Hops

Quick facts

Category

herbs woody

Difficulty

beginner

Days to harvest

365 to 730 days

Harvest type

single harvest then replant

Spacing

150 cm between plants

Environment

Temperature

-20–30°C

pH

6 to 7.5

EC (hydroponic)

1.4 to 2.2 mS/cm

Daily light

25 to 35 mol/m²/day (strict, will fail outside this range)

Climate and zones

USDA zones

3 to 8 (winter low around -40°C or warmer)

Frost tolerance

very hardy (survives deep cold)

Season

cool (spring and fall crops)

Viable growing environments:

• outdoor year-round (in zone)
• outdoor in growing season (annual)

USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.

Growing systems

Hops works in:

• soil bed

Root mass is very heavy - thin-channel systems (NFT, vertical towers) can't hold this crop mechanically, hence the system list above.

Growing media

The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (hops works in the media listed below).

Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.

Companion-growing notes

• Heavy uptake of nitrogen, potassium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC. Plan around this in shared reservoirs.
• Very high transpiration. Reservoir level drops fast once the plant is mature; expect daily top-ups and watch for EC creeping up as water evaporates faster than salts.

Aquaponics suitability

Not recommended for pure aquaponics. Fish waste alone doesn't provide enough of the nutrients this crop demands (typically potassium, calcium, or boron). It can be grown in a hybrid system where the reservoir is supplemented with hydroponic-style nutrients, but expect to dose actively.

Care notes

A specialty crop for homebrewer-aquaponics enthusiasts. The vine needs 5–8 m of vertical growing space (trellis, strong twine from ground to eave), which limits it to outdoor systems, tall greenhouses, or structures with high ceilings. Large container (30 L) or in-ground planting. EC 1.5-2.5 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 15–25°C growing season; requires winter dormancy with freezing temperatures. Full sun (DLI 18-25 mol/m2/day; hops need long day length, 15+ hours, to trigger cone production). Propagation by rhizome division (plant pieces of the underground rhizome in spring). First-year harvest is minimal; full production begins in year 2-3. Harvest cones in late summer when they feel papery, dry, and spring back when squeezed, and when the lupulin glands (yellow powder inside the cone) are visible and aromatic. Each mature plant produces 0.5–2 kg of dried cones. Dry cones at 55–65°C immediately after harvest to prevent oxidation. For homebrewers, 2-3 plants provide enough hops for 10-20 batches of beer per year.

Notable varieties

A starting shortlist of cultivars worth knowing about. Not exhaustive: the seed catalogs list hundreds of named varieties. These are the ones home growers commonly choose between.

Further reading

• Best crops for hydroponic beginners
• The Kratky method: grow lettuce with zero electricity