Hops are a fairly easy-care climbing plant. The fruits can also be harvested and used as medicinal herbs or for brewing beer. What do you have to consider when it comes to care? How to properly care for hops in the garden or on the balcony.

Hops need a lot of space to thrive

How are hops poured?

Hops need a lot of moisture, but under no circumstances should they be too wet. Water the climbing plant regularly so that the soil never dries out completely. With hops in buckets, make sure there is good drainage to prevent waterlogging.

How do you fertilize hops correctly?

Hops are fast-growing and need a correspondingly large number of nutrients. Make sure the soil has enough nitrogen. Nitrogen poor soil needs to be improved. Nettle stock is a good help.

In the spring, work compost or deposited animal manure into the soil around the plant.

During the growth phase further fertilizer applications are necessary. You can use commercial vegetable fertilizer (€7.49) for this or water it regularly with nettle broth.

Need to help hops climb?

Hops are climbing plants that can grow up to seven meters tall. It stays a little smaller on the balcony, but can easily reach four meters in height.

Provide the hops with a correspondingly high trellis. When caring for the balcony, you should artificially raise the balcony railings or attach long plant stakes.

Hop tendrils wrap around the trellis in a clockwise direction. You often have to help out by hand. Make sure that you always wind the tendrils to the right. If you turn it to the left, the hop tendril will no longer grow properly until the desired direction of rotation is observed again.

When are hops cut?

In the fall, the plant begins to wither. You can then cut them back to 50 to 70 centimeters in length. You should leave a remainder so that the nutrients can soak into the soil. You can cut the perennial climbing plant completely in early spring, before new growth begins in April.

Can hops be repotted?

When growing hops in a bucket, you should make sure that the bucket is large enough. If necessary, repot in the spring.

Which diseases and pests occur?

  • hop aphid
  • Common spider mite
  • hop wilt
  • powdery mildew

Pest infestation can often only be recognized when it is almost too late. If the umbels turn red or if liquid drips down, you should look for pests and take countermeasures immediately.

How do you overwinter hops?

Outdoors, you don't need to protect the hardy hops from frost. Winter protection is only necessary when growing in a bucket.

tips

Check the hop plants regularly for pests. Lice in particular leave behind sticky honeydew that leaves yellow stains on wooden floors and also on clothing. The stains can only be seen after washing and can then hardly be removed.

Category:

Vegetable garden