Cape grow blog for 2015/2016 season

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The Rustica bed is steaming along, flowering well too, topping due to be finished soon (make that today); but these plants are like triffids and coping with their antics is like dealing with the plague of the mutant suckers, like smiting a centaur. These plants really want to be a bush so I will leave a dozen unsuckered and see what happens.



Most of the bigger leaves are now 35cm round (well almost round) and the plants just over 3' tall.
Not sure what to do with the finished leaves though, as it 'aint choice tobacco, is it?

 

[Hasse SWE]

I would have it in a tobacco mix. Ain't my favorite tobacco but.. Don't taste much but high in Alkaloids (nicotine, nornicotine, Anabasin, Myosmine is the biggest). I didn't grow Rustica this year and can say in some way I missing it. Probably most because the yellow flowers.. I also grow "primitive" tobacco variants Orinoco is one of my favorite in that category..

 

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Amazing what a difference 2.5 weeks make in the life of a tobacco plant. These pics are the same bed 17 days apart:



Suckering and/or topping these guys is a never ending job.

 

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The Rustica spacing is all wrong because the seeds were billed as Samsun, so I closed up the spacing. Now they are crowded, fighting for space. But the leaves are very large and all look healthy so far. Maybe nothing much eats them?

 

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There is a little corner for some spare VG. They seem happy, but more prone to aphids.



If one is hand tending only a few hundred plants then mechanical aphid control is possible: a dry soft paint brush sweeps them aside and seems to wreck the mouth parts so even if they are not immediately squished they cannot do any more harm sucking on the tender leaves.

 

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I know it is late in the season but I have some beautiful late sown seedlings almost ready to transplant: about 50 each of a Latakia type (Smyrna?), CN Broad, Criollo 98 and some Maryland. They will be in the open ground only just before the days begin to shorten, but if they keep going during the second half of our southern summer we may be lucky. There is certainly another three months till the weather really changes.

 

[Van]

The Rustica spacing is all wrong because the seeds were billed as Samsun, so I closed up the spacing. Now they are crowded, fighting for space. But the leaves are very large and all look healthy so far. Maybe nothing much eats them?

I see im not the only one who bought samsun and got rustica.

 

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I see im not the only one who bought samsun and got rustica.

I am actually a bit annoyed as without realising the suppliers mistake I germinated and planted out the rustica in the prime prepared spot intended for the Samsun. I would not have chosen to plant rustica at all. Oh well...

Did you tell the supplier, and more importantly, did they get back to you with a promise of new correct seed? The person (surely the same guy) who supplied me is very nice and helpful, but he has not had any joy with the character who he got it from. So we wait. It is not about the cost in money, it is the loss of a growing season, and feeling like a poephol....

 

[Van]

I am actually a bit annoyed as without realising the suppliers mistake I germinated and planted out the rustica in the prime prepared spot intended for the Samsun. I would not have chosen to plant rustica at all. Oh well...

Did you tell the supplier, and more importantly, did they get back to you with a promise of new correct seed? The person (surely the same guy) who supplied me is very nice and helpful, but he has not had any joy with the character who he got it from. So we wait. It is not about the cost in money, it is the loss of a growing season, and feeling like a poephol....

No i let it go......i got some seeds from Ben to plant instead and decided to let bigons be bigons

 

[bonehead]

one year i hope to grow a few rusticas for experiments. i am glad to see some green plants during the long new england winter we have here. good luck with your late plantings and keep us informed.

 

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I returned last night from a two week trip to wintry England to 40c and heard it has been like this for a week.... The plants all survived and still look good. Phew!

My UK based children seem to know me... Xmas gifts included tobacco seed, whole leaf treats from Don's site, a chaveta, an antique pearl handled double ended cigar/cheroot clipper and an antique absinthe spoon. And beer soap. No socks. Nice!

 

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I know it is late in the season but I have some beautiful late sown seedlings almost ready to transplant: about 50 each of a Latakia type (Smyrna?), CN Broad, Criollo 98 and some Maryland. They will be in the open ground only just before the days begin to shorten, but if they keep going during the second half of our southern summer we may be lucky. There is certainly another three months till the weather really changes.

The late sown varieties (above) all fared very well and have mostly been harvested and colour cured already. There is still some Criollo 98 and Conn Broad standing with leaf still to pick. That means I have had active tobacco plants from September through to end May. I dare say tobacco might grow all year round here.

 

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Each tobacco type was primed and strung up in the barn to cure. All varieties are destined for cigar leaf so were primed accordingly, just when beginning to turn a bit paler. Thank you to this forum for tips on when to pick. All primings were tagged with relevant info: date, type, volado/seco etc. Nearly all the leaf turned to that glorious bright yellow, then brown. Out of several thousand leaves only a handfull dried green and went on their final journey to the compost heap.

 

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I did a pre-sorting into quality and size and was pleased to see very little damaged and torn leaves, but hey, something has to be filler.... This is Criollo 98 on the sorting table. I will grow this guy again.

 

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Here is some Criollo 98 tied into hands. The days are still warm and dry and the strung tobacco in the barn is just a bit too dry to handle safely. So the whole strings are moved out doors at night to soak up the heavy dew that we have at this time of year. In the morning the tobacco can be handled safely, even quite roughly. I love the soft rustling/whack noise the hands make when you shake then open. Makes me feel like I am getting somewhere to have the hands all ready to kiln.

 

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I was impressed by the size of the Conn Broad. Quite a lot of leaf reached 70 x 45 cm (roughly 27" x 18"). What is considered normal for this guy?

 

[StickyBiz]

Thanks for sharing the grow, quite helpful information.

 

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Time to build a kiln. Upright old fridge with its removable, adjustable racks. Water bath plumbed with ball cock for constant top up. Lid will go onto water bath when humidity is in range. Light bulb with controller for temperature control. Small fan to circulate heat and moisture. Planning 4 to 6 week ferments to start with, but will look and learn as we go along.

Question: does light from the bulb affect the fermentation process in any negative way? Or is the process "better" in the dark?

 

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Busy planning the next grow now! I learned a lot this past season. There is more to learn this time round, but hopefully fewer mistakes will be made. What did I learn? Tobacco is hardier than I imagined. We had a long hot summer and I tended to over water; next year more mulch, less water. I experienced hardly any bugs and no mildew. The few aphids that were brave enough to hang out on my baccy were removed manually, that is squashed; and there were over 300 plants altogether. The climate and soils here are very well suited to tobacco growing: indeed I learned that there used to be a substantial tobacco industry in this part of South Africa, but mostly for cigarette production.

I will increase my inventory of cigar suitable varieties, and in this regard thanks to members who have generously shared both seed and advice. Production will go up to around an acre.

 

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I had a visit from Customs and Excise last week - I am a distiller/booze maker so a visit is not uncommon. The inspectors spotted the hanging tobacco and recognised it. It is, after all, their job. A polite discussion ensued and I was pleased to have confirmed that the growing of tobacco is permitted here, as is the curing and preparation of whole leaf, as well as the accumulation and storage thereof. However, it becomes excisable (and the tax is VERY high) when it is cut for processing into a smokable. Even, in theory, for home use.