What's going on here? Hop question

[BeerPal]

Seems to be getting worse, whatever it is:

[Jeb]

Are just the lower leaves, close to the ground like that?

Only my second year of growing hops, but some decay and holes on the lower/first leaves seem natural as long as the rest of the vines, leaves and beginning hops are healthy.

If all the leaves are like that, there might be a fungus or bug issue.

Cheers,
Jeb

[BeerPal]

Are just the lower leaves, close to the ground like that?

Only my second year of growing hops, but some decay and holes on the lower/first leaves seem natural as long as the rest of the vines, leaves and beginning hops are healthy.

If all the leaves are like that, there might be a fungus or bug issue.

Cheers,
Jeb

Not all the leaves, just a few. Bine is just now getting long enough to train to the twine.

[Jeb]

The vines growing outside range from 3 feet to 8 feet; most have a few lower leaves that look similar to yours. All the middle and upper leaves look fine. My guess (and just a guess) is that the first leaves to appear are the first to start fading/falling off. Some have dried up already, but the vines are growing well with lots of new leaf and hop growth.

Something else to maybe think about is watering? I don't have a drip irrigation system, but like to soak them every couple of days then let the soil dry, just to make sure the roots don't rot.

Best o' luck!
Jeb

[Jeb]

Also, yellowing of all the leaves could be a sign that fertilizer/soil conditioning is needed.

[BeerPal]

Also, yellowing of all the leaves could be a sign that fertilizer/soil conditioning is needed.

I keep them well watered, usually every day. Plus, they are growing in whiskey barrels with potting soil. I have fertilized them twice with MiracleGro.

[Jeb]

Hm. My hops are in barrels (wine) too. I am definitely not an expert. The current "farming" program for me is:

1) Fertilize a couple/three times when shoots arise, and again during cone production
2) Water thoroughly, wait until soil is dry before watering again (the ol' stick a finger in the dirt test)
3) The bottom several feet of leaves will be cut off eventually to prevent mildew/bugs. For me, I've noticed the first few leaves tend to dry up and/or get chomped a bit by bugs. However, the vine keeps growing, middle and upper leaves look healthy, and hops are popping.

But I have to say, not only am I not an expert, but I've had trouble finding accurate/reliable sources of hop growing information. Freshops.com and morebeer.com have references, and there's a ton of other internet stuff. None of which seems to be heavily researched. A good hop/beer blog is http://www.chillindamos.com.

I have the books "Homebrewer's Garden" and "The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs" but would not recommend them. Barely any information on hops and tons on herbs and random recipes.

In any case, best wishes and cheers!
Jeb

[Cody]

Seems to be getting worse, whatever it is:

Big holes like this in an otherwise healthy green leaf are typically indicative of bugs. They like to climb on, take a few bites, and go tell their friends (ants are particularly bad about this). The easiest place for them to get a bite is the edge of an already existing hole, so if you notice the holes getting bigger, that's why.