Knucklehead's 2023 Grow Blog

[Knucklehead]

I plan to start seed 1 Feb for a planting date of 1st week of April. I will have 48 cells of Reams 158 flue cure variety. Four will be backups. My seedling mix is several years old and dry so I went down earlier and dumped a gallon of water in the bag to help premoisten the soil. I struggled last year with the dry soil in the cells, it took far too long for the water to wick up to the top. I will sprinkle some seed on top of the cells and just thin out to one per cell.

I plan on 11 grow bags per kids swimming pool, 44 plants total. Last year I watered around 60 individual grow bags and not only spent too much time moving from bag to bag, most of the water went through the bags to the ground, wasting alot of water and fertilizer. I also had to water 60 bags daily or they would get too dry and flop over. By watering in the swimming pool I can water in the four pools rather than 60 individual bags and use all the water and fertilizer. I plan on using a hole saw to drill a hole about four inches from the ground and pay attention to how much water is taken up to the soil while dry, and how much water is left. Hopefully the water will last a couple of days, reducing the need to water daily. Three days would be wonderful. I can refill the pools when the soil is dry. If I have too much water, I can extend the hole lower down with a utility knife until I find the sweet spot. I've never done this before so some experimentation will be required.


I will need to level the pools with some scrap wood strips so all bags have equal water.

 

[deluxestogie]

Sounds like a good plan. Perhaps if you also sprinkle a shallow layer of soil into the kiddie pools, after the bags are placed, then you wouldn't have to worry as much about mosquitoes in residual water.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

M

Sounds like a good plan. Perhaps if you also sprinkle a shallow layer of soil into the kiddie pools, after the bags are placed, then you wouldn't have to worry as much about mosquitoes in residual water.

Bob

My theoretical hope is that I can water one day while the soil is dry, half the water is taken up by the soil the first day, the second half of the water is taken up the next day, and it may be too much to ask for but I hope the plants can survive a day with only the moisture in the soil and pool empty. Whether two days or three, I hope for the pool to be empty a day until the next watering. I will have to play with the water level and hope to do this without drowning the plants. The need to water daily was like an anchor. I couldn't take a day off or the plants suffered. Watering four spots rather than sixty will also be a luxury. I'm gauging alot of this based on having put watering trays under the most thirsty grow bags last year. I was having to water the squash and pumpkin twice a day until I placed the trays under those bags and I was able reduce watering those to once a day along with the other plants. If I can extend that to two days with the pools I will be doing the Snoopy Dance.

 

[loui loui]

You could also put the soil directly in the pool and let the plants grow together. With a hole in the side of the pool it will be like a giant hempy bucket, a self watering pot.
It may be better to the put hole in the bottom of the pool so rain water can drain through.

 

[Knucklehead]

Feb 6. - seeds sown and scattered directly on top of soil on 48 cell 1020 inserts. Will thin down to one per cell later. Using Miracle Gro seed starting mix. Dumped soil on tray, spead evenly and lightly with no packing, raised tray 3-4" and dropped it one time to settle, added more soil to top and spread seed. No further settling. Misted with water bottle and added straight water to bottom tray. Lights on and heat mat on. Seed are Reams 158 from my 2013 crop. This will be a good test of my seed storage method. I have my seed in 2x3" ziplocks inside two 50 cal. plastic ammo boxes with both kitty litter and dessicant inside. The dessicant turns color when it needs to be placed in the oven for drying out. When the dessicant needs the oven treatment I replace the kitty litter with new. The boxes are in a storage room in the basement with dehumidifiers running at 45%. No refrigeration. Fingers crossed. Come on babies show me the green.

 

[deluxestogie]

I look forward to your germination "test" results. I expect that the desiccant has done the trick, without refrigeration. [I'm lacking a photo of the Reams 158 blossoms, and a photo of a mature 10th leaf (not yet cured) with a ruler.]

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

 

[Knucklehead]

I found an old picture from the 80's of the farm where I grew up. My grandmother lived right over the first rise behind the hill from the barn. My parents lived off to the left and my wife and I lived off to the right. This was in Ga. Aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered all up and down that one road for miles. Cattle and row crop farms, no tobacco.

 

[skychaser]

Reams 158 is very similar to Oxford 207. Both are great plants. They produce well and cure easily. They don't get enough recognition.

 

[skychaser]

I found an old picture from the 80's of the farm where I grew up. My grandmother lived right over the first rise behind the hill from the barn. My parents lived off to the left and my wife and I lived off to the right. This was in Ga. Aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered all up and down that one road for miles. Cattle and row crop farms, no tobacco.
View attachment 44653

Very pretty country. Looks like a nice place to live.

 

[Knucklehead]

Very pretty country. Looks like a nice place to live.

I moved south a couple miles and west about a mile but across the state line. Still beautiful, cheaper taxes.

 

[Knucklehead]

My ten year old seed still have some get up and go. I haven't seen them in three days so I'm not sure which day they starting popping open. I may end up with chia pets to thin out again as I usually do. One hurdle over. I see enough here now to have a minimum of one seedling per cell. My guess is there are more on the way.

 

[Knucklehead]

Seedlings thinned down and spread out with a minimum of one per cell plus some just in cases. Will give a final thinning to one per cell later.

 

[Knucklehead]

@Anders A thread regarding snus in a Husqvarna wood stove (beautiful stove by the way):

Baking snus in a wood stove

Today, baking snus in an old Husqvarna wood stove from the early 19th century. 40% Björkö Burley 20% KY17 10% KY171 20% Virginia Gold 10% Virginia Brightleaf A total of 212g tobacco flour, 3.2 dl water and 10g salt. Into the wood oven for a few days, maybe until next weekend depending on how...

fairtradetobacco.com

inspired me to catch a photo of my old wood stove that belonged to my great grandparents and was passed on to me by my grandmother. I didn't want to post off topic stoves in a members' snus thread. (I'm too often guity of off topic as it is) This one is original and in great shape and stored in the basement. Pardon the dust. I've need to spring clean for the past few seasons.

 

[Anders A]

It would be perfectly fine if you posted this in my thread. Nice old stove you have, and what a fun memory.

 

[Anders A]

I see there's a deer on the left on the wall, is that a beaver on the right? (I'm a hunter myself)

 

[Knucklehead]

I see there's a deer on the left on the wall, is that a beaver on the right? (I'm a hunter myself)

They are all deer. One is a mule deer from Colorado. The other are local whitetail. I haven't hunted in six or seven years.
I do have a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser carbine made by Husqvarna that is a dream to shoot. (I'm sure you are familiar) 17-1/2" original miltary carbine barrel, sporter stock, and I added peep sights, no scope. Light, fast, and maneuverable for woods. Great cartridge. I have 7x57 and 7.92x57 but that Swedish cartridge is one of the best all time for deer size game. I'm an oddball around here, though. My friends tote oversized magnums mounted with oversized target scopes for some weird reason.

 

[Knucklehead]

Down to one per cell. 4 seedlings are backups.

 

[Knucklehead]

I had my Wally World moment from the movie "Vacation" today. My buddy and I went to Noccalula Falls Park this morning to view the waterfall and hop on the train that runs around the whole park. Nope. Closed until March 1. We did get to view the falls and go eat at a Cracker Barrel. It was a good day.



This is the story of Cherokee Princess Noccalula that leapt to her death rather than marry a warrior from a neighboring tribe as her father wished.

About | Noccalula Falls Park

Once called Black Creek Falls, the legend of Noccalula imagines a folk tale steeped in Native American imagery and myth.

www.noccalulafallspark.com

Her statue.



I can attest to the veracity of the legend because I read the bronze plaque with my own two eyes.

 

[Knucklehead]

Little River Canyon Park falls in 2019, before COVID.



Today's trip, post quarantine. Noccalula Falls Park.