Hops ready for harvest? Or are they dying?--any advice?

[likeybikey]

This is the second year for my Cascade hop vine. Last year here in Baltimore we harvested in September. This year, the better-established plant has grown like mad and we have a vine full of hops and it's only the last day of June.

I guess my first question is, is it possible that I'll harvest more than one time this summer? The hop cones don't quite have the dry springy-ness that they had when I harvested last fall, but they're not far from it.

And the hops on the south side of the vine are actually browning a bit. This is occurring in the middle portion of the vine, and some of the leaves in this section are also turning a bit brown/yellow. Maybe it's not that they are ready for picking, maybe there's something wrong. It has rained a decent amount lately--too much water? It's been pretty hot lately--too much heat? Or maybe a lack of some nutrient--although the majority of the vine looks good (other than seeming to be ahead of schedule).

I've included 4 photos demonstrating the hops and leaves that concern me. The last photo shows some hops on the same vine that are doing well.

Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

the leaves look like they might have some aphids if they are getting plenty of water.
the hops in pics 3, 4 look past the point they should have been picked at based on color, though I believe lack of water or aphids might dry them out faster.

 

[likeybikey]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't see any pests previously, but since my original post the problem has spread, and today I did see some little black dots that may be aphids. There is some fine webbiness on the underside of some leaves.

I mixed up a solution of Bt and sprayed the plant today. Hopefully that will clear it up.

One final question: I'm still very surprised at how quickly the hops have grown this year. Is it reasonable that I'll be harvesting them in the next few weeks? Also, might I get a second crop from the same vine?

 

[day_trippr]

I thought so: you got spider mites. I had a touch of that last summer when we had an outrageous hot spell (which I learned is just what spider mites love). Not sure if BT is applicable - but insecticide soap will dissolve the li'l bastids in short order. Hopefully it's not too late...

Cheers!

 

[likeybikey]

Well, dang. Many thanks for your reply, and I believe you are correct. It's spider mites. What I have and what the Google Images turn up are one and the same. And a little reading tells me that you are also correct that Bt is not effective at killing spider mites. Since stores were closed today for the holiday, I went out and squashed as many as I could by hand. I'll head to the store tomorrow to pick up something that will hopefully take care of the problem once and for all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can still save the vine for this year. Thanks again!