mwaller
Well-Known Member
What kind of plant is the San Andres you grew a few years back? How did the leaves turn out?
deluxestogie Grow Log 2017
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San Andrés, a Mexican variety from the region of Vera Cruz, is a cigar variety. It is a "Spanish" type, though the leaf tips are somewhat more acute than many Cuban varieties.
Late July, 2015.
This made decent cigar filler, and occasional wrappers. It is not quite as productive as most Cuban varieties.
Bob
Late July, 2015.
This made decent cigar filler, and occasional wrappers. It is not quite as productive as most Cuban varieties.
Bob
This is to show that I'm a nice person. I've rescued an orphan Havana 322, and planted it lovingly into a Folger's coffee tub. (The soil mix is the most flavorful material that this tub has ever held!) I'll even water it when it needs it. I poked several holes in the bottom.
Bob
Bird-brained Home Pesticide Acquisition
I have personally seen starlings rip tiny tobacco transplants from the ground, and fly away with them. This occurs during early nesting time. (Covering the new transplants with Agribon AG-15 for the first few weeks prevents this.) My guess was that this behavior was either random acquisition of nesting materials, or possibly an intentional selection of tobacco sprigs for the purpose of suppressing insects within the nest.
A study published in the Journal of Avian Biology explores this question from a different angle.
In the controlled study, Spanish researchers observed the collection of urban cigarette butt fibers by house finches in the nests following egg laying.
Bob
I have personally seen starlings rip tiny tobacco transplants from the ground, and fly away with them. This occurs during early nesting time. (Covering the new transplants with Agribon AG-15 for the first few weeks prevents this.) My guess was that this behavior was either random acquisition of nesting materials, or possibly an intentional selection of tobacco sprigs for the purpose of suppressing insects within the nest.
A study published in the Journal of Avian Biology explores this question from a different angle.
In the controlled study, Spanish researchers observed the collection of urban cigarette butt fibers by house finches in the nests following egg laying.
So, I see this research supporting the idea that my starlings are intentionally selecting tobacco plants for nesting material. Wise scoundrels.
Bob
Bud Bags
I sew my bud bags from Agribon AG-15 row cover material. The fabric comes on rolls 118" wide, already folded in half on the roll. I unroll enough for a 24" slice of it, then cut that at the fold to make two bud bags. The pieces come out 59" x 24". I fold each in half, to form a ~30" tall x 24" wide bag.
Ahead of time, I cut tags from a Tyvek mailing envelope. When stitching the bag, a tag is inserted at the top side hem, but to the inside. Once the bag is stitched on both side hems (this can be really quick and sloppy), then I turn the bag inside out, which sends the tag to the outside, and hides all the crudely cut fabric margins. Sewing these bags is one of the few jobs on a sewing machine where I can step on the pedal to the max sewing speed.
When a bag is required, I mark the tag using a fat Sharpie marker, and mark it on both sides. (If I mark only one side, then Murphy always makes sure that the hard to reach bag has its tag facing away from me! Also, the sunlight tends to fade one side more than the other.)
I timed this yesterday. The measuring, cutting, sewing and turning came to less than 3 minutes per bag. The required sewing skill is comparable to that of an 8 year old child.
The smallest amount of Agribon AG-15 that you can buy is a 50' roll: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-su...n+-ag-15-insect-barrier---118"-x-50-9057.html for $27. This will make 50 huge 30" x 24" bud bags. Compare this to paying $1.50 to $2.00 per paint strainer bag (and these are a tiny size designed for suspending from the top rim of a 5 gallon bucket).
Why do I make them so big? Well, they are certainly way too big when I first put them on. So I roll up the bottom like a shirt sleeve, but to the inside (in order to avoid accumulating extraneous pollen on the interior surface). It's tied on with a string around the stalk, using a bow, just like a shoelace. As the bud stalk grows--and they nearly always grow much larger than I expect, I untie the string, unroll some more of the fabric, and re-tie the string. This adjustment may be required weekly for several weeks.
With most of the non-Oriental varieties, my entire 30" bag is paid out by the time height growth stops. And often, the 24" width causes quite a bit of crowding.
As one other task, prior to applying the bag, I spray the bud head with permethrin, to kill any budworms that may emerge from previously laid eggs. This makes a huge difference in the risk of yielding nothing but empty pods with a little hole in the side.
For Oriental varieties, which usually form much smaller heads, I make smaller bags.
Bob
I sew my bud bags from Agribon AG-15 row cover material. The fabric comes on rolls 118" wide, already folded in half on the roll. I unroll enough for a 24" slice of it, then cut that at the fold to make two bud bags. The pieces come out 59" x 24". I fold each in half, to form a ~30" tall x 24" wide bag.
Ahead of time, I cut tags from a Tyvek mailing envelope. When stitching the bag, a tag is inserted at the top side hem, but to the inside. Once the bag is stitched on both side hems (this can be really quick and sloppy), then I turn the bag inside out, which sends the tag to the outside, and hides all the crudely cut fabric margins. Sewing these bags is one of the few jobs on a sewing machine where I can step on the pedal to the max sewing speed.
When a bag is required, I mark the tag using a fat Sharpie marker, and mark it on both sides. (If I mark only one side, then Murphy always makes sure that the hard to reach bag has its tag facing away from me! Also, the sunlight tends to fade one side more than the other.)
I timed this yesterday. The measuring, cutting, sewing and turning came to less than 3 minutes per bag. The required sewing skill is comparable to that of an 8 year old child.
The smallest amount of Agribon AG-15 that you can buy is a 50' roll: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-su...n+-ag-15-insect-barrier---118"-x-50-9057.html for $27. This will make 50 huge 30" x 24" bud bags. Compare this to paying $1.50 to $2.00 per paint strainer bag (and these are a tiny size designed for suspending from the top rim of a 5 gallon bucket).
Why do I make them so big? Well, they are certainly way too big when I first put them on. So I roll up the bottom like a shirt sleeve, but to the inside (in order to avoid accumulating extraneous pollen on the interior surface). It's tied on with a string around the stalk, using a bow, just like a shoelace. As the bud stalk grows--and they nearly always grow much larger than I expect, I untie the string, unroll some more of the fabric, and re-tie the string. This adjustment may be required weekly for several weeks.
With most of the non-Oriental varieties, my entire 30" bag is paid out by the time height growth stops. And often, the 24" width causes quite a bit of crowding.
As one other task, prior to applying the bag, I spray the bud head with permethrin, to kill any budworms that may emerge from previously laid eggs. This makes a huge difference in the risk of yielding nothing but empty pods with a little hole in the side.
For Oriental varieties, which usually form much smaller heads, I make smaller bags.
Bob
Corncob Pipe Plants
Knee-high by the 4th of July.
No sign of pipe bowls yet.
Bob
Knee-high by the 4th of July.
No sign of pipe bowls yet.
Bob
Animals are far more smart than we think they are 
Last year I already used some Agribon like material, but I just took a big piece of it to cover the heads, it was difficult to fold all in one spot to close it correctly, so this year I take your technique of sewing it
I begun the sewing by hand for 3 little bags, I'll wait for a few days for the other bags : I will sew them at my mother in law, she has a sewing machine it will be faster
Last year I already used some Agribon like material, but I just took a big piece of it to cover the heads, it was difficult to fold all in one spot to close it correctly, so this year I take your technique of sewing it
I begun the sewing by hand for 3 little bags, I'll wait for a few days for the other bags : I will sew them at my mother in law, she has a sewing machine
it will be faster My corn is exactly knee high but it's the same size as all the corn fields around me so I'm not concerned. I think we all got a late start due to the cold and rain.
Yours is looking great though.
Yours is looking great though.
Alpine
Moderator
I find this method http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...ribon-15-seams-for-bud-bags?highlight=Agribon better suited to my sewing abilities
pier
pier
The BigBonner Boone County corn that I'm standing beside is not even half done yet. It's expected to go more than twice its current height, once it's done. We'll see.
Bob
Bagging with a Stitched Agribon Bag
A previous post shows my stitched Agribon AG-15 bags. Since I purchase the Agribon in a 250 foot roll, my cost per bud bag is only 24 cents. (The only year that cost per bag was an issue was in 2012, when I grew 43 different varieties.)
I usually wait until the first blossom is within a day or two of opening. The later I can wait, the sturdier the shaft of the bud head. I remove all leaves that will be inside the bag.
My 30" tall x 24" wide bag is labeled. I roll up the bottom to the inside, until the remaining bag is about twice as tall as the present bud stalk.
I use a household bug spray that is entirely permethrin. (You can purchase clothing that is pre-treated with permethrin, so it's not too horrible.)
Using the permethrin, I spritz the bud head from two directions. (I always know when I've forgotten to do this step, since bud worms will appear a week or two later. Then I have to spend 15 minutes removing every pod with a hole, and hunt down the budworm, which is really difficult to see.)
I gently guide the bud head into the bag, with one stitched seam against the stalk.
Starting on the far bottom corner of the bag, I gather the rolled edge into pleats. The resulting "pad" of fabric is then pressed around the stalk.
I use nylon string to tie the bottom of the bag. (Some of these sections of string have survived for many years.) I wrap the string twice around the pad of fabric, then draw it snug with a double-overhand knot.
www.ian.ourshack.org
With the fabric snugly tied, I add a bow. When the time comes to adjust the bag, it's an easy matter to untie the bow and double-overhand, and remove the string.
During the first few weeks after bagging, the bag is too big, and will flap like a flag. So I tuck the drooping corner into a leaf axil.
On plants with taller bud heads, I can either remove or retain the buds that emerge at the leaf axils prior to bagging. (A full bud head will yield about 1/4 million seeds, so removing a few pods is not usually a big deal.)
Taking the prevailing wind into account, I chose a suitable direction for tucking the flag end.
Two bagged today. Ten more to go. I'm refreshing every variety that I have going this year. While it's not particularly early in the season to need to bag some varieties, all of mine were planted two weeks later than many previous years. So days to maturity for this year are dropping from my typical average of 60, down to about 50.
Bob
EDIT: See this post for height increase of the bud spike after only 6 days: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/7128-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2017?p=137473&viewfull=1#post137473
See this post for construction of the Agribon AG-15 bag: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/7128-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2017?p=137269&viewfull=1#post137269
A previous post shows my stitched Agribon AG-15 bags. Since I purchase the Agribon in a 250 foot roll, my cost per bud bag is only 24 cents. (The only year that cost per bag was an issue was in 2012, when I grew 43 different varieties.)
I usually wait until the first blossom is within a day or two of opening. The later I can wait, the sturdier the shaft of the bud head. I remove all leaves that will be inside the bag.
My 30" tall x 24" wide bag is labeled. I roll up the bottom to the inside, until the remaining bag is about twice as tall as the present bud stalk.
I use a household bug spray that is entirely permethrin. (You can purchase clothing that is pre-treated with permethrin, so it's not too horrible.)
Using the permethrin, I spritz the bud head from two directions. (I always know when I've forgotten to do this step, since bud worms will appear a week or two later. Then I have to spend 15 minutes removing every pod with a hole, and hunt down the budworm, which is really difficult to see.)
I gently guide the bud head into the bag, with one stitched seam against the stalk.
Starting on the far bottom corner of the bag, I gather the rolled edge into pleats. The resulting "pad" of fabric is then pressed around the stalk.
I use nylon string to tie the bottom of the bag. (Some of these sections of string have survived for many years.) I wrap the string twice around the pad of fabric, then draw it snug with a double-overhand knot.
www.ian.ourshack.org
With the fabric snugly tied, I add a bow. When the time comes to adjust the bag, it's an easy matter to untie the bow and double-overhand, and remove the string.
During the first few weeks after bagging, the bag is too big, and will flap like a flag. So I tuck the drooping corner into a leaf axil.
On plants with taller bud heads, I can either remove or retain the buds that emerge at the leaf axils prior to bagging. (A full bud head will yield about 1/4 million seeds, so removing a few pods is not usually a big deal.)
Taking the prevailing wind into account, I chose a suitable direction for tucking the flag end.
Two bagged today. Ten more to go. I'm refreshing every variety that I have going this year. While it's not particularly early in the season to need to bag some varieties, all of mine were planted two weeks later than many previous years. So days to maturity for this year are dropping from my typical average of 60, down to about 50.
Bob
EDIT: See this post for height increase of the bud spike after only 6 days: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/7128-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2017?p=137473&viewfull=1#post137473
See this post for construction of the Agribon AG-15 bag: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/7128-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2017?p=137269&viewfull=1#post137269
Last edited:
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Looks good, Bob! I secured my seed bags with twisty-ties. So far that seems to work well, and its easy to adjust.
Have your Cuban varieties started to bud yet? For me, Vuelta Abajo and Criollo 98 are budding. But Corojo 99 and Havana 142 seem to have a ways to go.
Have your Cuban varieties started to bud yet? For me, Vuelta Abajo and Criollo 98 are budding. But Corojo 99 and Havana 142 seem to have a ways to go.
Bob you should have done a new blog with that pictures.. Page 42 0f ??? In a grow-blog Can be difficult to find in the future
ArizonaDave
Well-Known Member
Bob,
just wanted you to know how amazing and full of information your Grow Logs are!
just wanted you to know how amazing and full of information your Grow Logs are!
Thanks for bringing up the matter of future reference. I've added a new section to the Index of Key Forum Threads, entitled Bagging Tobacco Blossom Heads.
Twist-ties work. Although nylon zip-ties work (and are used by Jessica for her GRIN work), you have to buy the ones that can be easily released.
Bob
It rained last night, and I mowed the grass today, so all the colors are popping out.
My okra bed that was transformed into 6 late Havana 322 transplants is growing well.
I love the wide leaves of the Piloto Cubano.
I am now seeing a distinct difference between the Germany-sourced Besuki (tabakanbau), when compared to both of the Indonesian Besuki types. As Tutu noted previously, Besuki in Indonesia does not exhibit the mottling and the light stalks of the Besuki I previously grew, which was from tabakanbau.
In the next photo, you can clearly see the white stalk and veins of Besuki tabakanbau.
By contrast, both the Kesilir and Ambulu Besuki specimins have green stalks and stems, and no leaf mottling.
So based on this finding alone, Besuki (tabakanbau) is a different cultivar than the Besuki from Kesilir and Ambulu (the latter two probably being the same variety).
Bob
chillardbee
Well-Known Member
don't forget that if you're late getting the seed bags on, all you need to do is pinch off any flowers that are in bloom and any immature seed pods before placing your bag. happens to me quite often because the bloom sneaks up on me and time gets away.
I can't believe you're already getting flowers Bob. I'm just getting mine in the ground. I hope that the plants aren't solar sensitive to blooming since we're already over the hump of the longest day. I want to see my plants get as big as they possibly can get.
I can't believe you're already getting flowers Bob. I'm just getting mine in the ground. I hope that the plants aren't solar sensitive to blooming since we're already over the hump of the longest day. I want to see my plants get as big as they possibly can get.
Will,
This is actually a fairly typical date for me to begin bagging. What is unusual is that I started transplanting 2 weeks later than usual this year.
Bob
This is actually a fairly typical date for me to begin bagging. What is unusual is that I started transplanting 2 weeks later than usual this year.
Bob
Corncob Pipe Plants
Knee-high by the 4th of July.
No sign of pipe bowls yet.
Bob
If that Boone county grows right you should have to look up a little to see the ears .
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