I have seen Rustica grow (flower) well past the first frost and snow here without giving any visual maturity indication like with N.Tabacum.. I usually harvest Rustica both prime and whole plant once cooler weather arrives in order to slow the air drying process.. I have seen all color shades mentioned by air drying with many variables but when kept at optimal conditions the greenest will become beautiful looking tobacco if its allowed to wilt and dry very slow. This is the only type I tie into hands when green..
Unfortunately in my climate (England) there are no optimal conditions to be had in a barn or shed unless you can afford temperature and humidity regulation of some kind!
We've just hit the crunch point here where if you miss checking on the tobacco hanging it will go mouldy as quick as a flash ... it normally happens at the end of October/beginning of November when the nights are damp and cool and the condensation forms on the leaf. I choose this time to take it in and make my twists even if there is some green showing.
Mold on rustica is quite different to the way N.Tabacum varieties tend to go. The stem is not the part which catches the mold first, it begins in the large pores on the back side of the leaves - normally towards the tips and it happens more readily on greener leaves too. You can see little black dots if you catch it early and there is a very distinctive smell of ammonia and funk which almost smells like a less legal herb!
This is what it will look like at the very beginning - the mouldy part is unusable - but you can use the rest of the leaf.
If you catch it later ... the mould will have white on it and then the whole leaf is ruined.
Although my twists will still be a little green when I make them - they will brown up if stored in the house in a box at regular household temps and humidity - I think this is similar to PeacePipe's hanging in hands.
