I bought some hops seed. Was supposed to have planting instructions but didn't. Says germinate at 40 degrees F. Is that in the fridge? Seeds will germinate in the dark (except when the fridge door is open)? I was thinking of planting them along the west side of the house, to grow on strings, for shade, but seems that they take a while to get going (like next year they'll be better sort of thing). Hops are reported to grow to 20 feet, are quite bushy, and come up every year. I don't want to grow the stuff as a crop, just as a vine. Anyone know anything about hops?

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Dallas, TX: Home of the Flying Red Horse

There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on the Web about growing hops from seeds, probably because the main use for hops impels growers to start plants from rhizomes. Only the female plant produces the fruit that brewers use, and the *** of seeds is unpredictable; hence, they tend to plant rhizomes from plants known to be female. I think the disinterest in harvesting seeds for propagation also may have implications for the viability of seeds that are harvested. For those interested in planting hops from rhizomes, I believe they become available around March 21. One of many Web sources for them is: http://www.freshops.com/ The links at that site may lead you to some information about propagating from seeds, although I didn't find any in a cursory search.

In general, I would say that the refrigerator would be one way to germinate the seeds, if they require a 40F temperature to germinate. If you have an abundance of seeds, you also could try planting some now in pots that are kept in a shady and cool area in the hope that the temperature would hold low enough. It seems to me that "germinate in the dark" implies that they don't need sunlight to germinate and can be planted below the soil surface. The refrigerator light shouldn't affect them, but of course, you could remove the bulb if the light from it concerns you. Once they begin growing, hops need a large amount of water--which is understandable considering how fast/much they grow.

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In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.

Thanks for your generous reply, Enzyme11. I am in touch with Dave Wills at the site you visited. He says growing hops in Texas is iffy. I've about decided to forget the hops idea and stick with planting vining hyacinth like I have been the last few years. I just wanted to plant something different this year. Besides, those hops vines are really bushy and good looking. Whatever, shading the south and west walls of my house is of primary importance to shaving my electric costs in the summer. I can't afford to plant something that might fail.

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Dallas, TX: Home of the Flying Red Horse