Anyone use Garlic Barrier or Neem Oil on hops?

I planted two rhizomes in an organic community garden this spring. Now that they're in the ground, I'm wondering what I should do to protect them from pests. Being organic - normal pesticides are a no-no.

Other members of the community garden are talking about using nematodes or diatomaceous earth(DE) on their crops. I'm familiar with those, and might go that route. I was reading about other options though, and came across Garlic Barrier and Neem Oil.

Has anyone used either of these on hops before? If so, how do they work? And do they affect the flavor/aroma of the hops at all?

I only use neem oil, works great 3 tbs per gallon every other week. Do not use it 2 weeks before harvest it give a garlicky tast to the hops. It also retains moisture on the plant. DE works great for ground pests but the mites and spiderers are usually not affected. Tried it last year and did not notice any real difference. Good luck!

Organic slug bait. Neem oil and DT (bacteria that kills caterpillars). Only thing I do not use is a copper based one (used for a fungicide). It can change the hop flavor profile once the stuff gets into the soil.

Crito said:

Organic slug bait...

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???

Thanks for the responses. I'm new to growing hops AND new to organic gardening in general. We'll see how it goes. I have some additional rhizomes planted in containers here at home. It will be interesting to see how the organic hops do, compared to the non-organic.

dmoore714 said:

I planted two rhizomes in an organic community garden this spring. Now that they're in the ground, I'm wondering what I should do to protect them from pests. Being organic - normal pesticides are a no-no.

Other members of the community garden are talking about using nematodes or diatomaceous earth(DE) on their crops. I'm familiar with those, and might go that route. I was reading about other options though, and came across Garlic Barrier and Neem Oil.

Has anyone used either of these on hops before? If so, how do they work? And do they affect the flavor/aroma of the hops at all?

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Will you please keep me in the loop on this? This is my exact question as well.

dmoore714 said:

???

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Sluggo is a brand name, it is OMRI listed. But honestly, as a brewer, beer traps are easily set without having to buy beer. If I have an old beer or dumper it goes for slug bait. I use a combination of beer traps, Sluggo, and handpicking at night to keep the slugs at bay. I did not find DE effective either myself. Has something been eating them or is this speculative? In my experience gardening organically, I have found it always helps to identify the pests so that you can apply the least harmful method of control. I don't have a good place to grow hops though so I can't advise specifically what may attack them and what is best to use. If you were to use neem oil, it is suggested to use it in the late evening after the bees and other pollinators are done as it can harm them (early morning too.)

I think Crito meant BT (Bacillus thurengiensis) which works good against things like cabbage moths. It does not work on slugs but is a useful organic measure, especially on brassicas.