deluxestogie Grow Log 2013

[deluxestogie]

I guess I need to begin this log, since my seed from FTT arrived today. My varieties will be:

Bolivia Criollo Black
Celikhan
Córdoba
Costa Rica 589 (Iztepeque)
Criollo Salteño
Dominican Olor
Florida Sumatra
Glessnor
Harrow Velvet
Hoja Parada
Jalapa
Lattaquie 92
Little Dutch
Machu Picchu
Mutki
Pennsylvania Red
Tabasqueño Prieto
Virginia Bright
Vuelta Abajo
Xanthi Yaka 18a

The total number of plants is 204. I'm expanding the number of planting beds over last year, and rotating the crops.

The layout of tobacco plants within the beds is pretty much like that shown in the 2012 grow log. The only exception will be for the Celikhan and Xanthi Yaka 18a. These two will be planted (if I successfully produce enough good transplants) at about 0.5 sq. ft. per plant (compared to my standard 3.75 sq. ft. per plant). That is, the Celikhan and Xanthi will be spaced at ~8" in all directions.

The 13 production varieties will be transplants from BigBonner, while the 7 small quantity grow-outs will be germinated here. I'll begin tomorrow.

Bob

 

[Chicken]

you are definatlly the guy to follow, to see, a good 100% cigar grow,

i cant pronounc half of those strains,

i bet your finished cigar would match anything, the commercial competition could put next to it,

let the grows begin,

 

[MarkMOH]

Always have a great layout. I'm growing in pots due to limited space available but man if I get some space I hope I can plan like you do.

 

[deluxestogie]

Germination
My first batch of varieties was started on March 3. The germination mix is 3/4 Miracle Gro Peat: 1/4 Vermiculite. Each variety was started in a separate 8 oz. plastic Ball freezer jar (no holes or drains) filled about 1/3 with the mix. Water (~1/8 cup) was added to the soil in each cup. Each cup--and its lid--was labeled. With a single cup on the counter at a time (to prevent cross-seeding), seed was lightly sprinkled onto the uncompacted surface of the mix. The lid was closed.

All of the jars were placed on a cookie sheet which rested on a seedling heat mat. An empty 1020 tray was used to block any direct sunlight.

By the following day, each jar showed heavy condensation. The lids were opened and left ajar.

At 72 hours, two of the varieties had germinated. Below, Celikhan (compliments of skychaser) has sprouted 50 to 100 seeds.

With seedlings at about this tiny size, I set up 1020 trays with 48-cell inserts, fill them with the same soil mix, and nest the inserts in a drained 1020 tray which, in turn, is nested into an undrained 1020 tray. I also add a lattice tray beneath it all, to make it stable for lifting and moving.

The soil in each cell is not compacted. A fingertip is used to dimple the center of each cell, then 1 quart of water is poured into the 1020 tray, and allowed to soak and wick into the soil for about 1 hour. I then mist the surface of the soil.

Using a small tweezer (but carefully avoiding squeezing the seedlings), I attempt to lift individual seedlings from the germination cup, then simply drop one into each dimple. It's not "planted" or manipulated in any way other than to be dropped onto the surface of the dimple.

Sometimes, if it's too difficult to separate two seedlings, I just drop both into the dimple (as seen above). Once they've grown a bit, I'll either remove or snip off the weakest of the two.

I thoroughly mist a second time, then cover the tray with a dome for the first week or so. The 1020 tray assembly is kept on a seedling heat mat for about a week. For the first two days, I drape a light (15%) shade fabric over the dome. The tray is on a sun-exposed wire shelf in my enclosed back porch. The dome actually doesn't seal onto the 1020 tray, but is held slightly above it by the wood labels. Once the sprouts reach about 1" in height, I offset the dome about 1/2" sideways for better ventilation.

Bob

 

[ne3go]

It seems very difficult to separate them, even with a tweezer. Could you put the seeds directly in the trays (a tiny amount in each tray) and just keep the strongest plant after they grow? It could be a waste of plants, but i think with a little try, you could put only 5-6 seed in each tray .

 

[DonH]

It seems very difficult to separate them, even with a tweezer. Could you put the seeds directly in the trays (a tiny amount in each tray) and just keep the strongest plant after they grow? It could be a waste of plants, but i think with a little try, you could put only 5-6 seed in each tray .

Yes, you can definitely do that. I did that last year and it worked fine. The trick is to try to get as close to three seeds per cell as possible. This year I may try the q-tip method to do that.

 

[leverhead]

I'm going to have to try dropping the sprout on a dimple! It would be a real time and patience saver.

 

[deluxestogie]

It's actually easy to separate the seedlings when they are this small. If you catch them earlier--with an emerged radicle, but without any green showing--they are even easier to separate, though not as convincingly germinated. Once they have grown for another week, the roots will be longer, more fragile and entwined.

Since I keep the germination jar growing until the plants in the cell trays are well established, I don't use the simplest method for separating the tiny seedlings. If you just dump them out, then mist them with water, the little seedlings drop away from each other.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Germination Status

Variety	Germination (days)	No Germination After (days)
Celikhan	3
Xanthi Yaka 18a	4
Iztepeque 589	4
Tabasqueño Prieto	6
Guácharo	7
Moonlight	7
Córdoba	-	15
Criollo Salteño	-	15
Hoja Parada	-	15
Lattaquie 92	-	15

[/b]

The four varieties that failed to germinate are still under observation, but new batches of each have been started.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

I've got some germination issues also. How long do you go before you give up? Most of mine went well, just a few stubborn ones.

 

[istanbulin]

Bob, skychaser's Çelikan seeds are really incredible, mines germinated in less than 3 days, your Mutki seeds was nearly same too.

 

[jekylnz]

Id love to b playing poker at ur house with all those beautiful sounding stog.strains,
A little off subject..but do u think alfalfa sprout growers would be good to start seeds in,any thoughts bob

 

[deluxestogie]

A little off subject..but do u think alfalfa sprout growers would be good to start seeds in,any thoughts bob

Yes...off subject. I'm not familiar with alfalfa sprout growers.

For slow germinators: although I will start a new batch after 10 to 14 days with no sign of life, I tend to maintain each batch for about a month, or until mold takes over.

My general observation is that while different seed batches (different varieties, perhaps different year's produce, or different storage method) often germinate differently, some seed in a single batch may give me different results from one year to the next. By that, I mean that a batch that showed mediocre germination one year, may (with more seed from the identical batch) germinate better the following year--or maybe the opposite.

There is no question in my mind that the quality of the seed is dramatically influenced by the storage conditions--especially over a long number of years.

Bob

 

[ne3go]

For slow germinators: although I will start a new batch after 10 to 14 days with no sign of life, I tend to maintain each batch for about a month, or until mold takes over.

Seed germination is a mystery to me! I've also seen sometimes vegetable seeds to grow, after a very long time burried in the ground.
The most unusual thing: Some flower seeds in a pot never grew up. I empty the dirt in the ground early in the summer and forgot them. They grew up next spring!

 

[squeezyjohn]

Well different types of plants definitely need different conditions from each other fo optimum germination - some like it hot and humid, others need to have frozen to break the dormancy - a little look at the climate the plants originated from normally gives you a clue as to the kind of conditions you need.

Tobacco seems to be easy enough to get going though. Nice warm place - damp and closely covered for a couple of days and once you see the first evidence of sprouting get them in to a place with indirect light. I definitely get different rates of germination with different seed varieties though. YTB was just so fast this year ... last year it was a Rustica that was miles ahead of the rest!

 

[jekylnz]

Alot of seeds I grow need to b put in freezer for the night or couple of days( like poppies)is this the same with bacci,the seeds remind me of them,they look very similar??

 

[squeezyjohn]

Alot of seeds I grow need to b put in freezer for the night or couple of days( like poppies)is this the same with bacci,the seeds remind me of them,they look very similar??

I've never frozen tobacco seeds and for the main part they've germinated fine just sprinkling them on the surface of a pot, spraying, covering and leaving them somewhere fairly warm.

 

[deluxestogie]

Mea culpa.

When I first began germination, I had hastily added a multi-outlet surge suppressor on my back porch, and plugged in the seedling mats. Last night (Friday), while staring at the outlet strip, I had the uncomfortable sensation that the three particular cords that were plugged into it should not be equal in the hierarchy: heat mat; heat mat; Crock Pot.

I discovered that my seedling heat mats were downstream from the thermostat on my Cozy Can kiln. So, the seedling mats have been heating, but only when the internal temp of the Cozy Can fell below 125ºF.

Rather than say this was a screw-up, I'll call it planned intermittent thermal seed germination encouragement. Well, now that the planned encouragement phase is over, the outlet strip has been plugged directly to the power.

Despite the lame heating, both varieties of Prilep seed (from rainmax) have germinated prolifically in 3 days.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

I don't know anybody else that would do that! Well... admit to it.

 

[deluxestogie]

These photos were taken 2 days ago. Notice the snow outside. Today, it's sunny and 60ºF.

Celikhan (seed from Skychaser) @ 21 days after transplant to 48-cell tray.

A close-up of the Celikhan. Despite remaining small, they are leafing-out well.

Tabasqueño Prieto (seed from the member named NRustica) @ 19 days after transplant.

These trays rest on wire shelving inside my enclosed back porch, which is open to the kitchen, and remains close to indoor temp. Each tray gets about 1/3 to 1/2 day of direct sun. For the first week or so they were covered with a dome and shielded with a drape of Agribon-AG15. Now they are open to the air, and just enjoy the sun.

To water the trays (whenever the soil begins to feel dry on the surface) I remove one 4-cell unit from the tray, then pour 2 quarts of water (well water) into the upper tray (which has drainage holes). Some of the water drains immediately into the lower tray (no drainage), while the remainder is soaked up by the loose soil mix.

Bob