It’s almost harvest time, folks! With such a hot, dry year, be prepared for some varieties to be ready earlier than usual. Remember to check the labels on any pesticides you are using to allow the appropriate window between the last pesticide application and harvest. Have you seen our fact sheet on determining when hops …
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See Hops at Upcoming Annual Field Day, July 28
WHAT: UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Field Day WHEN: Thursday, July 28, 2016 TIME: 10 am to 3:30 pm WHERE: Borderview Farm, 146 Line Road, Alburgh, VT If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for our Annual Crops & Soils Field Day, register today, as it is just around the corner. Our …
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Hop Plant Growth Phases from Spring to Summer
As we’ve transitioned from spring to the official start of summer on June 21, our hops have been going through all sorts of physiological changes. Technically speaking, hop plants go through a number of growth phases throughout the year, called “phenophases.” Back in 1995, German researcher Rossbauer and colleagues published an article, outlining specific phenological …
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Minor Pests = Minor Problems!
The three major pests of Northeastern hopyards—potato leafhoppers, two-spotted spider mites and hop aphids—can cause significant economic losses. For that reason, we keep a close eye on their populations in our research yard by scouting weekly. From time to time, other pests pop up in our hopyard, but because they don’t seem to affect yields, …
Potato Leafhoppers Have Arrived!
It is leafhopper season again and those pesky insects have been spotted at our research hopyard at Borderview Research Farm, in Alburgh, Vermont. This is a great time to start scouting for insects as well as for disease to ensure proper management of all hop pests. So far, this season has not been conducive for …
Important Hop BULL-etin
Things are now in full swing at our hop yard at the Borderview Research Farm! Last week, we sprayed Avenger, an organic herbicide (OMRI listed), to set back the weeds in preparation for mulch application. We will go back through and hand weed up close to the plants before applying the mulch near the end …
Gearing Up for Training
Our hop bines have finally made an appearance and we are now gearing up for training. Hops in the Northeast should be trained as early as possible. Keep in mind that it takes about 30 days after crowning for plants to be ready to train, so if you haven’t crowned by now, skip it! In …
Hop Equipment Info Gets New Home
Working closely with farmers, UVM Extension agricultural engineer Chris Callahan, UVM engineering students, and Heather Darby and the staff at the NWCS program have developed prototypes for small-scale hop-related equipment. The info for this equipment had been posted on a wiki site which was giving us (and many of you) some trouble. So, we’ve created …
Missed the 2016 VT Hop Conference? Proceedings are Now Available
If you missed the 2016 Vermont Hop Conference or would like to review some of the presentations, the online proceedings are now available. The 7th Annual Vermont Hop Conference was held on February 19, 2016 in Colchester, Vermont, and was organized by the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program. It included …
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Hopping into Spring with Crowning
Welcome to another hop season! We are gearing up for the growing season and first on the to-do list is spring crowning. As you know, Downy Mildew (DM) is a major concern for us in the Northeast and we must use every tool we have to manage it. DM can overwinter in the plant crown …