When to collect the hops? How to grow hops

Hops are associated with beer in many people; Indeed, it is the most famous component of the popular drink on the whole planet. Therefore, often when growing this plant there is a logical question: when to collect the hops? Refers to the family of Konoplevs, and today there are two known types: Japanese and ordinary, which has become most widespread due to the demand in the brewing industry.

Hops: a decorative useful friend or a malicious weed?

Hops, the application of which has found its place in a variety of industries (medicine, perfumery, cosmetology, pharmacy, canning, bakery) is historically considered to come from the Middle East. In Europe, this plant was imported by the Greeks and Romans. In the household, in the absence of care, hop grows wild and turns into a real aggressor, which is very difficult to withdraw. Therefore, often its thickets can be observed in remote corners of the garden, where the human hands simply do not reach, which causes the constant conquest of uncontrolled plants of new territories.

Sometimes, in contrast to the question "how to grow hops" there is another - "how to get rid of it"?

With proper care hops can become a decorative seasonal element of arches, fences, pillars. Especially impressive are its hanging green cones, associated with the original decorative ornaments. When to collect cones of hops?

External characteristics of the plant

Hop ordinary can grow in one place for about 20 years and is characterized by a lianon-like wriggling stalk and a powerful perennial root system penetrating into the soil to a depth of more than 4 meters, and dispersed in diameter about 3 meters. The main rhizome of the bush is an underground shoot that constantly forms buds (the basis for the formation of new shoots), this is especially active in the fourth year of growth. The cultivation of hops is the regular destruction of numerous sprouts in order to avoid unwanted growth of the bush. To understand when to collect hops, you should have some idea about this plant and its characteristics.

Stems of hops branched, covered with hairs, painted in green or reddish color, in thickness reach about 13 mm. The plant is able to reach a length of more than 10 meters and during the growth clings to the support with the help of hook-like spines located along the sides of the stem, on the side shoots, petioles and leaves.

Flowers of hops are collected in small inflorescences (20-60 pieces each), they are cones and grow on female lianas. Male cone plants do not form, for which they are often destroyed. Fruits are small nuts of brown color. The seeds are also very small: 1000 pieces weigh from 2 to 4 grams. Hop leaves have a heart-shaped shape, in the middle part of the plant they are the largest, at the top and bottom of the bush - smaller. The upper side of the dark green color, the lower one is lighter and contains glands secreting essential oils and resins. The aerial part of the plant lives one year and dies off in the fall, unlike the perennial root system.

Peculiarities of growing

How to grow and when to collect hops? Growth of hops is carried out in lowland areas. For the mass gathering, so-called hops are created with an area of 20-30 hectares, divided into separate squares, between which are placed 3-4-meter tracks. On each hectare set 145-150 poles (8-9 meters in height), for the device trellis. To protect against piercing winds, intoxicated plantations are planted near gardens, forest belts and forests. Planned for such a plant open area in advance (for a couple of years) is planted 2-3-row protective forest belts from fast-growing trees, placing them from the edges of the plantation at a distance of 20 meters.

Planting: at home and industrial scale

The hop plant is produced on medium, weakly podzolic, sod and forest lands with good drainage; Groundwater should not be close to the soil surface. Planting is carried out by cuttings or annual hops seedlings grown in nurseries. The depth of planting, which is recommended in April-May, is 8-10 cm.

At home, planting is done on the same principle, only on a smaller scale. So, the plant should be provided with well-drained soil, a sunny place and a support along which it will crawl. As the last, you can use a fence or a wall of the house with strings stretched along it. After planting, abundant watering is recommended.

Emergence of sprouts usually occurs 7-10 days after planting. When the plant reaches a height of 50-60 cm, the stem is put on a support, and the aisle is loosened by cultivators (on an industrial scale). During the growing season, usually 4-5 fluffings of the upper soil layer and one hilling are usually carried out. The growth of the root system of hops is stopped, starting from the second year of growth. Early in the spring, crests of the crests, pruning of lateral rhizomes and underground last year's stems are performed; On highly developed plants, they are cut completely, on insufficiently powerful plants - over the first or second pair of eyes.

Top dressing and care

When the plant reaches a height of 3-4 meters, it is required to fertilize it with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers at the rate of 30-45 kg per 1 hectare. The yield of cones can be increased with the help of pasynkovaniya - shortening the excess lateral branches at a distance of 3 cm from the main stem.

In passing, the damaged or dead plants are uprooted and new specimens are planted in their place. On average, 1-16 hectares (with industrial cultivation) account for 14-16 thousand bushes. After pruning, top dressing and application of herbicides are made to destroy the weeds.

Reproduction and hops transplantation

Transplanting and planting hops, the upper part of which dies before the onset of winter, can be produced in spring or in the fall. For this, the plant must be excavated, selected the most healthy roots and planted in pre-prepared grooves at a distance of 1 meter from each other. When planning a spring planting, it is recommended that the roots be placed in a package together with a small amount of soil and sawdust and stored in a refrigerator.

Hops can be propagated with green cuttings, which are cut from three years old and older plants. Hop seeds for reproduction are used mostly by breeders in order to breed new varieties.

When to collect the hops?

Ripening hop cones often occurs unevenly, harvesting can be done from late August to early September. When to collect cones of hops? To do this, it is necessary to correctly determine their ripeness, the signs of which are the presence of a yellow powder, similar to pollen, a specific flavor, good density, yellow-green color, brown bract; Flakes should be in the stage of straightening. It is during this period in the cones contains the maximum amount of essential oil, alpha-acids, polyphenols. In the hop farms, the cleaning ends in the last days of September; Delay with harvesting leads to a decrease in its quality due to the precipitation of lupulin grains.

Features of drying of raw materials

After collecting the cones it is necessary to dry, otherwise the raw material will quickly deteriorate and not be suitable for brewing. Home brewers often use for this dryer for fruit and mushrooms, or a conventional oven. In large production, hops containing about 80% of water are immediately ventilated by heated air immediately after harvesting, then dried in specialized furnaces. Drying should be stopped when the stalk of cones becomes brittle. The dried out material should have a yellow-green color and be practically weightless, scales at the same time resemble a tissue paper. In this condition, the cones must be crushed, put in a plastic bag and placed in a freezer, where they will wait their turn. On an industrial scale, the raw materials are stored in polyethylene or jute bags at hopper points or hops, where they are finally brought to standard commodity conditions.

After collection of hop cones, in autumn, the dried stems of the plant are cut off, taken out of the territory for the purpose of burning. Khmelniki thoroughly cleaned from the remains of vegetation, make organic (manure or compost) and potassium-phosphorus preparations.

Hops of common

Hops Brewer

The variety is a tall, massive plant with a subtle flavor. Cones are elongated-cylindrical, medium, fairly dense; There are not many of them on the bush. Hops, the use of which in the beer industry and in the preparation of hop containing preparations is quite wide, is characterized by high resistance to diseases, freezing, soaking, drought. Vegetation period is 115 days.

Hops Triumph

In one place grows 15 or more years, is resistant to soaking, drought and frost. Can be affected by a spider mite. It is characterized by a delicate aroma, it is used in brewing and processing, aimed at obtaining concentrated granules.