FALaholic
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When places state the given days to maturity, when exactly do the days start?
Question about Maturity Rating
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skychaser
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Days to maturity starts when it's planted in the field. It doesn't count the 6-8 weeks the plants spend as seedlings. Maturity is generally considered to be when 50% of the plants have begun to bloom. That's when fields are usually topped and then harvested 1 to 3 weeks later. This is really pretty arbitrary though. The leaf ripens at different times depending on the variety. I have some plants in full bloom that the leaf is no where near ripe yet and others I just topped that could be harvested tomorrow.
FALaholic
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That is pretty much what I was thinking; arbitrary.
So it would be safe to say, that the two months that have elapsed since germination. I can begin to count the 60-70 days till harvest?
Harvest when the leaves are ripe, then count backwards to determine days to maturity.
The days to maturity varies so much and for so many reason that it is useful in only one instance. It can help northern growers get a general idea of whether or not they have enough season for a particular variety. Lakota is from Canada and he only has a 90 day season, last frost to first frost. He has to be careful what varieties he grows or they won't mature to harvest before frost sets in. Days to Maturity as stated by GRIN can help in making that decision. To my knowledge, it has no other useful function, and even then, it's not 100%.
My VA and Burley were planted toward the end of April. They should have been harvested and cured by now, based on Days to Maturity, but the unusual amount of rain, the lack of sun due to overcast days, the soil compaction from so much rain, etc. has blown days to maturity figures right out the window. All I know is that when 50% of them show at least one flower i will top them and when the leaves show signs of ripeness, I will harvest them. In other words, they'll be ready when they are ready, regardless of what the stated days to maturity is.
Another example is the spare seedlings I kept in the trays to replace any dead seedlings in the fields. The seed were planted in the trays April 26. They are about a foot high, stems the size of pencils and very leggy. The roots are coming out the bottom of each cell. This is why days to Maturity starts when the seedlings are planted in the ground, rather than two months after the seed are planted. By the days to maturity, they should have been head high and harvested a long time ago. It's just not a reliable figure to be beneficial for any reason other than getting a general idea for season length.
My VA and Burley were planted toward the end of April. They should have been harvested and cured by now, based on Days to Maturity, but the unusual amount of rain, the lack of sun due to overcast days, the soil compaction from so much rain, etc. has blown days to maturity figures right out the window. All I know is that when 50% of them show at least one flower i will top them and when the leaves show signs of ripeness, I will harvest them. In other words, they'll be ready when they are ready, regardless of what the stated days to maturity is.
Another example is the spare seedlings I kept in the trays to replace any dead seedlings in the fields. The seed were planted in the trays April 26. They are about a foot high, stems the size of pencils and very leggy. The roots are coming out the bottom of each cell. This is why days to Maturity starts when the seedlings are planted in the ground, rather than two months after the seed are planted. By the days to maturity, they should have been head high and harvested a long time ago. It's just not a reliable figure to be beneficial for any reason other than getting a general idea for season length.
FALaholic
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Thank you Knuckle, that makes me feel better.
Where you live, you can grow any variety you want to and still get two crops.
Plug your zip code in here and it will give you an idea of your average first and last frost dates: http://wholeleaftobaccollc.com/forum/showthread.php?781-Last-and-First-Frost-Date-When-Is-It-Really I went with the date showing a 20% chance of frost. That's pretty low. Like for my area, Oct. 31 I have a 20% chance of a 32F frost. That 20% leaves me a little wiggle room in case my seed pods aren't completely browned up yet. It takes about a month longer to produce seed than it does to produce leaf.
FALaholic
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Thanks. I actually went another route to find my frost dates and it is my understanding that my first frost will happen in late Jan. I'm planning on harvesting in late December. Fingers crossed.
Plenty of time. Don't sweat it. Let those seedlings get up to a good size, I made the mistake of worrying about how old they were and planted when they were too small. Just let them do their thing and don't rush. They'll be jumping up before you know it.
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