To pick or not to pick

[morky92]

As your hop vines grow do you pick off the lower & ground level leaves?

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Most people I've seen pick off the bottom several feet of leaves in order to improve circulation and prevent mold/mildew/moisture issues. I grow mine on a 6ft fence so I've done both ways (let them grow hippy style or trim them high and tight) - doesn't really affect cone production, just makes them look cleaner. Even in the great black swamp I've never had issues with moisture related problems when leaving all the leaves.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I think most people wait until they are 8-12 feet at least, you dont want to prematurely strip the leaves off that the plant is using to get all that energy from the sun.

Honestly ive just been stripping my first year lower leaves off as they start to brown or get eaten beyond being useful.