Hi--I planted hops rizomes last spring, and my first crop had no cones...just small flowers bunched together instead. At first I just thought that I would have to wait until the second season for the cones to come. I didn't even suspect the plants to actually be males. But now I'm worried. Does anyone have any pictures of male hops?

Also, if they are male, I will obviously have to dig the roots up and discard them before I plant new female plants. Is there anything else I need to do before I re-plant to make sure the females will not come into contact with the pollen/male plants?

THanks for all the help. I want to start brewing this season!

Hmmm...I don't know. I have never actually gotten my hops to produce cones; the growing season is too short here.

I didn't think you could get male hops. I was under the impression that they only cultivated clones of female hops to avoid the problems associated with seeds.

However, from your description you have me wondering about that. I mean, some places do sell hops for decorative purposes in which case gender really does not enter into it.

Please let us know if you find any more out about this.

- Scott

I'm a bit stumped here, too. A hops 'flower' is called a 'cone'. They are one and the same. I'm not sure how you got flowers, and no cones. You got any pictures?

I'd venture to say that you almost certainly have a female plant. Particularly if you purchased the rhizome from a hops supplier like nikobrew or freshops. Male plants tend to be very difficult to acquire. Unless you have a decorative variety purchased from a flower shop, I wouldn't be overly concerned. First year hops rarely produce cones.

Cheers,
Dave

Well, I talked to a local landscaper and a close friend who is a botanist, and they confirmed my suspicion...MALE HOPS! I ended up pulling the plant up and I'll replant next spring. Ugh!

Wow, thats terrible! Sorry to hear it!
Where did you purchase your rhizomes from? Were they a decorative variety, or a variety common to beer?

Cheers
Dave

GuitarLord5000 wrote:Wow, thats terrible! Sorry to hear it!
Where did you purchase your rhizomes from? Were they a decorative variety, or a variety common to beer?

Cheers
Dave

I got them from freshops. I bought them (Cascade) 2 years ago, so I'm not going to contact them for a refund/replacement. I think it's the kind of thing that only happens once in a blue moon.

Didja ever take any pics? I'd sure like to see them, if you did.
For what it's worth, I'd at least let Freshops know that you received rhizomes from a male plant.

Cheers
Dave

GuitarLord5000 wrote:Didja ever take any pics? I'd sure like to see them, if you did.

Cheers
Dave

I thought I did take some, but it looks like I don't have any. I'll post them if they turn up.

Somebody on AHA's TechTalk posted this link http://www.charlesfaram.co.uk/NewsSummer2002.htm which supposedly shows male hops.

Unfortunately, the resolution is not all that good so if you ever find the pictures you took please post them.

Until then can you confirm that these do look like what you had?

Cheers,

Scott

It looks like it. I emailed the website and asked them if they could post or send me higher res photos so I could tell for sure. Thanks for the link.

UPDATE:

They sent me a larger picture, and it confirms my suspicion--my hops were definitely male!