Emile
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Good thanks you !
And the leaves are a bit pale, is that a sign of low soil fertility ?
Late grow log 2024: @Emile
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And the leaves are a bit pale, is that a sign of low soil fertility ?
Yes but depending on how mature your plants are, that could be a good thing. You want the nitrogen to run out of the plants before they are ready to harvest. If your plants are nice and large, the whitening of the leaves is a good thing and assuming some of them have bloomed, will probably be ready for harvest soon (if I am not mistaken about this, I am a first year grower as well but have learned from the best here).
Skafidr
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I had the lower leaves getting pale/yellow earlier in the season, and I added nitrogen rich fertilizer. They became green again after a few days.
However, as manfisher suggests, at this point in the season, your plants are likely getting mature/ripe.
However, as manfisher suggests, at this point in the season, your plants are likely getting mature/ripe.
Emile
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I topped my plant on August 1st so they will be ready to harvest by the end of the week.
From what I’ve read, low nitrogen will yield a lower nicotine, thinner leaf and way smoother smoke.
I intentionally put my plant closer to get a smoother tobacco since my soil was heavy manured last year. It seems to work as it was described in the books
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Emile
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In my understanding, from the beginning to the appear of flower, it should be fertilized for its needs, after topping it will “deplete” the nitrogen in the soil. Brighter soil like sandy loam are not retaining nutrients as well as heavier/darker soil and yield a brighter tobacco.
I love the old tobacco books. They are certainly a rich source for pre-industrial, pre-mechanized approaches to cultivating tobacco. And they are a product of their time.
But are you using your horse cultivator? [Extra spacing between rows. Increased soil compaction between rows. Random supplemental manure and equine urine between the rows.]
The spacing recommendations in that anonymous, elder book feel a bit arbitrary, and not well matched to todays tobacco varieties. Also, attempting to fine-tune subtle attributes of a variety by adjusting the spacing will be difficult for you to evaluate, without adequate numbers as well as a control group. Simply getting useable tobacco is what I would consider success. I learn new things about growing tobacco with each season's crop.
Bob
But are you using your horse cultivator? [Extra spacing between rows. Increased soil compaction between rows. Random supplemental manure and equine urine between the rows.]
The spacing recommendations in that anonymous, elder book feel a bit arbitrary, and not well matched to todays tobacco varieties. Also, attempting to fine-tune subtle attributes of a variety by adjusting the spacing will be difficult for you to evaluate, without adequate numbers as well as a control group. Simply getting useable tobacco is what I would consider success. I learn new things about growing tobacco with each season's crop.
Bob
Emile
Well-Known Member
I would really like to cultivate with horse, I’ll try first to hill my potatoes with my girlfriend horse and if it get the job done properly I’ll try between my tobacco plant. But there’s not such place for error.
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Emile
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Spacing recommendations seems to be based on leaves size from varieties to an other in a same big field. If a farmer grow an acre of “petit havane” for example he would benefit from closer row width and closer in row spacing between plant in the way that he could plant way more tobacco plant in the same field.
Closer in row spacing between plant in more fertile soil probably deplete nutrients faster in the soil and yield a lighter-bodied leaf.
Books :

Information archivée dans le Web | Information Archived on the Web
Information archivée dans le Web | Information Archived on the Web
And many more in french and english as well
I believe it was 1964 while traveling in a car with my mother, between Pennsylvania and Missouri, we saw a man tilling a field with a horse along the Ohio River valley. That was the first and last time I saw that in the US.
Bob
Bob
I watched my great great uncle holding the handles of a horse drawn plow but my cousin was pulling it with a four wheeler instead of a horse. My great great uncle was walking behind the plow keeping it upright and keeping the row straight. He was in his 90's at that time, he lived to over 102, maybe 105. My cousin(?) was his son in law so he was in his 70's(?). Their garden was beside my driveway.
Hey! I did not see the replys.
I am looking to build a simple flue curing chamber using a crockpot. If I cant make it work properly, I Will only air cure. The first leaves i harvested a month and a half ago are looking fine. Light brown.
For scent of Italy i will probably try both air and flue.
27-0-0 is ammonium nitrate : mix of NO3 and NH4.
Edit: fertilizer is commonly known as CAN 27
Emile
Well-Known Member
Right now, I’m 30, one of my friend (mid-sixties) show us how to “hitch” our horse (don’t know how to say that in English) to skid log out of the woods this year, the horse had already the ability to do it.
My friend is still plowing, cultivating and hilling his garden with his horses.
When you already have horses, it is a small investment to work with them and they absolutely love that when it’s done properly. I really enjoy to work with horse, but I also had tractor.
Emile
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Emile
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Last year I sold a rototiller to a couple, when they came to my garden to try it, they saw my tobacco plants and said they grow tobacco in there garden too. Today I found rye for sale on marketplace near me, when I arrive, first thing I saw was his tobacco in the garden.
I like to see the interest for growing it from people that cross my way.
I like to see the interest for growing it from people that cross my way.
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Emile
Well-Known Member
I’m a little but lost every year for the harvesting time. I topped my plants 3 1/2 weeks ago, some show sign of maturity, some are pale green with a little bit of yellow mottled spots, some have the tips and the edges roll towards the ground. But in the same row of the same varieties, there’s difference. I’m planning to stalk cut everything but I don’t know if I should wait any longer since forecast is like 50/50 rain/sun for the next couples of day. I’d like to get couple of warm sunny days before harvest.
Picture 1 : Rose Quesnel beginning of the row
2 : Rose Quesnel center row
3 : Little Dutch
Picture 1 : Rose Quesnel beginning of the row
2 : Rose Quesnel center row
3 : Little Dutch
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Emile
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Skafidr
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I have had some leaves that would not turn all yellow; they'd have the tip yellow with the rest green, then a few days later, the tip was dark brown and dry, and further in was yellow while the rest was still green. I don't have tips for you regarding this, I just know that next season, I'll try to stalk harvest when the first leaves show yellow and see what happens.
This variety ("big red strong"/"grand rouge fort") was "cultivated by a farmer in the Kamouraska area", so it's not "mainstream" and so probably this farmer learned how to grow this variety.
My conclusion is that I'll eventually get to know the varieties I grow often and recognize the signs...
Emile
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Emile
Well-Known Member
Emile
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A lot of my tobacco dried green, rest of it dried dark yellow/pale brown…
First batch I’d harvested cured well but the second harvest seem to had dried to fast (2 weeks without rain and hot dry days) I tried to open at night and stay closed during days but it doesn’t cured well
First batch I’d harvested cured well but the second harvest seem to had dried to fast (2 weeks without rain and hot dry days) I tried to open at night and stay closed during days but it doesn’t cured well