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Deluxestogie Grow Log 2024

DaleB

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Of course anything we watch on the TV can be watched on a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone. But I get ya.
 

ProZachJ

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I find there's something meaningful about not having a GIANT shrine to that culture hanging on your wall (or every room in some houses). Certainly I watch things on other devices (mostly non fiction on YouTube) but doing without channel surfing and nightly loaf sessions watching low quality sitcoms is something that has improved my quality of living.

Hey....I though this was a grow blog?...

@deluxestogie any sign of spring?
 

deluxestogie

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@deluxestogie any sign of spring?
SpringWeather.JPG
 

deluxestogie

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As a consolation, I went on-line, and purchased 1 codger ticket for the 1st showing of Dune (2024) Part 2, on the day before its official March 1 release date. I haven't endured the profound discomforts of a movie theater since I saw Part 1 in 2021. [This time, I'll remember to bring a heavy, wool scarf, and ear plugs.]
I had a reserved seat this afternoon (3 pm showing). I assume each of the twelve other members of the audience also had reserved seats.

I realized that the distracting, butt vibrations and the OSHA-violating sound levels were part and parcel of the endless movie previews that ran prior to the Dune film. I removed my earplugs for the feature film, and recognized that the intensity of the sound volume as well as the butt vibrations were carefully and reasonably orchestrated for the movie itself (sound artists vs. marketeers). The overly wide, overstuffed, reclining seats were as uncomfortable as I remembered. Although I brought along a face mask (I'm old!), I did not wear it, since the theater was nearly empty, and nobody was in the rows of seats behind me.

The 3-hour movie was excellent—lots of exploding things. The actors playing Stilgar and Chani are superb. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack will be on my list of digital purchases. Like every printed volume of the Dune saga, the ending of this film left much unresolved.

Bob
 

GreenDragon

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I'm surprised the theater was so empty! I really enjoyed Part 1 and thought it received good reviews. I'm looking forward to seeing Part 2.
 

deluxestogie

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I'm surprised
The beauty of that first showing is that it falls on the day before the widely announced "opening date". It is in the middle of a school day and work day, and (if you are able to set aside the time) always a low attendance showing, with ample, nearby parking.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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For my 4 planned tobacco varieties of 2024, I will use 8 ounce, plastic cups (with lids) for germination. I cleaned them, rinsed them well, then allowed them to soak with diluted Clorox solution.

Garden20240301_7306_germinationCups_CloroxSoak_500.jpg


Following another thorough rinse, I've set them out on the kitchen counter to dry.

Garden20240301_7307_germinationCups_drying_500.jpg


Each cup and each lid will be labeled with the tobacco variety name, as the seed is sprinkled.

Tomorrow, I will mix up my usual grow mix, and start germination.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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I fill the 8 ounce cups to within ½" of the top, with my growing mix:
  • MiracleGro Sphagnum Peat [4 parts]
  • MiracleGro Perlite [1 part]
  • Vermiculite [1 part]
Each cup gets ¼ cup of water, then its lid is closed.

Garden20240302_7308_germinationCups_soil_500.jpg


Only one labeled jar is opened at a time. Tobacco seed is visibly sprinkled over the surface of the soil.

Garden20240302_7309_germinationCups_seeded_500.jpg


Water is misted lightly over the seeded surface, then its labeled lid is closed.

Garden20240302_7309_germinationCups_seeded_CloseUp_500.jpg


The seeded, closed jars are then placed out on my enclosed back porch, above a seedling heat mat.

Garden20240302_7310_germinationCups_onHeatPad_500.jpg


[Please don't injure your neck. Glessnor, Long Red, Comstock Spanish, L'Assomption 201.]

Bob
 
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deluxestogie

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My arrangement of the heat pad, metal tray, and cardboard tray, for the germination cups was not providing optimal temperatures. Last night, I topped it all with a 1020 tray dome. Although the dome rests on top of the germination cups, its sides and ends are fully open.

Garden20240303_7311_germinationCups_domeCover_500.jpg


Temperature this morning seems stable at 80°F.

Garden20240303_7312_germinationCups_temp_500.jpg


Bob
 

deluxestogie

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It's a Super Tuesday in Virginia

Garden20240305_7317_Bob_SuperTuesday_500.jpg


The sun is shining. There are a few white stratus clouds. The temp is cruising above 70°F. As they say about the month of March, "In like a lionhead bunny, out like a..."

That yet-to-be-ignited stogie is an Oliva Second.

My germination cups show definite embibition in one variety. The others are still thinking about it.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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Today is the 6th day after starting germination. Long Red and Comstock Spanish germinated overnight. The image below is of Long Red. [Every tiny, white "comma" is another seed in the process of sprouting.]

Garden20240307_7319_germinationCups_LongRed_germinated_500.jpg


I produced my Long Red seed in 2014 (10 years ago), and my Comstock Spanish seed during the summer that Don founded the Fair Trade Tobacco Forum (in 2011). My other two varieties for this season (Glessnor and L'Assomption 201) are awaiting germination. Glessnor (seed from 2012) appears to have fully embibed the moisture, while L'Assomption 201 (seed from 2021) has not shown much activity yet.

Once the seed germinates, I leave the lid slightly open (to avoid overheating in the sun), and place those jars where they can get some direct sun exposure.

Garden20240307_7320_germinationCups_lidsAjar_500.jpg


I will add water to a germination cup (just pouring from a measuring cup) when a cup feels light. No misting involved. Later today, I will prepare my 1020 trays.

Bob

EDIT: Peas ignore the date on the photo. Bob is off by 1 day. I started my peas on 1 MAR, and the tobacco on 2 MAR. So this is actually the 5th day after starting the tobacco.
 
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deluxestogie

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Garden20240307_7321_1020Tray_soilMixAdded_500.jpg


My soil mix is 2/3 MiracleGro Sphagnum Peat Moss; 1/6 MiracleGro Perlite; 1/6 vermiculite. It is fairly dry. I spoon it into the cells without packing it down. This allows the mix to properly wick the bottom water, without over-compacting.

I always separate two of the corner cell packs, diagonally across from each other, so that I can easily lift out one for watering, regardless of how I've rotated the tray. In this instance, I needed only 44 cells in this 48-cell insert. I may or may not place a 3" pot in that empty spot, for a veggie start. One of my inviolable rules is to always have every cell in a single 4-pack contain the same tobacco variety. I also try to keep all of a single variety within the same 1020 tray. So I have a second tray with only 12 cells of soil, with the remainder of the tray space to be used for veggies.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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All 4 varieties have now germinated from closed cups resting on a seedling heat mat that warms to ~80°F:
  • Long Red (2014) day 5
  • Comstock Spanish (2011) day 5
  • Glessnor (2012) day 6
  • L'Assomption 201 (2021) day 6
There appears to be no relationship between the age of my seed and its time to germination. Since I sprinkle seed over the soil mix, I cannot compare their germination rates.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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This morning, I transferred tiny seedlings into their 1020 tray cells. I completed Glessnor, Long Red and Comstock Spanish. I'll wait for a few days on the L'Assomption 201, hoping for more of its seeds to germinate.

Enough water was added to the bottom of each 1020 tray yesterday, to allow the soil mix within the cells to moisten fully. I like to keep standing water in the lower 1020 tray (no holes), to stabilize the moisture and temperature of the cell inserts that rest in the upper 1020 tray (with holes). These two trays are nested into a mesh tray, for more rigidity when handling.

Although I use forceps to do the transfer, it's most often using just one of its blades like a toothpick, to lift out and gently lay the delicate seedling into a shallow divot. After each 4 transfers, I carefully mist the surrounding soil mix (not the seedling), to settle-in the root.

Garden20240309_7324_1020Tray_seedlingTransfer_500.jpg


After completing each variety's transfer, I insert its respective Popsicle stick label into each of its cell 4-packs. The sticks also serve to slightly lift the clear dome that I place on top of the tray. For these early, post-transfer days, I add a cover of Agribon AG15 as a 10% shade (just in case the sun ever comes out).

Garden20240309_7325_1020Tray_covered_500.jpg


Onto my wire shelf, I place a used, bubble-wrap envelope for insulation, topped by the seedling heat mat.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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This morning, I transferred 20 baby seedlings of L'Assomption 201 into 1020 tray cells. There were barely enough. What I've noticed in past years is that those germination cups with scant seedlings gradually germinate many more seedlings over subsequent days. Since I maintain the germination cups for at least several weeks after transferring all the required seedlings, I rarely end up with barren cups. Some varieties germinate as a group event, while others germinate gradually over time.

Now, nothing left to do but water, water, water, clip, clip, clip, and transplant to the garden beds in May. Will these babies survive the solar eclipse in April?

Bob
 

RoperLegacyWoods

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Last time I read it was on deployment in the Iraq desert. Time for a re-read.
I’ve read the series about 7 times. I used to use Bene-Gesserit aphorism to help with my sales job at the home brew store- my co-worker was convinced I was a son of a secret Bene-Gesserit….
Anyone else think the son’s novels aren’t as good?
I’m obviously rusty on my Dune knowledge, his son wrote books too?
 
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