Hop cones disappeared

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held79

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I have a 1st yr plant that I was excited to see had several cones forming. I've been keeping an eye out for bugs and noticed one day all the cones, and some leaves, were gone. It looks like something cut the stems. I found 5 short fat green worms I picked off and fed to the fish but the cones didn't vanish until a few days later. Any ideas?
 
It's possible that a deer stood up on its hind legs to reach them. Were any cones lower on the plant eaten?
 
I've seen birds steal the cones. Could also be that you only found 5 of many green worms. I've had deer pass through my yard without stopping for hops.
 
samc said:
I've seen birds steal the cones. Could also be that you only found 5 of many green worms. I've had deer pass through my yard without stopping for hops.
Click to expand...

I have a robins nest in one of mine, and it's the one with the most cones. They don't seem to be interested in the hops, other than to build the nest.

I'm sure there are plenty more worms than just the 5 found. That's probably where the cones are going.

And samc, the reason the deer didn't stop for the hops is because they're waiting for you to make beer with it. :drunk:
 
held79 said:
I considered that. I would hate to see the deer that could reach up to 7' +.
Click to expand...

Most deer are quite capable of feeding standing on their legs, but I've never had a problem with them eating my hops. Too busy stripping the apple trees.
 
All the cones were gone from about 5'-11'. Those heights are a rough guess. The cones were only about the size of a pea, if that big.
 
Definitely not deer at 11'. Has it been windy lately? The lower cones and leaves would be drier and more likely to snap off. 25-30 knots would do it.
 

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