Help identifying problem

[ststephen5]

So a week or so ago I noticed some dark spots forming on one or two leaves on my Great Lake Hops Chinook crown. The spots have since turned into inner brown marks on the leaves and appears to be spreading. I have searched high and low on this forum for possible answers but having a tough time narrowing it down. My gut tell me it may be overwatering as I have a tendency to do that. Since going in the ground they have been watered every other day as its has been sunny and warm in Upstate NY lately and the plants are on the side of my garage under the soffits and therefore do not get rain. Soil was a good mixture of mushroom compost, top soil and sand. Drainage looks to be good. There are no bugs present and my plants have been hit preventively with and organic fungicide. As far as fertilizer, they were hit with fish fertilizer approx 2 weeks after going in the ground and a few weeks later I sprinkled both blood and bone meal around the plants. Today one of the newest sprouted bones has brown tips and all the lower portions of the all the vines are purple in color. Over fertilized perhaps? Anyone with similar issues or any thoughts on how i should proceed. my two other chinooks and three other cascades are good and happy. Problem chinook is growing however. Please give me some advice!

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

I would water every other day and watch the new growth. Pics would help.

 

[ststephen5]

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[Barley_Bob]

The 2010 Hop Handbook form the USDA should help. I would be worried about black root rot. Whatever your plant has, it looks to be in an early stage, so hopefully you will be able to correct it.

 

[ststephen5]

Yeah the 2010 Hop Handbook has been read twice trying to figure out what is happening. I hope is is not black root rot as my neighboring Chinook plants may be in jeopardy. Black Rot is hard to diagnose as the problem mostly exist underground and finding photos of subsequent leave damage seem to be alluding me. I will keep a close eye on the plant and update this thread as I'm sure it will help others. As of now I'm going to limit watering by watering only after doing the "finger test" to see if that helps. Any further advice from others on what the pictures show is most appreciated. My money is still on too much water but time will tell, fortunately, these little ****s are tough!

 

[Barley_Bob]

Yeah the 2010 Hop Handbook has been read twice trying to figure out what is happening. I hope is is not black root rot as my neighboring Chinook plants may be in jeopardy. Black Rot is hard to diagnose as the problem mostly exist underground and finding photos of subsequent leave damage seem to be alluding me. I will keep a close eye on the plant and update this thread as I'm sure it will help others. As of now I'm going to limit watering by watering only after doing the "finger test" to see if that helps. Any further advice from others on what the pictures show is most appreciated. My money is still on too much water but time will tell, fortunately, these little ****s are tough!

And it's still early summer. If watering is a problem, they should start to bounce back once you reduce the watering rate. You should also mulch the plants to help retain water and control soil temperature, which is really going to help your plants. I see you have wood chips down, which is good, but I think I would recommend adding some straw around the base of the plant straw in this case? When you do water, make sure you water slowly with the spout at the base of the plant and as early in the day as possible. Never water in the evening. The slow rate will help the soil absorb the water, but this is also going to prevent water from splashing up onto the underside of the leaves, which can lead to mold or mildew problems. If water does get on the leaves, watering early will allow them to dry quickly during the day. Best of luck, and let us know how they respond.

 

[ststephen5]

Thanks for the speedy advice which I will def take into consideration! Keep your fingers crossed for me and I will keep this thread updated for future reference to other hop growers and home brewers alike!