Bohemian snus grow 2022

[Roastbeast]

So the first year of growing a whole small field went relatively well (thanks to miracle plant Bolivian Criollo (and you all) more than anything else), I’ve got a ton of leaf for snus experimentation, I know the things I did badly, and so now I’m already living in 2022!
Question: Last time I planted on old lawn, now I just got a new field bulldozed. Now what? I suppose I should get a soil study and fertilize on the basis of that, but is there some kind of table for what fert to add for tobacco depending on the results?
Is it a good idea to bring a truckload of manure in now regardless?

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

"If you dont test, it s just a guess." I have a cousin that is big into growing organic and that is a quote he repeats to me seemingly every time we talk! Testing here included npk, ph, and micronutrient testing. That way you know where to start! If i had the time and resources available, i'd clear up an area and layer mulch, manure, mushroom compost and et cetera to build a sort of "living soil" which would not need fertilized again...ever!

 

[Knucklehead]

So the first year of growing a whole small field went relatively well (thanks to miracle plant Bolivian Criollo (and you all) more than anything else), I’ve got a ton of leaf for snus experimentation, I know the things I did badly, and so now I’m already living in 2022!
Question: Last time I planted on old lawn, now I just got a new field bulldozed. Now what? I suppose I should get a soil study and fertilize on the basis of that, but is there some kind of table for what fert to add for tobacco depending on the results?
Is it a good idea to bring a truckload of manure in now regardless?

Is the manure fresh or composted? Cow or horse? Horse manure will have a lot of undigested weed seed that can become a weed problem if you don’t kill the seed first. Composting and turning the manure over several times will kill a lot of it. Temps reached during composting process kills a lot of bacteria, fungi, and seed. If you have access to a lot of it, start a big compost pile. If you have clay or sand the composted soil will be an improvement in addition to the nutrients. Best to till it into the soil. Do this before your soil test as that will change your nutrient demand.
When I sent off for a soil test I stated I was going to grow tobacco. Their recommendations were based on what was needed to improve current conditions in order to grow tobacco. X amount lbs. per acre nitrogen, X amount lbs. per acre of lime, etc. added to what was already there.

 

[Roastbeast]

Is the manure fresh or composted? Cow or horse? Horse manure will have a lot of undigested weed seed that can become a weed problem if you don’t kill the seed first. Composting and turning the manure over several times will kill a lot of it. Temps reached during composting process kills a lot of bacteria, fungi, and seed. If you have access to a lot of it, start a big compost pile. If you have clay or sand the composted soil will be an improvement in addition to the nutrients. Best to till it into the soil. Do this before your soil test as that will change your nutrient demand.
When I sent off for a soil test I stated I was going to grow tobacco. Their recommendations were based on what was needed to improve current conditions in order to grow tobacco. X amount lbs. per acre nitrogen, X amount lbs. per acre of lime, etc. added to what was already there.

I see… So is getting some sterilized commercial bags of manure a better option for a new field? Till it in before winter with compost and wood mulch, then test in early spring before planting and top up accordingly with fertilizers?

 

[Knucklehead]

I see… So is getting some sterilized commercial bags of manure a better option for a new field? Till it in before winter with compost and wood mulch, then test in early spring before planting and top up accordingly with fertilizers?

This is an article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you are going to use fresh manure, fall would be better than spring.

Safely Using Manure in the Garden

Manure can be a valuable soil additive, but can also contain bacteria that can contaminate vegetables and cause human disease if not composted properly. Learn how to use manure safely here.

hort.extension.wisc.edu

There are also several gardening sites, google “fresh manure for garden“. This was the top search

Does Manure Need To Be Composted – Using Fresh Manure In The Garden

The use of manure as a fertilizer in gardens dates back for centuries. However, many gardeners question if you can fertilize with fresh manure. Click on this article to read important information abou

www.gardeningknowhow.com

 

[Knucklehead]

General fertilizer recommendations from tobacco area Universities:

float tray in greenhouse:

https://tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Tobacco-Seedling-Nutrition-in-the-Greenhouse-Float-System.pdf?fwd=no

http://darktobacco.ca.uky.edu/files/floatsystems-greenhousesweba.pdf

Field recommendations:

Fertility - Nutrients

Nitrogen Nitrogen (N). Nitrogen has a greater effect on tobacco yield and quality than any other nutrient. Too little nitrogen reduces yield and results in pale, slick cured leaf. Too much nitrogen may increase yield slightly but may also make mechanical harvesting and curing more difficult...

tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu

https://darktobacco.ca.uky.edu/files/tobaccofertility.pdf

https://www.uky.edu/Ag/TobaccoProd/FactSheets/PDF/Revised%20Nitrogen%20Fertilizer%20Recommendations%20for%20Tobacco.pdf

Organic recommendations:

Nitrogen Fertility Management in Organic Tobacco Field Production | NC State Extension Publications

This publication provides recommendations for managing essential nutrient concentrations when growing organic tobacco in the field.

content.ces.ncsu.edu

Nitrogen Fertility Management in Organic Tobacco Greenhouse Production | NC State Extension Publications

This publication provides recommendations for managing essential nutrient concentrations when growing organic tobacco in greenhouses using a float system.

content.ces.ncsu.edu

Organic Tobacco: Better Ways to Get Off to a Good Start - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Interest in organic tobacco farming has been growing in recent years, and at NC State University, researchers are taking the guessing game out of one of the most important steps in production: how best to fertilize seedlings.

cals.ncsu.edu

 

[Roastbeast]

I've been weighing the options for snus varieties for the last year and I'm fairly settled on the following for 2022. Does anyone have any bad experiences with the taste or curing of these varieties? I know the orientals, rusticas, and perique are not good by themselves in snus, I intend them for flavoring/strength.

Black Mammoth (dark air) - 10
Narrow-leaf Madole (dark air - “one sucker subvariety”?) - 10
Shirey - (“dark virginia”) - 10
Japan 8 (“dark-air-esque oriental”??) - 10
Harrow Velvet (burley) - 10
Yellow Twist Bud (burley) - 5
Cherry Red (bright) - 5
Costello (bright) - 5
Samsun (oriental) - 5
Prilep P66-9/7 (oriental) - 5
1000-yr OR Sacred Corn OR Mohawk - 5
Perique - 5

 

[Robncars]

I make dip tobacco. I grew Small Stalk Black Mammoth, (what they called) 1000yr Rustica, and One Sucker (among a couple others) and the Black Mammoth and Rustica grew well for me. I only got 1 plant of One Sucker to grow to harvest. But the Rustica was easy to grow, needed almost constant attention to suckers though

 

[Roastbeast]

I make dip tobacco. I grew Small Stalk Black Mammoth, (what they called) 1000yr Rustica, and One Sucker (among a couple others) and the Black Mammoth and Rustica grew well for me. I only got 1 plant of One Sucker to grow to harvest. But the Rustica was easy to grow, needed almost constant attention to suckers though

How did the curing of the Mammoth go for you? I air cured and ended up with almost every leaf having one side a deep brown and the other green. Super annoying!
It's supposed to be so good in snus, though, that I'm not giving up on it.

 

[Robncars]

How did the curing of the Mammoth go for you? I air cured and ended up with almost every leaf having one side a deep brown and the other green. Super annoying!
It's supposed to be so good in snus, though, that I'm not giving up on it.

My mammoths cured pretty well. There was some mottling after flue curing but I kilned for a month after and the nice deep brown came out. They were a deeper tobacco smell than the big gems to me.

 

[Robncars]

I had some rustica that never left green and some higher leaf that cured green this year on a couple varieties after making my dip i could not tell. I haven't had any difficulties getting a rich dark dip that is aromatic and lasting flavor using leaf that is- different.... I froze some rustica leaves that turned black, I had quite a few green leaves, it all mixed fairly well.
I tried to keep a pretty detailed record of my pitfalls and success in my threads. I've kept my dip recipes updated. My grow threads should give you a couple laughs anyway. If the grasshoppers are anything like last year I'm going to make a huge bug zapper out of chicken wire and an electric fencer.

 

[deluxestogie]

almost every leaf having one side a deep brown and the other green.

That happens commonly with thick leaves. If the upper surface is brown, then when I kiln the leaf, the green lower surface also turns brown. I'm not sure about simply cooking it as snus, since I have never done that.

Bob

 

[Roastbeast]

Hi everybody. I planted eleven varieties right on time, all was well for a week until the toddler went past and pulled all the lables out. I had no idea which variety was which, so I had to start ten of them over. Below you see the rustica, which was spared, compared with the new runts. Can I use some fertilizer to speed them up? If so, what kind?

 

[Robncars]

Hi everybody. I planted eleven varieties right on time, all was well for a week until the toddler went past and pulled all the lables out. I had no idea which variety was which, so I had to start ten of them over. Below you see the rustica, which was spared, compared with the new runts. Can I use some fertilizer to speed them up? If so, what kind?

I use urea free orchid fertilizer that was recommended. Never use urea based fertilizer

 

[Robncars]

I must clarify- urea based fertilizer is ok after transplant outside. However it will kill new seedlings. My first grow i killed most of my seedlings and then was scared to use any fertilizer except urea free. I'd have to go see but I'm sure @Knucklehead and @Oldfella set me right at about Aug. that I could use regular fertilizer after transplant. They probably had a pretty good laugh at my first year... I look back and laugh still

 

[Roastbeast]

Yeah exactly, I shudder at the thought of giving such tiny plants anything at all, especially this late, since if I kill these I’m SOL. I’ll try the orchid fert, thanks!

 

[Knucklehead]

Fertilizer recommendations from tobacco growing area Universities:
this is for seedlings

https://tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Tobacco-Seedling-Nutrition-in-the-Greenhouse-Float-System.pdf?fwd=no

http://darktobacco.ca.uky.edu/files/floatsystems-greenhousesweba.pdf

this was recommended to me by a generational tobacco farmer for seedlings:

Amazon.com

 

[billy]

either that or a bottle of organic based liquid concentrate, then your about as safe as it gets.

 

[Roastbeast]

Hi all, I’m getting some spottage on many leaves that I don’t recall seeing before, is that normal?

 

[deluxestogie]

This does not appear to be normal. It may be a sign of an adverse environmental exposure or perhaps a virus. To my eyes, the plants are too small for the pattern of chlorosis to be pathognomonic of any specific issue.

Bob