Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

I have flower buds !!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
or rather my plants do.
I wrote a post in my grow log but I thought maybe a thread of its own might be good since there isnt a specific "tobacco flower care" thread for those of us that wish to grow for seed.
Right now I have Vuelta budding . Little Dutch , Va Gold, Criollo and Madole are right behind it in flower bud progression. BUT, most of those varieties mentioned , the plants leaves are barely a usable size .
I would like to know ,should I top the plants I dont want to flower/seed ?
If I top those , will it stimulate more leaf growth and leaf size or is it pretty much done with its life cycle?
I only have one Criollo leaf that looks to be even close to any kind of usable size so far.

I have the 5 gallon paint strainer bags .
How tight do I place them for flower expansion.
Do I and /or how many top leaves should I have inside the bag.
How tight on the stalk so I don't choke it out?
What do I use to close off the bottom of the bag?

I definitely need to put the bags on soon. I'll be out of town from this Sunday through the 4th of July Holiday weekend.
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
well, I'm afraid it will bust out full bloom while I'm out of town ,so I'd like to bag it before I go. so , if I include the leaves just below the head I should be ok?

Seeds I collect will be for members/seed bank.
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
"you'll have enough seed for 10 acres."

I'm planning ahead for retirement in 7 years. Plus I'm one of those people who saves everything ,and throws very little away.
 

Knucklehead

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
12,171
Points
113
Location
NE Alabama
I try to remove all the leaves that will end up inside the bud bag. The leaves can grow quite large and put the squeeze on the bud head, and really stuff the bag full. I pull every tiny leaf I can find. The leaves will also prevent BT or Spinosad from entering the bud bag if you spray for bud worms later on.

I top the plants I do not want to make seed. Wait until they flower. If a plant you want to bag has begun to flower already, or the flower has begun to elongate from the seed pod, snap off the flower/seed pod that has begun to come out. You must remove the flower and the seed pod it is attached to. You can then bag the rest of seed head.

Don is right. If you only want enough seed for yourself, you can just bag one branch. The reverse is also true. If you want all the seed you can get for swapping, donation, etc. you can bag the seed head and the top two or three suckers all in the same bag. I got this idea from Skychaser. One plant can make up to 250,000 seed.

To attach the seed bag, I use the reusable zip ties. The kind that has a release so you can remove it without cutting it. I bunch the bag directly under the lowest branch that will be inside the bag, then place the zip tie there. Just tighten it snugly so no pollination insects can get inside. Later, as the bag gets full and the seed head has continued to elongate, you may have to loosen the zip tie and slide the seed bag further up the plant. Sometimes the base of the bag will encircle two or three branches if you have also bagged the top two or three suckers along with the main seed head. Tighten the zip tie a little more firmly in this case so all branches are pulled tightly together and there is no air gap left that a bug can get through.

A bud head can fill a bud bag quite full with no adverse effects. Just make sure the bag hasn't burst at the seams and all will be fine.

I label my bagged bud heads with a length of surveyors tape tied with a single overhand knot around the zip tie. Label the variety on the surveyors tape with a permanent marker. The label will stay with the seed head after you have harvested it.
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
I try to remove all the leaves that will end up inside the bud bag. The leaves can grow quite large and put the squeeze on the bud head, and really stuff the bag full. I pull every tiny leaf I can find. The leaves will also prevent BT or Spinosad from entering the bud bag if you spray for bud worms later on.

I top the plants I do not want to make seed. Wait until they flower. If a plant you want to bag has begun to flower already, or the flower has begun to elongate from the seed pod, snap off the flower/seed pod that has begun to come out. You must remove the flower and the seed pod it is attached to. You can then bag the rest of seed head.

Don is right. If you only want enough seed for yourself, you can just bag one branch. The reverse is also true. If you want all the seed you can get for swapping, donation, etc. you can bag the seed head and the top two or three suckers all in the same bag. I got this idea from Skychaser. One plant can make up to 250,000 seed.

To attach the seed bag, I use the reusable zip ties. The kind that has a release so you can remove it without cutting it. I bunch the bag directly under the lowest branch that will be inside the bag, then place the zip tie there. Just tighten it snugly so no pollination insects can get inside. Later, as the bag gets full and the seed head has continued to elongate, you may have to loosen the zip tie and slide the seed bag further up the plant. Sometimes the base of the bag will encircle two or three branches if you have also bagged the top two or three suckers along with the main seed head. Tighten the zip tie a little more firmly in this case so all branches are pulled tightly together and there is no air gap left that a bug can get through.

A bud head can fill a bud bag quite full with no adverse effects. Just make sure the bag hasn't burst at the seams and all will be fine.

I label my bagged bud heads with a length of surveyors tape tied with a single overhand knot around the zip tie. Label the variety on the surveyors tape with a permanent marker. The label will stay with the seed head after you have harvested it.

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...ion-2013-Nursery?p=44289&viewfull=1#post44289

Thank you , thats some good working information right there.

P.S. Admins...thanks for moving it to the proper folder.
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
checked my plants yesterday afternoon before I left for work . Vuelta buds started showing signs of opening,so I pinched off the tiny surrounding leaves and unsuckered it too, then bagged the head. Little Dutch also had a bud head looking like it was opening soon. Bagged that too. The other budded plants looking like they could wait til I get back from the trip.
What a wet mild June we're having . Hope July brings a little heat . The rest of our garden is pretty sad looking , wife ripped out most of the tomatoes -all wilted and browning out . Not looking like a good tomato year (or beans)at all, very disappointing.
 

Knucklehead

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
12,171
Points
113
Location
NE Alabama
I just reread my post and should add that Orientals and shade wrapper are traditionally not topped at all, yielding a milder, lower nicotine product.
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
got back from our trip a few hours ago . First thing besides a trip to the comforts of the old home bathroom was of course the tobacco patch to check the progress. The two bagged heads were in bloom so I'm glad I bagged when I did. There are only a few others that are elongating the stalk but expect to open soon, like in a day or so . I see yellow within the flower covering. I had a few handfuls of suckers to pluck . Everything looks just fine. Stepson said we got a little rain but nothing like June brought. Amazing how you don't tend a garden for just 7 days and the weeds just seem to take over.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Top