - fallen leaves etc. This is done to limit the chance of any mould or disease that may have built up over the winter, from affecting the new growth of your plant. Once you have your growing area cleaned up and ready for the new shoots to arrive, it’s time to work on your trellis system.

As we discussed in Part 1, commercial hop farms have very large structures in place utilizing tall poles, wire guidelines and twine, to support the plants as they grow. Every spring the trellis system is checked to see if any maintenance work is required, then the annual stringing is performed. At Topp’s this consists of water soaked coconut fibre twine being tied to the guidelines at the top of the trellis (with the help of a lift - the lines are 18ft in the air), then being ‘punched’ - anchored - into the soil around the crown of the plants. The twine is soaked beforehand to increase the weight of the material, making punching easier, as the twine will hang straight down. At harvest the twine is cut down, then replaced in the spring but the fibre naturally degrades over time, so replacing your strings yearly is recommended to maintain a strong trellis system. In Part 1 we described a 2 string method for each plant because that is more typical of a backyard trellis, but we use a 4 string method at the farm, with dual guidelines to maximize the use of vertical space in the field.

Growing in your backyard however, can require some creative thinking when it comes to a support system. When we spoke with David, he included this picture of his first backyard hop trellis - showcasing his approach in the space he had to work with:

David has since moved to his current location in Shirley, BC and has built an incredibly unique hybrid trellis system, utilizing some commercial style aspects while addressing challenges a backyard grower would face - watch his stringing video with the new trellis system here. His winch system to assist him with the challenge of a tall trellis and no commercial equipment had us incredibly impressed with his ingenuity. His built-in anchor points for his twine was another handy aspect, as were his ‘hop boxes’ - a wooden frame around the crown, meant to assist in containing the root growth. At Topp’s, we use a disc blade to till between the rows annually to stop the root growth from spreading into areas we don’t want them to be. Now, if you have a watering system in place, it’s time to ensure that it is all in good working order as well.

Ready for a little Spring Training?

The sun is out, the birds are singing and the plants are growing - it’s time to get training! Just as with last year, you want shoots that are at least 12” long and to avoid the beefy bull shoots. Collect up 3 or 4 shoots of equal length and vigour and gently wrap them CLOCKWISE around your trellis strings. The direction is important because hop plants exhibit heliotropism, also known as solar tracking, where the plant growth follows the sun’s movement. Retrain as needed throughout the spring and early summer.

Once your trellised bines are about 6 feet in height (1-2 weeks), trim back the additional shoots from the base and fertilize. Fertilize a second time, about 2 months from the original application. Remember to use a fertilizer that is specific to your soil and plant needs - keeping in mind that hops need a large amount of nitrogen between late April and late June but do not apply past July. Test your soil every three years, unless you notice changes in your plants that are not due to external forces such as weather, pests or disease. Remember to water well and only at the ground level - avoid wetting the leaves, to limit the risk of mildew. In midsummer, some growers like to prune leaves off the bine from the ground to a height of 2 or 3 feet, to discourage dampness and encourage airflow. If your area is having a particularly damp season, this can be a very helpful disease control method.

There is no such thing as too much sun… right?

For a hop plant, the sun controls just about every aspect of both its growth and production of cones. Not only do the bines constantly follow the sun throughout the day, but the plant will only start producing flowers (the hop cone), when it has the appropriate time OUT of the sun. The plants are affected by photoperiodism, a physical reaction and developmental response, relative to the length of daylight and darkness it experiences. In the case of hop plants, they are considered a short-day plant, meaning that until they receive around 12 hrs or more of darkness, they will remain in a vegetating state, simply climbing higher and growing more leaves. This also explains why hop production is most successful when it is grown between the 35th & 55th Parallels, because the length of the growing season and the hours of daylight and darkness are optimum for the plant. Cannabis, hops’ cousin, is another example of this type of photoperiodism, but is more easily handled (although at an increased cost) with the ability of indoor growing, allowing the grower to trigger flower production by controlling the lighting. So, in short, yes…. there can definitely be too much sun!

Cones, cones everywhere…. 

As you may have noticed, your second year plants are a bigger, badder version of last year. This will also mean more cone production and a more mature production of lupulin, which controls the aroma and bittering capabilities of hops. So… how do you decide if your hop cones are ready to harvest? Trust your senses! It’s true, even at commercial farms, a sensory test can be the first step of the process to determine ripeness. For an accurate assessment you also want to remember to test a variety of cones from preferably the upper third of the plant and test mid to late day to ensure any dew has evaporated from the plant (this is particularly important if you plan to do a dry matter test (or moisture test) - more on that in a bit) .

Alright, touch is the first sense up -  a ripe cone should feel dry and papery, as opposed to damp and soft. When you pinch it between your fingers, the cone should bounce back, not stay compressed. Next is smell, while there is no hard and fast on this one - because each variety has different qualities - the cones should smell strongly of the variety’s main aroma (citrus, pine, fruit, etc). Simply roll the cone between your palms then hold it up under your nose and breathe in. If your cones still smell very fresh-cut-grass, they are likely not quite there, if they smell heavily of onion, they are likely (and unfortunately) over. Sight works alongside your touch test, and the next part will use both as well. It’s time for a little interior check - you want to slice or rip open the cone to check the development of the lupulin.The lupulin glands are located along the strig, under the bract and bracteole. When ripe, the lupulin should be a rich golden yellow colour, sticky and resinous to the touch. Photo credit:HerrSchnapps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Now, to taste…. Joking! We have also missed hearing here too - although everyone has their own styles of testing (some say a ripe cone can sound like a cricket when rolled between your fingers or a baby rattle when shaken), we find sound isn’t a consistent way to assess ripeness. After the sensory test, commercial growers will complete a moisture test - you can see what that process looks like in this video. All tests complete and you are confident your cones are ready? It’s time to suit up, maybe call in some help and get harvesting! Remember to leave 3 feet of bine above the crown, to assist with overwintering and spring growth.

Ready, set and wait….?

Cone drying at a commercial farm involves a lot of large, expensive, often custom equipment, something the backyard grower usually does not have access to. So, if you would like long term access to your home grown hops, what is the best method? For this we are going to turn again to our hop growing enthusiast, David Aiken of Checkerhead Brewing. David admits there is a fair bit of trial and error in perfecting hop drying and storing at home but he enjoys the challenge. His recommendation is to find yourself a good dehydrator (or a few, if you have a lot of plants) - and notes that finding them second hand is usually pretty easy. His favourite dehydrators are the plastic, round style but says brand isn't something he worries about. After harvesting the cones from the bines, place the cones in a single layer on the trays, with space between them to ensure good air flow. Set the dehydrator to the lowest setting (hops should never exceed 140F while being dried) and depending on how large the machine is and how many hops are inside, you can expect to have nicely dried hops in 12 to 24 hrs. The finished product should be entirely dry but not so dry that it falls apart when touched. Take the strig (stem) and try to snap it off, if it snaps clean with no flex, your hops are dry. If you would like a more scientific approach, check out this great Moisture Calculator. The general practice is for finished hops to only have 8-10% moisture remaining at time of storage, to deter the development of mould.

For packaging, David uses a vacuum sealer and Food Saver bags - in this he does stick with the name brand as he has found the cheaper options don’t hold up to the dried materials and often pop. He also notes that initially, he packaged 1 ounce at a time but found he was going through a TON of packaging. He now packages in larger volumes, then simply uses the vacuum sealer to reseal it and places the package back into the freezer for future use. It’s important to know that hops should always be stored in a fridge or freezer, to slow degradation of the oils and acids. By limiting oxidation, heat, moisture and light, you’ll extend the life and quality of your home grown hops. Cone drying can also be completed in a more passive way - on drying racks in the sun - however it will extend your waiting time to 3 or 4 days and is highly dependent on your climate and current weather.

Well, that wraps up Part 2 and your second year of growing! But if you are a brewer like David, the fun has just begun - it’s time to start brewing with your own hops! Not sure where to start? We’ll leave you in David’s capable hands with this great video about using your home grown hops in beer.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of Home Grown Hops - Year 3 Growing and a look at acids and oils.