The Importance of Regularly Scouting your Hopyard

Experienced hop growers will be the first to tell you that a regular weekly schedule of checking your hopyard for problems can save big headaches, time, and cold hard cash. Being a good grower isn't about who has the biggest pesticide budget!  Catching problems like pest and fungal outbreaks early is critical to controlling them successfully; with minimal treatments - before the damage is done. Proper scouting includes a close examination of the entire hopyard's environment (including the surrounding fenceline perimeter's).

(This pest is capable of defoliating entire plants in less than a week)
For quick knockdown of a Japanese beetle /Potato leafhopper outbreak for growers with RUP certification - check out Brigade 2ec or Leverage 360/2.7. Both are labelled for hops.

TO DO LIST

•   Soil checks for moisture, root health, fertility and soluble salts levels 
•   Weed seedling identification to determine if they are an alternate host for pests
•   Checking trap plants and multiple Hop plants, top to bottom, for active diseases and pests
•   Monitoring of hop developmental stages, foliage / bine color & vigor- bottom, middle, and shoot tips
•   Checking the hopyard infrastructure - trellis, supports, irrigation lines- all OK?
•   Tracking of weather patterns - rainfall amounts, humidity levels, hopyards soil and air temperatures
•   Accurate records of any and all chemicals with wind, temp, time of day - 3 day checks for after-effects
•   Keeping a detailed record of above observations with dates, unusual events, effects of control sprays

  If this sounds like a lot of work - well, welcome to farming! It is well worth forming the routine and making it a habit. Heck, take the dog and kids along on this adventure to make it fun. You will be amazed what a small child notices. Don't forget your hand lense!

  If this sounds like too much work; please do consider hiring a professional crop scout. They know what to look for and when to look for it. Their services are relatively inexpensive and their advice - priceless.

  Properly done scouting and recording what you see in detail lets you identify patterns and conditions that affect the hop's growth and what conditions trigger disease and pest outbreaks. I recommend making a check-off form you use weekly during the growing season that covers all the above items so you don't miss anything. This will not only make you a better grower- it will make you a PROACTIVE grower. (I like to call them Jedi-growers because they always seem to know what is going to happen before it does.) Proactive growers can make minimal, targeted sprays; anticipating disease and pest cycles. They consistantly adjust - fertilizer, irrigation schedules, cultivation; like a steady clock. They also always seem relatively cheerful and un-stressed. (nice side-effect that both wives and partners seem to appreciate!)

 Scouting is something I do habitually 24/7 - I'm looking when I'm watering - I'm looking when I'm weeding- Heck, I'm looking when I walk the dog! 

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