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Squeezyjohn's grow blog 2015

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squeezyjohn

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It starts again! On dry days over the past month I have been down on the allotment preparing the land for planting by creating permanent long 4 foot wide beds and covering with a thick layer of cow manure as a mulch to stop the weed seeds germinating. Of course the plot will be used for growing food as well as the tobacco so just like last year it's going to be a bit tight!

Today I sowed 4 varieties of Nicotiana Tabacums in root-trainer modules made by Haxnicks. The compost is Jack's Magic brand which did very well for me last year. The seeds pinched and sprinkled on top of the compost, sprayed with a water sprayer and put inside plastic carrier bags to conserve the moisture - placed next to the heater in my office.

IMG_0034.jpg

IMG_0035.jpg

I am aiming for 16 plants each of:

Bamboo shoot - from UK tobacco seeds
Black Mammoth - my own saved from 2013
Bolivian Criollo Black - from UK tobacco seeds
Amarellinha from GRIN (PI119822 - Argentina 1937)

Later on - in to April I plan to do a similar sowing of Rustica varieties and am aiming for massive leaves like POGreen managed last year! The rustica varieties will be:

PI499167 - Rustica - US(1985)
PI499190 - Mahorka Stalingradskaia - Soviet Union (1985)
PI478886 - Rustica GC-1 - India (1983)
1000 year old tobacco - from Salt Spring Seeds

I'll try and keep this blog updated ... here's wishing everyone in the Northern Hemisphere on FTT a brilliant growing season!
 

DGBAMA

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Look forward to following along.

I grew the BCB last year, it was a huge producer. To me the finished leaf has a slight coffee note.
 

POGreen

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Have a really good grow this year Squeesyjohn ! :)

Do you grow your plants by the window or you use lightbulbs ?
 

squeezyjohn

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Thanks everyone!

Hi PO - I start the tobacco plants on the windowsill but as soon as the weather is warm enough I put them in a greenhouse that is insulated with bubble-wrap. This normally gives them much better light than the windowsill and they do well there. I don't use any lights.
 

POGreen

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I got scared when the sky was grey in the end of Februari so I arranged 2 light bulbs for my 100 + plants/seeds.
First I used them at daytime but now I run them around the clock and they are coming on very good.
I will do a transplant and transfer seedlings to the window in a week or two.
 

Chicken

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I like the way you pack your grows tight...even though I have a lot of room.I still keep my plants growing in a tight close group.
 

squeezyjohn

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Thanks Chicken,

It can work well if the soil is in good condition as it did for my Silver River last year. However the tobacco my Rustica plants made when packed tightly together didn't really ripen properly and cured badly too - so I think I learnt my limits for how tight I can go.

My beds are just over 4ft across and raised slightly above the ground level (but not raised beds with an edge) - Judging by the way my Silver Rivers grew last year that's enough to get 3 rows in a bed if the rows are staggered with just over a 2 foot spacing and I should be able to get to the middle ones without stepping on the beds for maintenance.

However - if I am to grow that lot plus all my fruit and veg ... I might need to ask if I can rent another allotment for next year!
 

squeezyjohn

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Disaster number one has struck already!

Apparently the permanent marker I used to label the varieties is water soluble!!!!! Now I have 4 varieties which are beginning to germinate nicely but I don't know which is which at all ... bugger!

I may have to just carry on and ask advice of people on here once they get growing properly ... I know what Black Mammoth should look like and that Bamboo shoot is the only bright leaf variety ... but I'm less sure on Bolivian Criollo Black and Amarellinha ... I'm really annoyed with myself ... I knew I should have stuck to pencil!
 

Knucklehead

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Disaster number one has struck already!

Apparently the permanent marker I used to label the varieties is water soluble!!!!! Now I have 4 varieties which are beginning to germinate nicely but I don't know which is which at all ... bugger!

I may have to just carry on and ask advice of people on here once they get growing properly ... I know what Black Mammoth should look like and that Bamboo shoot is the only bright leaf variety ... but I'm less sure on Bolivian Criollo Black and Amarellinha ... I'm really annoyed with myself ... I knew I should have stuck to pencil!

Have you taken any photos of the trays that might help?
 

squeezyjohn

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I'm afraid not ... all the pics I took were of the identifying sticks facing the other way ... I'll definitely stick to pencil ... even if that rubs off it leaves an indentation I can see.
 

deluxestogie

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Bolivia Criollo Black, in my garden, grew to 7-feet plus, and produced huge, numerous, pointed leaves.

Garden20130816_899_BoliviaCriolloBlack_Bob_300.jpg

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/2108-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2013/page31

Bob
 

DGBAMA

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The crillo black should stick out like a sore thumb. Mine went well over 8ft tall last year.
 

squeezyjohn

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We have lift off with germination good for all 4 varieties (whichever one is which!)

Meanwhile I've been out on the allotment for the past few weekends getting the place tidied up. This year for all my plants (including vegetables and fruit) I have decided to set up permanent 4.5 foot wide beds which are going to be raised up above the paths to stop water logging when there is heavy rain and also to warm the soil up quicker in the spring. This is going to also allow me to tend plants without stepping on productive soil and concentrate on improving the soil of the growing beds only. It looks like a kind of mediaeval ridge and furrow system now!

IMG_2382.jpg

I've probably got about 2 months before it will be warm enough to plant out any tobacco ... manure and spent hops from my local brewery have been used as a mulch on the surface of some of the beds to help preserve moisture and stop weeds coming up.
 

Chicken

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That soil looks really good..

I bet after working in it for.a while...it takes a lot of scrubbing to get the hands clean..aye.????
 

squeezyjohn

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That soil looks really good..

I bet after working in it for.a while...it takes a lot of scrubbing to get the hands clean..aye.????

Yes - it's pretty good stuff round here! Very fertile and easy to work - it's quite fine loam so it can bake to a concrete type texture in the summer after rain so I hope that mulching will help the beds.

And yes it takes ages to get it off my hands! In fact looking at them now I think I missed a few bits round my nails ... I'm off for a manicure.
 
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