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So I planted my hops three years ago and they've done well. I'm planning to move next year (within the same hardiness zone) and I want to take my hops with me. I'm sure whomever buys my house won't want the hops and I don't want to lose them. How do I collect the crown to take it with me? Can I take the whole crown, or do I need to clip rhizomes and start anew next year? Should I dig them up in the fall after the bines die off, or in the late winter, or some other time? How do I store them until planting time? If I can take the whole crown, can I store it or must it be transplanted immediately like transplanting a shrub? Can you offer any other advice on taking hop plants with me when I move?

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  • This question is actually hypothetical. I'm not moving next year and I just planted my rhizomes this year. But I will be moving in a few years and do want to take my plants with me when I do.
    – JackSmith
    Commented Jun 20, 2010 at 12:49
  • So the answer is just move them and pray? I was hoping there was more info as Jacksmith laid out exactly what I want to do as well. I can't wait till winter so I'm taking them down during growing season. And I'll pray.
    – user13685
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 2:06

2 Answers 2

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I just waited until the winter and then dug up the entire rhizome for each plant (they were pretty big, it was a lot of digging). I separated the rhizome from the soil and put them in an open box in the new house's garage. It was cold in there, which I think is pretty key. I left them in my garage for around a month after the move because I didn't have time to plant them and hadn't made a space for it. My cat crapped on them while in the box too, but they started growing right there in the box I had them in-- lack of dirt and all. Like a potato that sprouts in the cupboard. That was 6 months ago. Planted them in the early spring and they're now flowering (see attached photo shot today).

Point being: they're pretty hardy plants. I think you can just dig the crown and go with the "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" mantra.

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    That's a pretty picture.
    – JackSmith
    Commented Jan 25, 2011 at 16:05
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Seeing how you have time I think you may want to think about burying a few feet of one bine. That will serve as growth for a good new rhizome. Then you dig it up and trim it into a few pieces for planting multiple plants after you move.

I don't remember all the details but a quick google search will help.

I think this might be easier than trying to dig up and save the entire crown.

There is a nice little self explanatory piece about this at FreshHops to check out.

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  • Thanks, but this isn't really what I was looking for. I know I can propagate rhizomes to take with me and it might be easier, but I'd like to know if I can avoid starting from scratch again, dealing with first-year bines and all that. If there's a way to take my established plants with me, that's what I'm after. Maybe they can be transferred to containers. Or maybe moved into burlap root balls once dormant in the fall...
    – JackSmith
    Commented Jun 28, 2010 at 15:18
  • The transplant will probably shock them somewhat even if you move the whole plant. There will be new soil chemistry for the plant to deal with and maybe even slightly different light cycles and moisture levels depending on where they are know vs. where they are in the future.
    – brewchez
    Commented Jun 28, 2010 at 19:14

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