Apologies if not in the correct category…brownish and rust scale on leaves. what gives? soil issue? I dont overwater them, just the occasional rain…cant see any bugs or webs…would post pic but its a pain.
Dave Wills has a list of diseases on his site: Hop Diseases and Pests
You might find your answer there. On other plants (i.e. tomatoes) rust is a fungus. Not sure about hop rust though.
OK, thanks. I think I have a basic potassium and/or nitrogen deficiency. easily remedied.
Hops need quite a bit of water. Is it possible they’re not getting enough?
Well, the care instructions said not to overwater, and to even let dry out at times. truth is, I havent had much choice as its rained every 2-3 days here this season. Havent felt the need to water much at all, soil is always damp. I hit them with some miracle grow, so we’ll see.
Sounds like mites… Mine get a brown-purple tinge to them when I get mites. Get some lady bugs, problem solved [emoji6]
I also first thought water might be an issue but if you are getting a good amount of rain every 2-3 days that is probably not the issue. On the other hand, you might be getting enough dampness on the leaves that you are getting fungus or insect growth. An easy way to check for insect problems is to flip over the leaves and look for small bugs or webbing. Could be mites or aphids–in my experience more likely mites with more water. But could also be a nutrient deficiency as well. If you are not fertilizing it would be easy to rule that out as a cause by fertilizing and watching whether new growth suffers the same problems.
Mine got a terminal case of aphids. There were some tomato plants nearby and they got eaten as well.
Charlie