what can i spray on aphids that won't ruin my nearly ready to pick cones?

[plusultra]

I started picking cones 2 weeks ago and have many that are close to picking. I am getting aphids and possibly mites but am afraid to ruin the cones with pesticides. What is the best way to kill these without altering the cones? South Florida hop growing.

 

[Flboy]

Soapy water!
Also, look for ants. They usually farm the aphids. You can treat the ants on the ground.

 

[LBussy]

Ladybugs is what my mom always used on roses.

 

[NorthForkHops]

m-pede is an insecticidal soap that I've had good results with aphids. Do not waste money on ladybugs for outdoor applications unless you have something that will keep them around. A good majority just leave the field.

 

[LBussy]

They do fly away, but some stay. Strangely they seem to come back - I imagine it's more them laying eggs but it becomes a habitat. After a couple years of applying them she stopped and there just always seems to be some around.

It is absolutely not as quick and easy as spraying soap or chemicals, but it adds nothing to the hops that one might be concerned with.

 

[Descender]

Garlic water.

 

[ong]

I had fairly good luck last year with spraying the whole plant down with a simple solution of 1 quart of water with a quarter cup of vegetable or olive oil, and literally two drops of dish soap. Repeat three days in a row.

I've been reading that it's a bad idea to purchase ladybugs, because the business of collecting and shipping them is spreading a ladybug virus across the country.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[ong]

The other thing to consider, though, is that you are inevitably going to have a lot of aphids in your finished hops. The FDA allows commercial growers up to 3500 aphids per 10g of hops.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[NorthForkHops]

They do fly away, but some stay. Strangely they seem to come back - I imagine it's more them laying eggs but it becomes a habitat. After a couple years of applying them she stopped and there just always seems to be some around.

It is absolutely not as quick and easy as spraying soap or chemicals, but it adds nothing to the hops that one might be concerned with.

It will depend on acreage and food supply for ladybugs to make a permanent home. Even then its very expensive and very time consuming.

M-pede, and if you would like to use neem, Trilogy are both OMRI rated pesticides. They do not add anything to the hop, neither of them are transdermal applicants. Oils are also incredibly expensive and can cause major plant damage if not applied properly. I grow using organic practices OMRI rated products are very safe and reliable. If you do choose to spray anything, make sure you rotate what products you spray frequently to deter from resistance to one product or another.

 

[WayFrae]

The other thing to consider, though, is that you are inevitably going to have a lot of aphids in your finished hops. The FDA allows commercial growers up to 3500 aphids per 10g of hops.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I would hate to be the guy that has to count them.

 

[plusultra]

M pede or neem won't affect the hop cone when I want to use them? Do I have to try to clean this off? I can see them on the leaves only but... I figured I would have a problem with aphids as they love my hibiscus tree. I tried marigolds some time ago to try to get ladybugs to stick around but it did not seem to help. I was hoping that if the hops just stayed healthy enough the aphids would stay away. Not! Thanks for your help!

 

[WayFrae]

Mix a tbsp of cayenne pepper, a quarter tsp of dish soap, and a quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray the plant liberally, let sit for 30 minutes and then rinse off. Do this twice a day for 2-3 days and it should kill them. I have never done it with hops but I have with other plants that are consumed with no ill effects.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Ladybugs ladybugs ladybugs

You drop them out at night and they will go to town...some will fly away but you still still have a metric crapton of them stay if there are aphids to eat. I released a bunch with a small bit of aphids and within 2 days most were gone, later i found i had a lot more aphids that neem oil wasnt stopping, another release and they must have stuck around a good week and laid a crap ton of eggs, they look like little bundles of orange eggs on the underside of the leaf.

If you think Ladybugs eat a lot of aphids wait until you see ladybug larvae eat them, they are like ravenous beasts and eat hundreds a day. Even those eventually turned into ladybugs and a few laid even more eggs, eventually though all the aphids were gone and they flew away...

They work great, and not to mention its kind of fun to go out there each day and watch them chomping on those bastards.

 

[northcal]

Seems early to be picking hops in the US? I pick mine in late summer or early fall.

You might want to wait awhile to let them mature, not sure about Florida though.

 

[Brewski_59]

Try spraying the ladybugs with a little clear soda like 7up mixed with water before you release them. That will prevent them from flying away right away. This will wash away soon. Hopefully they'll be interested in the afids by then.

 

[Slenderman]

The other thing to consider, though, is that you are inevitably going to have a lot of aphids in your finished hops. The FDA allows commercial growers up to 3500 aphids per 10g of hops.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Glad to know the FDA wont be fining me for my homegrown hops when the whole plant is swiss cheese. Aphids eat your plants and make more aphids, so keeping their numbers as low as possible is essential to a healthy plant.

 

[Slenderman]

Mix a tbsp of cayenne pepper, a quarter tsp of dish soap, and a quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray the plant liberally, let sit for 30 minutes and then rinse off. Do this twice a day for 2-3 days and it should kill them. I have never done it with hops but I have with other plants that are consumed with no ill effects.

Hops are stupid vulnerable to many kinds of mildews and rots, so make sure conditions are such that your plants will dry quickly.

 

[EdMerican]

I cultivated bonsai for several years. EVERYONE on the forums always advocated S.A.W. = soap, alcohol, water. Gallon of water, 2 tbsp Dawn dish soap, or other biodegradable dish soap, and one tbsp isopropyl alcohol. Spray once or twice a day for 3 days, let sit for 5-6 hours and rinse. I have never had a problem with aphids after using this treatment, and have used on hops to no ill effect.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

I use Neem oil, Incredible stuff. 2 tbsp. in a gallon with a little dawn to emulsify it. Spray it about a week before harvest to let it wear off the cones. I made a mistake of harvesting a few days after spraying and they had a garlicky smell. You can drink the oil if you want to.

 

[plusultra]

northcal, this is my first try at hop growing in south florida. I started growing my hop crowns in late February. I picked some hops 2 weeks ago and recently (cascade and nugget). They were/are ready with more to come. I have no idea what the cycle is going to be going forward but here are some old pictures from about a month ago. I'm just trying to not ruin these kids. lol Thanks to all of your responses!

 

[rekoob]

They work great, and not to mention its kind of fun to go out there each day and watch them chomping on those bastards.

LMAO!!! I'm getting some just so I can use this line! NICE.

I need to do something also, just noticed my plants are getting holes in them so I have to take care of it, they are looking good so far and don't want them to get jacked up.

 

[rekoob]

I use Neem oil, Incredible stuff. 2 tbsp. in a gallon with a little dawn to emulsify it. Spray it about a week before harvest to let it wear off the cones. I made a mistake of harvesting a few days after spraying and they had a garlicky smell. You can drink the oil if you want to.

Where do you get this stuff from? any place that sells plants? like the big box stores? i'm starting to see some holes in my plants, they all look great but I would guess the aphids, if left unchecked, could cause some issues.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Where do you get this stuff from? any place that sells plants? like the big box stores? i'm starting to see some holes in my plants, they all look great but I would guess the aphids, if left unchecked, could cause some issues.

The big box stores sell it, although it can be a bit hard to find its usually with all of the other sprays and insecticides.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

It is a little pricy, but goes a long way. Most nurseries and organic health stores have it. Buy 100% oil not the pre mix.

 

[fearwig]

You can get a pack of ladybugs on amazon for like $11. They will kick the crap out of your aphids.

 

[plusultra]

I bought and used the neem oil pre-mix and sprayed the lower 3/4 of the plants. I sprayed at night. Alot of the leaves are turning brown and are dying. wth

 

[ram5ey]

I friend just had a gardener recommend praying mantis for their aphid problem.

 

[fearwig]

I am pretty sure ladybugs are easier to get (and they are f'ing ravenous)

 

[WileECoyote]

Use a Flame Thrower, one application and No more aphids

Cheers

 

[plusultra]

I thought about peeing on them but I don't think I can hit them sitting down. lol

 

[WileECoyote]

Use a Flame Thrower, one application and No more aphids

Cheers

I wonder if open flame toasted hops would enhance beer flavor ? Hmmm ?

Cheers