In commercial hop yards, different cultivars are trained on specific dates in the spring. Depending on whether a cultivar matures early, mid-season, or late, there is typically a particular range of days for those plants to start their upward growth. Getting the bines off the ground is also important for managing downy mildew.
![Training hops at Borderview Research Farm.](http://blog.uvm.edu/hoppenin/files/2015/05/hoptraining-300x300.jpg)
Training dates have not been formally identified for the Northeast region. We trained our hops at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburg this week (Tuesday, 5/26) while some other hop growers reported that they completed their training on 5/19.
We recommend that you make your own observations of hop maturity and write down when you trained each hop cultivar (down the road, we hope to have funds to conduct in-depth research on this important topic).
When training, each string should have 3 or 4 bines. The bines should be trained clockwise as the plants grow towards the sun over the course of each day, winding themselves up the string.
Remember that hop plants can grow 1 foot per day–that’s 6 inches before lunch! Because some varieties mature a little slower than others, our crew will make another sweep around the hop yard to train any later maturing plants in about a week.
At this time of year, it is also critical to irrigate and fertilize. More on that topic coming soon. Until then, stay calm and hop on.