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MikeTheNewGuy 'I'm doing this wrong' Grow Blog 2016

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MikeTheNewGuy

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Hello everyone:

Haven't been active since I ordered my seeds and began the season back in February but here I am to share my experience (or lack thereof ) with the FTT fam.

My original plan was 8 plants of 6 varieties including little dutch, Dominican olor, Comstock spanish, havana 608, cuban criollo, and of course Vuelta abajo. I ordered from northwoodsseeds as per everyone's recommendations with the exception of the criollo and Vuelta abajo I had left over from last year.

I had fair success with the little ones and ended up with at least 6 of each variety with all but just a few plants making it into the ground on April 25th. I've weeded and aerated the patch a few times since and I'll be putting the last stragglers in the ground probably next week sometime.

No pictures just yet but I'll be sure to grab a few shots to show off soon.

This is my second year doing this with a not-totally-disastrous but rushed last season. I'm happy to have my plants on time this year and I am very excited for the varieties I have going.

If anyone has input on the varieties I chose feel free to speak up.

I also should mention I only smoke cigars and that is the intended use for all my tobacco.

Hope everyone has a great season filled with big leaves!
 

ArizonaDave

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Hello everyone:

Haven't been active since I ordered my seeds and began the season back in February but here I am to share my experience (or lack thereof ) with the FTT fam.

My original plan was 8 plants of 6 varieties including little dutch, Dominican olor, Comstock spanish, havana 608, cuban criollo, and of course Vuelta abajo.

I concur with Knucks. Haven't tried the Havana 608 though. The rest are good for sure. I found Habano seeds at sustainable seeds, but haven't grown them yet.
 

Smokin Harley

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Hello everyone:

Haven't been active since I ordered my seeds and began the season back in February but here I am to share my experience (or lack thereof ) with the FTT fam.

My original plan was 8 plants of 6 varieties including little dutch, Dominican olor, Comstock spanish, havana 608, cuban criollo, and of course Vuelta abajo. I ordered from northwoodsseeds as per everyone's recommendations with the exception of the criollo and Vuelta abajo I had left over from last year.

I had fair success with the little ones and ended up with at least 6 of each variety with all but just a few plants making it into the ground on April 25th. I've weeded and aerated the patch a few times since and I'll be putting the last stragglers in the ground probably next week sometime.

No pictures just yet but I'll be sure to grab a few shots to show off soon.

This is my second year doing this with a not-totally-disastrous but rushed last season. I'm happy to have my plants on time this year and I am very excited for the varieties I have going.

If anyone has input on the varieties I chose feel free to speak up.

I also should mention I only smoke cigars and that is the intended use for all my tobacco.

Hope everyone has a great season filled with big leaves!

Great list Mike... I grew most of those last year and the Comstock and Olor I'm growing this year. Is the cuban criollo the 98 or something else? I had excellent harvest from the Vuelta and Little Dutch . Had my patch not flooded I think the Havana 608 would have done better as well. Keep us posted . Post new pics each week. Before you know it , you'll be harvesting . Do you have a kiln built yet?
 

MikeTheNewGuy

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Thanks for the input guys I have some high hopes for this season.

Harley, I used an old cooler last year as a kiln and it worked well enough but if all goes well I will have significantly more leaf than last year so I want to build one modeled after the nicer foam insulation board I've seen here.

Also the criollo is just cuban criollo from heirloom tobacco seeds. Last year it turned out very dry and woody with a somewhat BBQ-like odor to the upper leaves and slightly sweet hay-like odor to the lower leaves.

I have a final in a few hours but the weather is supposed to be beautiful today. I'll be putting my few stragglers in I'll be sure to grab a few pictures.
 

Smokin Harley

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I built a kiln last year. Worked very well. pretty simple design .1/2 inch plywood. 4tall x 4wide x 2deep lined with 1 inch foil faced foam then I added shelf standards in the back so the wire shelves could be adjustable height or removed completely . heat/humidity provided from a large crockpot controlled by a digital controller found on ebay for like $15...that I played around with ...I don't add water directly to the crock. I went through 2 crocks that way. Instead I had a theory and experimented with - I found a small stainless steel trash can that holds roughly 1 gallon of water . I place a layer of sand in the bottom of the crock , place the stainless can on top of the sand then add sand around it as a jacket . The sand acts as a heat sink and removes the threat of temperature shock when I add water. The temperature controller shows kiln temp recovers quicker (most times within a 1/2 hour it is back up to 125*F )than having to let the crock cool down enough to add water directly . My method is fairly fool proof. Not saying its so easy a fool can do it but I don't need to fool with it much once its set ,hahah.
My next theory or idea I need to try is figuring out just how to add water to the can without opening the door (which allows the heat and humidity to escape). I'm thinking of routing a length of tube attached to a toilet float valve to the inside of the can. Not sure how the valve would do with the constant temperature. Then if that works I could keep an external vessel filled with water and it will fill the internal can as needed.
 

MikeTheNewGuy

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I really like the sand idea I never even thought about temp shock breaking the crock good call. For your kiln could you set up maybe like a gravity fed system? Say a large tub of water outside the kiln placed at the same height as the steel can? Hook up a tube going from the bottom of the tub through the kiln into the bottom of the can, as the water inside the kiln falls it will be replaced with the water in the tub.

Just an idea not sure how effective it would be in use. Have you played around with different temperatures in the kiln? I know low 120s inhibits mold growth I just wonder what type of flavors come from different temps. That is one experiment I plan on doing. I also plan on leaving a few top leaves on some plants to ripen longer than the normal mature stage they should be primed at just to see what happens.

I like growing/processing tobacco cause it let's me scratch my tinkering itch. That's as fun as smoking the finished product!
 

Smokin Harley

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I thought about the gravity thing...like a water level . I'm sure its probably the simplest way to do it.
I kilned at 125 for a month . I left mine on the stalks as long as possible . Still waiting on the aging to see when I want to use it. Be sure to get the vapor proof bags to store your leaf. I planted roughly 120 plants lost a few due to flood but a couple of those that lived , I actually let sucker (Va Gold, Little Dutch)and got almost double my expected harvest from those plants. I ordered 50 bags and after processing it all out to varietal primings I had only 4 of those bags left . Some were not filled but the others were packed as much as I could fit without breaking the bag or crushing the leaf.
 

MikeTheNewGuy

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My small plot. From left to right we have little dutch, Dominican olor, Comstock spanish, havana 608, cuban criollo, and Vuelta abajo.

The few smallest in the very back were planted yesterday and yes I know my rows are crooked I wasn't paying attention while digging.

Can't wait for that upward growth phase!
 

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DGBAMA

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Won't be long, you won't be able to reach the middle ones.

Suggestion..... Remove more grass along the outer two rows, a good foot or better of bare dirt outside the outer rows, the grass will compete for both nitrogen and water from those plants and result in less than great yield from the outer plants.
 

cigarchris

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Hi Mike, welcome to FTT! Glad to see someone else in my neck of the woods. What city are you in? I've grown all the strains you mentioned over the last few years except Olor and Comstock. That's a great list for cigar tobacco. I've also done PA Red, PA Broadleaf, FL Sumatra, and Habano 2000. I'm very curious if you have the same aphid apocalypse as me every year, usually starts around early July. Good luck with your season!
 

DGBAMA

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Hi Mike, welcome to FTT! Glad to see someone else in my neck of the woods. What city are you in? I've grown all the strains you mentioned over the last few years except Olor and Comstock. That's a great list for cigar tobacco. I've also done PA Red, PA Broadleaf, FL Sumatra, and Habano 2000. I'm very curious if you have the same aphid apocalypse as me every year, usually starts around early July. Good luck with your season!

Admire....
 

cigarchris

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Oh yeah, already got some Imidacloprid. I'll do the first watering with it in the next couple days here, and then one more when I put them out sometime Memorial Day weekend. I was just curious how bad they get in comparison to other areas.
 

cigarchris

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Well, just did the 2nd watering with Imidacloprid. I think I'm going to try to get them in the ground this weekend instead of waiting till next, weather permitting. I was going to do the 2nd watering as I plant them, but I decided against it. Not sure if this stuff would hurt the earthworms and other beneficial soil dwellers. The little bit of residue on the root balls might be enough to hurt them, but I don't think it would be as bad as pouring a cup or two directly into the holes.
 

DGBAMA

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Pre treating in Trays, the last waterings before planting worked well for me. No aphids until the very end of the season after most of harvest was done and they could do no harm.
 

MikeTheNewGuy

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Sorry for the lack of updates guys got a little busy with school and a nice little Florida vacation but we're back on track now.

Everything is doing well enough minus some bug damage and losing a little dutch and criollo to critters. The criollo has really started budding at a pretty small size but it wasn't my favorite from last year anyway. There are some small flower buds on the Vuelta abajo and the comstock spanish.

The olor is doing really well and making me happy as I am really looking forward to it.
 

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