Chillardbee's 2016 Size Matters Grow Log

[ProfessorPangloss]

Will, glad to hear from you. I was wondering when you'd pop back in. Sounds like a banner year. I second Bob's demand. Pics, or it didn't happen.

 

[chillardbee]

So here is about the only pick I have as evidence of the grow. This photo was taken around July first so I'm thinking my first priming was around the 3rd week of july. We had more rain this year in june that helped keep the plants growing lush and fast and the hot weather in july was the cherry on top. I'll get a few more pics of the curing leaf and stubble. I left the stubble in just in case, might have a sucker crop even if it is tiny.

 

[deluxestogie]

That's a fine looking crop. Clicking on the attached image gave a much better perspective.

Bob

 

[chillardbee]

Thanks Bob. My grow this year was really an act of desperation. 3/4 of the plants you see here were suppose to be grown in my bee yards. add to that that 1/3 of the garden was used for veggies an you can see how spacing between plants became stupidly small. in the end, there were 2 plants per spot, 8" between each spot, and 2' between rows. I really don't know how I got what I got this year with that type of spacing. tobacco growers luck I guess.

River stone, I was kicking around the idea about using pallets too. the idea of having one pallet between each compartment makes sense, I'll likely do that.

 

[rainmax]

It happend. Bravo. Beautiful color...

 

[chillardbee]

This was a sad Grow log guys, I'm sorry. I just got so busy with life and work that I didn't keep it updated or post pics regularly.

Everything turned out good in the end. I got a little over half of last years crop rolled (11,000 cigarettes and counting) I like getting them all rolled so I don't have to think about in the active summer months. I still have another 9 to 10 thousand to roll.

Apart from my unkept grow log, I never didn't get my grow to meet the title of this grow log (size matters) due to 2 things - spacing and that I had to plants per plot. My burley was a real disappointment with many of them being stunted by early cool weather. Also, the soil was in disparate need of building up with compost and such. It has gotten quite depleted.

Well, we'll see how next year goes and see we can try this (size matters) again.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

That's the nice thing about winter, we get the time to plan bigger and better things for the year ahead

 

[deluxestogie]

I am convinced that planting closely, while perhaps delivering a similar poundage of leaf (though I doubt that's what usually happens), every leaf is smaller. For much less labor in leaf handling, planting fewer plants at wide spacing may provide a better yield as well. We're all learning as we go.

Another consideration is to find some 10-10-10 vegetable fertilizer (low chloride), and apply it to the soil as recommended. Composted organics are probably better, but at the cost of a much more labor, and perhaps cost--and they are slower. (I say 10-10-10, because that's the most commonly available. Low chloride fertilizers are not that easy to find to begin with.)

Bob

 

[chillardbee]

I am convinced that planting closely, while perhaps delivering a similar poundage of leaf (though I doubt that's what usually happens), every leaf is smaller. For much less labor in leaf handling, planting fewer plants at wide spacing may provide a better yield as well. We're all learning as we go.

I've noticed that not only are the leaves smaller, but there are also fewer leaf per plant. the length of stem between each leaf is longer but the plant usually doesn't get any taller meaning that you might get 5-7 harvest-able leaves rather than 10-12 or more.

I agree that I would rather handle fewer larger leaves than 2 1/2 to 3 times the amount of smaller ones. It just stands to reason too that the better spacing will mean better nutrients and sun light making a better quality leaf and smoke at the end.

 

[riverstone]

I have just finished doing a prime on my Virginia Gold and Yellow Twist Bud. I have had a couple of orders of Dons' WLT and comparing the homegrown with the commercial there is a few differences for sure. The leaf size is similar but Dons' is like leather and mine is like paper. My spacing is pretty close (18") because of the small patch I have. I have noticed that my leaves on the outside rows on the sunny side ripen to 'alligator' pattern and are thicker to the feel. While the inner rows ripen by the whole leaf fading to yellow or from the tip. I am still getting approx 10 harvestable (is that a word?) leaves/plant. This suggests to me that I might be better off growing fewer plants with bigger spacing and going for quality rather than lots of inferior leaves. The nett weight of dried leaf could work out the same but with less handling = less work.
I am also air curing the VG because the kiln I built (old fridge) gave off a plastic smell when heating up so I had to resort to plan "B". Maybe flue curing would retain more weight. If all else fails we always have Don for a top up to get us through

 

[chillardbee]

I am still getting approx 10 harvestable (is that a word?)

Funny you should ask. Actually, I typed 'Harvestable' but spelling check corrects it to 'Harvest-able'. Not that that means much to me who has his own dialect of pronunciations of various words of the English language. I consider myself quite inventititive.

I'm re-accessing my spacing for sure. In commercial operations i've noticed that in row spacing looks like it could be 18" to 24" and row spacing of 3 to 4 feet. I seen a page of plant spacing tests done on dark tobacco where the row spacing was a constant 40" and in row tests were done at 24", 28", 32", and 36" here is the link to said page http://darktobacco.ca.uky.edu/files/plantspacing04.pdf . I've got time to figure it out and will post my plans in my new grow log when I start it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Bob's view: Between row spacing is the distance required between rows, so that your mule doesn't damage the leaf while pulling the plow. Since the path between the rows is often used for traffic (human or machine--or mule), that soil experiences some degree of compaction, and is less inviting as a root zone. Commercial planting distances between rows assume the use of machinery.

So I would look at within the row spacing as the only one that matters. Count between-row soil as lost to cultivation.

Paired, staggered rows, with no path between the two, saves a lot of that soil. My planting beds are actually 4 staggered rows, with a path only around the outside. I clip these rows into "beds" at ~12 feet long, just for convenience and aesthetics. The maximum reach (for managing and harvesting the plants on the two inside rows) is past one outer plant. I've done this for years now, and find it not to be a significant problem.

Bob