The following question was received via email: Many of the major leaves on my humulus lupulus 'Aureus' are turning brown, leaving mostly small leaves on shoots emanating from the leaf axil. It is planted in an amended hole surrounded by heavy soil, and in sun most of the day. It has been planted for just over a year.
Humulus lupulus (hops) is a vigorous climber that requires constant, even moisture and moderately rich soil to perform well. The golden hops is less vigorous and less sun tolerant, but should be fine under good conditions. In hot weather, young growth can burn easily, and because stems are brittle, even a perching bird can damage new growth. Wire mesh can also heat up and probably has an effect on the stems and leaves that contact it. Soils that are heavy (fine textured) hold considerably more moisture than coarser soils. Sometimes, roots have difficulty growing from coarse soil into fine, particularly if the transition is abrupt., or if there are circling roots (was the plant pot-bound?) Problems often arise when organic (bark-based) potting composts are transplanted into clay soils, for example. The pattern of dieback you describe sounds like it could be from a root problem (dieback due to air pockets or circling roots), but this will probably disappear as the roots move out into the surrounding soil.