2015 Knucklehead Grow Blog

[deluxestogie]

The plastic sticks certainly last longer than wood Popsicle sticks. I've found that on the smooth plastic tag surface of my bed labels, Sharpie permanent marker will often rub off completely with a dry paper towel. Since I use so many sticks for my seedlings, I go with the wood Popsicle sticks for those (available in a box of 1000 for cheap, at Walmart, or box of 500 for the "tongue depressor" size--in the crafts section). The wood sticks have usually rotted at the ground level, by the end of the summer, so they might be thought of as a soil supplement.

Bob

EDIT: In the past, while tilling the spring garden, I've unearthed completely intact plastic nursery tags from vegetable varieties that I hadn't planted for many years.

 

[Knucklehead]

EDIT: In the past, while tilling the spring garden, I've unearthed completely intact plastic nursery tags from vegetable varieties that I hadn't planted for many years.

It's the sunshine that does in the plastic tags. The ones I use in my potted tobacco plants are only good for one season. They get extremely brittle from the sunshine. I use wooden surveyors stakes to label the plants in the patch.

 

[deluxestogie]

I was just noticing today that the Stark Bros. Nurseries name tags (tough, flexible, beige plastic slip-around tags) on my 3 year old fruit trees are still in perfect condition, despite the sun and weather. I have to move them on my trees each year to a thinner branch. I don't know what variety of plastic they're made from.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I bet you'd get carpal tunnel syndrome, but those old label makers that actually imprinted the letters in the plastic strip would work great.

 

[Knucklehead]

Same tray of VA 355 two days after it's haircut. It's about ready for another one already.

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

Knuck,

If you need any MD609 soon, I have a lot from last summer. It came out really well, surprisingly, after all the trouble I had. I'll post a pic of my MD609 soon. I'd like to trade it for any VA flue cured types and/or mild oriental.

CT

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

As for your Theodore Roosevelt quote, he is one of the people I would kick in the pants, along with Woodrow Wilson.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Jeesh Again, Knucks. They are out of control. What the hell you feeding them, steroids?

 

[Knucklehead]

They got an "extreme" haircut today.

 

[Knucklehead]

Son of a guns need another haircut already. They got an extreme haircut 3-25. I cut 4/5 of every leaf except the growth bud. I think I just pissed them off.

The tray of VA 355 Dark Air.


VA 355 and MD 609.

 

[DonH]

Looking real good there.

 

[deluxestogie]

They look hearty and hardy.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Post-haircut pictures. The little bud heads are mostly about an inch above the dirt (aside from two orientals and two cigar varieties), but they had put on some nice 5" leaves.

VA 355

 

[Chicken]

Sexy,..

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Son of a guns need another haircut already. They got an extreme haircut 3-25. I cut 4/5 of every leaf except the growth bud. I think I just pissed them off.

The tray of VA 355 Dark Air.
View attachment 15044

VA 355 and MD 609.
View attachment 15045

So, are you saying, 80% of every leaf?

 

[Smokin Harley]

Why 4? Try at least 8 of each. If this season goes well and I believe it will than you will ask yourself: "Why the hell I didn't grow at least 10 of...", let say Pennsylvania red or Little Dutch,...

I'm thinking if we collect each week for two leaves than you need to have 16-20 plants of one variety to make one string or one hand of tobacco.
In your case you will get 8 leaves or you'll need to collect 4 leaves at time. But you have plenty of space, right?

Good luck my brother.

Precisely why I plan to plant 9 of each variety ...it divides the 72 cell trays evenly(8 varieties per flat)...and in my square foot gardening technique ,9 fits in a 4'x4' "box" perfectly with plenty of room for each plant. The strongest of which I will allow to go to seed, and I don't need to reach in too far to gather leaves at priming. IF I prime 4 leaves per plant each time ,theres a hand . I only have 14 varieties to plant which will leave me 18 cells to plant more/extra of a few varieties for filler leaf. I figure if I plan to plant for wrapper ,everything that isn't thin enough for wrapper ,naturally becomes filler or if too thick would become binder. There is a method to my madness , even if it is my first grow after a 25 year hiatus.
Which reminds me ...someone had a "design" if you will, for seed head bags. I have an industrial sewing machine and if I had the source of material I will make a few seed head bags,unless there is a source of premade bags. What do I need ??
I'm working an outage right now, nights(blah!) and by the time its all over and I get the axe in a week or so ,I should be sowing seed . Perfect timing.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Post-haircut pictures. The little bud heads are mostly about an inch above the dirt (aside from two orientals and two cigar varieties), but they had put on some nice 5" leaves.

VA 355
View attachment 15048View attachment 15049View attachment 15050

I imagine the first time you gave them a haircut ,it hurt you a little . I'm the kind of person who absolutely hates waste. But the horticulturist in me says its the right thing to do.
where did you get those grow light fixtures?

 

[Knucklehead]

So, are you saying, 80% of every leaf?

March 25 I cut 80% of every leaf. In seven days they grew to the picture you saw before I cut them again. I cut off about 2/3 or 66% this last time (yesterday).

 

[Knucklehead]

where did you get those grow light fixtures?

The light fixtures came from Lowe's. They are 2' undercabinet fluorescent lights that came with the bulbs and standard wall outlet plugs for $8 each. I have two trays side by side with 4 lights spaced evenly across the two trays. On the right is one tray with 2 lights evenly spaced across it. I'm using the standard bulb that came with the lights. I have them on a timer, on at 6am, off at 9pm. (They were on 24/7 to start the seed and for a week or so after) The heat mats stay on all the time. They claim to warm the soil around the roots to 10-20F above ambient temps, the basement stays around 66F where the seedlings are.

I made the stands out of 1"x6"-2' boards. A 1020 tray is 10"x20". L shape stands on the ends, U shape stand in the middle. The lights are flat on the bottom and just sit on top of the supports. All this stores very easily in a small space. By the time the plants start hitting the lights, it's usually time to start moving them outside.

This angle shows the set up better:


The outlet strip and light cords fit neatly into the middle stand and are out of the way. There is a separate outlet strip for the heat mats as they are not on the timer.

 

[Knucklehead]

I imagine the first time you gave them a haircut ,it hurt you a little . I'm the kind of person who absolutely hates waste. But the horticulturist in me says its the right thing to do.

I'll snip off the bottom two or three leaves (not counting the little round seed leaves) with my fingernails as I'm planting. Then bury the roots deeper, up to the next leaf. Only one or two clipped leaves will remain per plant, and those will be mud lugs anyway.