Hop Leaf Disease

Anyone know what might be causing this disease on my Cascade plant. It's a second year plant, and is already 10' tall. Thanks!

I dunno, this is only my third season growing hops, but that looks like something bitey was doing its thing on those leaves...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

I dunno, this is only my third season growing hops, but that looks like something bitey was doing its thing on those leaves...

Cheers!

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I thought the same thing, but if it's bugs they are very good at hiding. I could just shoot them with fungicide and pesticide, but trying to limit the chemicals I spray

That looks like a bug of some sort to me. Small catepillar or something. This is my first year growing hops, but I have been growing veggies for years. Hit them with some neem oil which is organic and then dust around the base of the plant with food grade diatemaceous earth. Also, take a magnifying glass and look over your plant very carefully to see if you can spot the buggers.

I had this issue last year on my cascade. My brother in law works for a landscaping place. He told me to go to the store and get a mint extract and put some in a spray bottle with water and spray them every 2 days. I didn't see any more leafs get eaten up. It also helps keep the aphids off. All natural that's how I like it.

Cbaddad said:

That looks like a bug of some sort to me. Small catepillar or something. This is my first year growing hops, but I have been growing veggies for years. Hit them with some neem oil which is organic and then dust around the base of the plant with food grade diatemaceous earth. Also, take a magnifying glass and look over your plant very carefully to see if you can spot the buggers.

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I found some Neem Oil at the local box store. I think I'll give that a try and report back. Thanks for the suggestions!

After applying the Neem oil this morning, I noticed what looks to be a dead fruit fly on a leaf bud. Not sure if this is one of the critters that was causing the damage, but at least he's been slayed

Neem oil works great 3 tbs per gallon and spray every 2 weeks and stop abot two weeks before harvest, The oil leaves a garlic smell on the cones.

HALIFAXHOPS said:

Neem oil works great 3 tbs per gallon and spray every 2 weeks and stop abot two weeks before harvest, The oil leaves a garlic smell on the cones.

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My Neem oil(granted its not 100% neem oil) says 2tbps per gallon....?
Its whatever they had available at Lowes

To me that looks like the work of deer or groundhog; which usually leave ragged edged bite marks. It could be a chewing insect like a caterpillar/ worm although they typically leave much cleaner edges. Also resembles hail damage but I think you would know if that was the culprit.

Clip any severely damaged leaves because they will only serve as a source of infection and attract pests. (Bugs smell sap like sharks smell blood!)

I make a cayenne foliar spray to ward off mammalian garden destroyers (I don't think soft bodied insects like it much either)

1 pint h2o
1 tbsp. cayenne powder (anything HOT)
drop or 2 unscented dish soap (works as a surfactant)

Spray on leaves: reapply weekly or after rain (eventually most mammals will actually learn that your plants taste like S***! and leave them alone w/o spray)

I've made spray from the juice of three to four jalapenos in a gallon of water, with a little dish soap so it sticks. After spraying once every few days, bugs stopped eating my plants. Just don't spray it upwind, I learned that the hard way.