Chillards FTT Need For Seed Grow Outs 2014

[chillardbee]

The closest thing I could find was that it's a cut worm but we have many types of moths out here that could lay eggs that might make damaging caterpillars. 3 years of growing baccy and other than a few leaves damaged by a rouge bug, I think I fair well and I've never used insecticides. The aphids seem to be around every year though but they usually stay at the top of the plant.

 

[chillardbee]

As I was saying in another post about cluster planting, This is what you will find on about 3-5 of the plants in the cluster. this one came beside a rather larger plant with the small leaf being against the large plant. (this was one of the dark air varieties)

There were many plants that dwarfed that just didn't get the light they needed. they are about 2"-4" high and have about 3-4 tiny leaf on them. the interesting thing is that these plants are starting to take of as I'm harvesting and leaving 2-3 leafless stalks with seed bags behind.

But, within each clust there are also 4-5 plants (I call them king plants) that have grown to as full potential as can be expected with vary large leaf and they were the ones that bloomed first and they are the ones that i'm collecting seed from.

 

[chillardbee]

This is my going concern of a garden. I was reading some of the first post in my blog the other night and you have no idea how your words are coming back to haunt me, because this is a lot of work.

I seem to have mentioned that I was going to do the same thing next year with cigar varieties and other varieties that needed growing out. All I can say about that is BullS#!t. I've got enough baccy to do me for a few years just on this grow so I have a different Idea for next year, and this is it- I have been inspired by Po Greens grow method and although I won't be digging holes, I'll be burying a lot of organic material in trenches for next year. I have decided to go for quality rather than quantity so with fewer plants at better spacing, plants 2' apart and rows 4' apart ought to do the trick. I'm kind of wanting to produce award winning, blue ribbon plants next year.

 

[deluxestogie]

I believe that, with clustered planting, the one or two plants that establish the earliest root network monopolize the local soil. That spindly green plant shows signs of malnutrition.

If you wouldn't mind a little extra work (ha!), I would be curious to see the root relationships of an entire cluster of plants. Perhaps in a month or so, you could dig around an intact cluster, and hose away the soil. My guess is that the roots of the smallest plants make very little intrusion into the root space claimed by the larger plants, and that the long, lateral extenders are only from the larger plants.

Bob

 

[chillardbee]

I will do that Bob.

 

[chillardbee]

So, Just so you get an idea of what I'm up against-


This is the main curing area for burleys, fluecured, and aircured varieties. My wife has got her hand up to give perspective.


This is my sun cure rack as full as can be. Notice the white leaf of one variety, Almost the entire plant were white like that. That is a mystery plant that came from Mad house marked as izmir but is not izmir, not sure what to make of it, it has properties of a burley and fluecured variety. It certianly was a striking plant being the only white leaf amongst a sea of green.


This is where I have to put the rest of the sun cured for the time being. They will end up on the rack eventually. I still have a lot of suncured varieties to harvest.


Ones that are nearing the finish of air curing are going into the honey room for finishing so I can make space under the porch. I have a heater on minimum to keep it warm and dry.

On another note, my whole half rack under the porch came down today in a collosal cluster F!*& of noise and shatterd leaf. wasn't tobad though. We are heading back into sunshine with a breeze and it's getting really dry now with humidity at 20%, some leaf will dry green for sure with that. The weather outlook is calling for a warmer and drier than usual fall so at least I have time. I'd rather a few leaf dry green then to lose it all to mold or rot.

 

[DGBAMA]

BACCY EVERYWHERE.

Looks like you got it curing well though. Well done.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Awesome looking harvest, you better clean the leaf out your ears. You shure are over your head in it.

 

[Lakota]

Nice work Will, everything looks good

 

[BarG]

That looks like a baby skinned pig head on the top of first picture. Great looking harvest.

 

[deluxestogie]

I guess we shouldn't worry about the low yield on the dwarfed plants.

That white one, did you save seed from it? Were all of the plants from that mislabeled "Izmir" seed white, or just that one plant?

Bob

 

[grgfinney]

There will be no lack of leaf in B.C. for a long while, what ever happened with the shredder project?

 

[DaveC]

Must be the 'no grow zone', don't know how they missed that.



Southern Quebec and Ontario is where the commercial tobacco farming takes place. Why? I dunno. Daves probably surrounded by baccy growers. I wish the Ontario flue cured tobacco board would relocate to the fraser valley, I might be able to get a contract to grow then.

I live near the Maine's border but I'm far from southern Quebec. I'm in zone 3. That's not tobacco heaven. It's hard to grow corn here. We had our first frost 3 nights ago.

Tobacco growing industry is dead in Quebec since 2012. So there is just hobbyist grower left like me, Matty and that dude 20 miles from me how grew it last year.

 

[deluxestogie]

DaveC,
Although you may not be able to make seed, if you have 90 frost-free days each summer, then you can produce leaf. You just have to get the seedlings started 2 months before last frost, and get them in the ground as early as you can.

Bob

EDIT: My corn is always behind in growing, compared to the transplanted tobacco.

 

[DaveC]

I grew last year and I was able to make seeds and big leafs. I start my seedlings the first week of April.

 

[BarG]

I live near the Maine's border but I'm far from southern Quebec. I'm in zone 3. That's not tobacco heaven. It's hard to grow corn here. We had our first frost 3 nights ago.

Tobacco growing industry is dead in Quebec since 2012. So there is just hobbyist grower left like me, Matty and that dude 20 miles from me how grew it last year.

Thats rough, fortunately FTT
[ FmGrowit probably spread more seeds than you could shake a stick at]
and members help with seeds.

 

[chillardbee]

Tobacco growing industry is dead in Quebec since 2012.

Would that have anything to do with the government paying the farmers to quit growing baccy and start growing other crops?

 

[chillardbee]

I guess we shouldn't worry about the low yield on the dwarfed plants.

That white one, did you save seed from it? Were all of the plants from that mislabeled "Izmir" seed white, or just that one plant?

Bob

Yes, all the plants were like that and I did save seed. I will send you some with your cigar varieties. also, if you see anything else on the grow list you like, let me know and i'll send those too.

 

[deluxestogie]

Yes, all the plants were like that and I did save seed. I will send you some with your cigar varieties.

You're a prince!

Bob

 

[rainmax]

Will, congratulations. Wondering how was Timor tobacco doing for you this year. I lost all of it. It doesn't like rain like some other strains.
I know that this is last time for you to grow so many strains, right? But you do a good job. Hats off once more...