Hops: Good or bad to use as general fertilizer?

**rustylady** · 14-06-2013, 10:50 AM

Some advice on using spent hops:

Spent hops are regarded mainly as humus suppliers and are used in the preparation of ground for planting and also for mulching established plants. The best results are obtained when they are incorporated thoroughly with the top 15cm (6in) of soil at the rate of 5kg (101b) per square meter (yard) during the winter. For mulching purposes spent hops are very effective in keeping down weeds and retaining soil moisture in shrub borders and soft fruit plots, provided the ground is covered really thickly. If you apply a layer 10-15cm (4-6in) thick it will last for two years before rotting noticeably. The material gives off an objectionable odour after application but this usually disappears after 2-3 weeks. Although spent hops are slightly more acid than most soils they are used with great success for practically all trees and shrubs except for some of the outstanding lime-requiring plants.

Taken from this site Hops and Mushrooms as compost manure

**jamesanddee** · 14-06-2013, 10:55 AM

Many thanks for the sage advice

I will indeed be using it as a mulch etc.

**alldigging** · 14-06-2013, 12:08 PM

I don't think they smell bad either. The ones I get have a nice almost lemony beery smell.

They work as a mulch and as a layer in the compost bin if you have too many.
I used them last year round peas as a mulch and they worked well - they don't blow away, help keep weeds down and keep the soil protected.

I've got some on top of cardboard at the moment and under as layers in lasagna beds.

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Hops: Good or bad to use as general fertilizer?

Hops: Good or bad to use as general fertilizer?

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