I love vines. Anything that overtakes an ugly fence is a must-have in my book.

We have a fenced back yard, which is lovely for the kids and the dog, but frankly, I think it’s hideous. Two of my favorite plants for covering up the eyesore are hops and Virginia creeper. They grow like gangbusters around here, and they don’t need a terrible amount of fussing (including water once they’re established).

The only problem is leaf eating insects. They can nail hops and Virginia creeper and make them look like tattered fabric dangling in the wind.

Grasshoppers, Aphids, and Spider Mites

Hops will grow like it’s on steroids. It’ll go from the ground to 25 feet in a single year once it’s established. It’s a glorious sight. Unfortunately, the grasshoppers also think its wonderful. When I go past to water, they hop off in all directions. I continually blast them with the hose to try to keep them away, but it doesn’t work permanently. I’ve dosed the local grasshopper population with Semaspore, but so far I haven’t seen a significant drop in the numbers.

What’s worse is when hop aphids or spider mites attack. Aphids are really hard to gain a handle on unless you catch them early. There are just so many places for them to hide and avoid the garden hose or more potent sprays. Use an insecticidal soap spray to get after them. You must be vigilant to stay on top of it since the honeydew the aphids secrete can also promote disease such as sooty mold fungi.

Spider mites are tough to see, but it’s obvious you have them when you see dainty white webs covering the leaves. A few mites won’t do terrible harm to the plants, but their populations can explode to detrimental levels, particularly if you plan to harvest the hops for home brew experiments.

Spraying Hops and Virginia Creeper Pests

Interestingly enough, broad spectrum insecticides are actually shown to increase spider mite populations. This is partly due because it knocks out everything. You lose the beneficial insects.

Horticultural oils typically do a pretty good job at smothering out these tiny pests as a precautionary method, but you have to be sure you have even coverage. If you have an annual problem with them it might be a good idea to spray throughout the season to keep them at bay.

An organic product made for spider mite elimination is Mite-X. Spray for pests in the morning or evening when the temperatures are cooler to avoid burning the plant. It can deform it if it’s in a fast-growth stage, which is counterproductive to what youre trying to do, but it is safe around kids and pets. (Plus, itll knock out hop aphids if theyre an issue.)

Leafhoppers are a big issue with Virginia creeper, and like the spider mite issue with hops, using a broad spectrum insecticide (like carbaryl) tends to kill too many of the beneficial insects as well as the pests. Assail works fairly well, and doesnt seem to be as detrimental to the good bugs. Safer Insecticidal Soap also is helpful, although you have to be certain to thoroughly cover the vines, including the underside of the leaves.

Encouraging vines to grow over fences is a great way to turn an eyesore into a great trellis. If you want them to really look top notch you can keep after the little pests that plague them.