ABushman

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Hey everybody.

I’ve got a question about who’s eating my hop leaves! (I don’t suspect anybody on the forum – but you never know!). Anyway, my plants have been in the ground for almost two weeks now, and are one to two inches tall. Yesterday, they had leaves – today they are bare stalks! Do rabbits and/or ground squirrels like hops? That’s the only likely suspects in this neck of the woods. If so, I guess I need to put up some wire mesh. Any ideas or thoughts?
Thanks!

Allen

mstev50

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Wire mesh! Those varmints don't want you to brew! I lost about 4 feet of a cascade last year to some sneaky rodent.

blackwaterbrewer

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+1 on the cage. like its less legally tolerated relative, critters love it!!

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david_42

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Most likely slugs. I've never seen any fur critter eat hop plants and I live in a very rural area.

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ABushman

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Well, further investigation exonerated both the rabbits and the squirrels (and the slugs). It turns out that yesterday, when I checked the plants, it was cold, windy, and overcast. Today, it was warm(er), calm, and sunny. And guess what - the stalks once again have leaves! I guess I wouldn't make it as a botanist. I didn't know hops reacted to the weather conditions like that, but the more I think about it, the more I appreciate these little plants.

Thanks though for all of your comments!

Allen

jgardner6

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I have a problem with deer. They eat everything they can find.

killian

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leave out a glass of beer (any B.M.C) for the slugs, I have heard they are attracted to beer.

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ABushman

Recipes 

Thanks for all of your suggestions and comments. In retrospect, I don't believe it was a rodent problem at all, just inexperience on my part.

However, that brings me to another question. Of the four plants that I have in the ground, three have sprouted nice healthy leafy stalks. The fourth though, has two stalks coming up. Should I cull one, or allow them both to grow? Will a second vine take extra water, nutrition, etc? Any comments?

killian

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train both bines!

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upnext: Tripel, Belgian dark strong, IRA, Marzen, brett–2 strains, Flanders, Barley wine, Columbus Pale, Hop burst

damn I gotta brew something

JarrodH

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The little rolly polly's have been going after my zuchinni like crazy and they cruise around my hops, but I havent seen them on the leaves yet trying to eat them. Last year at my old house I did have some small bugs eating the leaves when they were close to the ground, but once the hops grew up a foot or so they stopped eating the leaves.