Help Please. Hop Plant Dying

[Rendomike]

I've looked through quite a few already existing threads and over the past couple weeks have tried methods suggested before posting this. First year plants, this hop plant is Cascade, my other being Northern Brewer. The NB is not showing the same symptoms as you can see in the last picture, but also does not have any signs of hops.

First, I know I definitely have bug eating the leaves, but I'm not sure that is what is killing the plant. It started with leaves dying on the bottom of the plant as you can see in the first photo. I attributed this to the plant devoting resources to the upper half, as that is around the same time hops started to show.

Now, almost every leaf on the plant is browning, along with multiple dead leaves throughout the plant. This is shown in the other photos. I use Miracle Grow plant food once a week, along with watering every other day. The weather right now is warmer and drier than usual for British weather.

Edit: Also, looking at the upper leaves, the ones dying seem to be more black than brown. I also found three brown and white caterpillars which I pulled off.

 

[Rendomike]

Anyone? Worried because I have an amazing amount of hops budding for being a first year plant and even some of them have turned brown. My regular camera broke and the cell pics just don't capture the browning of the buds very well.

 

[Rendomike]

Still interested in advice, but I'm now thinking it may be downy mildew. No clue what to do about it that doesn't involve spraying chemicals all over my hops. I pulled off most of the leaves which appear to be dying.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

My plants are beginning to brown and getting ready to die (hibernate). They have already been harvested, but otherwise the browning looks the same as yours. I am in SoCal so my growing season is kind of early. May its just their time? Is the browning plant the same as the one that is still budding?

 

[Thanks_Yeasties]

This article suggests using a baking soda and water mixture for downy mildew:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/natural-remedy-downy-mildew-plants-44863.html

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

The bottom leaves will die off its a part of the lifecycle, honestly i'd cut back the MG and see if that helps. Its not downy mildew i am almost positive, from the research i did online that has a very distinct pattern on the leafs im just not seeing in yours.

Like this

http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/CID/PLANT_HEALTH/Pages/powdery_mildew_hops.aspx

I also had a quite a few of my burr's brown and die, but mostly at the bottom of the plant.
But all of the plants are producing nicely now.

 

[Rendomike]

My plants are beginning to brown and getting ready to die (hibernate). They have already been harvested, but otherwise the browning looks the same as yours. I am in SoCal so my growing season is kind of early. May its just their time? Is the browning plant the same as the one that is still budding?

Yes, the cascade plant is the one budding. The Northern Brewer has a few leaves at the bottom turning with the rest of the plant looking great, no buds.

We had a very late summer here, so that may have messed with the life cycle. I've been reading though most hop farmers here don't harvest until September.

 

[Thanks_Yeasties]

FuzzyWuzze could be right, downy mildew is different than powder mildew and perhaps other types(?). I have dealt with powder mildew before but it was long ago and involved milk, natural dish soap and a water mix to stop it from spreading. I have never dealt with downey I was just going from what you believed it was, I would do some more research into what you believe it to be before treating or you may just be wasting your time. There is plenty of good gardening info out there about these mildews that should help you identify what the problem is using some key characteristics if you do some googling.

 

[Rendomike]

FuzzyWuzze could be right, downy mildew is different than powder mildew and perhaps other types(?). I have dealt with powder mildew before but it was long ago and involved milk, natural dish soap and a water mix to stop it from spreading. I have never dealt with downey I was just going from what you believed it was, I would do some more research into what you believe it to be before treating or you may just be wasting your time. There is plenty of good gardening info out there about these mildews that should help you identify what the problem is using some key characteristics if you do some googling.

Thanks everyone for the help. I'll just keep trying different things. Hoping to get enough to make a batch of harvest ale and will be thankful for just that.