SmokeStack's Grow Blog 2012

[SmokeStack]

I finally started my grow blog! My first year of growing tobacco.

Here is a photo of my patch of 50 Burley TN90...



And a photo of my patch of 50 Yellow Orinoco...



Closeup photos of a typical transplant (Left Burley TN90 and Right Yellow Orinoco)



Note: The pictures are deceiving as these seedlings are about 12 inches tall.

The above seedlings were transplanted last week when temperatures reached 95 degrees. (I know - it's a little late in the season for transplanting. Better late than never!)

The TN90 seedlings/transplants have yellowing outer leaves but have a strong inner green stalk. I am not sure if I should remove the yellowing leaves or let them die-off on their own. There was no yellowing of the Yellow Orinoco leaves - they remained a dark green, but you can see that the sun scorched off part of the leaf - I noticed that this is common for the Yellow Orinoco transplants.

I have also planted some Florida Sumatra, Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Broad Leaf and Yellow Pryor. I'll post those pix soon.

-Smoke

 

[indianjoe]

Smoke,
they are looking good

 

[BarG]

Lookin good Smokes, Better late than never. Best of luck. Give them a week or 2 of being in the ground watch them shoot up. All of my varietys are the first for me and some widen out before they shoot up.

 

[Grundle]

Awesome, another grow log!! Them plants look really good. I hope mine will have similar vigor in another week ^_^

 

[Michibacy]

Indeed, they are looking good SmokeStack, better than mine did at that early! I'll try and make a trip to come take a look at them here in a few weeks if it's cool with you

 

[leverhead]

I'll be watching your Yellow Orinoco, I want to grow some next year. I'm wishing now I had your row spacing! Give them a month and you'll be chest deep in tobacco.

 

[Chicken]

any reason why tou put the weed barrier, in between the plants,????

i cut circles in mine and plaqnted the plants there,

..

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-04-14

 

[SmokeStack]

any reason why tou put the weed barrier, in between the plants,????

i cut circles in mine and plaqnted the plants there,

..

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-04-14

Chicken, I did not want to cut 300 holes. Since I was late this year for transplanting, I thought my set-up would be the quickest solution. I was planning on using grass clippings to fill the remaining area between plants. Maybe next year I'll try your method - your patch looks very orderly and pristine! I like the zig-zag layout pattern for the holes - it seems that would save some space.

By the way, how well is your weed barrier holding up? I purchased rolls (3 feet by 100 feet) for $22 per roll - I ordered them online from Home Depot. The description on the website said these rolls have a 20 year guarantee - that is hard to believe since the barrier is thin as paper and tears easily. On Monday we had some very strong winds that ripped-off the barriers from the ground even after I put a million of those staples/stakes. I bought quite a few of them and I was thinking about returning the ones I haven't used yet. I don't see how the barrier that I bought can last 20 years. I don't see it lasting one year!

 

[johnlee1933]

Smokestack, I don't know if you are using the same stuff I am but it sounds like it. I've used the stuff for years IMHO it's good for one year. I haven't been able to take it up, till and fertilize and put it back down. I buy mine at Agway. Their price on 3' and 4' varies quite a lot. Looking at $$'s/sq ft the 3' wide stuff is MUCH cheaper. My plot is so small that putting down new each year doesn't hurt much.

John

 

[BarG]

Its been 30 years ago but there used to be a landscaping material that was extremely heavy duty for an underlayment in rock gardens. You would roll out around existing plants or cut holes for new ones and cover with a couple of inches of rocks.
It was pretty heavy duty but after a year you can't stop weeds. It was like a woven nylon mesh type to allow air and moisture through, if memory serves correctly.

 

[johnlee1933]

Yes. I believe I remember stuff called contractors cloth, It was kind of a brick red. I used to use it for covering the gravel in footing drains before earth back fill. I believe my daughter-in-law uses it under the landscaping stone she likes. I'll ask her when I see her again if I remember LOL)

John

 

[BarG]

Short term memory loss? uh huh. First sign of something. I can't remember what.

 

[SmokeStack]

Some of my tobacco is being chewed on. Does anyone recognize this critter? Could it be the culprit?

 

[deluxestogie]

Looks like a cutworm, to my jaded eyes.

Bob

 

[LeftyRighty]

grub

 

[SmokeStack]

Is this critter anything to worry about? I have noticed that my plants are being chewed by something. But it is not a major problem (at least for now). So I am not very concerned.

On the land that I am growing my tobacco, we (my Dad, two brothers and I) used to grow Scotch Pines and Colorado Blue Spruces as Christmas trees. We had to spray the trees with a mixture of Malathion and Sevin or else the bugs (caterpillars) would eat all the needles off the tree. Malathion can be kind of nasty to work with - recently there has been a lot of concern over the use of Malathion. It's not something that I would want to smoke.

 

[BarG]

I don't think it will attack your plants above or at ground level. I 'm still trying to figure if those grubs turn into june bugs or locusts the singing kind.

 

[Michibacy]

Any recent pictures Smokestack? I'm not sure I'll be able to make it there before the end of the season but we'd still love to see the crop

 

[SmokeStack]

I will probably post some pictures in a few days. I have been pressed for time lately so I will take some photos the next time I am out there at the farm.

BTW my TN90 that had the lower leaves that were yellowing - they started to green after we got that rain. I guess they do require water from time to time. Unless they look like they are dying, I will leave the watering up to mother nature.

 

[Michibacy]

Yup, just remember we are in a drought right now, so mother nature can't quite satisfy the needs of plants.