Curing Ottoman

[docfitch1]

As I understand it, Ottoman (semi-oriental) is usually sun cured. I live in an area (High-desert in Southern California @ 4600 feet) where the summer humidity is probably less than 20%. If I lay the tobacco leaves in direct sunlight, how long would I leave them? And what would be the next steps? I don't plan on getting into kilns, yet, so I would only be air-drying (outside or in the shop rafters). Ken

 

[LeftyRighty]

Allow the leaf to fully ripen or over-ripe first on the stalk (very little green left in the lamina), then hang to sun cure.
Best way to sun-cure is to string them relatively tight (close together) on a string or wire, hang the bunch where it gets full sun all day, cover with plastic overnight after hosing down (watering) earth below, so the leaf can re-hydrate. Cure for 4 - 6 weeks and don't worry about frost days.

 

[Knucklehead]

I think Fm said Ottoman can be successfully stalk cured. I think it was crossed with a Burley. This is just from memory, reading on the forum. I've been known to be wrong.

 

[docfitch1]

Allow the leaf to fully ripen or over-ripe first on the stalk (very little green left in the lamina), then hang to sun cure.
Best way to sun-cure is to string them relatively tight (close together) on a string or wire, hang the bunch where it gets full sun all day, cover with plastic overnight after hosing down (watering) earth below, so the leaf can re-hydrate. Cure for 4 - 6 weeks and don't worry about frost days.

Great! I can do that. How would it be under old sliding glass doors? Ken

 

[BigBonner]

I think Fm said Ottoman can be successfully stalk cured. I think it was crossed with a Burley. This is just from memory, reading on the forum. I've been known to be wrong.

Bursa

 

[Ishi]

Under glass watch the temp or you will cook it. I use a solar wax melter made from wood with celetex inside and closed up can get 180 F in the summer.

 

[DGBAMA]

With the low humidity (which will promote green curing/drying too quickly) look at some of the plastic bag "yellowing/color curing" techniques. Bagging the leaves will retain more moisture until the green color goes away. Then they can be hung indoors until properly dried.

 

[johnlee1933]

Great! I can do that. How would it be under old sliding glass doors? Ken

I have done hot beds with them. The problem is always too much heat. If you could rig an automatic way to open and close a venting system and moisten the ground you should be fine. You might rig an exhaust fan(s) with a thermostat.

 

[LeftyRighty]

The key principle of a successful sun-cure is to get the green out before hanging for the sun-curing. This is almost impossible in a dry climate, and even difficult in humid areas. The leaf can flash-dry-green in a few hours or a day. Leaving the leaf on the plant is easiest (patience), but nothing wrong with doing the bag thingy, or pile-method, stalk-curing, or air-curing in a shelter, until the green is gone from the leaf lamina. It's OK if the midrib/stem is still green, or some of the veins, or even a bit of the lamina adjacent to the mid-rib or veins, when you move into the sun. You'll just need to try whatever to learn what works for you.
I took me a couple of seasons to figure it out, and learn the hard way. I know some have hung green leaf in the sun successfully, but I think they have just been lucky, or live in a very accommodating envirorment.
After you get them in the sun, for a month or two, or longer, then you need to store, age or ferment.
I see no problem with under-glass, as long as sides are open for ventilation, so they don't cook in the sun. Another caution - the leaf needs to be protected from high winds, will beat the leaf up badly.

 

[docfitch1]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Ken

 

[FmGrowit]

I think Fm said Ottoman can be successfully stalk cured. I think it was crossed with a Burley. This is just from memory, reading on the forum. I've been known to be wrong.

Bursa

Both can be very successfully stalk cured. I was told the Ottoman HY was a semi-Oriental which means it's a cross between Oriental (obviously) and something else, but I don't know what the something else is. I've never been able to verify this anywhere, but the information comes from a guy who was a purchasing agent for PM for 34 years.

In that ottoman is a Semi-Oriental, I'm guessing it was something developed to be grown in the US and that it was never intended to be sun cured, but there is no reason it could not be sun cured either.

If you sun cure this leaf, I'd do as others have suggested, but keep the strings close to the ground (without touching) and dump a 5 gallon bucket of water on the ground to keep the leaf from drying while curing. The frequency you need to add water is part of the art to curing. Every situation will be different and depend on soil and weather conditions.

I'm not sure I'd use glass or even plastic as a cover. If the leaf gets too hot while its green (uncured, not necessarily the color), it will start to rot.

 

[LeftyRighty]

I'm just suggesting the cover for overnight (to keep the hornworm moths away, and hold the moisture in), and on rainy or very windy days.