Hops were going crazy up until about a month ago, especially on the Cascade vine. But then a bunch of the cones turned brown and dried up, and now I have quite a few new smaller, newer cones that blossomed in the lower part of the vine. I'm thinking of getting out the ladder and plucking the brown cones off and it may help the smaller new buds along. Despite that, I should still be able to easily fill 2-3 gallon ziplocs on that vine.

The Magnum did much the same, but almost ALL of its cones withered crispy brown and for the most part, the vine looks like chit, and it pretty much quit growing at about 15 ft. I don't think I have a single good bud from it. But when I crumble these crispy hops, the yellow lupulin glands are all there and just as musky and waxy and fresh smelling as the green buds. I wonder if I can use them? Oz?

My best research has turned up that my hops probably have Downy Mildew disease, but who knows. Weather has been strange this year, then came the aphids, and then Japanese beetles did some damage. I never did much fertizling or watering other than some manure back in the early spring.

I'm thinking some varieties do better for our climate than others.