Hop plants in the Autumn and Winter

People often worry about caring for hops in the latter half of the year. Less favourable weather and plants that look a little dead put many off. But, it is actually a good time to get your plants established for next year.

Concerns often come from how bad hops can look at this time of year. Especially potted ones. Hops are herbaceous perennial, meaning they will shed their leaves and the stems will die back in autumn. Potted hops are likely to do this earlier than those in the ground. So don't be surprised if a potted hop is little more than a bare stem while a planted one is still producing cones.

The worry often comes from a hop dying back showing similar signs to a diseased hop. Including leaf decolourisation, shrivelling and becoming droopier. The plant is still healthy, this is just the natural process it will go through every year. Though it is still worth keeping up a spray routine.

Towards the end of autumn your hop will begin entering dormancy. At this time cutting it back to around 2-3 foot is a good idea. Most of the stem is simply dead now, most new growth will come from the crown or roots. Though some of the lower axils of the stem may produce buds. After this spray the plant one last time as the cut exposes the plant to pests. You may also choose to plant some of the stems underground (while still attached to the main plant). These may also root and sprout more stems.

Overall Hops will do best in the ground. The roots will spread out far, which can be a concern in itself, allowing it to sustain itself more easily. The main risk they'll face at this time of year is becoming water logged. In the worst case scenario this can completely rot the roots. Luckily hops don't mind being dug up and replanted. But it is still best to avoid this.

Potted hops need focused care. Balancing watering is difficult and require daily observation. You may go a week not needing or be watering every day. Slightly dry is better than overly wet as potted hops also risk getting water logged. This is exacerbated by the issue of a hard frost. It is almost impossible to avoid and hops in the ground are also at risk. But the only solution is making sure your hop is well established enough to tough it out.

This may seem like potted hops are a bad idea. However trying to establish them in the ground too late is a big risk. If the ground is already hard and the hop dormant then the plant isn't going to achieve much underground. With that said hops can still be planted in these colder months, but you need to think about a few things first. We want to give the hop enough time to establish itself before the more intense frosts set in. While this makes early autumn best you can plant things later if the weather is looking good.

Hops are very hardy plants, you really don’t have to worry about them too much but that doesn’t mean they require no care. Different situations will require different tactics, but mostly you have to let nature take its course.