I have recently purchased a piece of land in the country side outside Moncton, New Brunswick...and to my surprise, I have just discovered that I have a very old hops plant growing near an old house foundation. It is actually growing on an old apple tree in the middle of a field and is well exposed on all sides. I have noticed that quite a few vines are brown and dried out, while others are green and appear healthy. Some of the surrounding hay is annually cut down, and a few vines along the way. The top of the apple tree is covered in green leaves full of hop flowers, yet most of the flowers are brown and dried out (considering we are early Sept, maybe this is normal?). There are some flowers that are still light green. I must admit, I am not very knowledgable in this area, but I would eventually like to determine the kind of hops this is, and hopefully develop more plants for growing. Do I have anything to be concerned about regarding the health of this vine, or is this normal considering it has been left alone for probably 40-50 years or maybe even longer? Is there any special care I should take in the future to ensure the health of this plant? Anything else I need to take into consideration? I will get some photos to post if it helps...any info would be welcomed.
Well, you might as well prune off the dead stuff, as it is unlikely to magically grow green again. As for the type, a picture as you say would be a good thing. Does the green stuff look healthy, or does it look like its sickly (yellowing, spots....)
