Variegated Hop Leaves?

I have three different types of second year hop plants - Cascade, Brewer's Gold, and Chinook - all with multiple bines. All three are somewhere around 8 or 8.5 feet long, maybe more. When I first put up support lines I noticed that one or two of the Brewer's Gold bines had lighter colored leaves than the other bines, The lighter bine also had smaller leaves.

Today I went out to check for bugs (lots of spider mites last year). The only bug I saw was a small lady bug, but I did notice some evidence that a few leaves had been munched on. I also noticed that the lighter colored Brewer's Gold bine now looked like the leaves were variegated, or at least had a variegated appearance. Looking online it doesn't appear to match any pictures I found of plants with disease or nutrient deficiency. I haven't fertilized this year, but the soil in the beds is generally pretty good.

The first picture below shows one of the "variegated" leaves up close. The second picture is a leaf on another bine on the same plant. Finally, the last picture is the newer growth on the "different" bine. So, anyone know if this is a nutrient deficiency? Disease? Normal? I'm going to buy a couple of pounds tomorrow from some hop farmers so I am going to ask them about it, but thought I would ask here as well.

Interested as well, my cascade shows this but my Newport and Columbus dont...

FuzzeWuzze said:

Interested as well, my cascade shows this but my Newport and Columbus dont...

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I talked to one person, but they weren't the expert. I have emailed the pictures to someone more knowledgeable but haven't heard back yet. I think, however, that I have narrowed it to either an iron or magnesium deficiency. When I checked the plants this morning I saw evidence of the same thing on my Cascades. Bottom line is that this morning the plants are getting a dose of Ironite and some Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate).

After looking at mine again, it doesnt look quite as bad as yours did...my main problem is bugs eating..hopefully the neem oil helps.

FuzzeWuzze said:

After looking at mine again, it doesnt look quite as bad as yours did...my main problem is bugs eating..hopefully the neem oil helps.

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I looked for bugs this morning and did not see any, although there is some evidence of some very minor leaf munching. After a lot of reading, I decided to apply the Epsom salt by dissolving it in water and spraying the plants. Supposedly, in addition to supplying the plants with magnesium, it also acts as a mild insecticide. I haven't tried neem oil, but I have read that you can spray the bugs with a mixture of mild dish soap and water. That is how I kill aphids on my roses. You have to spray the bugs though, not just the leaves.

I know you are on the other side of town, but if you decide you want to try the Ironite, I am happy to share. I bought a 10 lb. bag at Bi-Mart for $9.67 (or something like that). Way more than I need. I would gladly give you a couple of pounds. I could even send it home with my son who lives in Hillsboro the next time he stops by.

We'll see how the neem oil does, just spraying the bugs wont work ive never seen them...im going to guess its some type of caterpillar or other bug, they did a pretty good number on a few leaves... since i am near a swamp/moat/nature area theres lots of bugs, the frogs get most of them but theres still quite a few that wander over im sure.

Just out of curiosity, but I don't see any evidence of variegation in any of the pictures. What characteristic of the leaves was being described that I'm not getting?

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

Just out of curiosity, but I don't see any evidence of variegation in any of the pictures. What characteristic of the leaves was being described that I'm not getting?

Cheers!

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I'm really not sure how to answer the question, but look at the differences between the leaf in the top picture and the one in the middle. Both leaves are off the same plant. The second leaf is a normal uniform green while the first is a white/yellow and lighter green. To me, at least, the pattern of the light and dark colors on the top leaf remind me of a plant with variegated leaves.

Thanks, maybe my eyes just aren't great at differentiating the shades of green (it's possible - they're wicked old ). I "kind of" see some color shift in the leaf lobe pointing towards the south-west in the first picture, but it's very subtle and I had thought all I was seeing was highlights from the sun...

Cheers!