growing hops in basic soil

[redlodgesam]

i have farmers that want to grow some hops in northwest wyoming. the climate is dry-desert. they have irrigation water. their soil pH is 8. is this too basic to grow hops?

sam

[nohandslance]

Growing Own Hops

Talk to AlexisScarlett in this forum, or maybe Andrea will reply. I know she is very active in planting some Hop varieties at the moment. Maybe she can give you some pointers. She is located in Montrose, Colo, so you may have some similarities in your climate and soil makeup.

[AlexisScarlett]

there is no basic dirt

Like there is no basic woman -- dirt is a varience of so many factors. And the one that kills you is the one you did not consider
I imagine you could grow hops in wyoming - depending on what hops you pick. We are high desert and we grow Cascade Centennial Chinook Glacier Williamette like weeds
Fuggles Perle Liberty Glacier pretty good
Saaz Tettnanger Hersbrucker not so good
And our own we call Alpine

I am not really the hop girl but I translate for the hop genius who will not use email or internet
What zone?
What is your winter low? What is your summer high?
What crops grow on the land now?
Water is necessary and senior water rights are best cause you don't want to lose liquid in August. Most disease comes in on humidity and water-- so dry is good if you can water the rhizomes

I can relay on to the real hop guys the info of your farm guys-- But in my experience hops grow EVERYWHERE

Can't even kill 'em

Andrea


PS Hey Lance!

[Wing Nut]

in a climate like that i wouldnt even consider growing unless you already have senior water rights and plans for drip irrigation

[redlodgesam]

water rights

yes,

these farmers have all kinds of water rights. they are planning a trench irrigation system

sam

[beerkeep]

Homegrown Hops By David Beach says the PH range should be between 5.5 and 8 with the lower side of this range being better.

[billings]

Spent Grain

Sam,

You could use your spent grain as mulch to slowly lower the ph of the soil. I don't know how many trellis' you are going to set up but your 15bbl batch spent grain should help over the couple of years it will take for the hop bines to fully produce. Just a thought.

Cheers,
Travis

[AlexisScarlett]

Money, spent grain, and a school

Spent grain is great mulch with only one disadvantage-- it will attract the deer which will bed down and eat the newly emergent bines. But you could then add venison jerky to snacks list

The University of Wyoming has the Agricultural College and several of their professors even wrote about the barley! Craft Brewers and Barley Prefences. http://agecon.uwyo.edu/agecon/whatwe...ngIndustry.pdf and the presense of wild hops in Fort Larimie. They would know of any hops growing testing

Right now is a great time to organize and apply for the Value Added Producers grant. Money for capital cost or planning and marketing! http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm
Deadline March 31st. USDA website of all growing info necessary in the US of A - http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome


Also ATTRA:http://www.attra.org/field.html
And soon more funding should be forthcoming for sustainable hops production. In Spring usually smack dab in the middle of planting season! That is how it started out here.

Good luck!

[nohandslance]

Our Resident Hop/Barley Encyclopedia

Thanks Andrea.
You are the best! As always, lots of Information to keep my brain thinking.
Have you ever attempted to write one of these grants? What advice would you give. What are the costs and planning on Drip Vs. trench irrigation. Will drip survive over a hard winter without lot's of replacement and maintenance costs.
On trench irrigation, is it the standard trench in the ground that allows a great % (percentage) of evaporation, and seepage to non-essential areas of the farm.
Or are there new methods that we non-farmer types do not know about.
I'll talk to you soon
Lance

[AlexisScarlett]

Hey Lance-

Center Pivot Irrigation out here for the barley if you can put in the money. As you know in dry climates you can lose so much of your share of water to evaporation.
Sprinklers are not so good for the hops.
Yes I am writing for the VAPG grant right now improving what I did not do last year for the money for a solar kiln geothermal germination for 2 T of the finest Colorado barley
You should try too you need to get a school or Cooperative or Economic Development agency to be your sponsor and a way to have matching money-- but Uncle Sam is just giving the money away if you are willing to write 100 pages of paper