Hops Plants

Usually grown for brewing beer and other fermented drinks, growing your own Hops Plants is something anyone can do whether you are starting your own microbrewery or not! 

The experience of homegrown Hops is quite rewarding and easy all wrapped up into one. The process of mastering this art is truly what it means to be a gardener today!

The hop for his profit I thus do exalt, It strengtheneth drink and it flavored malt;

And being well-brewed long kept it will last, And drawing abide, if ye draw not too fast.

• Thomas Tusser’s Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry

All About Hops

A climbing perennial, with unique, layered, and dangling bright green ‘flowers’. Plus supple canes full of lovely chartreuse foliage, the Hops plant (Humulus) is as uniquely pretty as it is a useful flowering/fruiting vine!

Inside each fragrant flower ‘cone’ is a tiny yellow pod called lupulin. These contain the resins and essential oils that are the source of bitterness, aroma, and flavor in all of our favorite beers. They can also impart floral, fruity, or citrus flavors and aromas.

Oddly enough, Hops are part of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants! First documented for use in brewing beer in the 9th century Germany. Not only imparting flavor, Hops has antibacterial properties that help reduce spoilage.

The US is just barely ahead of Germany in terms of producing Hops for the beer industry, and most of us have the perfect climate to grow these vertical climbing plants without worrying they will take up too much space!

But Hops are not just for brewing ‘hopped beer’!

The strong antibiotic properties of Hops have been used to make herbal teas, as alternative antibiotics mixed into chicken and livestock feed, and as a bacterial inhibitor in the processing of sugar, and make a delicious non-bitter iced tea and beer that picks up on this Hops floral/herbal aroma.

Hops cones are also used to make delicious teas (similar to Black Tea), and are also fantastic for ornamental use in the garden!

How To Use Hops In The Landscape

These special plants aren’t merely used just for their flavoring in beer, Hops are also elegantly used for visual attractiveness in the landscape!

Perfect backyard decor paired with a garden trellis here or there. Grow Hops over the top of your garden bench creating a natural sun guard! 

Create a live green fence around the yard for those areas where you’d enjoy a bit of screening for a moment or two. The fragrant flowers make an excellent hedgerow! When grilling outside, you’ll appreciate the shade so kindly provided by your Hops. 

Show off your hard-earned work by placing Hops bines in orchard-like rows for all to see when passing by in full production. It's a sure way to start up a conversation with the new neighbor across the street to share your expert “ground to glass” story by decorating your front yard arbor with these unique specimens.

Strategically drape them from end to end and create a lovely backdrop for a victory garden as well. This even doubles as an ideal picture-taking scene for those dressed-up nights. 

Hops Growing & Care 101

How hard is it to grow Hops? Yes! These fast-growing perennials are very easy to grow!

• Full Sun Location
• Organically Rich Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate Moisture Access
• Room To Grow Vertically
• Strong Support System
• Long Growing Season Is Best

Called Bines instead of Vines, because Hops stems do not grab onto anything with suckers or tendrils that wrap around and take hold, climbing in a clockwise direction, wrapping and entwining around a structure and each other, without damaging anything. ‘Binding’ themselves instead of sticking.

Perennials because they are not quite like other climbing plants, such as Climbing Roses, that grow by way of flexible canes, and their stems do not become woody as mature Rose Bush canes do.

What Kind Of Support Do Hops Plants Need?

Versatile and fast-growing, Hops tend to grow rather tall, with some varieties reaching up to 20-25 feet! You just have to show them off the right way.

Grow Hops on a trellis, arbors, or up a stairway railing, or any other type of strong structure that can support them and give Hops bines plenty of places to wrap themselves around.

Don’t have a trellis? No worries! A simple contraption of poles and sturdy twine will do just the trick as well.

When Do You Plant Hops?

Nature Hills grows and ships Hop plants grown in containers so they can successfully transplanted at anytime throughout the growing season. This will get the plants established so the next year they can produce more stems from the roots.

How Do You Plant Hops?

Planting Hops is just like any other perennial plant.

• Dig a hole about as deep but a bit wider than the plant’s pot
• Do not plant too deeply
• Water very well and maintain regular watering until established
• A 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch and compost helps hold moisture and enriches the soil

These particular bines love to bask in the light, so be sure to find an outside spot where full sun can be achieved at least 6 hours of the day. 

Their root system will be begging for moderate watering tactics on a regular basis while also wanting good drainage as well. Placing arborist mulch over the root system can help keep the soil cooler and hold moisture in more evenly!

Do Hops Come Back Every Year?

Hop plants have a perennial rhizome-like root system called a crown. Once planted Hops Bines come back year after year!

Pruning Hops

Once your Hops Bines reach about 10 feet tall or so, remove the lower leaves from the first few feet from the ground to allow for the proper airflow. This also helps prevent mildew from possibly forming! You can schedule early protective treatments too.

When it’s harvest time, prune down the entire plant and dry the flowering parts for use later.

Harvesting Your Hops

Hops are harvested at the end of summer and the bines are cut down, and sorted, and then the Hops cones are dried. Once dry, the oils and other properties are extracted and the papery cones are discarded.

Order Hops Plants Today At NatureHills.com!

So, what are you waiting for? Jump on the hops garden train today and start crafting homegrown beers right in the backyard! Nature Hills will ship your new Hops plants to your doorstep at the correct time for your growing zone!