Lefty second try

[deluxestogie]

Most tobacco leaf is more flavorful when allowed to fully ripen. The exception is for cigar binders and wrappers, which are a problem if they become too wavy or puckered.

Also, the leaves from the bottom half of the plant tend to offer less flavor than leaves from the upper half.

Bob

 

[Leftynick]

Most tobacco leaf is more flavorful when allowed to fully ripen. The exception is for cigar binders and wrappers, which are a problem if they become too wavy or puckered.

Also, the leaves from the bottom half of the plant tend to offer less flavor than leaves from the upper half.

Bob

No wonder. Most of my leaves I try are from bottom half of the plants. The upper part are still drying. But I can see the different between upper leaves and bottom leaves in color. My little dutch ligero leaves are almost black.

 

[deluxestogie]

For many varieties, the upper 1/4 of the plant's leaves are way too strong to smoke straight (and sometimes do not burn well). Where they truly excel is when blended with lower leaves.

Bob

 

[Charly]

Thank you Bob. You are right about the taste of the leaves depending on their place on the stalk, but appart from selecting more leaves from the top of the plants, is there any way to improve the taste of the leaves globally ? I mean for the whole plant ?

I rolled some cigars of pure Semois, with about 50% of the filler being corona leaves (the highest leaves of my plants), of course my cigars give more flavor, but I find it still lighter (in taste/flavor) than many commercial cigars... is it only the strain ? Or is it because my leaves are still too young (not kilned long enough) ? I wonder if my plants grew well ?

If I give more fertilizer to the plants, will they give more flavor ? Or is it useless ?

 

[deluxestogie]

More fertilizer, or wider spacing, together with full ripening seem to increase the overall intensity of leaf. Early topping and prompt sucker removal does that as well.

My impression of Semois (Manil, as well as JBD's home grown) is that it seems to be a somewhat mild burley variant, with more nicotine strength than aroma. I found it better suited to a pipe than a cigar.

For commercial cigars, the variety selection and a subtropical sun contribute to the full flavors. Full fermentation (to the point when there is no longer a "grassy" aroma), followed by at least a few weeks to months of rest, will bring out the best.

I have to add that, for my own cigar leaf production, seasonal variation in the crops, even of the same variety, account for substantial differences in the outcome. We home-growers see and use all the leaf we produce--the good, the bad, the ugly.

Cigar factories see and use only carefully selected and sorted portions of a crop. And they get to choose the production of one plantation over that of another. In different years, different plantations may produce the best quality. When a particular crop of a particular variety is spectacular, a factory may purchase a supply of carefully sorted leaf sufficient to last them three or four years for a chosen cigar run.

These are mathematical issues of scale. As an example, my Corojo 99 (what I consider to be my best cigar leaf variety for my garden) produces about 20% crappy leaf, 60% very good leaf, and 20% truly superb leaf. By contrast, a more average cigar variety in my garden may produce 20% crappy leaf, and the rest only "good" quality cigar leaf, with nothing really outstanding. If I were selling leaf, my reputation would ride on the very best of my Corojo 99, and nobody would ever see the crappy leaf.

Recommendations: More sun. Early topping. Wait for at least a yellow tip, prior to priming the leaf. Adequate fertilizer. Sufficient fermentation. Plenty of rest (for the leaf, not for you).

Bob

 

[Charly]

Thank you Bob for these precious informations !

I prefer the semois in cigars rather than in pipe (I am talking about the leaves from my own production), but that's just some personnal preferences
I am reassured if you say that semois is a "mild" burley, it means that I can hope for more flavors/taste in this year's crop ! I am eager to see what I will get !!!!

I will follow your advices, and will hope for "more sun"

One question : what do you mean by "early topping" ?

Recommendations: [...] Plenty of rest (for the leaf, not for you).

Why not for me ???

 

[Gavroche]

My impression of Semois (Manil, as well as JBD's home grown) is that it seems to be a somewhat mild burley variant, with more nicotine strength than aroma. I found it better suited to a pipe than a cigar.



Bob

semois seeds Manil or Couvert ? Me seeds are Couvert

The producers of Semois cook in a boiler the tobacco as the beans(charms) of coffee(café)... It gives another flavor......french flavor

 

[deluxestogie]

One question : what do you mean by "early topping" ?

Some growers decide on a specific number of leaves per plant (16 on a burley, for example), and top the plant soon after that number of leaves are showing. This early topping, of course, means more work removing suckers. It also means losing the top leaves. The impact is that the plant will mature more rapidly, produce larger leaves, and may be more productive than with a greater leaf count. The lower leaf count will also increase the alkaloids in the remaining leaves. I do this with specimens that are slower and smaller than their peers, allowing them to catch up.

semois seeds Manil or Couvert ? Me seeds are Couvert

I have smoked Manil and the Semois grown by Jitterbugdude. He may be able to clarify the details.

Bob

 

[Charly]

Thanks for the details, I will try this early topping method
The hard part will be to know when (or with how much leaves) I'll have to top the plants...

 

[Leftynick]

Update!

When you guys says that giving haircut will stimulate root growth, I know now that it is true. You can see now, my seedlings that I give haircut rapidly growing root after giving haircut. Before this, they weren't this long. The longest root are coming from smallest seedlings. So now I know that smallest seedling doesn't mean it is not good. Maybe they spent their energy to grow root before growing leaves.


I will let them another week or so before transplant. I am sure the root are good enough to transplant now. I transfer all of my seedling from paper pot to egg carton too. The paper pot aren't draining well, which causes the seedling to either damping off or drying out. Looking at how well my seedling in egg carton, I will not even consider paper pot again after this.

And,remember my twist tobacco? The one I said will wait a week to smoke? I lied. After only one day, I cut a little coin out of them and immediately smoke them in my small corn cob pipe. It tasted a bit light and the little dutch give too much cigar taste to some part. I was disappointed so I cut them all rub them and store. Today I tried them in a bigger cob, and wow! It tasted very good, I can taste a medium flavored smoke which is very tasty. So I agree with Bob. just a little rest after mixing the blend make a whole world of different in taste. Maybe it is the size of the pipe or maybe it is the rest after mixing. Whatever it is, I am one happy smoker now.



Just a little problem, the tobacco smoked a little too hot in my pipe.

 

[Leftynick]

It's been a while since my update. I have been busy with another tobacco related project, trying to make my own wooden tobacco pipe.


I have transplanted half of my seedlings that are big enough to my garden. However, the rest of the seedling dried when I went to my hometown last week (long weekend). Thank god the one I transplanted to garden are doing well. I have to start over for another bed that I prepared.

The problem with my place is, it only rain during weekday. No rain on weekend when I expected to, because all my seedlings are outdoor where it can still catch some rain. Well, it's good that I have to start over. I want to start some seed that are not sprouting or dies when I used the paper pot before, like havana 501, besuki and corojo.

I don't have any expensive machinery but, how do you like my tiller?

 

[Brown Thumb]

They look healthy, Good Luck.
Wheres the tiller tho

 

[deluxestogie]

That's a lot of work for hand-tilling. Good job. I hand-till all my growing areas. It's the roots that wear me out. I still have one bed left to finish (2-1/2 feet x 24 feet).

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

They look healthy, Good Luck.
Wheres the tiller tho

Lefty's tiller.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Lefty's tiller.

I knew you would find it
That thing looks like work

 

[greenmonster714]

Great job Lefty. You are one determined man. That is hard hard work. I hope it all pays off for ya and I'm sure it probably will. You and Bob appear to be our Amish farmers...minus the horse n plow.

About the no raining thing and feeding while your gone. There are many methods online that show you how to use a wick system to feed your plants when your now around. Most are simple methods and you probably would all the material you need just laying around your house.

Here's a few ideas

 

[Leftynick]

That's a lot of work for hand-tilling. Good job. I hand-till all my growing areas. It's the roots that wear me out. I still have one bed left to finish (2-1/2 feet x 24 feet).

Bob

Yeah I admit it is a lot of work. But it is good sweat, as I rarely exercise. Most of the weed in my garden are crabgrass and Bermuda grass which even half inch of root left in the soil will grow back fast. So I need to till a little bit deeper to ensure all of the root were removed. The rock and rubble made hand tilling more challenging and dull my hoe.

They look healthy, Good Luck.
Wheres the tiller tho

There, the one Bob cropped the picture of it . It's pretty convenient, I use it for cutting the grass, tilling and digging. However, in this pic, my landlords' son already mowed the grass. I only use my hoe to cut the grass around my planting area.

 

[Leftynick]

Great job Lefty. You are one determined man. That is hard hard work. I hope it all pays off for ya and I'm sure it probably will. You and Bob appear to be our Amish farmers...minus the horse n plow.

About the no raining thing and feeding while your gone. There are many methods online that show you how to use a wick system to feed your plants when your now around. Most are simple methods and you probably would all the material you need just laying around your house.

Here's a few ideas

Haha, I still haven't learned my lesson. I have the same problem of seedling dry out couple months back and still doesn't set up any wicking system. It is raining almost daily in my place (except when I really needed them) and the weather forecast also show that it will be raining so I don't want to drown my plant. Well, it is good reason to start new variety.

 

[Charly]

Too bad for your dried seedlings... but good job with the healty plants you put in the ground !

And congratulation for your tilling ! I know how hard it can be, I am tilling/digging in the only place I am allowed to put more tobacco, and this place is full of rubble... yes rubble. It was put there a few decades ago, when a big creamery nearby was destroyed.... and this part of my garden is just a big mess of rubble...
With bricks, concrete, big pieces of wall...
It's been already a lot of days of hard tilling and digging to manage to remove all the biggest pieces... and a lot of work to finish what I begun... I am completly crazy !
I have to take a picture of this hard work !

But enough on me : tilling by hand is hard and exhausting, even in a good ground, so congratulations !
And good luck with your new seed start

By the way, did you finally received my seeds ?

 

[Leftynick]

Too bad for your dried seedlings... but good job with the healty plants you put in the ground !

And congratulation for your tilling ! I know how hard it can be, I am tilling/digging in the only place I am allowed to put more tobacco, and this place is full of rubble... yes rubble. It was put there a few decades ago, when a big creamery nearby was destroyed.... and this part of my garden is just a big mess of rubble...
With bricks, concrete, big pieces of wall...
It's been already a lot of days of hard tilling and digging to manage to remove all the biggest pieces... and a lot of work to finish what I begun... I am completly crazy !
I have to take a picture of this hard work !

But enough on me : tilling by hand is hard and exhausting, even in a good ground, so congratulations !
And good luck with your new seed start

By the way, did you finally received my seeds ?

Hey, it's the same here. My landlord uses rubble to fill the land before constructing my current house. It is much cheaper. Although it is pain to till, but the soil fertility is very good there, because the land hasn't been used for agriculture since the beginning, and the lawn has been mowed over and over again. This create a rich humus soil that is very good for planting. However, the rubble, rocks, bricks and concrete really make the process slower. as you can see in my pic, I used the rubble to suppress weed between bed. It takes me a whole week to till and remove all the rubble in the clay soil and it only easy when the soil is damp after rain. Thank you Charly.

Unfortunately I still haven't received your seeds. I guess something must have happened. I bought stuff from Germany last couple of weeks and the item already arrived. I think that this is my country part of postal service. I have heard stories that someone found mails that were not posted from 2013 in their office. However this is the first time I had this kind of problem. Before this, everything arrived even though some are later than other. Sorry.