UNPACKING YOUR PLANTS

• When removing the hop from the pot, the object of the exercise is to get the plant out with as much soil adhering to the roots as possible and get it into the hole with the least amount of disturbance or damage.

• 1) Water the plant in the pot and let it drain. We want to saturate the soil in the pot so the soil adheres to the roots.

• 2) While the pot is draining, dig a hole slightly larger than the size of the pot where the plant will be permanently grown. You will want to line up the top of the soil in the pot with the top of the soil surrounding the hole. You can put some fertiliser in the bottom of the hole but cover it over with a bit of soil and allow the plant to grow into it. There is also a NZ product called Rootmate (or Daltons Bioinoculant Granules) that contains multiple strains of Trichoderma (a beneficial fungi) in granule form that act as a 100% organic biofungicide that helps to protect plants from various fungal diseases, helps stimulate microbial activity in the soil and promotes strong and healthy root growth. Add Rootmate to the planting hole at the rate of one teaspoon per plant.

• 3) Once the pot is drained, press the soil in the pot down to firm it and then use an old knife to cut around the inside edge of the pot wall to loosen the plant. We are wanting to get a firm root ball with all the soil in the pot intact.

• 4) Do this next part kneeling right beside your permanent planting hole. Hold the pot base in one hand and with the other hand, put 2 fingers on each side of the stem or stems (making a "V") then tip the pot upside down and gently squeeze the sides of the pot until the plant slides out, hopefully intact, into your hand. Flip the plant upright while placing immediately in the hole that you dug before. Back fill with the soil you dug out of the hole. Firm the soil down and water the plant in with Thrive (2 tsp per 9L watering can) and Plantmate or Daltons Biofungicide Powder (2 tsp per 9L watering can / mixed to a paste with a little water before adding to the watering can)

• Hop plants are heavy feeders and they will respond well to a balanced fertiliser with N (nitrogen) for leaf & stem growth, P (phosphorus) for root growth and K (potassium) for flower production. A sprinkle of Osmocote is a good choice to get your plants established. Blood and Bone is a good organic fertiliser at this stage. Sprinkle the fertiliser in a circle a few centimetes away from the plant to avoid burning the foliage and to encourage the roots to spread. Water every few days with Thrive (or organic substitute) and add Plantmate (or Daltons Biofungicide Powder) every 2 weeks until the plant is well established.

• Later you can use well composted (should look like soil) animal manures (cow manure is best, then sheep, however not pig) preferably as a diluted liquid. You can buy a bag of mixed animal manure and soak it for a month or two in a plastic rubbish bin to make the tea. Dilute 10 to 1. The danger of using animal manure that is not well composted is that it can attract fungal diseases to your plant(s) and may weaken or kill them.

• You can use weed tea (made by soaking weeds in water), liquid fish or seaweed (Yates make one) as fertiliser and nutrient additions also.

• There is more information about growing hops and around 100 photos of hops growing at other people's homes which may give you some inspiration for your growing situation at the links below.

• We use the NZ Biodynamic Calendar for all our planting & harvesting endeavours. We have made a table of important times for planting hops for 2021. Use the link below.