Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Tutu's Year 2017

Status
Not open for further replies.

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Interesting view. You're relaxing in the shade, surrounded by tobacco plants and banana, with a palm in the background--in full tropical sun. Satellite dish over your shoulder.

I notice lights standing above the wall. Do those turn off during the night?

Bob
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
You're spot on. The lights are on during the night. About the only thing you missed are the passion fruit vines. When we were on Timor-Leste we didn't only source tobacco, we also took passion fruit seeds. Bought the fruits on a market in Dili, ate them at the beach, and brought along a few seeds from the best tasting fruits. We planted them when we came back and they only just started to give us fruit. The first fruit is starting to turn colour as well!

DSC_0166.jpg

DSC_0167.jpg

For those interested in the process, I've dug up a few more pictures.

DSC_0089.jpg

DSC_0096.jpg

DSC_0111.jpg

DSC_0564.jpg

DSC_0568.jpg

DSC_0569.jpg

DSC_0572.jpg

DSC_0587.jpg
 

Hasse SWE

Well-Known Member
Founding Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2013
Messages
1,315
Points
63
Location
Sweden (Värnamo)
Very nice pictures (as always). Interesting didn't known that passion fruit was growing that fast and give fruit.. Perhaps something for me to think about in the future..
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
Yes, they're very quick. The internet learns me that they can take over your whole garden over time. They sure are aggressive growers. Currently germinating some other passion fruit varieties that we bought on a market in Singapore.

But let's continue by reporting on tobacco. Each bullet point refers to the next picture in line below.
  • As I have reported at Kasturi x Amersfoort there was another casualty among the KxA. That is, one plant got the curly virus. Definitely different from the mosaic virus of previous plants. I harvested the leafs that still looked okay, and discarded the stalk. Now I've had those leafs laying in a room that has relatively high moisture. Three leafs are definitely not doing what they should, drying up and turning darker green. Those are the ones in a row top left in the picture below. From the other five, two are slowly turning a lighter colour and the three others were definitely too high up the stalk to be maturing right now.
  • So there are five remaining adult plants of KxA, of which I have discussed characteristics in the other thread. I've played a bit with the positions of the containers. A large part of this garden gets covered in shade by the roof of the house for most of the day. I am now using the back row alongside the wall to optimise sun hours for my plants. Therefore, the row of Besuki that was first from the house to the wall, is now alongside the wall.
  • The next picture shows the nursery. The row close to the wall gets many sun-hours, the row next to it a little less, and the three plants closer to the house get only very few sunrays. These three were transplanted to their container today. Two of them are KxA, the furthest one away is Xanthi. I got some Xanthi seed from our hidden forum member down under. The first four plants you see on the left of the picture are Amersfoort. They are there so I can compare the KxA with Amersfoort, and for backcrossing if needed. The five small plants behind the Amersfoort are KxA. Behind them are three Besuki which I have going for some time now.
  • I've taken the blown down Besuki plant to another side of the yard, just to take a good picture of it. Here you can see how the soca is growing out. I have topped that sucker, because unfortunately it's got a bit of mosaic virus going for itself. I'll definitely cure the leaf I can get though. Having been topped, the leaf on the main stalk looks quite unlike the two Besuki partners besides it.
  • A sucker I topped that was growing from the main stalk of the Besuki plant in the previous picture. If it weren't tobacco, I'd say it looks pretty!

I have now planted everything that I've got going. All of them are in their final container. Currently, this is what I've got.
  • 12 K x A
  • 06 Besuki
  • 04 Amersfoort
  • 01 Xanthi


DSC_0152.jpg

DSC_0210.jpg

DSC_0211.jpg

DSC_0214.jpg

DSC_0219.jpg
 

Charly

Moderator
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
2,209
Points
113
Location
France
Lovely pictures of how you got your fruit seeds !
I wish I was on the beach, eating those fruits with you ! Enjoying the sun and the sea :)

That's great if these seeds gives you good fruit.

Your tobacco plants grow well too.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
When I was in Limbé, Haïti in the early 1970s, I was treated to passion fruit juice, made from fruit growing along a back patio. I recall that it was wonderful. It required a lot of sugar to make it, and about 20 minutes to hand-wisk the gelatin from the seeds.

Bob
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
I'll be doing another weekend update then, just to post a couple of pictures. Nothing shocking has happened. I've harvested a few Besuki and KxA leafs and they're sun curing nicely. Quite happy with how they come out. I've also pressed all the Liquiçá leafs. I'll be storing those, together with the leaf I harvest now, and they'll all go into fermentation piles later on when the Besuki buying season starts in this region. Right now I don't have a lot of piles to my disposal that got some good heavy fermenting going. So it'll have to be stored. I'll be taking my Amersfoort and Kasturi leaf to the Netherlands in June, as well as the Ainaro which is fermenting at the moment. Looking forward to see how they come out. The idea is to rest the garden for a little bit while I'm away to the Netherlands (and a few weeks to the Dominican Republic right after). I'll make sure there are no tobacco plants around. This break should make sure that once I'll start to get some new plants going there is even less of a virus issue. I'll be sowing again somewhere in the end of July. Anyway, here's the yard:


  • Two out of three Besuki's that have been around for a while now. The third is the blown down plant with the soca from last post. I'm harvesting these three guys and they're easy to colour change to a nice soft yellow. The sun curing that follows is also turning out neat. The leafs that remain on the plant have turned quite pale yellow, the way Bob describes that his Besuki leafs of Tabakanbau do too.
  • All the little ones I have at the moment. I'm afraid I won't be able to harvest a lot of these since I'll be leaving end of next month. I'll see how far I'll get though. The rather small plant in front of the picture in the orange container is Xanthi. The others you see are KxA. There's also four Amersfoorts. Wait, let me show you.
  • These are the four original Amersfoort. They're the 'mother' of KxA. They are quite bright coloured, as you could see in comparison with the sun-suffering Besuki right next to it. I think I'll be able to sun cure a few of them.



DSC_0401.jpg

DSC_0404.jpg

DSC_0407.jpg
 

Bex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
830
Points
43
Location
Donegal, Ireland
GREAT photos!!!! I'm totally jealous of your weather (and your plants). We are now experiencing the 'coldest spring on record' in my part of the country. It does not bode well for my crop, which is struggling in a cold and damp greenhouse....:(
 

Charly

Moderator
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
2,209
Points
113
Location
France
Great looking plants !
So you will go to the Dominican Republic ? :) You plan on stealing some good seeds there ? :D
More seriously : have a good time there, you will find some good cigars for sure ;)
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
My girlfriend went to the Dominican Republic last January and brought seeds of Dominican Olor, Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano, San Vicente. I will try to resupply for sure! Haven't been able to grow any of them yet myself though.
 

greenmonster714

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
1,351
Points
63
Location
West Central Alabama
You guys are like international travelers. :) I wish I had caught this growing bug many years ago. I lived in Panama, Central America for three years. I could have gathered a lot of seed. Those seeds from the Dominican are great. Can't wait to see ya throw them in some pots.
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
I feel the same though. There's many places I went prior to this where I would have loved to take tobacco seed from. But you gotta accept it and be glad that the growing virus caught you after all
 

Leftynick

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
388
Points
28
Location
Malaysia
My girlfriend went to the Dominican Republic last January and brought seeds of Dominican Olor, Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano, San Vicente. I will try to resupply for sure! Haven't been able to grow any of them yet myself though.

Wow, nice list of seed you have there. And getting them at the source certainly a good experience. I never traveled out of South East Asia.
 

Charly

Moderator
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
2,209
Points
113
Location
France
My girlfriend went to the Dominican Republic last January and brought seeds of Dominican Olor, Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano, San Vicente. I will try to resupply for sure! Haven't been able to grow any of them yet myself though.

Great ! I hope you will soon try these strains and show us some good pictures of it !! :)
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
Something tells me that I should be bagging all of them. Then again, the four hybrids that are flowering really look very very similar. It's only the brightleaf hybrid that looks different, and it's not yet flowering. Maybe that's the only one I'll bag. I have no other varieties flowering at the moment, so that shouldn't pose a risk.

DSC_0411.jpg
 

ChinaVoodoo

Moderator
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
7,166
Points
113
Location
Edmonton, AB, CA
Something tells me that I should be bagging all of them. Then again, the four hybrids that are flowering really look very very similar. It's only the brightleaf hybrid that looks different, and it's not yet flowering. Maybe that's the only one I'll bag. I have no other varieties flowering at the moment, so that shouldn't pose a risk.

View attachment 20543

Nah, bag it. You might decide you need to back-cross or something down the road and regret not saving those. Or, it might be achingly delicious. Bag at least one of them. You got nothing to lose.
 

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
I was going to collect the seed, that's for sure. Just didn't really see the point of bagging it since cross fertilisation would be at a minimum and the plants are pretty much the same anyway. Maybe that's just me being lazy. Maybe I'll bag them. Should find propper bags though...
 

ChinaVoodoo

Moderator
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
7,166
Points
113
Location
Edmonton, AB, CA
I was going to collect the seed, that's for sure. Just didn't really see the point of bagging it since cross fertilisation would be at a minimum and the plants are pretty much the same anyway. Maybe that's just me being lazy. Maybe I'll bag them. Should find propper bags though...

Bees travel pretty far and without bagging, there's no way to know for sure what you have.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top