How to recognize male and female flowers
Male flowers of the hops can be recognized by the flower panicles. These hang down long and are loosely structured. The seed threads ripen in it.
also read
- This is how you can tell whether hops are male or female
- Only female hop plants bear fruit
- How long does the flowering time of hops last?
Female flowers develop cone-shaped inflorescences that are somewhat reminiscent of spikes. These are umbellate flowers. The bracts of the female flower enlarge after fertilization and look like small, green cones before harvest.
Male hops are not wanted
Male hop plants are usually pulled up because they do not develop any usable fruit. In typical beer brewing areas, the breeding of male hops is even prohibited.
If it turns out during the flowering period that a male plant has been grown, it must be removed.
When female and male flowers mix, the fruit suffers. For example, there is no foam on the beer. The taste and the ingredients also change and make the fruit unusable.
When is the hops flowering time?
The hops bloom begins in June and can last until September. The fruits ripen very quickly and are ready for harvest from August.
Tips
As a crop, hops are not propagated by seeds. When sowing, there is no guarantee that a female plant will emerge with the desired qualities in terms of diseases and taste. Instead, propagation takes place via cuttings and root division.
