Joshua Atkins

Student Cal 2
Vice President, El Dorado Natural Resources Club
561 Canal St
Placerville, CA 95667
October 4th 2016
Total Amount Requested $262.90

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension

Initiative

A. The El Dorado Natural Resources program is a unique program which allows

students such as myself to get real life scientific training and education in the fields of
science that most relate to nature. The Natural Resources program has been in existence
in El Dorado High School since 2008, founded by several science teachers. Their mission
is to educate students about the world around them in a more comprehensive and
applicable format. Students interact with the natural world through more projects and
experiments that work to teach how nature works.
B. The purpose of this study will be to research the growth patterns of hops in a
greenhouse versus those grown outside. Within those two main variables, there will be
two others those being the soil the rhizomes will be planted into, commercial potting soil
and O and A horizon soil from the East Campus. All of these variables will have 2 or
more hop rhizomes grown to ensure a viable sample group. The groups are small in
number due to the lack of sufficient space to house more hops in the greenhouse even
with trellising it up into the rafters, because of their rapid growth rate. The space and
amount of hops can be increased in future years as this is a trial. My hypothesis is that
the group in potting soil inside the greenhouse will grow very well due to a loamy soil
structure generally found within common potting soil. The moderated artificial climate
generated within the greenhouse will result in optimum growth.
The justification for this project is that the potential finding could be used by breweries
and those who produce hops for use as incense to produce a larger quantity of hops due to
a year-round growing season. The potential of this experiment to increase the overall
yield of hops would save time and money thus creating a surplus of hops and more profit
for potential companies and a drop in price for the consumer of such products as beer and
incense.
I have experience growing hops. Last summer I tilled the soil, acquired the hops, and
grew them from rhizomes. I am contributing them to the project I also have a mentor
whom has been growing cascade hops for a number of years now and has a great deal of
information to provide in assistance.
The hops project before us set up the latticing up in the field however the irrigation failed
and they failed to pass the project on to the future classes. This project will distinguish
itself from theirs through thorough marketing to the junior class and thus ensure it
continues for many years.
C. I am requesting funds for the following needs:Potting soil will be used for a
variable in the experiment, hops as the variable being tested, spigots as a part of the
irrigation overhaul we are doing in order to ensure proper water flow to hops, soil test
kits to keep the nutrient levels equal to the best of our knowledge, glue to fix irrigation
piping together, irrigation attachments to act as intermediaries between different piping,
pipe to provide water flow, irrigation timer to ensure precise water distribution even when
we are not there, Organic fertilizer to keep nutrient levels up and equal.

D. We will know the project is a success when we find the numbers that either prove
or disprove our hypothesis, and whether the hops dormancy period can be reliably
bypassed to increase yield.
E. The grant will be publicized through t-shirts with all contributors on the back.
F. The project is ongoing and will require minimal funds. As such any funds that are
available in the NR ASB for general use can be requested due to such a small amount, as
well as future fundraising. These will include selling the hops to apothecaries and
breweries that are in the area and selling the cuttings of the rhizomes to the public and
breweries.
 G. This project will go on if this only gets partial funding. Funding that will be
applied for besides this one are other grants, for instance, those that are registered for
school garden growth as well as fundraising opportunities such as Christmas tree sales.