The standards that I use are taken from the USDA ARS-GRIN standards for tobacco plant measurement. They are arbitrary, but they help to assure that everyone is measuring the same thing.
1. I usually top my plants just below the crow's foot. This allows me to obtain dark, more potent top leaf. Commercial growers may have different priorities. So my topped Tofta and untopped Tofta are the same height, because...
[The "crowfoot" or "crow's foot" is the point on the stalk at which the bud branches begin to spread. Sometimes it is just a guess.]
...the standard measurement is from the ground to the crow's foot. The additional height of the bud head is not measured.
2. The standard "days at maturity" are measured from transplant date to the date at which at least 50% of the plants show at least one open blossom.
3. The standard for leaf count is to disregard the two bottom leaves (actually the cotyledons), then count the remainder. So if you throw away two more leaves (or 6 more leaves) the leaf count is still the same—from the base of the stalk, not counting the two bottom leaves.
4. For commercial growers, the labor cost is proportional to the leaf count, rather than the total yield weight. For home growers, you decide if you wish to have larger mid- and mid-upper leaves, or have some additional top leaf (corona) for blending. For a lower leaf count of somewhat larger leaves, top lower. To get the corona leaf, top just below the crow's foot.
5. Leaf measurement is the 10th leaf from the bottom, again disregarding the two bottom leaves. The 10th leaf is often not the largest on the plant, but it is the (arbitrary) standard for comparison.
6. My own decision for stalk-cutting is based on when the top leaf begins to show signs of maturation. I never consider a specific day count. If most of a particular variety appear ready, then I usually stalk-cut them all on the same day. If there is great variability in maturation from one plant to the next, then I either wait for the slowest ones, or selectively stalk-cut the plants individually, as they mature. If you stalk-cut a plant before the upper leaf is showing at least thickening and increased rugosity, then those upper leaves will likely not color-cure as well as the other leaves on the stalk.
I have to emphasize that there is no magic or "proper" timing of any of this. For commercial growers, who often have to bring in additional, temporary labor, having a rough idea of when you will need that extra labor is useful. But the guidelines are always just a generalized guess. And the arbitrarily chosen documentation standards are simply for meaningful comparisons worldwide.
Bob
1. I usually top my plants just below the crow's foot. This allows me to obtain dark, more potent top leaf. Commercial growers may have different priorities. So my topped Tofta and untopped Tofta are the same height, because...
[The "crowfoot" or "crow's foot" is the point on the stalk at which the bud branches begin to spread. Sometimes it is just a guess.]
...the standard measurement is from the ground to the crow's foot. The additional height of the bud head is not measured.
2. The standard "days at maturity" are measured from transplant date to the date at which at least 50% of the plants show at least one open blossom.
3. The standard for leaf count is to disregard the two bottom leaves (actually the cotyledons), then count the remainder. So if you throw away two more leaves (or 6 more leaves) the leaf count is still the same—from the base of the stalk, not counting the two bottom leaves.
4. For commercial growers, the labor cost is proportional to the leaf count, rather than the total yield weight. For home growers, you decide if you wish to have larger mid- and mid-upper leaves, or have some additional top leaf (corona) for blending. For a lower leaf count of somewhat larger leaves, top lower. To get the corona leaf, top just below the crow's foot.
5. Leaf measurement is the 10th leaf from the bottom, again disregarding the two bottom leaves. The 10th leaf is often not the largest on the plant, but it is the (arbitrary) standard for comparison.
6. My own decision for stalk-cutting is based on when the top leaf begins to show signs of maturation. I never consider a specific day count. If most of a particular variety appear ready, then I usually stalk-cut them all on the same day. If there is great variability in maturation from one plant to the next, then I either wait for the slowest ones, or selectively stalk-cut the plants individually, as they mature. If you stalk-cut a plant before the upper leaf is showing at least thickening and increased rugosity, then those upper leaves will likely not color-cure as well as the other leaves on the stalk.
I have to emphasize that there is no magic or "proper" timing of any of this. For commercial growers, who often have to bring in additional, temporary labor, having a rough idea of when you will need that extra labor is useful. But the guidelines are always just a generalized guess. And the arbitrarily chosen documentation standards are simply for meaningful comparisons worldwide.
Bob
