springheals progress

[skychaser]

Even then, the seeds require assessment under biosecurity regulations.

Hell, you can read and read all the nonsense regulations and still come out confused. It's just mind boggling...

... Anything that has the ability to harbor disease or insects etc will be destroyed or treated at the recipients expense.

Yup. NZ has some of the strictest regulations of any country. I had a guy who was very interested in buying seeds from me and setting up a retail site to sell tobacco seed there. All the regs put an end to that idea. I get phyto-sanitary inspections and certificates for all exports, have annual field inspections for viruses and am certified virus free by the USDA, and meet and exceed all the regs to ship to the UK or Canada and everywhere else I have ever asked about. But any nicotiana seed I want to send to NZ must also be treated with 3 different treatments to kill viruses on each and every variety, and must be done in the presence of a USDA agent. The cost of all that makes it prohibitive.

However, seeds have been known to get past customs with no problems when they are in an envelope and look like a letter or birthday card. (wink wink)

 

[skychaser]

Also, I think your little plants will be fine. They are tough little buggers. Just let them grow and in a couple weeks you'll never know it happened.

 

[springheal]

Thanks Bob/skychaser for your words of encouragement. Interesting read with your encounter and n.z. I am not surprised.

I shall leave everything as it is. Today (after posting the pics), I gave the soil a good hoe to aerate the soil. The 2 close up pictures of the worst, are possibly the only ones needing replacing, so I'm happy with the outcome. All other damaged leaves are well attached except for possibly one. Some had snapped off and vanished in the wind!!

 

[Southern Planter]

Deer pulled up some of my plants by the roots, tasted them and spit them out. I stuck them back and they are now six foot high. My brother tells me of plants rejected by the guys in the planter and thrown in the hard dry clay ground out growing the nicely planted ones.

Here in Kentucky the burley seedlings in the hydro green houses are snipped to make them tough. Nearly every seedling I planted had leaves cut in half.

 

[springheal]

Just goes to show how tough the weed---oh, I mean, baccy is!

I guess the biggest killer in the early stages would be a heavy frost.

Actually, during the storm, we even had hail but not big enough to cause harm or drill holes in the leaf.

Good thing deer are fussy buggers! You did well replanting them.

 

[deluxestogie]

I guess the biggest killer in the early stages would be a heavy frost.

It's actually (at least for new growers) overwatering.

Bob

 

[springheal]

Ah yes, agreed. Forgot that

 

[springheal]

In a week or 2, it will be coming up to 2 months since planting out.

It's been a tryin time with the weather just like many of you in the u.s. early in the season. From gail force winds, dry soil, aphids (got the buggers early) and last night/today, steady rain. To top it all off, the rain has not eased, but the strong winds are picking up again now as I type this.

My dwarf beans are nearly naked, tomatoes the same and baccy leaf strewn about but the plants are ok.

I have a question members------ All the immature leaf (6"-12" long) that has been ripped from the plants, are they worth keeping? I have them in the shed to see if they will colour cure. As I am growing for ciggy smoking, the quality of leaf is not important. I guess they will be very bland at best

 

[DGBAMA]

They will dry paper thin and mild. I started keeping my lower leaves when they were large enough to not be damaged severely by the dirt around the plant.

 

[springheal]

Thanks DGBAMA, as I thought.

When it stops raining, I may remove the lower leaves that are on the dirt and save them.

 

[Seanz]

I hope this storm hasn't killed too many of your plants mate. but if they can get through then they can pretty much survive anything.

 

[springheal]

Well well. A lot has happened since my last post---

Seanz, I haven't lost any plants (had to replace 3 a week earlier), but this afternoon, the sun came out. Immediately, I began my first harvestWhat!?!?!?!


Oh, I mean removing about 80 torn and broken leaves at ground level mostly:







On average, they're a foot long and very green. Not sure if they will cure okay though. As most were very dirty from the heavy rain, I washed the leaf and let dry a bit in the shade before hanging:





Heard on the radio and saw on TV that the wanganui river is in flood and over 100 homes evacuated. I live about 2 kilometers from the river so no problems where I am. Went out tonight to see the action. What a blast. I have never seen so many cars and people having a nosey!!

Tomorrow, I have more leaf to remove. A very early harvest from a kiwi.

Well, it's a start

 

[DGBAMA]

Hanging green "hands" is an invitation for mold in the midrib where they are tied. I would consider stringing them individually on a wire to hang dry.

 

[springheal]

Hanging green "hands" is an invitation for mold in the midrib where they are tied. I would consider stringing them individually on a wire to hang dry.

Agreed:


That's better!

I have decided not to remove all damaged leaf as Bob suggested earlier as they are still attached to the plants and supplying nutrients to the roots.

 

[jekylnz]

How big are they now?

 

[springheal]

How big are they now?

Leaves hanging, mostly a foot long--300mm. They are very damaged.

In the garden, a foot long on average.

In the pots, 1.1/2 feet 450mm.

I still have lots of damaged leaf on all plants even the ones in pots but not so bad.

Stalks are now forming in the garden and the pots are about 2' tall from soil level.

I am fed up with all this blasted wind. Can't do much outside and I hate the wind!

 

[Seanz]

yeah the wind can be a biarch.
I cop it down here too I tend to only pull damaged leaves off when they are hanging on by a thread but hope it goes well for you

 

[jekylnz]

Leaves hanging, mostly a foot long--300mm. They are very damaged.

In the garden, a foot long on average.

In the pots, 1.1/2 feet 450mm.

I still have lots of damaged leaf on all plants even the ones in pots but not so bad.

Stalks are now forming in the garden and the pots are about 2' tall from soil level.

I am fed up with all this blasted wind. Can't do much outside and I hate the wind!

Any pics of the size of your plants now??

 

[springheal]

Yep









These later plantings have really struggled since planting out. At least they survived and will take off soon.



Seanz will be interested to see how well the pot grown plants are going.

 

[Seanz]

Looking good there mate