There are many things to factor in when you are planting your hops including placement, soil, and watering routine. Again, I have left this to the brew master in our family to outline this for you!
Choosing the location:
South-facing, with 6-8 hours of sunlight per day
What kind of soil and
nutrients do hops need?
In his book, “Homegrown Hops,” author and fellow hops-grower
David Beach shared his discovery about soil amendments in the famous Willamette
Valley hops growing region in Oregon.
This was the ”correct” fertilizer blend used on one particular hop
farm: (blends and supplements will vary,
depending on the original soil conditions)
(amounts are in pounds
per acre)
 |
| Step One: Dig a hole |
Nitrogen - 90
Phosphorous –
200 (organic source: wood ash)
Potassium – 190 (organic source: rock phosphate)
sulfur - 50
boron – 3
Based on this
information, and various other sources I read, here the custom soil blend I
created, using soil mizes from American Soil and Stone in Richmond, CA:
- · 3 gallons Ultra-Potting mix (Coconut Coir, Sand, Red Lava, Dolomite Lime, Nitroform 38-0-0, Iron Sulfate, Triple Superphosphate, Calcium Nitrate)
- · 3 gallons Ultra-Bedding soil blend (Coconut Coir, Greenwaste Compost, Rice Hulls, Chicken Manure, Grape Compost, Red Lava, Sandy Loam)
- · 2 gallons veggie mix (Sandy Loam, Greenwaste Compost, Rice Hulls, Chicken Manure, Grape Compost, Fir Bark, Cocoa Bean Hulls)
- · 1 handful of wood ash (pot ash)
- · 1 pinch (1/2 teaspoon) borax
- · straw mulch – a 2-3 inch layer on top, surrounded by ¾” fir bark mulch, to minimize weeds and retain moisture.
 |
| Step Two: Fill hole with soil |
The ultra potting mix (nitroform) and veggie mix (chicken
manure) are both very high in nitrogen, which hops don’t really need a lot
of. What hops really need are the OTHER
2 elements in the standard N-P-K formula for fertilizers: phosphorous and potassium. Two other lesser-known nutrients that the
hops also need: molybdenum, and
boron. In order to get these nutrients
in the soil, I added a handful of wood ash to the top of each hop hill, and a
pinch (1/2 teaspoon) of borax. Although,
I’m slightly concerned that the Potting soil blend has a mixture of fertilizers
in it, and the borax I added to the soil might not even be accessible to the
hops. I won’t be able to tell until the
plant starts to grow, and I see what potential issues I have by looking at the
leaves and hop cones, and can troubleshoot from there. But, hopefully, I have created a happy place
for my hops plants to start growing and start providing me with free hops for
my homebrew for the next 5-10 years!!!
 |
| Step Three: Add Ash and Straw |
One thing is for sure:
this blend drains VERY well!!! After
creating the “hills” for each rhizome, I poured water from a garden hose
directly into each hop hill for 2 solid minutes, and the water disappeared
immediately, which is perfect, because the soil need to constantly be damp, but
not saturated. As with most other
plants, standing water is not good. So,
at least for drainage and water retention, this blend is outstanding!
Did you know?
In doing my research about growing hops, I discovered how
important boron is, not only for growing hops plants but for the human body as
well. Some people swear by the use of
boron as a dietary supplement to counteract the effects of arthritis. Apparently, it either works way too well or
is actually toxic, because the major pharmaceutical companies deny that it does
anything and won’t allow clinical trials to find out if it actually does what
people claim it does. Either way, boron
is an important nutrient for hops AND the human body, and it doesn’t get
absorbed effectively in either situation when artifical/synthetic fertilizers
are present, which emphasizes the importance of using and consuming organic
food and soils that don’t have synthetic fertilizers in them.
Next step: Plant the rhizomes and hope they grow!
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