Hops not looking healthy

[NitrogenWidget]

Im growing Crystal as well. Mine are huge ,cones are from 1 -1 1/2 inches long and plump. I devised a 55 gallon plastic barrel into a drip system. I fill the barrel every day and it distributes to 4 different hops plants. I fertilize about every other week(water soluble, 8-4-12)...Im probably a couple weeks from harvesting actually so Im excited.
Where are you located . When did you plant them and how tall are your plants? That could be anything. I did notice I had a few japanese beetles on mine but I think the birds keep them picked off pretty good. On only my Hallertauer I have some sort of caterpillar that Im trying to identify.

I came back from a week vacation at the Lake to find a few leaves dead. it was a hot dry week. good for me. not the hops.
but, i've got plenty of side arms on the top 7-10 ft with fuzzy flowers and teeny tiny cones. I think. they are at the top of the 18ft bines and my eyes arn't what they used to be.
I'm outside Buffalo, NY and they are my first plants but 2nd yr plants from GLH.

I think i've been lucky. I caught a few beetles munching in the early morning and sprayed them with insecticidal soap.
I'm in raised beds and water a half gallon daily when it doesn't rain a few days and give them nitrogen miracal grow every week but not a full dose.

though, I have some bines 5 ft up that are just gone. like I cut the ends off and I have zero idea what the heck got to them.
One plant lost it's top and it started to side arm back in june so I trained the biggest sidearm up the wire and it came back.

they grow like weeds.
so again, I feel lucky here.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Located west New Hampshire. The plants are only 2-3 feet and I planted them mid May.

so are the ones I planted at my mom's next to her tomato plants.
she has plastic on the ground though and they are surrounded by that.
I think not enough water?
I don't know.

next yr i'm putting them in raised beds.
they look healthy.
just small.

 

[Jako]

Plants are super light dependent. If the plants don't get sun at certain times if the day it could think it's in a different season. A bit of stretch but an idea.

 

[Soulshine2]

Im sure it has everything to do with all kinds of things...soil , light exposure and water/nutrients.
I still am more than amazed that I planted mine as rhizomes with only but one or 2 shoots each and theyve grown as they have giving me way more hops in their first season than I ever expected.
They get full sun from 7 am to almost all day ,maybe 6pm .
I started with a simple mound of soil that used to be what I think was either a horse or some sort of small farm livestock running/grazing/turnout. I added commercially available composted cow manure (Black Gold) and mushroom compost. After that I added and keep a soil conditioner on it as mulch that my son got from where he used to work -composted wood chips /sawdust from a lumber mill (Evergreen Forest Products)
I designed the crude drip system from a plastic 55 gallon barrel that sits in a cradle and feeds out to each mound with simple cpvc and garden hose tentacles . I fill the barrel in the morning and it drips all day /8 hrs ..so about 12 gallons per plant all day . Every other week I add 1/2 a package of miracle grow to the water barrel . It seems like a lot but theyve all gone crazy .
My lateral cable support experiment has worked out to be a very good idea. I can inspect everything from ground level , no ladders needed.
Only issue Ive had is these caterpillars.

 

[Dland]

I planted eight varieties 2 years ago, all in the same growing conditions. Three are doing great, three doing OK, one just holding on, and one did not make it.

They have not had the best of care, but am a landscaper by trade, so I kind of know what's up with plants. I think there is a lot of variation in how different varieties do in different geographic locations and growing conditions.

 

[Soulshine2]

I planted eight varieties 2 years ago, all in the same growing conditions. Three are doing great, three doing OK, one just holding on, and one did not make it.

They have not had the best of care, but am a landscaper by trade, so I kind of know what's up with plants. I think there is a lot of variation in how different varieties do in different geographic locations and growing conditions.

We have a similar background then. I have an AAS degree in Horticulture(Landscaping / Turfgrass Management). I have room for more . Since this year went so well, I'll be looking to add a couple more next year.

 

[Soulshine2]

so are the ones I planted at my mom's next to her tomato plants.
she has plastic on the ground though and they are surrounded by that.
I think not enough water?
I don't know.

next yr i'm putting them in raised beds.
they look healthy.
just small.

give them each a 5 ft space and feed them well. Keep them evenly and consistently moist but not sitting in water. Proper soil drainage .

 

[Genuine]

Is your producing cones yet? A friend's plants are and mine haven't even produce one as of yet.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Some kind of caterpillar... I don’t think soapy water is going to penetrate the web. I cut out what I could reach. This a a centennial appears they like it the best.

 

[nh_homebrew]

found four on these on my hop plant. This must be what is eating them.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

^^^ ugly!

 

[Jako]

mine are taking a real turn for the worst, starting to not grow and look very sickly. much like the pictures i posted. but at the top now.

 

[Jako]

View attachment 639792
Some kind of caterpillar... I don’t think soapy water is going to penetrate the web. I cut out what I could reach. This a a centennial appears they like it the best.

man look at the cones on that one... think mine are going to die out with about 1/4 inch of growth on the cones.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

This is a third year plant, if I recall. Last year most of my hops didn’t look as good because of weather patterns. This year I had a wet spring and did not even feed them. I also didn’t have this infestation of eastern comas. I guess they approve too, lol. I had seen the adults flittering around my nuggets the day I discovered the webs etc. The good news is even when the plant looks unhealthy what is happening underground if it isn’t too wet, will be stronger for next year.

http://wncveggies.blogspot.com/2010/05/hops-pest-eastern-comma-butterfly.html

 

[Schlenkerla]

It definitely looks like mites...

This is what I am doing just sprayed it all down with garden safe bug killer. I had a fungicide/ mite killer. I also used a kills on contact bug killer all over the plant. Now I will cut away all the bad looking leaves. Looks like the bugs are mostly on one bine right now. I will add pictures soon

I think baking soda and water is a good organic spray. I don't know the ratios. I have a hop book I can check if you want the info. I used that and early on before the cones grew I would make a fertilizer tea. Also organic. Then spray the leaves and bines. I never had bugs or downy mildew. I lived in Des Moines Iowa at the time. I grew cascade and nugget.

I also used a zap-tap lauter tun filled with fertilizer and used it to water my bines. I'd fill it with water and let it slow drip/dribble water into the center of the plant. They would get a lot of nutrient this way. The root cutting was at ground level but covered with a mound of black dirt and mulch. This provided good drainage. Underneath the root was 50lbs of black dirt and fertilizer mix

A zap-tap lauter tun is a nested bucket set. In this arrangement the top bucket is drilled with holes to create a false bottom. Then you jam a 3/8 hose into a 1/4 drilled hole in the bottom bucket. No fittings are required. It drains like a mash tun would. No stuck sparges... The shït runs right through it. - LoL

 

[Jako]

I think baking soda and water is a good organic spray. I don't know the ratios. I have a hop book I can check if you want the info. I used that and early on before the cones grew I would make a fertilizer tea. Also organic. Then spray the leaves and bines. I never had bugs or downy mildew. I lived in Des Moines Iowa at the time. I grew cascade and nugget.

I also used a zap-tap lauter tun filled with fertilizer and used it to water my bines. I'd fill it with water and let it slow drip/dribble water into the center of the plant. They would get a lot of nutrient this way. The root cutting was at ground level but covered with a mound of black dirt and mulch. This provided good drainage. Underneath the root was 50lbs of black dirt and fertilizer mix

A zap-tap lauter tun is a nested bucket set. In this arrangement the top bucket is drilled with holes to create a false bottom. Then you jam a 3/8 hose into a 1/4 drilled hole in the bottom bucket. No fittings are required. It drains like a mash tun would. No stuck sparges... The shït runs right through it. - LoL

Very cool do you have any pictures? I am about to add some of my sick baby

 

[Jako]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/D6Tj7CBdP3XskMNW6

It's like the plant is in two different stages.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Very cool do you have any pictures? I am about to add some of my sick baby

Pictures...Starting with this. As my hop growing started 20 years ago. Any pictures I have are 10 years old.

Nutrient Deficiency....

 

[Schlenkerla]

... see the top highlighted section. Using Soap for Bug Control.

 

[Schlenkerla]

.... See the bottom highlighted section. Manure Tea for general disease control.

 

[Schlenkerla]

.... See top highlighted section. Using baking soda for Fungal Control.

 

[Schlenkerla]

These pictures are from this book...

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-h...G7gaAlaXEALw_wcB#isbn=1580170102&idiq=6350195

 

[Schlenkerla]

Let me know if you need something specific... I will try find any excerpts in this book.

I'd check the nutrient deficiency table first.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Charlie Papazian Zap-tap Lauter Tun..... This is from The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.

Try this to make hop manure tea. You need something like this so you don't have particulate matter that would clog your sprayer.

.

 

[Jako]

Charlie Papazian Zap-tap Lauter Tun..... This is from The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.

Try this to make hop manure tea. You need something like this so you don't have particulate matter that would clog your sprayer.

.View attachment 640151

thank you for the help, i am going to go out tomorrow and get a good look at it all. hopefully i can take all this and have a great year next season. maybe bring it back a bit and have something for my work.

 

[madscientist451]

Some kind of caterpillar... I don’t think soapy water is going to penetrate the web. I cut out what I could reach. This a a centennial appears they like it the best.

I believe they are called tent caterpillars they seem to have up and down cycles around here, you'll see them on trees in the woods. If you don't get rid of them, they will spread and eat every leaf off of the tree/plant they are on.
One year I ignored them and they completely defoliated my apple tree.
It would probably be best to cut the hop plant off where the tent caterpillars are.
When I see them, I spray 'em with wasp/hornet killer, poke the tent mass with a stick and spray them some more. They are all dead in a short time. I then cut the branch off that has the tent and burn it or otherwise get rid of it.
The caterpillars return to the "tent" when it starts getting dark, so wait until then so you catch them all in one place.
Your hop plant will grow back after cutting it off, just give it some water and composted cow manure.
Next year, check your plants often for bugs. Sevin spray or something similar will control bugs before they get too numerous.
Rph guy, your photos look like chlorosis, as someone has already noted. This is sometimes caused by too much water or but it could be an issue with your soil nutrients or the soil PH.
I'm having a similar problem with vegetables I'm trying to grow in containers.
I believe I should have added some pelletized lime to the potting mix.
We've had a lot of rainy days around here June/July and my G/F insists on watering the potted plants every single day. Now that its dried out and warmed up the last few weeks the problem is reduced somewhat.
Look for a product called Iron-tone in your local hardware store, Walmart doesn't usually have it.
I used it and it made a difference.
There are you tube videos that describe chlorosis.

 

[Jako]

I have a Plot twist. my house sold and we a moving in 3 weeks... we planned on renting back but they said get out now or no deal. so i have to move in with the in laws until our house is done. do i harvest early or pull down the hops and tie them up in a tree for a few weeks?

 

[sakeyfour]

View attachment 639909 found four on these on my hop plant. This must be what is eating them.

A bunch of these caterpillars decimated my cascade hops down to just bines in the week I was gone camping. I have been picking and squishing like crazy to save the northern Brewer on the other side of the house.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I want to burn these with fire... instead I removed the leaves and put them in soapy water.

These Fuggle cones are almost ready and the plant is free of tent caterpillars, thankfully.