Humulus lupulus belongs to the hemp family (Cannabaceae) and the pretty cones can also have a calming effect as a herbal infusion. Above all, it is a visual enrichment for the garden; it is often used as a privacy screen or to provide shade. He pulls himself up on everything that comes his way. Its hop cones are beautiful to look at, even if they don't attract bright colors. Even though the humulus almost completely disappears in winter, it returns every year in spring.
Location
If you want to plant hops as a privacy screen, you should note that most varieties are perennial, but retreat to the cane in winter. It offers attractive, dense privacy protection from June to September.
The hops are native here, robust and quite adaptable to their respective location. Nevertheless, he loves it sunny and warm. A southwest or southeast location would be optimal for it. The more you adapt to your location preferences, the less you will have to deal with diseases and pests later on, and the easier it will be to care for and bloom.
When choosing a location, you have to take into account the neighboring plants that it spreads rapidly not only above ground but also underground.
Another important location condition is a climbing aid.
Trail support
The climbing aid can be made of wire or rope. A trellis made of wood or iron can give the hops a nice shape. With every construction, you should keep in mind that the hop plants are very fast-growing; 7 to 9 meters high are not uncommon. The scaffolding must not be too small and must also be stable enough.
As the hops grow, it will always be necessary to give the hops a little help with their tendrils. The Humulus is a right-hand winder, so when helping, always start in a clockwise direction so as not to confuse it. In fact, if he gets the wrong spin, growth stalls.
If hops are to add greenery to a facade or wall, you have to give them climbing aids that they can wind around. But it leaves no traces or damage to the masonry such as ivy or wild vine.
Tip:
Particularly decorative trellises are rose arches, which can be placed individually or in groups across a path.
Floor
Since hops grow very quickly, they also need nutrient-rich soil. The optimal pH value is 6.0 to 6.6. It also prefers deeply loose, generally moist soil. Both extremes, heavily compacted soils and soils that tend to be extremely dry, are less suitable.
Pouring
Hops also need a lot of water for their rapid growth. Regular watering is mandatory. With a layer of mulch you can ensure that the soil retains moisture a little better. If the summer is very dry, make sure that the soil does not dry out. The hops can survive, but growth this year suffers greatly.
Fertilize
For their lush growth, hops need above all sufficient nitrogen. Nitrogen-poor soil can be improved naturally with nettle manure. In spring, work well-ripened compost or animal manure around the plant. During the growth phase in summer, additional doses of organic fertilizer can be incorporated, ideally once every month until mid-August. A vegetable fertilizer is well suited.
Wintering
In winter the humulus retreats on its own, which means the upper parts wither away. But the rootstock is hardy and does not need special protection outdoors. New shoots will grow from it again in April. Then it's high time to free the trellis from the dead remains from the previous year.
Plants
Autumn and spring planting is possible. The hops only really take off when they are well rooted; you can't expect too much growth in the first year. Autumn planting may be a little more advantageous here.
The young hop plants are usually sold by nurseries in small containers with a height of up to one meter. Hops can also be sown relatively easily in the summer, especially the annual ornamental hop varieties.
No matter whether you are planting or sowing, a climbing aid should be attached at the same time. If it has to be embedded in the ground, do not destroy the young roots afterwards if necessary.
The plants or seedlings from the seed are then planted in spring. Two to three plants can share one climbing aid. You can leave a distance of up to two meters between the trellises.
Immediately when planting, give the hop plants a good portion of mature compost, because it needs a lot of nutrients for its rapid growth. If you like it natural, add compost or horn meal every now and then during the growth phase.
Tip:
When planting hops, keep in mind that they tend to spread very far and quickly underground. Therefore, a container culture is sometimes quite advantageous.
Bucket
Hops can also be grown in planters, but only outside. Maybe a good idea for a privacy screen in summer, on the terrace or for the balcony. When cultivating in containers, you have to make sure that the hops receive enough nutrients for their rapid growth.
- Planter should be at least 18 cm in diameter
- Use high-quality potting soil
- Install climbing aid of at least 1.50 meters
- Repot sparingly when the roots barely leave room for substrate
- Repotting in spring
- Regular fertilizer applications with complete nutrient fertilizer once or twice a week
- Watering: no waterlogging and do not let it dry out
- In the bucket, hops need winter protection
- An insulating base and wrap the bucket with a fleece or a straw mat, so it will survive the winter well outside
Cut
New shoots emerge from the hardy hop vine every April. For the respective purpose, you can decide for yourself whether you leave all the shoots standing or whether you remove all but a few shoots. If you want a tall solitary plant, leave only a few shoots.
In autumn the humulus can be shortened to half a meter. The withered stems should be left like this over the winter and not removed until spring. This allows the nutrients to retreat into the rootstock.
Otherwise, in the summer during the growing season, the hops are not pruned further. Disturbing tendrils can be removed and you are welcome to help him with the tendrils (always in a clockwise direction).
Propagate
The most promising and common methods are division of the rootstock and propagation by shoots:
Division
The division can be done in autumn or early spring. To do this, you take the root ball out of the ground and divide it carefully without causing any major damage to the root system. Both parts are then reinserted into their desired location.
Shoots
For propagation by shoots, cut off approximately 10 cm long shoot ends throughout the year. These can be put directly into a pot with growing soil. Spray regularly, ideally cover with foil or a plastic bag; a lot of humidity is now desired. When the first shoots are visible, they have already formed roots and can be placed in the ground, depending on the season.
Sowing
Sowing hops is not that common. Most of the time it is propagated vegetatively so that you can be sure to maintain the characteristics and especially the gender. In some hop-growing areas, sowing is even prohibited, as this could result in male, low-yielding or susceptible plants growing, which would then have a negative impact on the existing crops.
If you still want to try it out (in regions without professional hop cultivation):
- Sowing date March
- Cold germinator, the seed needs exposure to cold for some time
- If necessary, three weeks of refrigerator storage is enough
- Sowing in potting soil
- Spread seeds, press down lightly and cover with a thin layer of soil
- requires warm temperatures for germination
Diseases and pests
If you don't grow your hops on a large scale and as a crop, you don't have to worry too much about specific diseases and pests. The usual thing can happen if it's too wet or too dry:
Powdery and downy mildew
Almost every climate has its type of mildew. The real one occurs predominantly in hot, dry summers. Downy mildew likes it moist and rainy. There are around 100 species of this fungal disease. The best advice for combating this is to cut off the affected parts of the plant as soon as possible and spray them regularly with nettle or horsetail decoction, especially in spring.
Aphids, hop aphids
Almost every genus of plants has its favorite type of aphid. Bad weather or poor care calls them into action. The tried and tested motto here too, recognize the infestation in good time, remove plant parts and spray with nettle broth
By removing the old shoots in spring, you will also catch many of their clutches. So to be on the safe side, destroy the cuttings and do not put them in the compost.
Hop wilt
This dreaded fungal infection mainly occurs in non-resistant hop varieties and in persistent waterlogging. The fungus clogs the plant's water veins, causing it to wilt and eventually die. There are no remedies for this disease and unfortunately the entire hop plant can only be thrown away.
Tip:
Insects such as soft bugs, cicadas, flea beetles, thrips and robbers also like the hops, but do not cause any further harm to them.
Varieties
Numerous varieties of real hops (Humulus lupulus) are available in garden centers. For the professional cultivation of hops alone, specialist retailers offer many types of culture that are probably not that interesting for the private garden. Here are some attractive hop varieties for the garden:
Gold hops (Humulus lupulus 'Aureus')
It is not as vigorous as wild hops. The shapely leaves grow thick and light green in summer. You will only get male plants commercially. This means that the gold hops do not form cones, but shine with their magnificent foliage. It prefers partially shaded locations.
Japanese ornamental hops (Humulus japonicus or Humulus scandens)
This ornamental hop is an annual and spreads by sowing. Japanese ornamental hops were also bred primarily for their attractive foliage. The female plants still produce light green fruits in September. The Japanese ornamental hop is well suited for semi-shady to shady locations.
Hops 'Golden Princess' (Humulus lupulus 'Golden Princess')
The 'Golden Princess' loves it sunny. But it grows quickly and tall, up to 6 meters high. Their flowering begins very early in the year. The female plants then show magnificent, eye-catching hop cones, spread over the entire height.
Dwarf hops 'Gimli' (Humulus lupulus 'Gimli')
This dwarf hop is perfect for container cultivation, although it can also reach a height of three to four meters. It is particularly resistant to powdery mildew. From August onwards, the female plant produces very large hop cones, but the leaves are slightly smaller.
Tip:
Only the female plants produce the typical hop cones. You can only tell when it is flowering whether it is a female or male specimen. Depending on the variety, you should ask the nursery in advance what gender the plant is.
Neighbors
The Humulus isn't exactly considerate as a neighbor. It takes up a lot of space both above and below ground and crushes most neighboring plants. Therefore, perennial climbing plants that become woody and are not cut back to the cane in autumn are not suitable for combining with hops.
But you can plant an attractive arrangement with annual, strong-growing climbing plants, for example the morning glory (Ipomoea) or the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus).
Harvest
Only the female hop plants are suitable for harvesting. After flowering, only they form the fruits or cones that contain the sought-after lupullin. Harvesting hops for beer is quite a complex matter and is described in detail in the relevant specialist literature.
But maybe one or the other would like to harvest a few cones for a calming tea in the evening. The best time for this is August to September. To see whether the lupullin has already formed, take a cone that is still closed and open it. It should then contain a yellow powder and smell aromatic. When the time comes, you can harvest the cones and prepare them directly for tea with hot water. You can use both fresh and dried hop cones to make tea.
Conclusion
The hops are definitely ideal for impatient gardeners who want to get green quickly. However, you have to tirelessly ensure sufficient nutrients and water during the growth phase. It is important to keep a close eye on the soil and the neighborhood over the years. The humulus also likes to spread unexpectedly in less desirable places.
