Joe's (laugh at the new guy, he's doing it wrong) Grow.

[JOE1977]

Here......we........go!

I kicked things off this past Sunday with one tray, a heat met,seed and a 50/50 peat,soil mix.
the first pic shows the list of what's being grown. As I said in the title, this is my first grow, so prepare for the q's.

first is. How much water? The greenhouse top has a lot of condensation in it and when do I need to add light?

 

[JOE1977]

And a special shout out to Bob for the seed!

 

[DonH]

Nothing to laugh at here, looks good. Good luck on your grow!

 

[DGBAMA]

Looks good.

I get condensation too for starting. I leave my lights on full time and lids closed with condensation until they sprout. Then I switch my lights to match natural daylight hours and prop the lids open about an inch. When they are about nickle sized I remove the lids entirely.

 

[Knucklehead]

Fill the bottom tray about 1/3 with water. Separate one of the cell sections so you can remove it to add water directly to the bottom tray. You do not water from the top onto the soil because it will compact your soil and could cause spiral root in your seedlings. After a couple of weeks your plants may start turning a lighter shade of green or yellow. This is a sign that you've used up the fertilizer that came in the soil. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salts per gallon of water and give them a dose of that. Then start adding water soluble fertilizer to your water as you add to the bottom tray. If you don't use a TDS meter, use only half the recommended fertilizer dosage as recommended on the fertilizer container.

Some people use the clear domes and some don't. I do not because I think it increases the chance of mold growing on your soil and seedlings or stem and root rot. Mine do fine without it. Your soil will wick up all the moisture you need from the bottom tray. Your soil should be moist but not wet. While tobacco does like a tropical climate, most outdoor tropical climates have wind blowing. All that moisture trapped under the dome with no air movement has the potential to cause problems. The dome may be beneficial if you are growing in a cool spot and want to hold in the heat although the heat mat should provide plenty of heat to the soil. I'm growing in a basement that runs about 65F. No problems due to no dome. You'll get different opinions on that and I'm just stating mine. I just know that having no dome has caused zero problems for me.

Do not bury your seed under the soil. Just sprinkle them on top and mist them with water. Covering with soil will produce low or no germination. I use a plastic strip labeled with variety name and stuck in the soil. A map does not always work if you rotate the tray or something. Eliminate all guess work and redundant systems give you an extra measure of safety in terms of keeping your varieties separate and correctly labeled. Keep the varieties labeled from seed to leaf storage.

Are you growing for cigarettes and cigars?
What is that last variety that you have abbreviated SP?

 

[JOE1977]

Growing for pipe and some for cigar. The Sp is for spectrum.

 

[Knucklehead]

Growing for pipe and some for cigar. The Sp is for spectrum.

You're going to love that Samsun Maden in a pipe. It's great by itself just straight up. One of my favorite single variety pipe tobaccos.

Found the Spectrum. I hadn't paid much attention to it but it sounds interesting..http://nwtseeds.com/Spectrum.htm

I don't know how much room you have, but some filler varieties would be nice to go along with your three wrapper varieties. CT Shade grown in the sun makes a good binder.

 

[intrepidmac]

You're doing better than me. I'm still waiting for my seeds for my first grow. Good luck!

 

[Knucklehead]

To determine when to plant your seeds, plug in your zip code to figure out your last average frost date. Start seed inside about 8 weeks prior. Keep an eye on the ten day forecast as that date approaches to determine when you want to transplant your seedlings to your patch.
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/781-Last-and-First-Frost-Date-When-Is-It-Really

 

[Chicken]

using that heat mat...you can remove your dome,,,

i used heating mats for the first time this year....with no dome's.. and sucess is excellent... mist them with water about every 2 days. get the top of the soil good and wet...but do it gradually,

 

[Jitterbugdude]

All good advice, nothing to add.

 

[JOE1977]

Yippee......they are alive!!!

 

[Chicken]

I'm sure you'll do great...just do a lot of reading on this site..and look at a lot of grow logs...and the curing process

 

[Knucklehead]

All good advice, nothing to add.

You're just saying that cause I mentioned Samsun Maden before you could.

 

[DGBAMA]

Yippee......they are alive!!!

Exciting times.

 

[JOE1977]

They are starting to come alive. The Virginia is moving the fastest.

 

[Knucklehead]

Always a happy day. Mine have also just begun to show some green.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Here......we........go!

I kicked things off this past Sunday with one tray, a heat met,seed and a 50/50 peat,soil mix.
the first pic shows the list of what's being grown. As I said in the title, this is my first grow, so prepare for the q's.

first is. How much water?

I'm sure the seasoned tobacco growers will give their advice but as a horticulturist , one should water the soil thoroughly and then place the seed on top so as not to wash the tiny seed away or on the other hand bury it in too deep of soil layers if it was watered after the seed is placed.

The greenhouse top has a lot of condensation in it and when do I need to add light?

Bottom heat should be continued until the seed begins to grow and the grow light placed just above the tiny first leaves immediately after.

 

[JOE1977]

Is like posting pics of your kids. Here's two more. The Va is out pacing the rest.

 

[DGBAMA]

First year especially, new smiles every day seeing how much they change on a daily basis. Looking good.