How many bines are okay? What critters are these?

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eulipion2

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Hello,
Two questions:
1.) I've planted two Centennial rhizomes this year. One of them has one very long bine and two that are less than 2" tall, while the other has 3 bines, one a little longer, but all are long enough to reach my pole (they're climbing bamboo). All three of these are shorter than the bine from the first rhizome. Which is the more ideal situation, the one big bine or the three shorter ones? Will I get more flowers on the three?

2.) My hops have little, bright red bugs on them. Tiny, about the size of a pinhead. Trying to do some research it looks like they could be red velvet mites. These bugs are very common in West Virginia, and I remember them being just about everywhere growing up, but I'm still not sure what they are. I'd have a picture but I don't really know how to upload to the site. Does anyone in the region have similar pests, do you know what they are, and can they hurt my hops?

Thanks
 
Can't comment on the mites, but the answer to question one is to let them all grow. The greenage will fuel the growth underground. Train what you can, and let the rest stand tall. If you get a harvest this year, good on ya', but letting them go this year should yield a decent one next year.
 
Three is a good number. The small ones will catch up eventually. One is risky, four is too many for the first year's root system. Don't expect many cones, regardless. The first year is for root building.

Mites of any kind are a problem. Most of them live by sucking juices from the leaves. The Twospotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae) is a common problem in the mid-West. A dusting with sulfur will stop many of them, unless there is a lot of webbing.
 
seems to say they are totally harmless to plants. They are parasitic and live off other, more nasty, bugs in the soil. They come out after rains. Unless you see them damaging your plants, leave them be. Bugs can be our friends in the garden.
 
Tiny and red? Those are mites and aren't good for your plants.
Pick up a bag of Lady Bugs at your local plant supply shop and put them to work. It can be fun to watch.
 
Tiny and red? Those are mites and aren't good for your plants.

How do you know they are mites? From the data provided by the poster and some online research, they do not appear to be spider mites.

Most bugs are NOT BAD. They are part of the eco-system. We need all the parts for the system to work right. To simply run out and find something to kill a bug before you know what it is and if it is bad is not good practice.

Kind of like invading a country because they MIGHT have WMD.
 
Kind of like invading a country because they MIGHT have WMD.

Sounds like a helluva good idea to me, especially if the leader is a known mass murderer.
Same thing with the mites.Shut 'em down, let the al-mite-ey sort 'em out :rockin:
 
I'm in Iraq now, and even though it sucks here. Trust me we're doing good for these people and seeing the people here thank me and salute me (they don't know any better) makes me feel like at least we're doing something right.
 
so yeah I say get the ladybugs and some popcorn and have some fun. My mom has been complaining about the tomato plants on her side of the garden getting eaten up. I told her when I get back I'd get some bugs to take care of it.
 
How do you know they are mites? From the data provided by the poster and some online research, they do not appear to be spider mites.

Most bugs are NOT BAD. They are part of the eco-system. We need all the parts for the system to work right. To simply run out and find something to kill a bug before you know what it is and if it is bad is not good practice.

Kind of like invading a country because they MIGHT have WMD.

What can I say? Pinhead sized bright red bugs? Sounds like something I've had before. They turned out to be mites.

Going from mites to WMDs? :rolleyes:

Good thing I didn't recommend a chemical pesticide.
 
I'm in Iraq now, and even though it sucks here. Trust me we're doing good for these people and seeing the people here thank me and salute me (they don't know any better) makes me feel like at least we're doing something right.

I don' wanna let this thread wander too far, but want to say THANK YOU for your service to our nation and freedom.
 
I don' wanna let this thread wander too far, but want to say THANK YOU for your service to our nation and freedom.

Thanks from me too for being there in Iraq and take care so you can come home and brew really good beer.
:mug:
 
How do you know they are mites? From the data provided by the poster and some online research, they do not appear to be spider mites.

Most bugs are NOT BAD. They are part of the eco-system. We need all the parts for the system to work right. To simply run out and find something to kill a bug before you know what it is and if it is bad is not good practice.

Kind of like invading a country because they MIGHT have WMD.

Wow...didn't realize introducing a native species of bug was going to turn the eco-system upside down. Must be the global warming.
 
They could be red spider mites (BAD) or red predatory mites (GOOD)

The quick way to tell them apart is the spider mites will be clumped together near the growth end or tips and under the leaves, and don't move much or do it slowly when disturbed.

The predatory mites are fast and always on the move looking for other bugs to eat. If you have swarms of fast moving red dots, they are doing you a favor and will eat the spider mites if they find them.

If its spider mites, find a vegi garden safe bug spray or safers soap.

:mug:
 
Hey thanks for all the support guys. Also count thanks for the pm although I'm not army but air force I still agree. Those soldiers and marines work hard every day to keep me safe and they deserve all the thanks in the world. So I wanted to share a funny story. I called home to check on my friends. One of my friends had said he wanted to help grow some hops so I got him 10 fuggle rhizomes and they sat in my fridge for a while before he finally found time to help me plant them. Since they sat in the fride so long we planted 2 rhizomes per mound to assure growth. Well long story short I called last week and he said the hops were taking over the back yard. He said you could tell where weeds had grown next to the hops and they had coiled up with them and ripped from the ground since the hops grew upwards so fast. lol I laughed at that. Then he said they were infested with ladybugs. I quickly informed him ladybugs were good and to leave them. He said oh trust me I know I watched them eat other bugs for a good 5 minutes the other day. Well I thought that might ammuse some of you. Hope everything goes well.
 
Setting aside all the political BS, do your hop leaves look wilted or discolored or feel dry and paper-like despite being adequately watered? If so, does it only seem to be occurring on those plants or leaves on which you've found the little bugs? If this is the case, I think it's safe to say that the bugs are damaging your plants and it's time to open up a can (or spray bottle) of whoop-ass on them.
 
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