FM's somewhat less ambitious grow plan

[deluxestogie]

Don,
Both my PA Red and Long Red seed that I'm trying to grow this year came from Nicotiana Project. The PA Red germination was adequate, while a number of the NP sourced seed varieties arrived crushed in the mailing envelope.

Bob

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Don,
seed varieties arrived crushed in the mailing envelope.

Bob

I'm getting more and more crushed seeds in the mail too. I've sent most sends out in a padded mailer but I've also sent some in a regular envelope. I think in the the future I will stick with the padded mailer. I suspect that it is only certain processing facilities that are responsible.

Randy B

 

[johnlee1933]

The seeds I've mailed I sent in a standard envelope with just a bit of tiny bubble, bubble wrap and all responses have been good.
The bubble wrap is around everything shipped these days and I save a little of it just for shipping seeds.



John

 

[BigBonner]

I recieved seeds from two members . My Ergo Burley and Monte callme yellow that didn't germinate . Mailing may have been my problem to .

 

[Jitterbugdude]

So, Are you saying you don't have any Monte Calme Yellow this year?

 

[Daniel]

I have gotten seed crushed in the envelope as well. I now mail all seed wrapped in a double thickness of paper towel. Just a touch of cushion from the post office machinery. If anyone has received seed from me packaged that way. I would appreciate any responce on what condition it arrived in. I also have a big box og bubble mailers. they cost more in postage but do a better job of protecting stuff.

 

[BigBonner]

So, Are you saying you don't have any Monte Calme Yellow this year?

The way its looking as of right now . I may have a few that germinate but it will be only a few . Im still waiting to see if any of them might just be later in germinating .

 

[FmGrowit]

The way its looking as of right now . I may have a few that germinate but it will be only a few . Im still waiting to see if any of them might just be later in germinating .

I got one MCY to germinate. I'm guessing this is some weird hybrid and even if these few plants we're growing produce seed, it probably won't be any good...like the last stuff I grew.

 

[FmGrowit]

Good news all the way around.

My germination post might have been a bit premature.

Pennsylvania Red (Ohio), A bunch of these germinated early and then I didn't see any new germination for a few days. Today I checked them again and probably 90% of the remaining seeds have germinated.

Long Red, 2 days 75%. This is still pretty close to accurate, but I'm going to count the seeds that didn't germinate and the ones that did and update this variety.

Cuban seed No. 1 and No. 2; less than 2 days 95% Going like gangbusters

Vuelta Abajo, 2 days 90%. Might be nearing 100% on 3 year old seed. I think I'm going to try to cross this with the 142

Remedios, NA 0%. Got 5 sprouts (so far) out of about 500 seeds. I should have enough to sample the leaf and refresh the inventory.

 

[FmGrowit]

The poisoned plants seem to be recovering after I flushed them. The nickel treated plants are bigger than any others. I'll get pictures tomorrow.

My main focus is on saving all of the grow-out plants first. There were 21 original GRIN issued Remedios of which 6 have survived. The PA RED and Long Red are hurting, but I have back-up seeds. All but 4 YTB died, The Havana 142 took one hell of a hit with entire flats dead. The #50 and #83 wrappers are struggling, but I should get 100 plants of each...same with the Cuban seed 1 and 2.

Over all, I'll probably lose about 75% of the crop, but I'm happy to have been able to save the important ones. The Vuelta Abajo is doing very well and I should end up with at least 1000 plants. The R.S.E. is also doing well, maybe 250 plants will make it.

The Ergo never germinated properly. Of the 21 seeds that did germinate, 11 have survived the poisoning.

 

[Chicken]

my ergo didnt do too good either,

i think i got a dozen,, alive, out of many seeds dropped,

 

[johnlee1933]

The poisoned plants seem to be recovering after I flushed them. The nickel treated plants are bigger than any others. I'll get pictures tomorrow.

My main focus is on saving all of the grow-out plants first. There were 21 original GRIN issued Remedios of which 6 have survived. The PA RED and Long Red are hurting, but I have back-up seeds. All but 4 YTB died, The Havana 142 took one hell of a hit with entire flats dead. The #50 and #83 wrappers are struggling, but I should get 100 plants of each...same with the Cuban seed 1 and 2.

Over all, I'll probably lose about 75% of the crop, but I'm happy to have been able to save the important ones. The Vuelta Abajo is doing very well and I should end up with at least 1000 plants. The R.S.E. is also doing well, maybe 250 plants will make it.

The Ergo never germinated properly. Of the 21 seeds that did germinate, 11 have survived the poisoning.

I've got about a dozen CT shade I could ship you if you want them

John

 

[FmGrowit]

Thanks John,

The 50 and 83 are both very early wrappers (collected in 1939) and I've got enough to do a three phase harvest on them.

The first priming will be harvested and fermented along with the seco and ligero to make a filler.

I'm really up in the air about combining the different varieties...one thought is, the leaf can't combine flavors, yet there is something that tells me there is a possibility they can.

None the less...I'm excited to be attempting a "pilone" this year.

 

[Daniel]

Don, of all the Ergo seed i got, which was not a lot, Chicken doubled what you sent me. I have only two plants growing. One has a nice full seed head on it and I am just letting those dry on the stalk. I will not harvest them until the pod begins to split.

Is Ergo Heirloom or hybrid?

Anyway the plant is starting to send up suckers from the base so I will let them grow to produce seed also.

 

[Michibacy]

Yeah, cuban cigars are very mild. I've had one and it was a few years ago so I'm working off old memories, but this particular one was mild, very very very faint hint of almost an almond taste in it. Was quite enjoyable, I'm just waiting for the trade embargo to be lifted by "our dear leader" so we can get some in the states a little bit easier..

 

[FmGrowit]

It looks like the remaining survivors will make it. There were quite a few plants with no root system at all. The plants had a couple of 1/8" leaves and a small stem, but no roots. The stem was somehow absorbing enough water to keep the plant alive...they weren't growing, but they were alive.

So after all these plants have been through...



This is a new flat of salvaged plants after transplanting. It was one of those days. I was too exhausted to get pissed, but I did get a good chuckle out of it.

The nickel treated plants are doing the best out of all of them.


Pretty miraculous huh? I should still end up with about 3000 plants and of a lot of experience in transplanting and different potting mixes. I'll do a thread just on the different mixes I used after I see what kind of results I get from various brands, mediums, additives and combinations of all of them.

Hopefully, I'll be able to finish transplanting them tomorrow. This will give them a couple of weeks before they get set in the field. They'll probably still be too small to use a setter, so It looks like it's going to be another season of hand planting...Oh boy.

 

[Chicken]

that dumped over seed flat is sad to look at

 

[FmGrowit]

I've been putting off reporting here intentionally. I know a lot of you have been having your share of problems beyond your control, but there are a lot of good reports too.

After spending 2 weeks re-transplanting 2500 seedlings, they started to recover from the poisoning and actually started to look pretty good. I was already late to plant, but rounded up 4 helpers to set the plants. The night before I was going to plant the field, I got a phone call. "Hey Don, did you here the news?" What news? "The farm was sold yesterday."

Talk about a sinking felling...the next day I took 8 plants and planted them in a garden to grow-out for seeds. That was about 4 weeks ago, I'm just now getting around to be able to talk about it, but then again...I really don't.

On the bright side...


I can't think of one.

 

[Michibacy]

Sorry to hear about the farm, You're in my prayers Don, let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

 

[FmGrowit]

Sorry to hear about the farm, You're in my prayers Don, let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Thanks, but that's why I didn't post anything sooner. It's water under the bridge now.