China Voodoo 2019 Grow Log d'Incertitude

[deluxestogie]

prepared for the apocalypse in other ways.

I admit, I do have many books on Spinoza, and lot of Dune novels and the works of Hermann Hesse. And of course, a copy of the Whole Earth Catalog.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I've never noticed these fine dark lines before.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'm not certain what I'm looking at. In the lower middle of the second image, the leaf's trichomes are caught directly from above, and I don't see lines. In the other views, I see linear shadows of the trichomes.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I'm not certain what I'm looking at. In the lower middle of the second image, the leaf's trichomes are caught directly from above, and I don't see lines. In the other views, I see linear shadows of the trichomes.

Bob

Maybe having read x-ray film for twenty years has given me exquisite view for fine detail.

 

[deluxestogie]

So you are seeing fine lines in addition to the aligned shadows of the trichomes?

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

So you are seeing fine lines in addition to the aligned shadows of the trichomes?

Bob

Pretty sure, yes.

 

[deluxestogie]

While closely observing an affected leaf, rotate it or the light. The trichome shadows will move with the lighting, but lines in the lamina will not.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I'll give it a try. That would mean the trichomes are growing in equally spaced rows, which I was unaware of.

 

[deluxestogie]

I just scrolled through over 4000 of my photos. Most of the views of growing tobacco leaves are not close enough to clearly see the trichomes. Those few that are show a generally random pattern, though the tall trichomes (there are short trichomes and tall trichomes) are a little more aligned. The upper left of the image below seems to exhibit vaguely aligned "lines", but I'm not all that impressed with it.

So I'm stumped.

Bob

 

[Hasse SWE]

My 2019 grow is going to be unique because I am moving into a condo for probably just this season. Now, where the struggle is usually in weeding a list of twenty(ish) varieties I want to grow down to eight(ish), this year it is down to one or two(ish).

One(ish) is already spoken for. I have 25 seeds of a cross between Isleta Pueblo (N. rustica), and Samporis (N. tabacum). I might get no germination. Who knows. The sooner I try, the better.

If I only get a few to germinate, I can just grow them on my balcony. If a greater number germinate, I will be growing at a friend's place 40 minutes away. And since I'll have space, I might as well throw in 30 of something(s).

So I was thinking this year I would do some exploration of older Canadian varieties. If anyone here has experience with any of these, please speak up.

https://www.lasocietedesplantes.com/produits/tabac-grand-rouge-fort/
View attachment 26683
Grand Rouge Fort is a Canadian tobacco that is listed on few seed websites as well as on GRIN-CA. One source states that it is commonly blended with Obourg, a lighter Belgian tobacco. The name most likely means Big Strong Red. I'm just going to hazard a guess that it is a tobacco, and hope that it is a bright variety.

It does concern me that although it appears to be a fully legitimate seed supplier, this website doesn't offer photos of plants with bags on them. I will ask.

https://www.lasocietedesplantes.com/produits/tabac-parfum-ditalie/
View attachment 26684
Parfum d'Italie is also a tobacco. Of that, I am certain. It is also listed on GRIN-CA. It looks to me like a flue-cured tobacco variety, but who knows.

And then there's L'Assomption 201, a commercial dual purpose, pipe/cigar filler.
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail.aspx?id=1325514

When it comes to
I have some information on my computer, some of the information comes from Yuri (a nice member at this forum sorry to say that I don't remember his nickname)
But also information from other places like this information:
"Canadian tobacco consumption is an ancient tradition rooted in the pre-industrial French Canadian economy. Many historical writings on Quebec tobacco written at the turn of the 19th century maintain that this tobacco was grown according to local native methods. However, although the tobacco grown by the inhabitants may have resembled that of the Aboriginal peoples, the changes in the domestic economy of French-Canadian farmers helped to establish traditions and develop their taste for their own Canadian Tobacco. In addition to their main crops, French-Canadian farmers grew small quantities of strong tobacco such as Quesnel, perfume from Italy, Big Havana, or Canella, which were often mixed for family consumption or for sale in local markets when there were surpluses."
(Patrice Fortier

La société des plantes
207, rang de l’Embarras
Kamouraska, Québec, G0L 1M0).

 

[Charly]

Those lines seem to be the shadows from the trichrome, can you take some other pictures ?
Do you see this on all leaves ?
I have never pay attention to this kind of lines.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I don't think they are shadows. I'll give photos another go this weekend.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I managed to gather seed from this one plant twice. I topped it last week and reduced it from 20 something leaves to 14. I expect with the increase in sunlight that the leaves will start to grow and get thicker.

I got an ounce and a half off of it from the summer grow, (after removing midribs). I rolled a really moist andullo/carrotte on the weekend and opened it and rerolled it today. The fact that the label doesn't match up is evidence that this time around, it got tighter.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I managed to gather seed from this one plant twice. I topped it last week and reduced it from 20 something leaves to 14. I expect with the increase in sunlight that the leaves will start to grow and get thicker.

I got an ounce and a half off of it from the summer grow, (after removing midribs). I rolled a really moist andullo/carrotte on the weekend and opened it and rerolled it today. The fact that the label doesn't match up is evidence that this time around, it got tighter.
View attachment 29711

View attachment 29709

View attachment 29710

What’s the process for making the carrotte? What type of tobacco does it produce, something perique like? It looks tasty from the photo.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I've done it a few ways with tobacco which was already fully cured, and it doesn't change it all that much aside from perceptively increasing aging rate. I've compared side by side, same tobacco. I've never pushed the moisture level too high, except once. That time i wrapped 3/4lb of Symbol 4 (which molded) in canvas and used rope to wrap it. Basically tie one end of rope to tree, and use body weight to pull tight and incrementally twist the carrotte.

In South America they do it with uncured tobacco. This is very different and significantly changes the tobacco.

I've since given up on the rope and canvas method because it is difficult to maintain proper humidity, and it is difficult to cut. Instead, I do small 1 to 4 oz carrottes. I either wrap them in paper or a small sandwich bag, then wrap it purely by hand with a roll of fiberglass tape, tightening as much as I can.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

These small carottes are really handy as I can maintain moisture with them, they fit in jars no problem. They are a size which is easy to slice. You only have to unwrap one at a time, thus allowing the rest to stay under pressure.

Fiberglass tape keeps oxygen out and moisture in.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

My confidence with the lack of mold in these is increasing. I have pushed the moisture level higher on this one, and I'm also curious if it will have a Perique like effect.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

My confidence with the lack of mold in these is increasing. I have pushed the moisture level higher on this one, and I'm also curious if it will have a Perique like effect.

Very interesting, reminds me of an article I saw a while back on some Indonesian tobaccos. One type, if I recall correctly, was made by wrapping the raw leaf very tightly with rope, and allowing it to age for 5 or so years. The resulting tobacco looked jet black hockey puck. The author of the article speculated that the many native tropical microorganisms were contributing to the process.

What are your goals with the carrotte? Just experimenting? Or looking for something specific?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

It wasn't cured very well and I don't have a kiln right now and I don't want to build a kiln for an ounce and a half off tobacco so I hoped it would create something magical that I could smoke in my pipe.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

That makes sense. Having never cured tobacco, I may try this method with the smaller little Dutch leaves from my indoor grow.