First time grower and first harvest 2021: @Scotty B

[Scotty B]

Hello everyone think this is my 2 nd post but have been reading and trying to figure all of this out as I go .
live in western md and grew some tn86 from seed this spring and just pulled the last of leaves 4 days ago as we were having frost which we did the last 2 mornings. The ones hanging I hung 2 weeks ago judging from pictures on here they look to be coming along ok the others on the table I need to get strung up hopefully that will be Tomm . Does any of you see anything that I should be concerned with at this point and I’m not sure where to go from here other then let them hang and dry as they go do I need to rotate them as they hang ? The green leaves I think I am going to bring in the house and see if I get different results then the ones in my garage as it the garage dosent have much in the way of airflow and such so just seeing what will work best any advice will be appreciated greatly.
I also did have 3 plants flower and have gotten a good handful of pods that are full of seeds hopefully I will be able to start my own in the spring is thee anything I need to do with them as in the way of storage should I let them in the pods for now ?
thanks again,
scott

 

[Cray Squirrel]

Your plants look real good.
The curing looks to be coming along. Did you color cure with the leaf tied into hands or were the leaves strung separately so they could cure more evenly like this.
Heres some of my Tenn 86 primed leaf being strung on a wire for you to compare and also have some still growing in my late orphan patch. Right side of patch. Maybe 7 or 8 plants.
By hanging them on wire strings it let's me move a lot of leaf to curing room then over to a smoking room where I can give them a bit of smoke flavoring while they are still in case and probably a bit of protection from molds and a shot of carcinogens. Hehehe
I mostly smoke treat the dark tobacco. Seems to help with the stickiness of the leaf.
Cheers..

 

[Scotty B]

yes I hung it in hands as I seen somewhere that was the thing to do but have since changed it up abit and hung it separate on a string to give more air flow

 

[Cray Squirrel]

You can just thread leaves onto a 20 to 24 gauge electric fence wire. Quick, easy and cheap. Some prefer aluminum but I like the stronger galvanized steel. I can tie 2-6 ft strings together when I move them from color curing to slow drying in a smoke room. Lots of weight on 12 ft of wire so it's a better thing for me. I generally pack them onto the wire. We have very low humidity here. In a high humidity area you might get mold on the stem ends or house burn on leaf lamina. Your leaf looks really good!

 

[Scotty B]

So I did separate the hands and hung them all separate to dry don’t have a lot of ventilation in my shed but do leave the ceiling fan on to keep a breeze moving around and we were due for a 3 day rain but that seems to have moved around us so hoping for the best ..when would be a good time to mist it with a lil bit of black berry brandy to give just a hint of flavor don’t want a lot just a touch for now…

 

[deluxestogie]

I would suggest waiting until you have tobacco that is ready to smoke, before adding any casing.

Bob

 

[Cray Squirrel]

I would get my bacca cured before doing anything with it for flavoring that might interfere with the curing process or attract pests, house burn rot etc. I infuse many things but not tobacco... yet..
My personal , inexperienced thoughts on flavorings in general is they tend to oxidize and change. When you do start, get all the info from as many sources as you can and just do small samples. You've worked and worried a lot on the crop and dont want to gamble it all on one method. Sound fun when you get to that point. I use essential oils and dried licorice root to flavored cooked dip and am learning with each small batch.
Lota luck to you

 

[Knucklehead]

So I did separate the hands and hung them all separate to dry don’t have a lot of ventilation in my shed but do leave the ceiling fan on to keep a breeze moving around and we were due for a 3 day rain but that seems to have moved around us so hoping for the best ..when would be a good time to mist it with a lil bit of black berry brandy to give just a hint of flavor don’t want a lot just a touch for now…

If you use a mechanical shredder it would be best to shred first, then add casing, to avoid gumming up the blades or combs of the shredder.

 

[Oldfella]

If you use a mechanical shredder it would be best to shred first, then add casing, to avoid gumming up the blades or combs of the shredder.

I totally agree. I spent hours in my early days cleaning my shredder. Also if you case your leaf with the flavor of flavors when it burns you may find it horrible.
Oldfella

 

[Scotty B]

Thanks for the advice fellas so onward we go to getting a good dry leaf with no issues and then a few months of curing / aging then it’ll be time to sample and see .

 

[Cray Squirrel]

If you can insulate a box or small area where you can hold the temperature at just under 130⁰ or a bit less with the leaf in case.
(pliable) but not dripping wet, you can shorten the year or so long curing/aging process to 4 to 6 weeks and your leaf will be at it's best. You can bag it if you want so it doesnt dry out. It doesnt hurt anything to dry out but it stops the curing process until it gets moistened and back into case. Since it's a white burley dont be in a hurry to finish color curing and quick dry it. It likely still has starches to break down into sugars. Much like all grain brewing where alpha and beta amalases break down the long starch molecules into bite sized portions for the yeast. They function a bit warmer after mash in for beer at 145 and a bit higher.
Cheers..
Cliff

 

[Scotty B]

Thanks for all the advice and now I’ve come to another point seems that all is dry to the point that the leaf itself is almost crunchy dry any rough handling will shatter so I believe I am past case but the stem is pliable so don’t know what to do at this point do I continue to let it hang or do I strip it and bag it for now or do I moisten it just a touch with water and try to keep it moist I really don’t have the time or space to build a kiln to dry it until I would get layed off from work as I am usually busy at work not much relax time for sure this time of year .. so just looking for the next step . Thanks for any advice for sure I’ve been reading on here but can’t make sense of what I should do everyone is putting it in a kiln. Maybe next year I may just hang the whole plant and try it that way .

 

[deluxestogie]

The leaf appears to have cured well. If you can simply resist touching it for a while longer, the stems will dry fully. Once the time comes to handle the leaf, mist it with non-chlorinated water, and wait for it to soften into case. (Repeat if needed.) At that point, you can safely stem the leaf.

Bob

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Lookin good just hang in there!

 

[Scotty B]

Thanks ,,Sounds like a plan I’ve waited this long no since in rushing now lol