The rhizome was well-packaged and moist when it arrived. I kept it in the fridge for a couple of weeks until the last freeze was passed, and then planted it in my "hop garden". From the picture, you can see the rhizome has grown to a height of about 2 feet in the six weeks since it was planted. It broke the surface of the soil in a little less than 3 weeks. The Northern Brewer hop in the foreground is a 2nd-year plant, and is already over 18 feet. My other second-year hops are doing about as well. First-year plants will yield a good crop, but as they become more established, they will yield more. I got about 1 pound of wet hops from each of three first-year plants last year (about 4 ounces dried per plant). One plant did not survive (Zeus), and it was replaced this year with the Comet rhizome.