Expert: Ed Westemeier - 3/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: I saw a response you wrote stating that growing in South Florida was probably not a good idea for brewing because of the yield. I am in Central Florida, is it not even worth a shot? What if I plant in the shade or 2-3 rhizomes instead of one. Is it ever become worthwhile?
ANSWER: It depends on why you want to grow them. If it's just as an ornamental plant (and they do look really nice in the summer), then go right ahead.

But if you're trying to get a good crop to use in brewing, then Florida is really too far south. You'll get a certain amount, but nowhere near the crop you would get if you were farther north.

Don't grow them in the shade; they really need full sun all day. You can plant as many rhizomes as you have room for, and the plants will multiply each year. I suggest planting Cascades for the best results. Don't forget to cut them off at the ground after you harvest them and the leaves start turning brown.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the help, I will try a test with cascade to see how it works out. It is purely for brewing. Is the cerain amount you do get good, or will it be substandard quality to farther North? I have 2 1/2 acres with nothing productive growing, so I have plenty of room, even if it's somewhat wasteful. I have 40' along the side of my house with Southern exposure, that I could run 20' high twine up to the soffit. I figure I could run 13-14 rhizomes down that face. If I'm only going to get a couple hops per stalk, it obviously isn't worthwhile, but 10-20 might be.  

Answer
If that's your plan, you should be in fine shape. Give them plenty of water and you'll get enough cones to make you happy. Keep in mind that you won't know the alpha acid percentage without an expensive lab test, so I advise just using them for flavor/aroma, and use commercial hops for bittering so you can calculate the amounts.

When you plant rhizomes, you won't get much the first year, so don't be disappointed. The second year they will take off!