Krausen89 Grow Log 2021

[Krausen89]

So i am back after being off of here for a while. Finally enjoying some of last years air cured Burley never finished the "micro barn" so there was too much wind through and when they dried they got blown around and damaged. they don't look pretty but they smoke well.

This Year i am growing 7 burley (was 8 but damn squirrels dug one up) 8 VA brightleaf and 8 VA gold. first time growing Virginia and definitely need to start thinking about how to either flue cure them or if i will be okay air curing. Maybe some of both? Or maybe sun curing. Pictures coming soon!

 

[deluxestogie]

Or maybe sun curing.

Flue-curing is ideal. Plan B would be to sun-cure.

Bob

 

[Krausen89]

Just realized i never put any pics in here. On the left is burley, middle is VA bright and right is VA gold. 7 burleys and 16 VAs. This was taken a few weeks ago so they are a lot bigger than this now.

 

[Krausen89]

As of today

 

[Krausen89]

So the plants are growing nicely and are getting a bit crowded due to the close spacing. i will post more pics when i have a chance to take more.

I am starting to think about harvesting and curing and want to make sure i am more ready than i was last year. here is my plan...

I am going to stalk harvest/cure the 7 burley as i did last season but going to finish up the micro barn so that i have more protection. last year i did not have the back of the barn finished and while they were protected from the rain. there was some windy days/nights that blew them around into each other causing some damage to leaves.

With the 2 Virginia varieties i am thinking about priming the lower thinner leaves as they yellow/ripen and either sun curing or just air curing the hands in the barn with the burley. there has already been a few mud lugs yellowing and i pulled them off and have them in the sun (for experimental purposes). For the middle position leaves i am going to wait until they have yellowed a decent amount on the stalk and then harvest them and continue yellowing in a box or under a towel, remaking piles once a day until they are completely yellow. then i am going to start the flue curing process.

I am curious what everyones thoughts are on harvesting if i am going to flue cure, should i color cure them first like i plan to? or should i Yellow them in the Flue cure chamber?

Also i am not sure how i am going to fit all of the leaves into my flue cure chamber at once, so it might make sense to finish yellowing in the chamber as i harvest and then harvest more as the flue process is finishing up.... What is everyones thoughts?

 

[deluxestogie]

just air curing the hands in the barn

First, I would not tie leaf into hands until after they have color-cured. The tied part is less likely to color at the same rate as the dependent parts of the leaves.

For flue-curing, the point is to start with green leaf, then rapidly yellow (below 104°F), and then finish the cure--all within 5 to 7 days. So priming "waves" of the leaf as they begin to show the slightest maturity achieves the best flue-curing results, and minimizes the required size of the flue-cure chamber.

If you color-cure leaf in the shed, before flue-curing, then you just end up with air-cured leaf for twice the work.

Bob

 

[Krausen89]

First, I would not tie leaf into hands until after they have color-cured. The tied part is less likely to color at the same rate as the dependent parts of the leaves.

For flue-curing, the point is to start with green leaf, then rapidly yellow (below 104°F), and then finish the cure--all within 5 to 7 days. So priming "waves" of the leaf as they begin to show the slightest maturity achieves the best flue-curing results, and minimizes the required size of the flue-cure chamber.

If you color-cure leaf in the shed, before flue-curing, then you just end up with air-cured leaf for twice the work.

Bob

Thanks Bob, that def answers my questions, i will have to look further into flue curing without making it too difficult. so basically when most of the tips start to yellow and leaf is nice and thick and a bit wrinkled i can harvest. another option is i could flue half the first priming and air cure the other half so see how each turn out. i have never grown VA so this is a new experience

 

[Krausen89]

So I have been reading through all the Flue Cure questions and suggestions on here and just want to go over my plan for the flue cure schedule. Going off of the chart Bob had previously posted (attached) yellowing happens at around 100F 24-48 hours. while this is happening its okay to open and check yellow progress. Next temp is 120F. How gradually should raise this or could i just set it to 120 and let it go. looks like on the chart its raised to 120f over a period of about 10hrs or so. and then continued at 120 for 14. and then the same thing for 135 and then gradual increase to 165 over a 16 hour period for as long as it takes for stems to dry. Do i check in to see if stems are dry or do i just dry them over a set period of time?

I am very excited to start this and its going to be interesting to see and learn this process. i would like to have a set schedule when i do this so there is no questions about it. i plan on putting a secondary thermometer in my flue chamber so i can get a little more accurate with my temps as i don't think that the probe i am currently using is very accurate. (we shall see) i have it set up as kiln right now with no fan. should i attach a fan inside? it is a chest freezer and going to just crack the lit so moisture can escape.

 

[deluxestogie]

should i attach a fan inside?

Definite yes on that. For stem kill (stem drying), no peeking until after the run completes. If you've followed the graph, the stems will be brittle-dry. The yellowing phase is the only flexible period, requiring more days as you work your way up the priming of the stalk. So process only leaf from a single priming level at a time.

Flue-curing is usually performed in barns, where a precise state of temp/humidity is only aspirational. For my own flue-curing timing on temp adjustments, I look at the ramping time, and divide it into how many times I feel like fussing with it. Sometimes I'll increase the temp set point half the distance upward, when I go to bed, then set it up to the desired temp goal when I wake up.

Bob

 

[Krausen89]

Amazon.com

I wonder how this will work. Hotter it gets, faster it goes...

for the Priming levels i would just do lower, middle, tops? or could i divide it even further?

 

[Krausen89]

scratch that fan. it begins spinning at around 131. i might be able to find something similar for the temp range i need

 

[Knucklehead]

scratch that fan. it begins spinning at around 131. i might be able to find something similar for the temp range i need

I use a bathroom exhaust fan for wet environments. It just needs to keep the air circulating inside to avoid dead spots and keep the temps even throughout.

Amazon.com

You will need to vent the box during yellowing, the leaves will be giving off a lot of moisture.

 

[Krausen89]

I use a bathroom exhaust fan for wet environments. It just needs to keep the air circulating inside to avoid dead spots and keep the temps even throughout.

Amazon.com

View attachment 37436

You will need to vent the box during yellowing, the leaves will be giving off a lot of moisture.

my plan to vent was just to keep the lid cracked to remove moisture. its hard to see the pic, you think it would be better just to have an exhaust fan to do both jobs?

 

[Krausen89]

also, do i only vent when yellowing or during the whole process?

 

[Knucklehead]

my plan to vent was just to keep the lid cracked to remove moisture. its hard to see the pic, you think it would be better just to have an exhaust fan to do both jobs?

It will enlarge in the original post:

Knuckleheads Wooden Box Kiln Build

... the miracle of siphoning work to automatically fill the crockpot. Then it will always be full, which I found to not be a good thing. Others have been satisfied with that approach. Bob

fairtradetobacco.com

 

[Knucklehead]

also, do i only vent when yellowing or during the whole process?

I dont think you need a powered vent as you would be exhausting your heat too quickly.
I think the guys just open a valve and let the excess humidity escape. (I could be wrong)I haven’t used mine for flue curing yet, just kilning so I don’t vent when kilning. Hopefully a flue curing expert can weigh in on the vent arrangement or you could look at Deluxestogie’s endoskeleton kiln which he also uses for flue curing.

Deluxestogie's Endoskeletal Wood Tobacco Kiln / Flue-cure chamber

PART 1 of 4 Endoskeleton. The foam board goes on the outside. Caveat The wood-built kiln discussed here has several advantages over using a dead, upright freezer for a kiln, but will require more work to complete, and will certainly cost more. it weighs significantly less it can be sized to...

fairtradetobacco.com

 

[deluxestogie]

Leave full venting during yellowing and wilting, then gradually close during leaf kill. By stem kill, you will likely need it fully closed just to reach 165°F. With the fan, I think all that you need is to stir the interior air. My chamber uses a bathroom "exhaust" fan, but it's just hanging inside the chamber, with no port to the exterior. It just stirs the air.

Be sure to plan on hanging your leaf, and with at least some air room between them.

If you get a perfect flue-cure on your first run, then you are doing better than I did on my first run. (I heated too rapidly, cooked the still-green leaf, and filled the air with the aroma of steamed asparagus. Yum!) In my mind, once I've achieve adequate yellowing of most of the lamina, then I'm home free, and just blindly follow the chart like a zombie.

Bob

 

[Krausen89]

Some pick of the garden. Topped the brightleaf as the majority were flowering. Pics of sun cured leaves from the tops and the lighter colored ones were bottom leaves that turned white

 

[Krausen89]

Got my leaves harvested. I had some things come up and now working 7 days a week so i didn't flue cure as planned. Not sure if pics attached but going to try to sun cure. Im not in an optimal spot and would have to move all leaves from back to front of house once a day to keep in the sun. How much sun is needed to sun cure? Also should i of color cured before sun curing or do they start green like flue?

 

[deluxestogie]

Traditionally, sun-cured leaf starts as green leaf, rather than pre-colored. Sun-curing by hanging the cut stalks always seems safer, but strung leaf works surprisingly well, so long as the humidity is reasonable. My location for sun-curing gets between 2/3 and 1/2 day of direct sun, depending on the month.

Other members yellow the leaf prior to sun-curing.

Bob