New Member from Colorado

[Aaron]

Greetings everyone, I just wanted to say hello and thank you all for this wonderful resource.
I've never tried to grow anything before, but i'm going to attempt to grow some tobacco this year. The varieties i'm going to try to grow are little dutch, white mammoth and ky 8635. I expect to be bugging you all with endless questions soon.

Thank You

Aaron Chase

 

[BarG]

Welcome Aaron, sounds like cigar varietys, if so theres no better place to hang your hat . good luck searching all availabell threads, but don't be shy about asking any questions.

BarG

 

[Rayshields]

Welcome Aaron!
You will find lots of information here. Everyone is helpful and there is usually a little humor to be found. I have grown lots of stuff, but never any snuf...hopefully you will discover that you have had a green thumb all these years and haven't used it. When I was growing up, I usually spent a few days at my cousin's house in the summer. When my Aunt brought me home, I always went out to check out the garden before going in to say hi to my folks. I have always had a passion about watching things grow. It is truly one of many miracles around us.

Again, welcome.

 

[CoralReefs]

Greetings everyone, I just wanted to say hello and thank you all for this wonderful resource.
I've never tried to grow anything before, but i'm going to attempt to grow some tobacco this year. The varieties i'm going to try to grow are little dutch, white mammoth and ky 8635. I expect to be bugging you all with endless questions soon.

Thank You

Aaron Chase

Welcome, I joined this month as well. Great group of people here! Very supportive community

I am from CO initially as well. Ft. Collins area. I have a lot of family in the CO Springs and Woodland area.

 

[FmGrowit]

Welcome to the forum. Don't hesitate to ask any questions.

 

[Chicken]

with the help of all us members,,, im sure you'll have sucess,

you may want to consider more than just 2 varities,,,

baccy is like a drug,,, the more varities you got the better .. '' MIX'' you will end up with,,,,the more varities you got to mix, the more you can cuatom blend your future smoke,,,

 

[Aaron]

Short update: I got my seeds on Monday, I got them put into trays and started the germination process that evening. Yesterday morning i saw my first seedling starting to emerge. This morning when i checked them I had a bunch more starting to show. (all three varieties showing) i tried to start 72 of each and i'm considering planting 24 of each. I'm half worried that that may be too many to start with my first time, but i figure maybe that will give me more room for error. I have most of my area tilled up to about a foot deep. Should I try to go deeper? ( yes i'm still talking about the soil. lol ) I'll try to get some pics up in the next couple days.

Thanks

Aaron

 

[johnlee1933]

Welcome, I joined this month as well. Great group of people here! Very supportive community

I am from CO initially as well. Ft. Collins area. I have a lot of family in the CO Springs and Woodland area.

So I'll bet you even know where "Three Mile" is. I visited the father of a friend there some years back. I expect he has passed by now but his name was Graffius and he was active in the fire company (even garaged one of their small trucks till the fire house was built) and the night patrol.

John

 

[johnlee1933]

Short update: I got my seeds on Monday, I got them put into trays and started the germination process that evening. Yesterday morning i saw my first seedling starting to emerge. This morning when i checked them I had a bunch more starting to show. (all three varieties showing) i tried to start 72 of each and i'm considering planting 24 of each. I'm half worried that that may be too many to start with my first time, but i figure maybe that will give me more room for error. I have most of my area tilled up to about a foot deep. Should I try to go deeper? ( yes i'm still talking about the soil. lol ) I'll try to get some pics up in the next couple days.

Thanks

Aaron

Welcome Aaron. If you have not already done it, check out the FAQ.s listed at the top of the page. Tons of great beginners info there. From what I've read here a foot deep is just fime.

John

 

[deluxestogie]

I think a foot is sufficiently deep. Starting with that number of plants is a challenge for the initial planting, and for figuring out what to do with all the harvested tobacco, but in between, you likely would not notice much of a difference with half that number of plants. It looks like you're off to a good start.

Most folks start about 50% more plants than they anticipate putting in the ground. The only drawback to having extra plants is when the time comes to heartlessly dump them. One never seems to have enough willing neighbors when it comes to giving away extra tobacco transplants or extra zucchini.

Bob

 

[BarG]

Thats funny Bob. Too many people still want to pay $50 + a carton. I lost at least 25% of my seedlings after transplant last year. I think I'll have better roots on my seedlings this year and a better plot for planting. Everyone brags about there veggie gardens and how good fresh homegrown veggies are but look at you sideways when they find out you grow your own Tobacco.

 

[johnlee1933]

Thats funny Bob. Too many people still want to pay $50 + a carton. .

You're lucky. I haven't used them for years but they are over $80/carton here in CT.

John

 

[BarG]

You're lucky. I haven't used them for years but they are over $80/carton here in CT.

John

Tell me it ain't so. I know how to boost this site. A well placed info mercial in the highest priced commercial tobacco priced states. If only we were independently wealthy.

[aren't there any philanthropist members yet]

 

[BarG]

Short update: I got my seeds on Monday, I got them put into trays and started the germination process that evening. Yesterday morning i saw my first seedling starting to emerge. This morning when i checked them I had a bunch more starting to show. (all three varieties showing) i tried to start 72 of each and i'm considering planting 24 of each. I'm half worried that that may be too many to start with my first time, but i figure maybe that will give me more room for error. I have most of my area tilled up to about a foot deep. Should I try to go deeper? ( yes i'm still talking about the soil. lol ) I'll try to get some pics up in the next couple days.

Thanks

Aaron

Yea, the soil and Fertilizer too. I'm learning from last years mistakes still. Best of luck Aaron.

 

[BarG]

I'm going on a solid year of total whole leaf smoking, with the exception of 3 cartons of cheap smokes when work was overwhelming me for prerolling. Hence roll as I go. Small cigars for driving any distance,and a handy baccy pouch..

 

[Aaron]

Thanks guys. I kept thinking i had read somewhere to till two feet, but then i couldn't find it again.

The only drawback to having extra plants is when the time comes to heartlessly dump them.

Bob

That's funny because I've been dreading the thought of having to cull the extras. Maybe I'll just make a little more room and plant them all.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I have most of my area tilled up to about a foot deep. Should I try to go deeper?

Aaron

One foot is plenty. You don't even have to till if you do not want to. I did the "no till" method for a few years and noticed nothing different from when I tilled the soil. You have to ask yourself though, why are you tilling and to what depth (and why). The most common reason people till is because it's an easy way to get rid of the weeds that sprouted up during the spring. Done early enough in the season it can also help uncover insect larvae that could be killed during a freeze/frost. The depth is almost irrelevant. All tilling does is mix the soil. If you want to start splitting hairs you could consider plowing. The idea behind plowing is to return the soil's mineral strata back to its proper orientation. When soil fertilizers/minerals are applied in the fall (or from last spring) most migrate downwards into the soil. Plowing flips the soils and reorients the mineral/nutrient strata. But, this is all just splitting hairs, tobacco is such an easy crop to grow all you really have to do is plant it, weed/water and smoke

 

[BarG]

One foot is plenty. You don't even have to till if you do not want to. I did the "no till" method for a few years and noticed nothing different from when I tilled the soil. You have to ask yourself though, why are you tilling and to what depth (and why). The most common reason people till is because it's an easy way to get rid of the weeds that sprouted up during the spring. Done early enough in the season it can also help uncover insect larvae that could be killed during a freeze/frost. The depth is almost irrelevant. All tilling does is mix the soil. If you want to start splitting hairs you could consider plowing. The idea behind plowing is to return the soil's mineral strata back to its proper orientation. When soil fertilizers/minerals are applied in the fall (or from last spring) most migrate downwards into the soil. Plowing flips the soils and reorients the mineral/nutrient strata. But, this is all just splitting hairs, tobacco is such an easy crop to grow all you really have to do is plant it, weed/water and smoke

It helps to do both. If you can disc it with a tractor and let that decompose and till to break that up and make more managable for medium size areas and smooth it out. Tillers beat the hell out of buying and feeding a mule that could do the same thing in half the time. I would put it to use the rest of the year hauling logs and pulling yopon. Feed prices are outrageoeus though. And I always get my hees and yaws mixed up.[ I would love to have a good mule] I don't know my right from my left.

 

[johnlee1933]

I would put it to use the rest of the year hauling logs and pulling yopon. Feed prices are outrageoeus though. And I always get my hees and yaws mixed up.[ I would love to have a good mule] I don't know my right from my left.

In this neck of the woods it is "gee" and "haw". It is my understanding these came about this way -- You say "Gee" and the animal goes the wrong way. The old fart farmer next door goes "Haw Haw Haw" and the mule goes the correct way.

John

 

[CoralReefs]

Thats funny Bob. Too many people still want to pay $50 + a carton. I lost at least 25% of my seedlings after transplant last year. I think I'll have better roots on my seedlings this year and a better plot for planting. Everyone brags about there veggie gardens and how good fresh homegrown veggies are but look at you sideways when they find out you grow your own Tobacco.

When transplanting this year, try fertilizing them with a little seaweed extract or vitamin B1 immediately after transplanting to reduce shock. See if that helps. I have never used B1, some people here (as in where I live) swear by it. Kelp extract has always been good for me.