April 29 2016 Hop Bines Between 5 and 7 Feet Tall

As of April 29th 2016 the hops are (left to Right) – Nugget 7 feet, Magnum 7 Feet and Cascade 5 feet tall.  It has been cloudy, cold and rainy for the last 6 days other than today.  Today started out at 33 degrees fahrenheit (just above freezing) but reached 60 degrees for a high.  They grew about 2 feet over the last week.  They would have grown double that if we had sunny weather.

7 ft Nugget, 7 ft Magnum, 5 ft Cascade

These bines should top their ropes in about 2 weeks.  We will see what the weather brings.  This is year 8 for these hops (and the rope they climb).  It is about time to give them some fertilizer to help them grow.  I stay organic and use kelp, fish emulsion and Azomite (minerals).  I will also top dress the soil with compost and may feed them some compost tea.  That should get them rocking.