Tentative layout for 2015.
Bob
Bob
deluxestogie Grow Log 2015
- Thread starter deluxestogie
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COLIN
Well-Known Member
Good to see you getting ready early
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
You are too organized good sir.
grgfinney
Well-Known Member
I don't think my grows will ever be that organized i just pick a spot 100x100 and make rows east to west
Hmm. Mine are north/south. I wonder if it makes a difference.
Bob, What is "Izmir/Karabaglar"? Do you have unknown seed that you think is either Izmir or Karabaglar? I grew Karabaglar a few years ago and found it to be very bland tasting. I'm glad I only grew 3 plants.
That is a grow to sort out some possibly mis-labeled seed from GRIN, at Jessica's request.
Because I plant in discrete beds, I need to organize what goes where, so that the tobacco beds are regularly rotated with veggie crops. With too much tobacco, and too few beds, I rotate as best as I can, mostly for pest mitigation.
Bob
POGreen
Well-Known Member
Nice blueprints you got there Bob , will be interesting to follow this season , hope that Danneman Bahia comes to your taste.
PO, I'll be comparing the Danneman Bahia, for which you graciously provided the seed, to Bahia, for which FmGrowit originally provided the seed. I was unimpressed with the grow of the latter, a few years ago. [The stalks tended to be floppy, and the finished leaf only mildly suggestive of Mata Fina.] But my cigar tobacco results have progressively improved since then.
Bob
Starting Deer Tongue Seed
Since Deer Tongue seed requires a month of chilling (~59ºF) while hydrated, before it is likely to germinate well, I thought now would be a reasonable time to begin the sequence.
The research on a related species indicated in their procedures that the starting soil was first sterilized. Is this necessary?
In order to answer such a simple question, I had to set up an experiment. I purchased a new bag of "Miracle Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix." I spread some of the mix into a small metal baking pan, and heated it in a toaster oven at 250ºF for 45 minutes. This is my "sterilized" mix.
Using 8 oz. Ball plaster freezer jars (thoroughly cleaned and dried, but not sterilized), I filled each ~3/4 with soil--two with sterilized mix, and two with mix straight from the bag. Enough water was added to each jar to make the mix moist, but not soggy. Each jar was labeled.
Deer Tongue seed was sprinkled onto the soil surface of one sterilized and one non-sterilized jar. The soil surface of all four jars was then misted with water. Lids were closed on all 4 jars, and they were then placed into my kitchen pantry, which averages ~55ºF during January through March. They will be in darkness during most of every day, occasionally interrupted by indirect light whenever the pantry door is opened.
Jars:
Really, the only question to be answered is whether or not one needs to bother to sterilize the soil mix prior to spending 1 month in cool, damp darkness. Does it mold? All but the Sterile seeded jar can be discarded, once this question is answered.
After 30 days, I will place the Sterile seeded jar onto a heated seedling mat for germination, then will transfer individual, germinated seeds to the cells of a 48-cell 1020 tray. Supposedly, germination will occur within 10 days after coming out of the chill.
Bob
Since Deer Tongue seed requires a month of chilling (~59ºF) while hydrated, before it is likely to germinate well, I thought now would be a reasonable time to begin the sequence.
The research on a related species indicated in their procedures that the starting soil was first sterilized. Is this necessary?
In order to answer such a simple question, I had to set up an experiment. I purchased a new bag of "Miracle Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix." I spread some of the mix into a small metal baking pan, and heated it in a toaster oven at 250ºF for 45 minutes. This is my "sterilized" mix.
Using 8 oz. Ball plaster freezer jars (thoroughly cleaned and dried, but not sterilized), I filled each ~3/4 with soil--two with sterilized mix, and two with mix straight from the bag. Enough water was added to each jar to make the mix moist, but not soggy. Each jar was labeled.
Deer Tongue seed was sprinkled onto the soil surface of one sterilized and one non-sterilized jar. The soil surface of all four jars was then misted with water. Lids were closed on all 4 jars, and they were then placed into my kitchen pantry, which averages ~55ºF during January through March. They will be in darkness during most of every day, occasionally interrupted by indirect light whenever the pantry door is opened.
Jars:
- Sterile control
- Non-sterile control
- Sterile seeded
- Non-sterile seeded
Really, the only question to be answered is whether or not one needs to bother to sterilize the soil mix prior to spending 1 month in cool, damp darkness. Does it mold? All but the Sterile seeded jar can be discarded, once this question is answered.
After 30 days, I will place the Sterile seeded jar onto a heated seedling mat for germination, then will transfer individual, germinated seeds to the cells of a 48-cell 1020 tray. Supposedly, germination will occur within 10 days after coming out of the chill.
Bob
jolly
Well-Known Member
Looks like fun. When I was doing this with species I.collected in the wood of KY when I lived there, the biggest concern was fungal infection, specifically damp off. Rather than sterilize everything I just sprayed it with fungicide. I'll forward to seeing your results.
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
Don't forget to start a jar of "unchilled" seed when you move those on the seed mats, as a control for with or without the chilling process.
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I've been racking my brain for a place that's an appropriate temperature. The fridge might be too cold, do you think? These plants are from pretty far south.
If the jar I'm interested in becomes moldy, I will spritz it with diluted vinegar.
Bob
That was already studied in that Masters thesis (http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/5371-ChinaVoodoo-s-2015-grow-blog?p=99444#post99444). Chilled = good germination; not-chilled = very poor germination.
As long as they are protected from freezing, I believe the fridge is fine. But I'm just guessing. The author of the thesis lived in a world where 59ºF required a walk-in cooler.
Bob
BarG
Founding Member
You have been expanding your amount of grow every year it seems Bob. Thats a lot of plants.
Good luck this year and may the weather and bug gods smile upon you in a good way.
Good luck this year and may the weather and bug gods smile upon you in a good way.
I've grown between 230 and 250 plants for the past few years. The greatest variation comes from differing quantities of densely planted Orientals.
Bob
Bob
Planting asparagus roots is similar in time-scale to planting a dwarf fruit tree. You have to allow it to grow, without harvesting, for 3 years. The roots need to grow. During the 3rd season, you can harvest it lightly. After that, you can get a fairly nice harvest each year during early summer, and then let it all go to seed in late summer. [The lovely, berry-size, red fruit is not edible.]
Since the ground is never really tilled after the roots go in, weeding becomes a chore several times each summer.
Bob
Deer Tongue Germination Progress
The Deer Tongue germination batches have spent 30 days in my chilly pantry (averaging 54-57ºF). When removed two days ago, one seeded cup (non-sterilized soil) actually had two seeds with cotyledons showing. The two control cups (non-seeded) were unremarkable. The seeded cup with sterilized soil showed a scant bit of mold hyphae.
The idea was essentially to see if sterilizing the soil (as done in the published study) made any difference. It doesn't. The mold seems to be luck of the draw, from ambient spores.
Since the number of seeded cups is so small, I can't really draw any conclusions from the fact that a few of the seeds in the non-sterilized soil went ahead and germinated in the chilled conditions.
The photo below was after two days on the heated seedling mat, lids on. They are exposed to about 1 hour of late afternoon, winter sun each day.
I didn't count the seeds that went in, since each one has a "flag" flying above it. In another week, I'll have a good idea of the germination rate.
What else is there to do these days?
Bob
The Deer Tongue germination batches have spent 30 days in my chilly pantry (averaging 54-57ºF). When removed two days ago, one seeded cup (non-sterilized soil) actually had two seeds with cotyledons showing. The two control cups (non-seeded) were unremarkable. The seeded cup with sterilized soil showed a scant bit of mold hyphae.
The idea was essentially to see if sterilizing the soil (as done in the published study) made any difference. It doesn't. The mold seems to be luck of the draw, from ambient spores.
Since the number of seeded cups is so small, I can't really draw any conclusions from the fact that a few of the seeds in the non-sterilized soil went ahead and germinated in the chilled conditions.
The photo below was after two days on the heated seedling mat, lids on. They are exposed to about 1 hour of late afternoon, winter sun each day.
I didn't count the seeds that went in, since each one has a "flag" flying above it. In another week, I'll have a good idea of the germination rate.
What else is there to do these days?
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
It looks like you have better germination than I do. I got 100% on the first 5 I planted under the ground, and 0%on the ones I pressed into the surface weeks later, I believe the same day you planted. Maybe they still have a chance, but I believe the first batch was dealing with cooler nights in the house. I didn't intentionally cool my seeds.
Right now they range from 1/4" to 1/2" tall. Real slow.
Right now they range from 1/4" to 1/2" tall. Real slow.
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