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I was walking my dog along the river today and saw what I thought were hops growing wild...now I planted hops this year and they're growing well but these had buds on and were doing much better than mine and I'd like them to make a sleeping pillow for a friend.

Sorry I know I waffle - I smelt them (they strangely smelt really strong and maybe of garlic? I've looked up some pics and it looks like they are hops.

Any hints how I can tell and could I use some for seeds or for drying???

Thanks in advance

Can you get a pic VS?

I'm sure that would help.

Hops ... now there's a subject I know a little about.
I was involved in hop production for the first 30 years of my life, literally from birth as my mother took me "hop training" when I was 9 months old and every year after until I went to school.
Then hop picking every September until I left school only to get a job in the hop industry.
All commercial hop varieties originate from the wild hop of southern England and differ very little from the wild ones, so are good for beer making or hop pillows.
Identifying hops from their smell alone is a doddle if you've smelt them before, but if not and you have a pretty good idea what they look like, pick one cone and pull off one petal. It should have bright greeny yellow powder at the base and if you put some on your tongue it should taste extremely bitter. That powder is lupulin and is the sole reason hops are grown.
Drying hops is easy, just put the picked ones (no leaves) in a warm airy place and turn occasionally until crispy dry .. and that's it.
See ... I can waffle as good as you

Odsox I have one hop plant and I think its male. I read somewhere you use roots to propergate the plants....do you know where I might get some female plants..?

healer wrote:Odsox I have one hop plant and I think its male. I read somewhere you use roots to propergate the plants....do you know where I might get some female plants..?

Yes you can easily propagate from root cuttings, but if you do that from your male plant you will get more males ... and no hops.
I no longer live in Kent, so out of the loop now, but you can certainly buy seed, here for instance ... http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/vines.htm (and they export)

root cuttings are far and away the easiest method of propogating hopps - i have done it several times. Pieces about 6 inches long with a coupple of nodes to sprout from will work best.

frozenthunderbolt - I'll just pop over to you and pick some up, ok?

healer wrote:frozenthunderbolt - I'll just pop over to you and pick some up, ok?

No worries, If you can get here, then get the cuttings out through customs you are more than welcome to a few Meters of root!

Belated thanks will take a photo next time I'm at the river!