Animals eating leaves?

[watermelon83]

I have two varieties of bines, planted within a few feet of each other. My Centennial has been stripped of it's leaves twice. Starting about a foot up the plant and up for about a foot. Once that section moved up about a foot and it happened again, same plant, same spot, same pattern.

the Centennial bine has two shoots, one about twice as long as the other. The shorter one is untouched, as are the leaves below the damaged portion. My Chinook bine has no damage whatsoever, so I think bugs are out. Are there critters that enjoy hop leaves?

 

[BeerFst]

Some of mine are similar, though I always assumed deer, but that doesnt explain why they gave up on the ones all the way at the bottom.

Mine also had some odd eating patters though, only the leaves on one side of the bine were eaten!

 

[watermelon83]

Some of mine are similar, though I always assumed deer, but that doesnt explain why they gave up on the ones all the way at the bottom.

Mine also had some odd eating patters though, only the leaves on one side of the bine were eaten!

It's crazy, right?? I live in the Midwest and I know a ton of hunters. I think I'm going to ask to borrow a stalker cam.

 

[CharlieJ]

A trail Camera is a good idea. I use mine for fun.

I am not sure if deer would eat the leaves but if they are eaten on one side and not the other, I could be deer foraging through as they usually just browse and move on. I assume the leaves which are eaten on the side they encounter first then move on to the next item of forage.

I'm not sure where you are located but if you had wild goats, they would probably eat everything. I am also not sure what other herbivores would be in your area but it makes sense to me that deer eat whatever is in front of their mouths which is why the stuff all the way at the ground goes untouched as well as anything too high. This time of year deer do not have to work too hard for food hence the reason the whole vine isn't stripped.

Hopefully you figure it out but Its my understanding you want the leaves removed for the first 3 feet anyhow.

 

[mesooohoppy]

We had a deer take a bite out of my cascade and spit it back out immediately. It was in a little bucket with rooting compound within an hour (still alive and rockin!). I know (for the most part) in my area the deers are not interested. We have deer roam through the property weekly.

Now, the aphids are another story. I have holes in my leaves and I'm starting to think they're aphids because of the ants I am seeing on my plants (I've heard they will 'colonize' the apids...?). I have also picked 2-3 hop cones off the vine because something has eaten part of it, causing it to dry up and fall apart. Can anyone confirm if aphids are doing the damage to the cones themselves? I did notice and ant or two inside the hop cone, but i was told ants don't actually do anything to the plant.

I hope that makes sense. I am on my phone.

 

[day_trippr]

Aphids don't chew, they suck, so holes or chewed edges are from something else.
But, yes, if you're seeing lots of ants there's a good chance they're farming aphids.

Left unchecked aphids will eventually infest the cones...

Cheers!

 

[mesooohoppy]

Thank you for the update. I actually caught a caterpillar in one of my hop cones yesterday. Needless to say, he is no longer with us.

What to do for aphids? Dilluted dish soap solution with a spray bottle?

 

[MaxStout]

If it started at 1 foot up, and only went up another foot, that doesn't sound like deer. Deer would eat it 6 feet up or more. Maybe rabbits.