«Friendly» - Organic Hop Seeds / Humulus lupulus

Is a herbaceous dioecious perennial with curly, tetrahedral stems up to 6 m long. Leaves opposite, entire, lower three-five-lobed or separate with a heart-shaped base and large-toothed lobes, smooth above, rough below.

Male flowers in loose, axillary paniculate inflorescences with a whitish or greenish perianth. Female - in terminal and axillary capitate inflorescences "cones" (large scaly covering leaves grow and form a kind of soft, green «cones»). At the base of each covering leaf are two flowers. Blooms in June-August. The fruits ripen in July-September.

It is used for vertical gardening of balconies, hedges, as a plant that decorates unattractive outbuildings on the site.

SOWING: directly into the ground in early May. Depth of placement of seeds 1-1,5sm. To obtain ripened seeds, sowing is carried out in April with pre-stratified seeds at room conditions. The shoots that appeared after 2 weeks dive into small pots, and in June they are planted with a clod of earth in a permanent place, leaving a distance of 50-70 cm between plants.

Hops are moisture-loving and demanding on soil fertility. The soil is desirable rich - fertile loam, and moist, but not waterlogged, with sandy, water-permeable subsoil. It develops better in partial shade, but can also grow in the sun, where it is more susceptible to diseases and attacks by leaf-eating insects.

MAINTENANCE: It is necessary to provide abundant watering during the growth period, but stagnant moisture must be avoided. During the growing season, systematic weeding and loosening are carried out. Every 6-7 weeks - top dressing with slurry. Needs supports. For the winter, the shoots are cut at the root and spud. It grows in one place for 15-20 years.

FLOWERING: July - August. Cones are harvested in the fall, as soon as the scales brighten and begin to emit a delicate aroma.