BarG
Founding Member
How about a sequel to Tobacco Growing FAQ's to Tobacco Curing FAQ's for the home grower.
No brag just fact.
This may be a work in progres.
No brag just fact.
This may be a work in progres.
Tobacco Growing FAQ II
- Thread starter BarG
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leverhead
Well-Known Member
That and tips, stakes at planting or some other support structure would have saved my ass the other night. A one stop shop for "I wished I'd thought about that".
BarG
Founding Member
I don't stake my plants as don't commercial growers for outdoor conditions.[Shade leaf would be an exception.] An example; no pics sorry.
All the bigger heavier tobacco plants were leaning but almost immediately right themselves to the sun,[result; a slight bend in the main stalk] None were laid over past the point of recovery.
Example 2; my second planting of corn were laying sideways and by trying to straighten could hear stalk crunch and snap under strain because the rain compacted everything, so leave alone and 2 days later all is standing straight and tall with slight bend in lower stalk. All it should do if your plant recuperates on its own is make it harder for you to navigate the rows?
What do you think?
leverhead
Well-Known Member
I was talking to my Dad this morning about it, we finally have something to talk about. He got away from a farm in New Hampshire and never looked back. He was telling me about the corn straitening itself up and thought that Tobacco would too. The Turks I've got probably would have also but it would have been a mess to tend, If I had more planted I think I would still finish with enough to get by with. I'll probably do something with the Turkish for a few years and then get lazy (and bit). My rows are tight, staggered double rows 4 1/2 feet center to center and it's starting to look like "field of Dreams" already. This being my first year growing anything, I'm on edge waiting for the next problem to sneak up on me. By Christmas I should have a long list of things to do differently next year. Before then I would hate to say anything I wished later I didn't have to take back.
BarG
Founding Member
When you get that sneaker upper theres no better place to be than here. Don't wait till its too late.
leverhead
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be this far without this site! I've done more lurking than typing, allot of these 10K posts are great! Tonight I'm starting to detail my flue cure setup. I bought a food grade drum today, I think right now I'm going to use a water heater for the heat source with a car heater core for a heat exchanger. It should be easy to control with a solenoid valve, a small water pump to circulate in a closed loop. Another solenoid valve for vents on both sides of the blower. The blower will need a speed control so that I can slow it down as the leaves dry out, I don't want dry leaves to flutter. Last but most important, I need to look at a thermostat / humidistat on one of Workhorse's posts. Hopefully I can find something programable so I don't have to live with this thing for 5 or more weeks, I think the wife would be pissed.
BarG
Founding Member
I had to delete a post for my ignorance leverhead.[I thought I was being an asshole] I am totaly wondering how you can flue cure in a 55 gal. drum.
And then I realized, what was it is the mother of invention?
Rayshields
Well-Known Member
I once worked with a guy whose license plate was NITMOI.
leverhead
Well-Known Member
Necessity is the Muthu. I don't mind assholes, I've worked with allot and some/most people think I am. If it's constructive in the end it's all cool. The drum is just a convenient holding tank that I can move conditioned air though (temp/humidity). The lid is removable, that should take care of loading/unloading (maybe). I'm thinking of about a 4" hole In the lid and bottom, with a diffuser at least on the top (inlet) to spread out the air flow and slow it down to go through the leaves racked in the drum. If the max temp is 170F, I wouldn't want to live in it but it's not really hot, so insulation shouldn't be that hard. So if you want to bounce stuff back and forth, that would be fine! do you want to move this to the Flue cure thread? Do we ask Don how to do that?
I'm at the shop now and heading home (about an hour).
I'm at the shop now and heading home (about an hour).
BarG
Founding Member
Lets play with it here till it gets worth a shit.. I walk out my door I'm at work, I walk out the other door I'm at home. I save a lot of resources that way.
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
This will work as long as your return air is at the top.
BarG
Founding Member
You mean as long as its not a gaster blaster..
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
By the way I spent 3.5 hrs in an attic that was 158* (digital) changing a Evap.coil, It doesnt take long in that to figure out who the men and who the boys are.
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
This is notdigital but they are trustworthy for humidity http://www.ebay.com/itm/Herrmidifie...770?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1602d8da
These are very accurate http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ranco-ETC-1...634?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2571b585d2
These are very accurate http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ranco-ETC-1...634?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2571b585d2
leverhead
Well-Known Member
I'm partnered (business) with a friend of mine, we worked out of my garage for 9 years. We out grew that and he had the property to put a shop on. It can be nice to get away from home.
leverhead
Well-Known Member
I'm trying to figure out how to ramp up the temp a few degrees an hour max and the relative humidity down at the same time over a few days without having to babysit.
Ranco ETC-111000-000 Digital Temperature Controller, sounds like it would do. I don't think anything other than the blower will draw much power.
leverhead
Well-Known Member
That was my plan.
BarG
Founding Member
Heres a fact; when your leaves are color cured , they are still sucseptible for mold.
true or false?
true or false?
leverhead
Well-Known Member
True
Most definitely true
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