Second Year Hops Growth Amazes Me

The second year hops have really taken off. It is only the end of May, and two of the plants have already grown 10 feet! I am amazed at how quickly they have grown this month given we only had a few days of nice weather. For the most part is has been cloudy, grey, and 55F the whole month of May.

This should give hops growers who recently planted a better idea of what they can expect to see in subsequent years. My guess is the yield of cones will be much larger this year too.

The two that are doing the best are Nugget and Cascade.

Magnum and Kent Goldings are the shortest at less than a foot. The Hallertau is doing well at about 3 feet.

At this point, the plants are practically zero maintenance. I have gone past and trimmed off the straggler shoots, leaving the two strongest to grow up the rope. I’m using a thick twine for some, and just regular twine for others. Watering has not been an issue because it has been so wet.