Hops plants produce stobiles (cones) that are used in making beer. UF/IFAS researchers are currently working on how to grow hops commercially in Florida,1 but did you know that you can grow hops in your Florida garden?
If you’re thinking of growing hops, keep these things in mind2:
- Because they are climbing plants, hops are usually grown on a trellis or twine. A hops plant can reach heights to 18 to 25 feet.
- Hops need full sun to thrive.
- Hops need well-drained soils and regular watering. Adding organic matter to the soil (for example, from a compose pile) will improve growing conditions for hops.
- Hops should be planted as rhizomes during March or April. Cones appear between mid-summer and early fall. The plant is dormant in the winter but will resume growth in the early spring.
To learn more about growing hops in your Florida garden, please see Florida Edible Garden Plants: Hops (Humulus lupulus).
- Brad Buck, “UF/IFAS to hop into hops varieties for microbreweries,” UF/IFAS News, 2016, http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/2016/02/ufifas-to-hop-into-hops-varieties-for-microbreweries/
- Brian J. Pearson, Florida Edible Garden Plants: Hops (Humulus lupulus), ENH1227, Gainesvile: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 2013, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep488
UF/IFAS Photo by Dr. Brian Pearson
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