We have been dabbling with growing our hops hydroponically since we started in 2016. But this year was the year to go large. The year when all the pieces finally fell into place. After handpicking a selection of Chinook hops we installed them into our amazing Hydroponic lab: the “Hop-a-domeâ€, a 5m (height) x 10m (diameter) geodesic dome.
These hydroponic hops are way ahead of their traditional sister hops growing outside in the soil! Only 2 months into the growing period, nearly 90% have reached the top of the dome and are sending out their all-important horizontal shoots, on which the precious hops will form. All of these hydroponic hops are looking in excellent condition, and we‘re looking forward to seeing our first flower.
The hydroponic system we‘re using is genius. It uses gravity and a system very similar to the one you’ll find in your toilet cistern to regulate the water/feed from the storage tank to the bottom of the plant pot. We always try our best to keep things organic here on the farm, so the feed we have chosen is a concentrate made from British seaweed sourced from our fair shores. It has all the goodness our hops need.
Another exciting factor will be how the hydroponics will affect the hops and their oils which we use to make beer. A lot depends on the ground we grow hops in. For example, take the popular Citra hop grown in America. We would all love to grow this amazing hop but would it be the same if we grew it in the UK? Probably not, since hops are much like grapes in that their flavour and aroma are linked to the terroir - factors like climate, soil and mineral conditions. So they might not be the same as US grown hops - they might actually be better! You see, with hydroponics you give the plant exactly what it needs, when it needs it during the various stages of the growing cycle. These feeds will, no doubt, have an effect on flavour - something we will be playing with over the coming years.
We are so excited about our hydroponic dome that we are now in the process of building a new yard, currently nicknamed “The Clusterâ€. This is to support our goal of growing 1,000 hop plants hydroponically over the next two years. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!
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