Big Hops Climbing the Shed
Saturday, August 11th, 2012The hops are really climbing up the shed! Chinook and Fuggle are growing the best in the middle. Only two year old vines, I’m pleased and can’t wait to brew!
Next year a trellis is going up to keep the hops off the siding. It will look nicer, and be better for the siding on the shed. One thing I did not anticipate is how close the hops are getting to the porch light. Earlier this summer one of the leaves was touching the light bulb when the motion detector switched it on. It didn’t catch of fire thankfully, but it was withered and was dead the next morning. There is enough foliage now I think this hop plant is a real fire risk. So… in the mean time that light is shut off.
Here is how it looks from inside the shed:
Check out what was on one of the leaves:
Bastards! These bugs seem to be gone, and I saw lots of lady bugs chomping away. Spider mites are the next big issue to worry about. I’ve been playing around with a hops spray program. I’ve tried various spray strategies, but the notes are not solid enough for a write up yet. We’ll see how the organic, non-toxic stuff does first.
Looking forward to harvesting and doing some home brewing in a few weeks!
6 Responses to “Big Hops Climbing the Shed”
The ladybugs are good, they eat other bugs — the mites and aphids for example.
Could have used a few hundred on my hops this year…
By Matthew on Aug 15, 2012
Can I live in your shed?
By Altbier bitte on Aug 20, 2012
Only if you promise not to drink all my beer?
Actually, no, the shed is reserved as a ‘dog house’ for me, if it ever comes to that.
By Larry on Aug 21, 2012
those pests are minor to the devastation that Japanese beetles do they virtually stripped my hops of leaf matter leaving only the veins visible
By Douglas on Sep 2, 2012
Have you tried soapy water. I used that on several kinds of plants (not hops) with success. I am going to plant my own hops next spring.
By Brad on Sep 15, 2012
I have hops every year, pretty beautiful an getting bigger every an bigger.but the bugs eat the leaves and by September my climber has almost no leaves left because they already ate them all. Idon’t have a picture now but is the same that the picture of “big hops climbing the shed” that is the big.
What can I do to prevent this for happening this year?
I tried soap and lots of ideas from internet..no much luck.
By Silvana on Mar 15, 2024