Rickey60
Well-Known Member
Punt. 
deluxestogie Grow Log 2014
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I finally got some much needed rain--about 3/4". But there's no free lunch. During the brief storm, the winds topped 40 mph, and blew down about 20 tobacco plants. I returned them all to their upright position for take-off.
Lots of tiny hornworms today.
Bob
Lots of tiny hornworms today.
Bob
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
Why Dont you stake them in from the start?
It is easier than standing them back up just to go down again.
Unless this has never happened to you before.
No hornworms in my patch yet, Keep them down there.
Bt.
It is easier than standing them back up just to go down again.
Unless this has never happened to you before.
No hornworms in my patch yet, Keep them down there.
Bt.
I wish. Each season, there are some blowdowns. A very few are actually lost. For me, the work of standing the plants back up has been far less than staking each of them.
Bob
DonH
Well-Known Member
I do a combination. I stake the ones that are leaning and look like they could fall over even if there is no storm. I leave the rest unstaked. And Bob is right, it's pretty easy to stand them back up and they don't seem to suffer much for it.
cigarchris
Well-Known Member
I staked all my Criollo '98 and Prilep about two weeks ago, as they seem to be the more leggy varieties. After a decent rain, the Prileps would all start to lean over, and if I didn't upright them soon enough, the stalk would develop a dog leg. There's only eight of each, and I wish I had just staked them from the beginning, but I was too worried about damaging the root mass... in retrospect, I bet it wouldn't have been a problem.
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately I usually have several hundred blow over each yr.
It is a PITA to stake up that many. When fully grown. It usually happens right before harvest time for some odd reason.
It is a PITA to stake up that many. When fully grown. It usually happens right before harvest time for some odd reason.
skychaser
Well-Known Member
We had 400+ go down in a storm last summer. Had them all back up before noon. Only a half dozen ever needed stakes.
The issue of blowdowns seems to be specific to local topography and local wind conditions, combined with soil conditions. I think everybody is occasionally subject to gusting, linear winds. But some locations apparently amplify the wind problem. If the soil is relatively saturated when a gust occurs, plants blow down. A stiff wind during drier soil conditions seems to have little effect.
I guess you just have to go by the effect of all this on your own tobacco in your own microclimate.
Bob
I guess you just have to go by the effect of all this on your own tobacco in your own microclimate.
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
Yup. When we have blow downs its always when the soil is very wet. We changed our tilling routine a bit after an experiment last year. The usual routine was to compost heavily in the fall and till it in, Then till again in March as soon as the soil is workable. Then it gets harrowed a few times during April and May to kill out germinating weed seeds. Then a 3rd tilling just before planting. Last year we skipped the 3rd tilling on about 1/3 of the field to see the difference it made. Nearly all the blow downs were in the part which got the 3rd tilling. Only 5-6 plants went over in the other part. There was no discernible difference in growth between the two parts. Conclusion: There was no advantage to the 3rd tilling at all. The softer tilled soil is a disadvantage for tobaccos. We skipped it this year and just planted after harrowing. Saved time and fuel, and we have the best looking crop ever this year.
So far.....
What great information. Thanks.
Since I till each of my separate planting beds by hand, the earliest is tilled in early March, but the last ones may be the day before transplanting. That actually corresponds with the blowdown pattern I just experienced. Although the effect varied by the height of the plants, those in the beds tilled the latest seem to have blown down more easily.
So...dirt needs time to simmer down.
Bob
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
I see my problem, I can't stand my plants back up, they just fall over I smash the roots in with my feet put rocks on the roots and over they go again.
I Till in the fall then I till and till and till and till and till and till trying to get all the rocks out so that it doesn't screw up the plastic mulch when I put it down with the layer.
I guess I till like to till too.
I Till in the fall then I till and till and till and till and till and till trying to get all the rocks out so that it doesn't screw up the plastic mulch when I put it down with the layer.
I guess I till like to till too.
Old Fogies
Time to check in on our elderly (germinated 2012) transplants. Of the two VA Bright that were put out to pasture, one promptly died. The other lives on in its miniature glory. That's not a large sample size, but it's looking like VA Bright is not a suitable variety for holding in a tiny pot for 2 years prior to transplanting.
On the other hand, the Havana 263, Havana 38 and Dominican Olor of the 2012 vintage have thrived in the ground.
It's been constantly windy today, so the plants appear windswept in the photos.
The leaves are roughly the size of this year's cohort of various Olors, and emerge from a 3[sup]rd[/sup] generation sucker.
The Havana 38 leaves are not yet what I would expect, but not bad for a 4th generation sucker.
So, there you have it: old folks celebrating the 4th of their 3rd July.
Bob
Time to check in on our elderly (germinated 2012) transplants. Of the two VA Bright that were put out to pasture, one promptly died. The other lives on in its miniature glory. That's not a large sample size, but it's looking like VA Bright is not a suitable variety for holding in a tiny pot for 2 years prior to transplanting.
On the other hand, the Havana 263, Havana 38 and Dominican Olor of the 2012 vintage have thrived in the ground.
It's been constantly windy today, so the plants appear windswept in the photos.
The leaves are roughly the size of this year's cohort of various Olors, and emerge from a 3[sup]rd[/sup] generation sucker.
The Havana 38 leaves are not yet what I would expect, but not bad for a 4th generation sucker.
So, there you have it: old folks celebrating the 4th of their 3rd July.
Bob
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
Your documentation and method of presentation are superb good sir. Well done.
POGreen
Well-Known Member
I'm gettin kinda envious with you Bob , being able to make that nice text in your pictures + arrows an stuff too.
May I ask how you do that ?
Its very professionaly made if you ask me.
May I ask how you do that ?
Its very professionaly made if you ask me.
In my previous "old fogies" post, I mentioned that one of the elderly VA Bright transplants promptly died. The other one, shown below, simply went into a peaceful coma.
"It's being shaded," you say. Well, it wasn't shaded at all, when it was transplanted. While its younger siblings were doing their duty, this laggard just sat there, soaking up the rays.
My guess is that the VA Bright Leaf has a greater tendency to develop epigenetic changes that relate to size growth while confined for a prolonged period in a small pot. Once it was eventually transplanted to Mother Earth, it's response was to continue in its protective, resource-restricted habit.
Bob
"It's being shaded," you say. Well, it wasn't shaded at all, when it was transplanted. While its younger siblings were doing their duty, this laggard just sat there, soaking up the rays.
My guess is that the VA Bright Leaf has a greater tendency to develop epigenetic changes that relate to size growth while confined for a prolonged period in a small pot. Once it was eventually transplanted to Mother Earth, it's response was to continue in its protective, resource-restricted habit.
Bob
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
The Cyprus looks very much like my Bursa. Would love a review as to how they compare in flavor.
Your Florida Sumatra looks promising wrapper. Mine is more than half smaller, but they say bad start- good finish. Nice garden btw.
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