What kind of plant is this?
June 2, 2013 6:41 PM Subscribe
I inherited an existing plot in a community garden a few weeks ago, and there was a medium sized plant that seemed pretty established, so I left it alone. It is now an extremely large plant. The vines have fine spiky hairs, and the leaves are about 5 inches long, with 3 or 5 lobes and serrated edges. Does anyone recognize it?
Response by poster: Yep, it's hops. Looking at photos of hop vines, the leaves are an exact match. Thanks!
posted by helicomatic at 6:52 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by helicomatic at 6:52 PM on June 2, 2013
The first picture caused me to lean toward squash but the second photo looks exactly like hops.
They are rhizomes so if you don't want them there, dig carefully. You might consider offering them to someone else if you don't want them, they're in demand for homebrewers and they're an attractive landscape plant as well.
If you leave them to flower, you might get in touch with local homebrew experts to figure out what kind they are. They might be good for bartering or selling.
posted by padraigin at 7:14 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
They are rhizomes so if you don't want them there, dig carefully. You might consider offering them to someone else if you don't want them, they're in demand for homebrewers and they're an attractive landscape plant as well.
If you leave them to flower, you might get in touch with local homebrew experts to figure out what kind they are. They might be good for bartering or selling.
posted by padraigin at 7:14 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hop bines need something to grow on. If you keep them they'll need a looooong rope. I use sisal, not coir, because I am cheap. Also choose 3-4 of your strongest bines and prune the rest off at the base. Be careful of the growing end, if it gets broken off that bine is done growing for the year.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:55 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by elsietheeel at 10:55 PM on June 2, 2013
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They get bigger and bigger and bigger if you leave their growth unchecked (I have 3-year-old hops in my backyard and they're already well over 20 feet tall). If you don't want it in your plot, try to dig it up as best you can before the killing frost and again as soon as the soil is workable in spring. Be careful handling the vines because some people are allergic to the spiky bits. IMO, though, it's a lovely plant.
posted by divined by radio at 6:45 PM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]