Moth's Grow Log 2019

[Moth]

Today's lesson: inspect for caterpillars before adding leaf to colour cure:


Luckily the damage was minor


Killed 8 of them. I purchased some bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) although eta tomorrow. Then its bio warfare.

 

[Moth]

Plants now over 6'4" / 194cm / 9.59 links, with daytime temps of 21c / 69.8f / 294.15k / 529.47R.

Having them in bags made access quite easy - moved them all out, aggressively removed suckers, ripe lower leaves and went on a bug hunt - cabbage white moth caterpillars.

Sprayed with BT (thank you Bob / JBD - Bob's grow log 2019 explains what it is very well here https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/deluxestogie-grow-log-2019.8472/post-160849)

Obligatory photo


Curing endeavours going well. Amassing 5 piles of dried, tobacco coloured leaf. When everything is done, and I hopefully have 5 large piles of leaf, I'll start on a kiln.

 

[GreenDragon]

Looks like a nice healthy crop you have going there. Any pics of the curing leaf?

 

[Moth]

The BT appears to have been a success. I've noticed minor scratch wounds although no new holes. Today I did a round of plucking lower leaf that was in the way / ready, and found quite a few dead caterpillars.

It was sunset so excuse the photo quality. There's three pink blooms that I've let open - a side shoot after topping. Wifey asked to see the blooms so they're flowering for her.

Looks like a nice healthy crop you have going there. Any pics of the curing leaf?

PA Red drying




I've found the best method, for my climate, at the moment, is to put fresh leaf in plastic bags, separated by packing paper. This requires daily inspection and paper swapping as it saturates quickly

Leaf fresh out the bag


Prepping a new batch

These are lower leaves, 74cm/29". Smallish compared to what's left on the plants


Layering

Finished. Coloured bags recycled from the supermarket. Yellow for Criollo, Purple for Olor, Red for PA Red


The Limonka and Sultan Albanian n.rustica sit in paper bags until I see sign of brown edges, get thrown in a box and sundried. They just wont dry like the n.tabacum

 

[deluxestogie]

FYI: Ripening fruit or ripening leaf emits ethylene gas. Its presence accelerates the ripening of nearby fruit or leaves. The plastic bag probably helps concentrate the ethylene, and speed along the yellowing process.

Bob

 

[Moth]

While ethylene concentration plays a role, my motivation was preventing flash drying in patches / not evenly yellowing / greenish underside when I tried the layering approach in cardboard boxes or just hanging.

I had the best results colour curing in the heated propagator using the temp/humidity controller, it's just not big enough.

The study is just too warm and arid, even with outdoor RH being between 60% and 90% (we've been having an unseasonably humid "summer" so far).

I tried all these approaches with the rustica - leaf promptly moulded in the propagator and plastic bags (I'm glad I practiced using sacrificial leaf). I resorted to sun drying otherwise mould appears around the veins. I'm still surprised/impressed by their resilience to the sun - over a week in full sun and still I have undried midribs. It does prevent mould though. If they don't dry soon, I'll bring them into case and use my Italian chaveta (OK, its a pizza cutting wheel) and just remove them.

My time is a factor here - the plastic bag approach for the n.tabacum requires daily labour to prevent composting, so being able to leave n.rustica in paper bags for a while, then chuck them in boxes in the sun is minimal effort. I'm sure letting them sit for a week or so before drying plays a positive role chemistry wise (enzyme activity / curing).

When I first thought about growing I naively thought I'd just stalk cure.

Hah.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Italian chaveta

Good one!

I sun cured lots last year, and was happy with how safe it was regarding both mold and dying green. Mind you, you and I both live in mild climates.

I'm glad things are working out for you.

 

[Moth]

Weekly update:
Everything I bagged last week has come out of the bags and is drying. Some of the PA red was still greenish around the base, and threatening to compost at the tips, so has been layered out of the bags in a star formation.
Humidity is 70 to 90% so I'm more concerned with composting than flash drying.
As the green goes, it gets laid out on the drying rack


Plants are doing well. Daily rounds of sucker removal.


I'm aware they're mature and need to do another round of priming, however, life has given me different priorities. More days wont ruin anything.

Half the rustica has finally sun dried and is in a big paper bag, waiting on a kiln. The other half, which has been "resting" / colour curing in other paper bags is ready to string up and sun dry. Most of it was vibrant yellow, apart from the dark green newest growth tips , which are now yellow. Overall a rich, vibrant yellow tinged with orange.

It still smells like Bigfoot's Dick.

My piles of dried tabacum leaf, especially the PA Red smell, well, like tobacco. Really quite inviting. Its finally transitioned into a recognisable tobacco. Excited to see what kilning will do to it.

 

[Moth]

Slight complication. I got a burst of energy and did some priming. A number of the leaves fresh off the plants have yellow blotches, which, have white mould on the under side


The reverse


Obviously putting this in bags will end badly. Thoughts?

1) cut out the affected bits and bag
2) swap with isopropyl/white vinegar and bag it

And wider question: wtf is going on?

 

[Moth]

I swabbed any dubious patches with isopropyl and am pile curing. Temp is 29c/84f for the next week with humidity between 80 and 95%.
Stripped all the lower large mature/ripe leaf with any sign of yellow spots.
Curing space is an issue.

 

[Moth]

Last of the rustica. Made hands to hang in the sun.

 

[Charly]

Slight complication. I got a burst of energy and did some priming. A number of the leaves fresh off the plants have yellow blotches, which, have white mould on the under side
View attachment 27844

The reverse
View attachment 27843

Obviously putting this in bags will end badly. Thoughts?

1) cut out the affected bits and bag
2) swap with isopropyl/white vinegar and bag it

And wider question: wtf is going on?

From the picture it's hard to tell, if it is really fuzzy it's probably mold. If this is just a small spot, you can wipe it off.

 

[leverhead]

Temp is 29c/84f for the next week with humidity between 80 and 95%.

Damn, I thought that I had it bad! It's hotter here, but the RH goes down to about 50% in the middle of the day.

 

[Moth]

Another few weeks of "summer" (25 to 30c) with the odd thunderstorm. Neglected the weekly update, however, every ripe leaf has been plucked.


For scale - the taller stalks are between 6'5 and/just shy of 7'.

Some weekend time will be spent sorting and hanging. More pics to follow

 

[Moth]

The weather has been kind to me. Humidity levels are cycling between 65% and 90% over 24 hours since harvesting the bulk of the crop. Its made hanging indoors less of a worry, although, the humidity feels greasy and oppressive.

I'm using the box method until a good portion of a leaf has yellowed then hanging it. Fairly labour intensive although space is an issue.

This box is 3'6"x3'x6" and packed full:


Here's some strings. Using green garden wire to hang. As they brown / the stalk shrinks / dries they get put in one of 3 boxes (Olor, Criollo or PA Red).


I'm going to string up what's yellow and go to bed.

 

[Moth]

Harvested the last of the original (non sucker) growth tips today. Cut the remaining top halves of the plants with the new sucker growth tips and put them in the log store. They may cure, they may not. However they are very sticky and didn't want to compost them and thought I'd give it a try.
Garden space reclaimed.


Curing is going well. Will post pics soon

 

[Moth]

Everything dry, stems snap when bent so bagging.
These are 2gallon, 15'x13.5' bags.
6 bags full so far, reckon this is just under half way done



The leaf I left on the cut stems has cured a wonderful colour outside in the log store, when I can be bothered I'll bag that as well.

Still got to build a kiln although no hurry

 

[MAB]

Wonderful! and all this in that cute little space!
Congratulations, Moth!

 

[GreenDragon]

What variety are the middle two bags that are a very pretty peach color?

 

[Moth]

What variety are the middle two bags that are a very pretty peach color?

PA Red. Out of the 3 varieties, it is the winner in every respect:

1. Squat grower that yielded as much per plant compared to the DR Olor / C Criollo, in less space
2. Cured easiest
3. Smells nicest
4. Tastes nicest
5. Looks nicest

I'm not going to attempt to describe it like a sommelier, as to me tobacco tastes like tobacco - nuances are subjective.

However, it smells and tastes like a richer tobacco than the others. The others are very nice, this is just better.

Full disclosure - I am a barbarian and am smoking unkilned leaf in cigarillos. I also inhale a fair bit.

Maybe the Olor and Criollo need kilning and aging before they reach full potential. Maybe they will surpass the PA Red? Maybe England's climate favoured the PA Red?

I'll update the blog as I know more after kilning, although, no rush.

Still gotta build that kiln...