Hops harvest

Main page » About hop-plants » Cultivation » Hops harvest


Hop plants are perennial shrubs and therefore all above-ground growth dies off towards winter.
This dead plant material is usually cut off for various reasons:
On the one hand one avoids the overwintering of pests and diseases, on the other hand the dead shoots in the house garden are not nice to look at. In purchasing plants, hops are completely cut off during the harvest, so there is no need for hibernating with dead material.
 Hopfen im Winter
Hops in winter
 
So the question is, when and where do I cut the hops?
If the hop vines are not harvested, or harvested without removing the shoots, it is advisable not to cut them until they are completely dead. This is often not the case until November. The cutback can then take place directly at the earth's surface.
If the hop vines are to be completely removed for harvesting (as in commercial cultivation), a stalk as long as possible should remain standing in order to give the hop the opportunity to store as many nutrients as possible from the shoots in the stock. The remaining stalk can then be cut off to the ground in November as described above.
Older hop vines are cut back again quite deeply in early spring. This allows you to achieve a somewhat later sprouting and, depending on the variety, to control the sprouting time somewhat. However, this is normally not necessary in the house garden.
Bifang im Winter
Hops growing on dams in the field in winter