Downy Mildew? Hop flowers turning brown

Hi guys, this is my first year growing hops in the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean.

Last week i noticed that a lot of the newly formed cones were turning brown and dying. I thought it was the hot weather or not watering the plants every day. Today i read that this might be the symptoms of Downy Mildew.
Could you have a look at the photos and tell me your thoughts? Thanks.

It looks like it could be. Do you see any powdery residue anywhere on the leaves? I'd start by pruning the effected areas. Have you applied any type of fungicide? It shouldn't kill the plant but it will affect your harvest if you don't treat it.

Thanks for your reply stokes.
It seems that most of the leaves have brown or white little spots, is this what you mean by powdery? I pruned a lot but it seems that most of the leaves and young hop flowers are affected, so i dont know if i could salvage them.
I have applied Vertimec and Dursban which i believe are insecticides, is there a specific fungicide that i could look for? Although there is no one growing hops in Cyprus, so i dont know if i could find a fungicide for hops. Its a petty, i was looking forward in harvesting my hops
Is there a solution i could make at home?

Thank you for you help

If it really is downy mildew, you should see large patches of yellow on some of your leaves. I do not see that in your pictures.

How hot is it there in Cyprus right now? To me, it looks like the hops are just aborting the buds due to stress.

Your plants shouldn't need watering every day. I water once per week, 2 gallons. Too much water can also be an issue.

tgmartin000 said:

Your plants shouldn't need watering every day. I water once per week, 2 gallons. Too much water can also be an issue.

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My plants would be toast if i watered them once a week.

You need to water them based on the soil, stick your finger in the dirt nearby...if its moist feeling your fine, if its dry all the way down you need to water....its not that difficult.

Its quite hot here(around 36C), but i think is Downy Mildew, i had a lot of yellow leaves and flowers that turned brown. I managed to find some fungicide and sprayed the plants.
I water them every one or 2 days, the soil gets very dry each day.
Hope the fungicide saves some of them...

FuzzeWuzze said:

My plants would be toast if i watered them once a week.

You need to water them based on the soil, stick your finger in the dirt nearby...if its moist feeling your fine, if its dry all the way down you need to water....its not that difficult.

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You might be surprised. I keep mine pretty well mulched, and even here in Denver where we're getting 100 degree heat I still don't water. The roots like to dry out between waterings.

Of course, my plants are second and third year, if they were first year than I'd water more.