Grundle's 2012 Grow Log
- Thread starter Grundle
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Tobacco is very resilient, what would kill most things just seems to make it wilt.
Grundle
Well-Known Member
I only dropped some fertilizer on one of them to see what would happen. It is probably the smallest one in the pic, so it is tough to say whether yellowing has occurred due to that.
The first picture is also a little bit deceptive. The first two plants on the left look more yellow than they really are...in fact these plants are looking way more healthy than they were 2 weeks ago.
It's like Chicken said. Some of them seem to be grabbing now and shooting up. I am really happy to finally see some significant growth from a few of them. I am still waiting on the Burley's to see if they want to do anything
I am curious to see how the tobacco grows in my regular soil. We have real good black loam out here. I bet it will do better there than in that raised bed
@BarG - what do you mean by shortcut?
kansas, is a heavy agriculture area,
it is part of the '' great plains''
id fertilize, it, possibly a soil analysis, to see what you need,
and if it drains easily,YEAH GO FOR IT, and use your kansas, soil.
it's a lot cheaper, than what it took to make that raised bed<<<<
it is part of the '' great plains''
id fertilize, it, possibly a soil analysis, to see what you need,
and if it drains easily,YEAH GO FOR IT, and use your kansas, soil.
it's a lot cheaper, than what it took to make that raised bed<<<<
BarG
Founding Member
Heres the pic I was speaking of Grundle. It was soil compaction.
http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1402066
Grundle
Well-Known Member
@Chicken - I think I agree with you. In the end I got exactly what I wanted from that raised bed -- no weeds, but at what expense? It was probably to the detriment of my plant's health. When I read what indianjoe said earlier I thought he meant I had over-fertilized my plants, but it was actually the opposite. Fortunately a few of you guys spoke up and I also went through those pictures that BigBonner posted before I realized my mistake. I think that I'll be putting some Nitrogen fertilizer into my bed. I have some 30-30-30 at home, and I am wondering if that will be good enough. Thoughts, or suggestions?
@BarG - Okay I think I understand what you meant. I am not sure if this will be an issue or not. I fully expect that newspaper I laid down to eventually degrade. If the roots get past that layer, then there shouldn't be any problem. In fact, we have good deep loam here that will go all the way to a limestone layer. Not much clay to speak of...
Thanks for all the helpful advice and suggestions!
@BarG - Okay I think I understand what you meant. I am not sure if this will be an issue or not. I fully expect that newspaper I laid down to eventually degrade. If the roots get past that layer, then there shouldn't be any problem. In fact, we have good deep loam here that will go all the way to a limestone layer. Not much clay to speak of...
Thanks for all the helpful advice and suggestions!
Depends on what kind of nitrogen is in your 30-30-30 mix. If your plants are near blooming time you do not want to add a slow release nitrogen. At about blooming time the tobacco starts sucking up nitrogen and potassium like there is no tomorrow. Too much nitrogen will make it difficult to cure your leaves. Your best bet probably would be to add some Calcium Nitrate, a good water soluble form that will not last a long time.
^^^^
i agree, but from the last pic. of grundles plants they were very small.
grundle how big are your plants now,?
nitrogen may help you,,, id say throw the 30-30-30, allthough i'd feel safer with a 10-10-10 mix,
but with the 30 mix, you shouldnt have to fertilize it again,
just be carefull with it, too much may burn your plants up, but ive found, that baccy takes, a little over-fertilizing real good, too much will kill it, but a little more than needed the plant will not have any dire, effect's depending on how big the plant is,,,, at about 2 ft. tall is a good time, to add nitrogen and potash,,,
also, some trace elements, may be benificial at this time in the growth,
they sell concentrate form of nothing but trace elements,
i agree, but from the last pic. of grundles plants they were very small.
grundle how big are your plants now,?
nitrogen may help you,,, id say throw the 30-30-30, allthough i'd feel safer with a 10-10-10 mix,
but with the 30 mix, you shouldnt have to fertilize it again,
just be carefull with it, too much may burn your plants up, but ive found, that baccy takes, a little over-fertilizing real good, too much will kill it, but a little more than needed the plant will not have any dire, effect's depending on how big the plant is,,,, at about 2 ft. tall is a good time, to add nitrogen and potash,,,
also, some trace elements, may be benificial at this time in the growth,
they sell concentrate form of nothing but trace elements,
Grundle
Well-Known Member
Hey Guys,
I have waited far too long to do this, but I figured I better do it now or never. Let me just say that my grow last year never did do quite as well as I wanted. I think that several things contributed to this. We had a beast of a summer where it was extremely hot, and water was very scarce. I also tried a new method for cultivation that I don't think worked quite as well as I wanted to. From what I can tell, and from seeing what I have learned in the meantime, I think that the suggestions to fertilize with a Nitrogen mix may have been the correct approach to try and salvage something. Finally, I know that I stated way too late in the season which put me at a disadvantage from the outset.
Not all was a loss. I was actually able to salvage my season (sort of) due to the graciousness of forum member Ray Shields. Late July he invited me to come up to his plot and help him start harvesting some of his plants. I arrive on a hot day and he showed me around his farm. I was quite impressed, and also amazed at the ambition of his project. We spent several hours harvesting some bottom leaves to twine up later.
Here are a few pics of his plot, and some of the plants with their first priming leaves harvested.
Here is a distance shot of one of his plots. It looks small, but once you get in there, it's a lot of leaf!!
There is Ray in the midst of his patch. Looks like he is checking out one of his bagged plants.
Once we had enough leaf harvested, we decided to experiment with different methods of storing leaf. One method we tried was staking the plants, and the other was twining up bundles of leaf on to a wooden rod.
Here is a picture of a finished stake of plants. If I remember correctly, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we put 3 plants per stake. Two at a diagonal and a third down the middle.
Now here we are stringing up some bundles. Ray and I devised an efficient assembly line, where I would grab and face the leaves and pass them to him where he would string them along. When I did this by myself at home, it was pretty hard to devise a solo system, but somehow I did manage to jerry rig myself a workable solution in my living room
Once we had finished with these experiments, Ray went and grabbed a big box of leaves and shoved them into my car trunk. Next he went and cut down 4 or 5 complete plants and shoved them into my trunk. This was above and beyond anything I expected, since he was doing me a favor by letting me come out to help him out and learn as much as I could. The knowledge I gained in those few short hours were extremely valuable, but I have to admit his generosity was priceless. Thank you Ray for giving me those plants you worked so hard to raise!
But that isn't all. I made a huge mistake in forgetting to take pictures of the second part of our excursion. Next he went to show me some projects he was working on. A curing room, and a few out-buildings that were being converted into drying barns. Next he took me to his garden and loaded me up with a bunch of wonderful varieties of onion, and tomato. My wife took those vegetables and made the best tasting spaghetti I have ever had. The secret to a good spaghetti is all in the onion, and Ray taught me that there is way more to the onion
than I originally thought.
If you ever get the chance to hang out with rayshields he is a stand up guy, extremely generous, and has a wealth of knowledge that he is eager to share. I enjoyed every second at his farm. I would go back in a heartbeat any time to help out.
Once I got home I staked the plants in my backyard, and then I strung up the leaves on to an extra broomstick I had laying around. The following are pictures of the leaf hanging up in my basement. I plan to let them hang for probably several more months before trying to roll some cigars out of it.
Another basement pic. The leaf still looks like it still has some green...not sure what that means.
One last thing I would like to leave you with. Next is a picture of my current project. I have been dinking with hydroponic growing for a while and have been very surprised and pleased with my results. I am thinking about trying to grow a few tobacco plants this way to see if it is possible. I will let you all know more if I get more serious about that idea. Unfortunately right now I am in the midst of studying for my medical school entrance exams, so my life is on lockdown for several more weeks.
There are two plants in this picture. The large left plant is a tomato plant, and the plant on the right is a pepper plant. Only the tomato is growing hydroponically. Two weeks ago when I planted it, it was half the height of the pepper plant. As you can see now, it has totally passed up the pepper in growth. I need to find a way to extend the height of my lamp too, since it looks like it is topping out.
Once again, I have to thank rayshields for his generosity and willingness to teach a greenhorn like me the ropes. Thanks rayshields!
I have waited far too long to do this, but I figured I better do it now or never. Let me just say that my grow last year never did do quite as well as I wanted. I think that several things contributed to this. We had a beast of a summer where it was extremely hot, and water was very scarce. I also tried a new method for cultivation that I don't think worked quite as well as I wanted to. From what I can tell, and from seeing what I have learned in the meantime, I think that the suggestions to fertilize with a Nitrogen mix may have been the correct approach to try and salvage something. Finally, I know that I stated way too late in the season which put me at a disadvantage from the outset.
Not all was a loss. I was actually able to salvage my season (sort of) due to the graciousness of forum member Ray Shields. Late July he invited me to come up to his plot and help him start harvesting some of his plants. I arrive on a hot day and he showed me around his farm. I was quite impressed, and also amazed at the ambition of his project. We spent several hours harvesting some bottom leaves to twine up later.
Here are a few pics of his plot, and some of the plants with their first priming leaves harvested.
Here is a distance shot of one of his plots. It looks small, but once you get in there, it's a lot of leaf!!
There is Ray in the midst of his patch. Looks like he is checking out one of his bagged plants.
Once we had enough leaf harvested, we decided to experiment with different methods of storing leaf. One method we tried was staking the plants, and the other was twining up bundles of leaf on to a wooden rod.
Here is a picture of a finished stake of plants. If I remember correctly, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we put 3 plants per stake. Two at a diagonal and a third down the middle.
Now here we are stringing up some bundles. Ray and I devised an efficient assembly line, where I would grab and face the leaves and pass them to him where he would string them along. When I did this by myself at home, it was pretty hard to devise a solo system, but somehow I did manage to jerry rig myself a workable solution in my living room
Once we had finished with these experiments, Ray went and grabbed a big box of leaves and shoved them into my car trunk. Next he went and cut down 4 or 5 complete plants and shoved them into my trunk. This was above and beyond anything I expected, since he was doing me a favor by letting me come out to help him out and learn as much as I could. The knowledge I gained in those few short hours were extremely valuable, but I have to admit his generosity was priceless. Thank you Ray for giving me those plants you worked so hard to raise!
But that isn't all. I made a huge mistake in forgetting to take pictures of the second part of our excursion. Next he went to show me some projects he was working on. A curing room, and a few out-buildings that were being converted into drying barns. Next he took me to his garden and loaded me up with a bunch of wonderful varieties of onion, and tomato. My wife took those vegetables and made the best tasting spaghetti I have ever had. The secret to a good spaghetti is all in the onion, and Ray taught me that there is way more to the onion
than I originally thought.
If you ever get the chance to hang out with rayshields he is a stand up guy, extremely generous, and has a wealth of knowledge that he is eager to share. I enjoyed every second at his farm. I would go back in a heartbeat any time to help out.
Once I got home I staked the plants in my backyard, and then I strung up the leaves on to an extra broomstick I had laying around. The following are pictures of the leaf hanging up in my basement. I plan to let them hang for probably several more months before trying to roll some cigars out of it.
Another basement pic. The leaf still looks like it still has some green...not sure what that means.
One last thing I would like to leave you with. Next is a picture of my current project. I have been dinking with hydroponic growing for a while and have been very surprised and pleased with my results. I am thinking about trying to grow a few tobacco plants this way to see if it is possible. I will let you all know more if I get more serious about that idea. Unfortunately right now I am in the midst of studying for my medical school entrance exams, so my life is on lockdown for several more weeks.
There are two plants in this picture. The large left plant is a tomato plant, and the plant on the right is a pepper plant. Only the tomato is growing hydroponically. Two weeks ago when I planted it, it was half the height of the pepper plant. As you can see now, it has totally passed up the pepper in growth. I need to find a way to extend the height of my lamp too, since it looks like it is topping out.
Once again, I have to thank rayshields for his generosity and willingness to teach a greenhorn like me the ropes. Thanks rayshields!
leverhead
Well-Known Member
It's good to get together with others doing the same thing, growing tobacco. Some things you just have to see up close.
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