Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Bex Grow Blog 2017

Status
Not open for further replies.

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
Ridiculous that I'm actually naming this thread a 'grow blog'...but there it is. This is more for really newbies that aren't familiar with all the intricacies of growing, don't deal with the incredible variety of different kinds of tobacco, etc.
This year, I will be growing lemon virginia, burley, and a couple of new strains of tobacco that I am getting through the generosity of one of the posters here. The new strains are meant to need only a short growing season, which suits my situation pretty well.
I found last year - my most successful year to date, at least with the flue curing - that early germination is essential for the plants that I'm growing. This becomes a bit problematic, as due to the weather here, the short growing season, the wind that I often get - even during summer - I'm really unable to put plants out into my tunnel (or what's left of it) until the beginning of May, which leaves a pretty short growing season - although I will say that the plants are still alive, although not really doing much, well into December.
I've set up a grow light over a heated propagator that I have. My plan is to start this weekend - I'll bring my compost in, get it up to room temperature, clean out the propagator, sort my seeds (and make sure I know which is which, which was a bit of a problem for me last year), get the grow light back in place, and try to train the cat to sit somewhere else, other than on top of the propagator. I imagine I'll be fairly successful with all except the last one.
So, onward and upward...when the time comes, I'll try to post photos, etc. Sadly, as is my usual technique, there are no garden 'plans' or schematics. The tunnel is saved for the tobacco - and I am going to try to use one of my small beds that's somewhat protected, to see if I can get the tobacco to grow outside. The rest of my garden, such as it is, deals with my veg - just for info, I grow asparagus, potatoes, leeks, garlic, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Pak choi outside, and mange tout and beans in the crappy glasshouse I have......
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
Enjoyed your grow session last year and I am sure I will enjoy reading this one as well. It does sounds like a challenge, but that way you might learn much more about the limits of tobacco growing in comparison to some of us with "better" tobacco climates. I'm hoping this year will be better then the previous. What about growing a plant or two in the glasshouse you mentioned?
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
I watch eagerly, too.....:). Actually, I have grown some plants in the glasshouse - there's not a lot of room in there, and I do have a tendency to be, well, selfish in that I'd like to grow LOADS of plants so that I'm totally self sufficient. However, what ends up is that I have too many plants for the amount of space that I have. Funnily enough, though, I've had small plants in the glass house that have overwintered there - they do nothing at all from December on, and then suddenly, in about May, they begin to grow again. Hardy wee things! Or is it hearty?? Tomorrow, the process begins....and I hope to improve on my results from last year.....
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
Well, getting ready to rock n roll. It's bitterly cold today, even for Ireland, and not really psychology conducive to thinking about plants and springtime. But I forge onward! I brought my compost in from the shed, to get it up to room temperature. I have two plant trays filled with the compost, as well as a couple of 8 cell flats. This year, I plan to segregate my seeds, so that I know what is what - unlike last year, where I felt I could 'recognize' the different plants when they were growing. No way!! I've also prepared my propagator - cleaned out the bottom - rather than filling the propagator itself with the soil, I use the trays so that they can be easily lifted out if needed. I've prepared the top of the prop with aluminum foil for 'reflection'. Geesh, I even tested the grow light to make sure it works (the first year I did this, I prepared all, taped it all in, and THEN tested the grow light - it wasn't working, LOL, and I needed to take everything apart to fix it). So, the top of the prop looks like this:
small IMG_20170212_133638_975.jpg

In a past life, well before computers, I did 'lay out' for a newspaper - that 'skill' came in handy here!! I've also sorted through my seeds. So, of course, no post of mine would be complete without a question or two. If the seeds have been stored properly, for how long are they viable? The reason why I ask might be somewhat obvious - even though I collected my seeds from last year, I have no idea what they are. They could be either burley or virginia. So, I want to revert to the seeds from 2015 that were never used last year. I'm imagining - hopefully - that they will still be viable, and this is what I plan to use. My vegetable seeds last for years - I'm hoping that this is the case with tobacco, as well.
When the compost is warmed up - probably within 24 hours - I'll plant the seeds. The propagator itself is heated - and maintains that 'miracle' 95F when turned on, so the compost will stay warm enough, even in a somewhat cool kitchen, between the heat from the prop, and from the grow light.
While I was typing this, there was a loud crash in the kitchen....I ran out, expecting to find the propagator on the floor, but no, it was just a baking tray. I have these effin cats - a must for any female that lives alone - and they have no manners whatsoever. It will be a separate project, keeping them off the propagator when everything is ready to go.....
 

Chicken

redneck grower
Founding Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
4,631
Points
83
Location
FLORIDA
you are correct on one thing.. '' you do get better with each grow you put under your belt ''..

im done with my end of the experimentiing with different strains,,,, ive wasted a lot of my growing space in the past by experimenting,,

i grow for cigg purposes. and this year im keeping my strains to the ones ive grown in the past and had good sucess with,

yellow twist bud
virginia bright leaf
lizard--tail
barnett special
bursa


i have a crap--load of differnt seeds. but are they still good after all the months of just sitting in my seed container,??? i may grow 2--3 more strains than those mentioned.. if they germinate. big--gem.....and other burley's.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Tobacco seed that is stored dry (preferably with a desiccant) should be viable for at least 10 years, possibly much longer.

Bob
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
As you may have noticed, I'm pretty much unaware of the different types of tobacco, other than 'burley', virginia', Turkish/oriental. The Turkish is a non-runner for me - there is no way that I could sun dry anything over here. This year, I'll be doing Virginia (and, just for my info - what is the difference, if any, between Virginia and Virginia bright leaf??), Hickory Pryor, Harrow Velvet burley, and eventually giving some Amersfoot a shot, thanks to Tutu. The compost is all warmed up, so the seeds will be going in this evening.....I am hoping that the early germination last year was the key to why my flue curing was more successful than during my previous attempts. The adventure begins.....
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
...just for my info - what is the difference, if any, between Virginia and Virginia bright leaf?
"Virginia" is an entire category of flue-cured varieties, of which there are at least dozens. Virginia Bright Leaf is one of those varieties. (And its name is both descriptive and optimistic!)

Bob
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
Ah, thanks....so, question #2...what happens if you have Virginia of an unknown variety, and Virginia Bright leaf growing together, insofar as gathering seed, etc.??

Anyway, as of last night, my seeds have been planted. Now, for the waiting game....
 

Jitterbugdude

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
4,266
Points
113
Location
Northeast Maryland
Just bag each seed head before it opens. This will prevent any cross contamination. I use Organza bags ( something like 18x24 inches) but a lot of people sew Remay fabric and make their own.
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
I bagged last year, similar to your instructions....but, of course, I had no idea what was what, being unable to identify which plants were burley and which were virginia. This year, I will be more 'vigilant' (ie, smarter).

In the meantime, Houston, it appears we have lift off. In looking at the flats today, I see some tiny little heads starting to peak up. If you take out your magnifying glass, you can see them, LOL:
IMG_0019.JPG

Hopefully, there will be more companions as the days go on. I have the trays resting in a heated propagator. During the day, the plant light above is on, but without the propagator itself being plugged in. At night, for the past couple of nights, I've put the propagator heater on during the night. So far, so good.....
 

Jitterbugdude

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
4,266
Points
113
Location
Northeast Maryland
Bex, when I bag my plants I do 2 things. I spray some Spinosad on the buds to help kill bud worms and I take a UV safe marker, right the plant name on a tag and put it into the bag.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Happy growing!

Since I sew my own bud bags, I stitch a 1"x 3" Tyvek tag into the seam of each bag. (The tag is cut from a Tyvek mailing envelope.) I mark the tag with a Sharpie marker, which remains legible, despite the sun exposure, because it's well into the summer before the bag goes outside.

But yes, definitely tag the bags.

Bob
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
Thanks for the advice - I suppose I would have been better bagging last year, if I hadn't assumed I was going to be able to identify the burley vs virginia once it was growing - I got confused with my flats at the planting stage, and didn't mark which flat was which. This year, I've been more 'intelligent'....at least for the moment. More little seedling sprouting during the day today....things are looking up....:)
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
Ah, my little 'grow blog'....LOL. It's actually good to have the photos above (at least for me) so that I can see how far - if at all - my plants are coming. And it gives me an idea of what to expect next year.....so, 6 days from planting until germination, and then 10 days later, voila:
IMG_0039.jpg

I didn't think there was much activity, until I compared photos. I have 3 or 4 teeny weeny leaves on each little seedling. I'm not too impatient about 'thinning' them out - if I do at all. Last year, I had a couple of 'twins' - seedlings that were intertwined and repotted that way, and eventually went up into the greenhouse like that. They grew as twins to about 7 feet tall, with good leaf, etc. Anyway, it looks like things are coming along! I still have the grow light on them during the day, and turn the heated propagator (which is under the trays, rather than the seedlings being planted into the prop itself) at night. I really did try to drop few seeds, and do them in a row. Now I can tell how utterly unsuccessful I was....

We've had some horrible wind storms here over the past couple of weeks, and when I was finally able to, I went up the hill to my tunnel to see what damage was done. It appears that it has hit it's threshold of damage (last year). The roof is off (which, of course, means that I don't have to water unless really necessary), and the sides are still intact, so that there is some protection from the wind. It looks pretty laughable, but will do its job!! I'll have to take a photo of it and post it, if I'm not too embarrassed...LOL
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top