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Josias

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Josias

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Gooday to all from oz I have been growing tobacco in my suburban garden for the last 6 years
last season grew 160 plants the problem I have is that once the seeds have germinated (3to7days)
they take 3 months or more to grow to a size 100mm so that I can plant them out the leaves are fine but the stem weak the root structure questionable eventually they come right and grow to
1.5m and bigger . any advise suggestions is appreciated thanks
 

Jitterbugdude

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Welcome!
Your plants should be ready 6 to 8 weeks after you've seeded them. At that point they should be big and beefy. I'd suggest a small amount of fertilizer and to make sure they are getting plenty of sun (or a grow light). Don't forget too that you can trim the leaves as they start to get big. This will allow more airflow and sun to reach them. It will also make them more stout (as in thicker stems).
 

Alpine

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Maybe you are "babying" them too much, like i did... Once planted in the garden, my plants grew 10 cm in a week, while they grew only 3 cm in two months while in pots at home! Be brave and plant them out as soon as the risk of frost have passed, tobacco is a sturdy plant and will survive and grow amazingly. Of course, it grows big and healthy only if it has enough "to eat". A good fertilizer is a necessity, as well as full sun and light, and i noticed that a few inches deeper digging before transplant makes wonders on the size of the plant.

Pier
 

ArizonaDave

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Maybe you are "babying" them too much, like i did... Once planted in the garden, my plants grew 10 cm in a week, while they grew only 3 cm in two months while in pots at home! Be brave and plant them out as soon as the risk of frost have passed, tobacco is a sturdy plant and will survive and grow amazingly. Of course, it grows big and healthy only if it has enough "to eat". A good fertilizer is a necessity, as well as full sun and light, and i noticed that a few inches deeper digging before transplant makes wonders on the size of the plant.

Pier

I probably wouldn't hit it with a second fertilizer until the leaves are harvested or so, I've heard it can mess with the nitrogen and flavor. You're right on point with the pots. It does take extra time with them. Good advice.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Seedlings need bright light, heat, oxygen in the roots, and potassium and nitrogen.

With grow lights, leave them on 14 hours a day and keep them as close as possible to the plants without burning them. I keep mine within an inch of the tallest.

Oxygen: too frequent / too much watering or poorly draining soil will prevent the roots from absorbing oxygen. Plants use this oxygen, combined with co2 from the air and energy from light to construct carbohydrates. It is vital. Therefore, use a commercial substrate or soil meant specifically for seedlings, and don't water too much.

Temperature: tobacco grows best between 20 and 26, so a cooler garage or basement is less than ideal. Keep in mind, especially if you live in a dry area, that evaporation of water from the soil drops the temperature of it significantly. Stick a thermometer in the soil to see. A seedling heating mat will help. Tenting the grow trays with plastic will help, insulation underneath will help. Humidifying the grow room will help in multiple ways; one, by preventing the cooling evaporation as well as giving you the confidence to avoid over-watering.

As for nutrients, if you use a commercial seed starter soil, there ought to be enough nutrients for 8weeks. If it goes beyond that, or if you are using peat pellets instead of soil, you may need to fertilize. I personally use peat pellets in larger cells that are filled with dirt, so when the roots get beyond the pellet, they start getting the higher concentration of nutrients that they need as bigger plants. Also, water from below. Watering from above leaches soluble nutrients out of the soil.

Another thing is, never fertilize or over-water (see the theme?) plants that are under stress. Patience is best. Aside from that, the one trick I offer is, 2 weeks before planting outside, dissolve half an aspirin in 4L of water and use that for watering, or spray it on the leaves. This promotes root growth and enables certain survival mechanisms that will make it more hardy during transplant.

Oh, and when the seedlings are starting to get a little bigger, give them a haircut. Cut off the most distal third /the tip of the largest leaf on every plant. This also promotes root growth and strengthens the plant's immune system.

Good luck man
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I'd like to add that if light was the only thing amiss, they would grow tall and spindly, so that's likely not the problem.
 

Smokin Harley

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Heat mats on 24 hrs a day at a minimum of 70*F whatever that comes out to in C.
Light source ( I use full spectrum fluorescent in a cheap 4 bulb fixture ) keep the light as close to the flats/plants as possible. Touching them doesn't hurt them. I even put up some aluminum foil around the sides to hold in heat and bounce the light around. Made for some nice stocky plants.
I did NOT cover the plants with any clear covers, seems it just added to any problems.
Trim the largest leaves once they get to about to where they touch neighboring plants within the flat packs.
Plant them out on the field when nights stay above 50*F.
Try not to water them too much. Once they take off fertilize them and don't over water. You'd be surprised how well they do with what you would think is not enough water.
Did I tell you yet not to over water too much?
Treat them as if they were tomato plants.
Heat and sun.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Smokin Harley, you must be using t8 bulbs since they can get away with touching the plants. My t5 bulbs will burn the leaves that touch them. I guess there's an advantage to the t8s
 

Josias

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Thank you for all the suggestions advise I typed a response but the token expired whatever that is so am back to start
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Thank you for all the suggestions advise I typed a response but the token expired whatever that is so am back to start

That sounds frustrating. Sometimes there are a few glitches in the system, but for the most part it's alright. I hope you continue to participate and update us on your progress.
 

leverhead

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I'm assuming that you're at the middle of you growing season, but it's not too late to start a grow blog. A little care over the growing medium, fertilizer, water and light should give you good seedlings in 8 weeks. There's allot of good information in the grow blogs from previous years. There should be allot more in a few months when the northern hemisphere's growing season starts again. You know more about your particular situation than we do, so I'm sure that you'll get some idea's that might work for you.
 

Josias

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Got a message from another grower in the Perth region with similar seedling slow growth problems the sand soil and water here is very alkaline way beyond 7 on the ph scale perhaps this could be a factor
 

Josias

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Yes it is the middle of our season Perth has a Mediterranean climate frost is unheard of and winter temperatures never go below 5 Celsius last year the tobacco self seeded and the plants 6. Grew through winter replanted 1 and is now half a meter high the sand soil and water here is very alkaline beyond 7
 
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