Hops Success:Soil pH, Irrigation Water & Bicarbonates
Research-backed pH management for profitable hops production
Hops are sensitive to soil pH and water quality — and your irrigation water could be quietly undermining your hop yard's productivity and cone quality season after season.
At CTC Waterworks, we've helped hop growers optimize their water quality for 40+ years. This guide explains why your irrigation water pH matters for hops, what research shows, and how sulfur burners can protect your soil, enhance your cone quality, and maximize your profits.
1: Ideal Soil pH for Hops
"Hops grow best in well-drained soils with a slightly acidic pH between 6.0 and 6.5. As soil pH rises, the availability of iron, manganese, and other micronutrients can decrease, leading to chlorosis and poor growth."
If you're irrigating with water high in bicarbonates, your soil pH can drift higher season after season — forcing you to spend more on soil amendments to keep your bines healthy and your cones filled.
2: Risk of High Bicarbonates in Irrigation
Think of bicarbonates as tiny pH "elevators" in your water. When you irrigate with high-bicarbonate water, these compounds slowly but steadily raise soil pH. It's like adding lime to your hop yard, drop by drop, season after season. Even if your soil pH starts in the optimal range, alkaline irrigation water can gradually push it above the sweet spot for hop production.
"Water high in bicarbonate and carbonate levels can cause pH drift, infiltration problems, and soil crusting, which is especially important for perennial crops like hops that are irrigated through the season."
Most well and canal water in the Yakima Valley can easily test above 120 ppm bicarbonates — acidification helps keep your root zone stable and your fertilizer dollars working for you.
3: Impact on Drip & Microirrigation
"Microirrigation systems used in hops are vulnerable to plugging by mineral precipitates formed by carbonates and bicarbonates. Routine water quality testing and acidification are important to maintain system efficiency."
A plugged drip line means stressed bines, uneven growth, and more disease risk. Inline sulfur burners break down bicarbonates safely before they can plug your system.
❌ High-Bicarbonate Water Problems:
- • Clogged drip emitters
- • Uneven water distribution
- • Stressed hop bines
- • Inconsistent cone development
✅ With pH Management:
- • Clean, efficient emitters
- • Uniform water application
- • Healthy, vigorous bines
- • Consistent cone quality
4: PNW Insight — Yakima Region
"Irrigation water quality varies widely in the Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin. High bicarbonate levels are a common concern and can lead to soil pH creep and nutrient tie-up over time."
Even though hops are not tree fruit, they share the same water source — so the same risk applies. Monitoring bicarbonates and using inline acidification protects your soil pH sweet spot.
5: Bonus: Bicarbonate Threshold
"When irrigation water contains more than 120 ppm bicarbonates, acidification is recommended to prevent soil pH increase and infiltration decline."
If your water's above this threshold, you risk wasting nutrients and seeing soil conditions decline — sulfur burners keep your drip system clean and your soil pH where hops thrive.
Why Choose CTC Sulfur Burners for Hops:
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