HOW ARE THE HOPS?
INSTONE COURT
Jester® is thriving this June at Instone Court, with all plants looking strong and healthy!
Simon Parker, the grower here, is pleased to see the ladybirds out in force, tackling and eating the early aphids with the help of their larvae.
However, that is not the only strategy helping Simon prevent more insect attacks! Planting borage alongside his baby Opus® plants has been very successful in keeping the bugs off the hop leaves!
CHURCH FARM
Notice anything different about these hop fields?
That’s right, Tom Probert from Church Farm has been using and actively encouraging the growth of meadow grass between his hop bines!
The grass helps to smooth out and prevent weeds in the hop yards. It is easy to maintain and can be destroyed as desired to provide a natural mulch. And the best part is, it doesn’t compete with the hops due to its shallow rooting system.
This grass technique is helping Tom’s hops thrive this June!
STOCKS FARM
Hop yards are full of life, some more fruitful than others!
Who would have thought that Jester® plants create the perfect environment for romantic ladybirds?
We aren’t complaining because the ladybird larvae work hard at eating all those pesky aphids, helping the hop plants flourish this summer!
CHURCH FARM
You never know what is hiding in between the hop binds!
While walking the hop yards, Jonathan Blackman our agronomist had a ‘pheasant’ surprise when he spotted a group of pheasant chicks nesting in between the hop leaves.
But that’s not the only place birds are hiding on Tom Probert’s farm. Meanwhile, in the machine shed up against the hop press, a blackbird has made itself at home.
