DGBAMA first grow

[DGBAMA]

Well, I was looking forward to posting these pics. But here they are anyway as the patches looked this morning.

The garden plot (that received the "hosing")


The hill plot:


Good thing I split my plants so I had some of each variety in each planting area. Still have hope though, my "benchwarmers" the starts that stayed in cells when I transplanted to cups I did not throw away and have been hanging in there on minimal care and much neglect, about 10 of each variety. The have been outdoors and feel like tough little guys, as long as the neglect has not stunted their growth. The late starting VA Gold are looking great, maybe needing a haircut. First year lessons learned. I now know why you vets "harden off" your plants before putting them in the ground. Just the slightest wrong turn while planting resulted in broken stems/leaves.

 

[BarG]

I"l bet it works for ya.

 

[DGBAMA]

being content with their survival for the next few weeks while they get ready to grow is going to drive this guy crazy. So used to seeing them progress on a daily basis at this point. Just going to cross my fingers and try not to over-water.

At this point, things I have done wrong:
Started too early: Probably ok any other year but the weather has been stupid.
Babied them too much: The cell trays should have been outdoors as soon as temps were in the 50s at night (did not have a safe place to put them).
Not having planting area ready when the plants were ready: First sign of early flowering and I will top them and try to get one good sucker for the main crop.
Improper lighting: convinced better lighting while they were indoors would have resulted in healthier/stronger starts instead of the leggy/bolting/fragile that I am dealing with. The late germinating VA Gold taught me this. They remained in the germination trays a couple weeks too long, when I did get them into cells, the cell tray was left directly outdoors (in a shaded area, minimal direct sun) with minimal care. These guys are tough stemmed, low to the ground, several sets of leaves at less than an inch tall, and DARK green.

 

[BarG]

You can't kill em. They be tough plants. Just let them grow.

 

[DGBAMA]

You can't kill em. They be tough plants. Just let them grow.

Thanks for the encouragement buddy. I will try to sleep well and check on them in the morning. When I came home tonight they looked like someone had laid them in the road and run over them with a Mac Truck.

 

[Knucklehead]

As long as the stem isn't broken you'll be okay. My Smyrna were really tall and leggy and they've been beaten to the ground about 3 different times by heavy rainfall. They just turn back up to the sky and keep going. I'll have to post a picture of them, their stalk looks like a pig's wee wee. Funny looking. There are about three 90 degree turns to the stem, but they're still going.

 

[workhorse_01]

If you need to you can hill the dirt up to the first set of leaves, and it will strengthen the whole plant.

 

[Fisherman]

Well, I was looking forward to posting these pics. But here they are anyway as the patches looked this morning.

The garden plot (that received the "hosing")
View attachment 5787

The hill plot:
View attachment 5788

Good thing I split my plants so I had some of each variety in each planting area. Still have hope though, my "benchwarmers" the starts that stayed in cells when I transplanted to cups I did not throw away and have been hanging in there on minimal care and much neglect, about 10 of each variety. The have been outdoors and feel like tough little guys, as long as the neglect has not stunted their growth. The late starting VA Gold are looking great, maybe needing a haircut. First year lessons learned. I now know why you vets "harden off" your plants before putting them in the ground. Just the slightest wrong turn while planting resulted in broken stems/leaves.

Those bench warmers are wild! I planted 45 that were in solo cups for the whoile harvest and drying of their brothers and they are well on their way to being as big or bigger than the first ones. I think I had planted them to early was their problem. A few I transplanted last month are already a foot taller than the early planting was at harvest and no sign of flowering and at least 5 more leaves without a bloom sign.

BTW I will bet most of those plants will make it.

 

[DGBAMA]

After a long work week, got to check on the gardens this morning.

Transplant loss for the hill plot will be about 10% (rain damage)

For the Garden plot, about 20% (rain plus the hose flogging)

One Havannah doing particularly well, if they all looked like this I would be happy.


The replacements waiting for their turn.


The Silver River came through transplant especially well, only replacing 3 out of 48.

 

[Knucklehead]

Looking good DG. The weather forecast isn't looking too good. More wave after wave of thunderstorms headed our way.

 

[AmaxB]

You give those a few weeks and those tobacco plots will be looking great, I love the way you did them will work well with your yard.

 

[DGBAMA]

Thanks. Must resist the urge to water this afternoon. they are looking droopy; but were flooded a day ago and more rain expected 4 of the next 7 days.

 

[leverhead]

DON'T water them!

 

[DGBAMA]

The YTB which I had such high hopes for took a brunt of the beating on transplant. the nice 3-4" green leaves they had on transplant beaten to the ground, turned white, then clear, then looking to die.

Today all but 3 look to be on track to make it. A single new leaf, dime - quarter sized, fuzzy and thick like leather on each one
Ugly but encouraging. 9oz transplant cup shown for scale.

 

[Boboro]

The sun is just to hot for them seedlings give them a little shade. This is not the best time for us deep south boys to be plantin stuff. But you gotta do what you gotta do. A little shade will help.

 

[Knucklehead]

Mine went into a kind of shock after the sun finally came out. They wilted down to the ground like air had been let out of them. It took three days for them to recover from the shock of seeing sun. Now it is supposed to start raining again. They've dried out one time since I planted them two months ago. Two months old and barely over one foot tall. It's disheartening. I'm prepping my other patches for the seed grow outs, I hope I have better luck weather wise.

 

[DGBAMA]

Mine went into a kind of shock after the sun finally came out. They wilted down to the ground like air had been let out of them. It took three days for them to recover from the shock of seeing sun. Now it is supposed to start raining again. They've dried out one time since I planted them two months ago. Two months old and barely over one foot tall. It's disheartening. I'm prepping my other patches for the seed grow outs, I hope I have better luck weather wise.

If there is one thing us Bama Boys absolutely CANNOT count on, it is having any sort of steady weather pattern. Be it year/year, month/month, week/week, or even day/day. Guess we just have to ROLL with it. lol.

Back to my ground prep for the VA Golds in location #3.

 

[workhorse_01]

My MD B100 turned white after the tropical storm. I added a few pieces of ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) to the side of the cups and they turned dark green and shot up out the cups! I planted them in the patch today.

 

[DGBAMA]

Third planting area is complete, with probably the strongest starts yet, so have high hopes.

28 VA Gold
13 Silver River

(the Silver River starts are excess "bench warmers" that needed some playing time) Silver river in the back. Did not intend to put them there but seemed like there was enough space. This plant gets afternoon sun (noon to 7p) the other patches get full sun from about 8a-3p.

High hopes for this one. Another note, this area is where I dumped all the ashes from our wood stove over the winter.

 

[Fisherman]

I wonder if one of them "Chinet" plates skewered with a few of them chopsticks or shishkabob sticks and placed over the baby transplants would help?