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Help, mold on leaves

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oeno

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I bought some leaves off a site and my dark leaf air cured and Dark fire cured had mold. They were packaged together. There was a bad mold on one leaf and spots on others. I took out the bad leaf and hug up the rest to dry. They were moist when I got them. Is there anything I should be doing to stop it other then drying them out?

Thanks,
Oeno
 

deluxestogie

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One thing you can do is spray them with Serenade, which is Bacillus subtilis, a bacterium that destroys mold. You may find it in garden supplies, or can order it on-line from Stark Brothers Nurseries or other sites.

Ideally, leaf should be stored at no more moisture than low to medium case. If you allow it to dry so that it is somewhat noisy when handled, but still flexible, that should be fine.

Bob

NOTE: Mold makes tobacco taste crummy. Generally, only black mold (Aspergillus niger) presents a significant health risk, and then only if chewed. The black mold can produce aflatoxins that damage your liver. Aflatoxins are not present in the smoke of burning tobacco.

With blue or white mold that is minimal, you can sometimes wipe it off and save the leaf. I usually toss leaf with black mold, or any leaf with a lot of mold. Sometimes only the stem is moldy, and the leaf can be saved by simply stemming it.
 
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oeno

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Its white mold. I know to stay away from black molds. Will the Serenade affect flavor? The leaves to me seem a little to moist, especially compared to the others. So that's why I hung them up to dry.
 

FmGrowit

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Is this an order from WholeLeafTobacco.com? Are you sure the two types were packaged together?...that would be really hard to do accidentally.

Mold can't grow on Fire Cured leaf unless it was horribly mishandled. The Dark Air I sell has a lot of Frog Eye on it an some people mistake it for mold. Frog Eye is little white spots on the leaf and it is harmless. Frog Eye leaf actually brings a premium price at auction.

Mold is common on the mid-rib. The rid-rib dries much more slowly than the rest of the leaf. If the "mold" is white and it is on the mid-rib, it is likely "salts". Salts are minerals held within the leaf and mid-rid that migrate to the outside of the mid-rib as it dries.

If the mold is furry and white or green, then it is likely mold. If the mold is only on the mid-rib, remove the lamina (leaf) from the stem. If you have mold growing between layers of leaves, either return it or take a picture of it and send the picture to whoever you bought the leaf from.

Any reputable dealer will replace the leaf at no cost to you.
 

BigBonner

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I have seen white salts come out of the thicker parts of the leaf to . The stems will show white salts and in my opinion is normal and shows it has aged .
One thing I have notice about dark air cured it will feel sticky and will have more moisture in the leaf than other tobacco.

On my Dark air there may be black circles in the leaf . This isn't mold either . It is more of the oils in the leaf that gathers from moisture while curing . Rub it it will not leave .

Open up the inside of the leaf and it may look blueish or dusty on some leaves .
 

Matty

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Moldy leaf smells distinctively musty or mildew. I can't stand it so just throw it out. On a side note, I went to buy some decent cigars from the tobacconist and upon opening the box at home I found them moldy. I returned with the box for an exchange and found all the boxes of that brand where moldy. The tobacconist tried to convince me it was cigar bloom lol. Cigar bloom ain't fuzzy and don't grow on the foot (open end). I got a refund. So, personally, when I have moldy baccy I chuck the worst and keep whats acceptable, dried, consuming it sooner than later and keeping it away from anything good.
 

oeno

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Thanks for the replies. FmGrowit it was not from you. Its hairy and white so its mold. So I removed the bad leaf and the rest looks good, had a couple spots but no mold smell. I rubbed them clean. The good news this was a sampler and not a couple of pounds. So I'll keep my eye on it so it doesn't rear its ugly head again. I will take care to not cross contaminate.
 

BarG

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Thanks for the replies. FmGrowit it was not from you. Its hairy and white so its mold. So I removed the bad leaf and the rest looks good, had a couple spots but no mold smell. I rubbed them clean. The good news this was a sampler and not a couple of pounds. So I'll keep my eye on it so it doesn't rear its ugly head again. I will take care to not cross contaminate.
To this day I have never recieved any product from Fmgrowit that was moldy or molded even after leaving in the vapor proof bags for extended periods unopened. I do believe hes got his sh.t down.The Same goes for Bonner.

Thanks Don and Larry
 

BigBonner

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To this day I have never recieved any product from Fmgrowit that was moldy or molded even after leaving in the vapor proof bags for extended periods unopened. I do believe hes got his sh.t down.The Same goes for Bonner.

Thanks Don and Larry

When anyone gets leaf they may need to check the tobacco . Hot weather and sun will draw what little moisture inside out leaving too much moisture in one spot .

One other thing that may look bad is that when other leaves lay over a stem that has the white salts comming out it will leave a trail of that salts ( Minerals ) On the leaf and look like white mold .
 

BarG

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When anyone gets leaf they may need to check the tobacco . Hot weather and sun will draw what little moisture inside out leaving too much moisture in one spot .

One other thing that may look bad is that when other leaves lay over a stem that has the white salts comming out it will leave a trail of that salts ( Minerals ) On the leaf and look like white mold .

Thats good advice, If everything is looking good I wouldn't feel bad about sealing back up to keep in case the way shipped.
Like anything you care about keep an eye on it to maintain quality.
 

Chicken

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To this day I have never recieved any product from Fmgrowit that was moldy or molded even after leaving in the vapor proof bags for extended periods unopened. I do believe hes got his sh.t down.The Same goes for Bonner.

Thanks Don and Larry

i totally agree,
 

Aaron

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here are a couple pictures of what I think are the salts or minerals that were discussed earlier


7638651360_4af5f13321_z.jpg


7638650622_f9e3160f3d_z.jpg
 
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Jitterbugdude

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Looks like mold to me but that is a common occurrence and is not big deal unless the leaf continues to be kept too moist, then the mold will spread.
 

oeno

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Wow, I can see how the salts can make you think its mold. It brings back memories of old post being in a salt marsh. They had hair like crystals coming out of them.

Thanks for the posts.

Cheers,
oeno
 
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