Coming Up Short of the Record

It looks like Cincinnati is going to come up just shy of the all time record rain fall in a month. We currently stand at 13.51" for the month with the record for any month at 13.68" set back in January 1937. Though I've hated the amount of rain we've had, to come this close to the record and not break it will be disappointing. There doesn't seem to be any rain in the forecast today or tomorrow, the last day of the month. I think most folks in the Midwest have seen enough rain for a while, so hopefully we dry out some over the upcoming weeks.

Edit (5/1/11) - We did come up just short, the final number for the month was 13.52". Funny thing though, it is raining today.
The hops plants are still progressing, but slowly. The ground is just so damp and we have had only 3 days of sun the entire month. We should see some sun over the next few days which should start to dry out the ground and perk some growth.

I'll plan to put some updated pictures later in the week after they perk up in the sun.

Record Rainfall in Cincinnati

This weekend, Cincinnati set a new all time record for rainfall in the month of April. As of Sunday morning, the monthly rain total was 10.86" breaking the old April record of 9.77". We are not working toward the all-time record rainfall of all time for the region. The current record for any month is 13.68" set back in January 1937. We could make a really close push toward that level with 7 days left in this month and rain forecasted daily.

My hop plants are feeling the impact of all this rain. The ground around them are soggy like a wet sponge. Hopefully it will dry out a little bit and warm up cause if not I think i'll have a worry about root rot at some point in the future. Its crazy how saturated the ground is and the plants are pretty slow to grow due to the amount of water and lack of sunlight.

On a positive note, my grass is as lush and green as a pro baseball field right now!

Hops - 2011 - All 4 Varieties Showing Life

All 4 varieties are now showing signs of life. The Cascade and Willamette that I purchased from my Local Home Brew Shop (LHBS) were much slower to break ground than the other two varieties (Mt Hood and US Tettnang) that were clipping from a friend. I'd expect the two purchased rhizomes to not do as well as the other "free" ones this first season. We'll see.

Both the Cascade and Willamette only have 2-3 shoots showing. This is the best picture of the Willamette.



The Cascade is still very brown/purple and really tough to pick out (no picture posted)

Here are some updated pictures of the Mt. Hood......

......and the US Tettnang starting to climb on the tomato cage I have in place.

To keep the dog and kids out, I set up some rabbit guard to protect the plants in a quater-circle shape. I have this same design mirrored on the other side of the swing.

To try to keep the plant spaced around 5 feet apart, I have them situated at the far corner of the fence and then the front pole of the swing. That angles gives me the distance I need. But in the future I'll likely have to be diligent about keeping the roots cut so they don't tangle each other underground.



Hops - 2011 - Mt Hood / U.S. Tettnang

Been pretty warm and wet here in Cincinnati the last couple of days and that was enough to kick start the first set up if rhizomes I planted. The US Tettnang already had some sprouts when they were given to me, but now the Mt. Hood has broken ground and I swear grew in the 3 hours from when I got home and then took this picture.

Mt Hood breaking ground.



US Tettnang had a great start with a few sprouts before putting it in the ground and it is already growing more.

The weather continues to look unseasonably warm into next week so hopefully that will help the Cascade and Willamette along.

Hops - 2011 - Cascade and Willamette

Got my last two varieties in the ground yesterday. Two rhizomes of Cascade and Willamette each. The Willamette rhizones were a good size but the Cascades are pretty small. We are supposed to have a warm week with some precip so hoping that kick starts some growth.

Cascade

Willamette