Some damage to my Willamette leaves...

[brewmeone]

I don't know if these two things are related... my inclination is that they are.

I have some leaves that have partially died off:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2595627954/in/set-72157604218426791/

I've also noticed some small holes in some of the other leaves. Upon looking closer, I saw at least one hole with a very small spider sitting inside:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2595628524/in/set-72157604218426791/

Anyone else experience this problem? Overall... the plant seems healthy... I've even got some flowers and cones growing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2594794481/in/set-72157604218426791/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2595629480/in/set-72157604218426791/

This is a 1st year vine grown from a freshops.com jumbo willamette rhizome. It is growing in a pot on my south-facing porch of my townhouse in Atlanta, GA. As for soil... I used miracle gro moisture control potting mix... and haven't added any other nutrient or fertilizer.

 

[CBBaron]

First of all spiders are carnivores and only eat bugs and other small creatures, they will not eat plants. However there are a few mites that look like spiders that do do crop damage.

Again we have another case of very healthy looking hops and an anxious grower. RDWHAHB. Your hops look fine and should produce a decent crop.

I just noticed you used potting soil. Is this plant in a pot?
Potted plants, especially vigorous ones like hops can be easily stressed in a pot. The biggest concern is to ensure you have enough water but not wet soil. You would be much better off planting it in the ground. If your local soil is a problem add plenty of compost to help.

Craig

 

[brewmeone]

Hi CB... thanks for the reply.

The hops are growing in a pot. I don't actually have a yard just yet... my fiancee and I live in a condo/townhouse.

I'm wondering if what I saw was a mite then. It was pretty small... and I didn't bother to count the legs or anything. I have noticed some other leaves with a good amount of small holes in them.

Overall the plant seems healthy... other than the leaves that have partially died... and the other leaves that have very small holes in them.

If I do have mites... do you suggest I just let it grow and leave them be?

 

[CBBaron]

I tend to take a minimalist approach to growing crops and only interfere if things look bad. As long as the hops look fairly healthy and you havn't lost more than 50% of the leaf area then you are probably in good shape.
The brown leafs I see in your pics look like my house plants when I over water them or when I drown them after waiting too long to water. Make sure the bottom of your pots can drain and try to keep the soil moist but not wet. It will probably be tricky in Georgian summer heat with hops in a pot but its what the plants need. I have some tomatoes in pots that I ended up putting a drip system with timer on in order to keep a nice constant supply of water. I might be something to consider.

Craig

 

[CEMaine]

I tend to take a minimalist approach to growing crops and only interfere if things look bad. As long as the hops look fairly healthy and you havn't lost more than 50% of the leaf area then you are probably in good shape.
The brown leafs I see in your pics look like my house plants when I over water them or when I drown them after waiting too long to water. Make sure the bottom of your pots can drain and try to keep the soil moist but not wet. It will probably be tricky in Georgian summer heat with hops in a pot but its what the plants need. I have some tomatoes in pots that I ended up putting a drip system with timer on in order to keep a nice constant supply of water. I might be something to consider.

Craig

+1 for Craig.

If you can keep the pots, but not the plants, partially shaded, that should help them out allot. How big are the pots?

 

[ChrisS68]

If it was large enough that you could count the legs, I doubt what you saw was a mite. Also, the damage in your pictures isn't the type of damage that mites cause. Mites suck out the juice and leaves will have a speckled appearance. Either way, the small number of holes is nothing to worry about.

 

[SomedumbJerk]

awesome looking plant! i'm jealous. i wouldn't worry too much about the damage

 

[brewmeone]

Thanks everyone for the replies... I really appreciate everyone's insight.

I took a closer look this morning... saw some other damaged leaves... and wanted to take a few more pictures.

I'm not worried... just wanted to put these pictures in front of some people who may have seen this before.

Here's a picture of a leaf that has several very small holes in it.
Bottom view (looking up): http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2597585837/in/set-72157604218426791/

Top view (looking down): http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2597587815/in/set-72157604218426791/

A different leaf that looks like something ate right up the leaf:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2598421364/in/set-72157604218426791/

And here's a view of the vine from standing on my ladder... looking down towards the pot it is planted in:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewmeone/2597588771/in/set-72157604218426791/

You can see... there's some brown leaves... but it by no means appears to be a huge problem. I guess I was just curious if there is something I should keep an eye out for... or some type of preventative measure I can take to nip any type of infestation in the bud...