Manfisher’s Grow Blog 2024
- Thread starter manfisher
- Start date
Let me know how it turns out
It’s really hard to tell from the pictures
What are the daytime/nightime temp and humidity? Any air flow?
Okay.
The pale, nearly white, lower leaves of some white-stem burleys have very little chlorophyll to begin with. They tend to show rather odd patterns of color-curing early on. They eventually cured to a lovely, uniform, light brown. I can't say that's what you are seeing on your leaf, but this is a possibility. [The pattern also reminds me of mildew on a canvas tent.]
Bob
Should have a little air flow. It’s outside in the wood shed which is an open design except for the back wall. Air freely flows through it. Lows here have been about high fifties to low sixties and highs have been about mid to high seventies
Here’s another update on my curing issues plus some details. So my leaves are curing in a very strange way as seen in the pics below. Some of the leaves have Turned a really healthy yellow but have these really thick and leathery textures growing on them (they aren’t crunch and are quite pliable but very thick, much thicker than the rest of the leaf) as well as blueish green textures growing down the veins. It looks like mold almost but doesn’t smell like it or rub off like it. It’s seems like it part of the leaf. Any else have and idea? They are under a cover and get good air flow so I’m not sure what’s going on here.
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Also I should mentioned that those thicker green spots on the leaf aren’t shrinking as would be normal with dying chlorophyll but rather are growing and spreading…. Not sure if they caught some fungus or something.
This is a really far fetched idea but I did use some rather old aluminum wire to pierce through the stalks of the leaves to hang them. Wonder if they got some poisoning?
This is a really far fetched idea but I did use some rather old aluminum wire to pierce through the stalks of the leaves to hang them. Wonder if they got some poisoning?
Without knowing the average relative humidity, it's difficult to make sense of the photos. If it's always damp, then it is likely fungal.
Bob
EDIT: Good air flow helps to equalize the humidity through the curing space. But air flow itself does not lower mold risk if the RH remains too high for too long.
Bob
EDIT: Good air flow helps to equalize the humidity through the curing space. But air flow itself does not lower mold risk if the RH remains too high for too long.
With a mostly enclosed space, raising the temperature by 20°F will drop the RH by half. "Fire-curing" originated as an attempt to prevent curing leaf from molding during a persistently humid curing season. The original "flue-curing" was for the same reason, though the smoke was vented away from the tobacco by ducting, avoiding the alteration of the aroma. It was only later that high-temperature flue-curing was discovered as a separate method. It was all about mold.
Bob
Bob
So I think I figured out why my leaves cured strange and sadly I think they’re goners. I fertilizers too much too late. The green parts of the leaves are very very thick compared to the rest of the leaf and have a leathery texture. I believe they were over fertilized and grew too thick to cure.
In other news, my Nostrano del Brenta and Madole are doing amazing. I think I’ll harvest and cure in the next two weeks. Question about that, do I air cure the leaves first and then ferment (towel or fermentation kiln), or go straight to towel curing?
In other news, my Nostrano del Brenta and Madole are doing amazing. I think I’ll harvest and cure in the next two weeks. Question about that, do I air cure the leaves first and then ferment (towel or fermentation kiln), or go straight to towel curing?
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Skafidr
Well-Known Member
AFAIK, towel curing is only used to get the leaves from green to yellow—you then hang them to dry; if you prime your leaves when they are yellow and your curing barn has a good relative humidity and air flow, there is no need for towel curing, you just hang them to dry. (Again, that's the theory, I don't have a barn, I did just did towel curing for the first time this year—and my technique is not the best yet.)
Skafidr
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure about the kilning/fermenting part; I won't be able to do any of that (except the slow process of waiting), so presumably you can replace the "hang to dry" with whatever other technique of your choice (I'm trying small scale "sun curing") currently (after towel curing).
Final plants harvested! That’s a wrap to 2024, first year! Lots of things to consider for next year. These varieties were planted in tillless bed of really good compost and they thrived. Largest leaf was 32” and the rest followed pretty close to that size as well. Currently have them towel curing. I am a bit concerned I picked some too early but we’ll see if the towel cure can fix that. Not all leaves are pictured here but I totaled out at 5lbs of leaves from 6 plants! I’m impressed!
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Day four of towel curing and there are several leaves that are already ready to go outside to cure. There’s even some hope for some leaves I harvested that were not ripe yet. A number of very dark green leaves are showing signs of coloring so I’m hopeful. I believe I’ll get at LEAST 50% of this harvest.
Question for next year: how do I know which plants to prime and which plants to stalk cut for curing? Is it based on variety or is it simply a preference? additionally, what is the ideal heat and humidity to air cure tobacco without flash curing it? My wife and I’s living situation for next year is up in the air as we’re looking at a few houses to buy so in the even that we have a space to cure, I’d like to make a shed to air cure my tobacco since we plan to move to AK where the summer are relatively cold and rainy.
Question for next year: how do I know which plants to prime and which plants to stalk cut for curing? Is it based on variety or is it simply a preference? additionally, what is the ideal heat and humidity to air cure tobacco without flash curing it? My wife and I’s living situation for next year is up in the air as we’re looking at a few houses to buy so in the even that we have a space to cure, I’d like to make a shed to air cure my tobacco since we plan to move to AK where the summer are relatively cold and rainy.
@deluxestogie can your trash can flue curing kiln be used for fermenting if correct temp is reached/maintained?
The Cozy Can was a demonstration of a minimal contraption to either kiln or flue-cure. So, yes, it can kiln-ferment leaf. Its size and shape limit its usefulness for larger batches. The bottom of the galvanized can itself will rust itself through after a few seasons. Cozy Can is fun, and instructional. But it's not a practical solution, if you intend to grow more than a handful of tobacco plants.
Bob
Bob
Are these leaves too far gone? I neglected them for a couple of days this week since shuffling once a day seemed overkill but to my surprise, many of the leaves had rot. Is the whole leaf compromised or can I simply carve out the rotting portions of the leaf?
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Skafidr
Well-Known Member
It looks to me like they started to "dry" (e.g. when you hang them yellow and they dry to brown) rather than rot. As I understand it, if the brow spots still feel like tobacco, are not slimy or gooey, and don't smell rot, it's probably not rot, just over cure, and the leaves are still fine.
It happened to me and I did keep those brown spots. I haven't smoked it yet, though so I can't comment on the end result. If you're worried, then you could remove just the brown spots and keep the rest.
That's my first-season-grower opinion, so maybe folks with more experience can shed more light.
It happened to me and I did keep those brown spots. I haven't smoked it yet, though so I can't comment on the end result. If you're worried, then you could remove just the brown spots and keep the rest.
That's my first-season-grower opinion, so maybe folks with more experience can shed more light.
I believe they're rotting. From the pictures they look like they're curing but when you touch them they're gooey and slimy, breaking easily sort of like a rotting pumpkin. However, I don't know if this affects the whole leaf or just the area. The rest of the leaf looks perfect for curing but I was just wondering if I carve out the rotting bits if the rest is good for curing.
