ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
To answer the original question. Yes. I'm smoking Piloto that was kilned for two wks. I only pulled out the one leaf. It tastes like cigar.
POLL: Does your homegrown cigar leaf taste like a cigar?
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Smokin Harley
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tobacco fertilizer is 9-9-18 .a high(er)amount of N will give burning problems.
Wow. That is a LOT of phosphorous. Is that really needed for tobacco? From what I have read usually plants use 3-4 times more nitrogen than phosphorous and phosphorous will build up in the soil quickly which causes problems especially since plants use it slowly.
This year I will probably use soybean meal to fertilize the tobacco. It has an NPK of about 7-2-1, I bought it as an emergency protein source but that was a mistake (even the chickens don't want to eat it).
Fortunately it is also used as a slow release fertilizer (once a year application, 1-2 lbs per 100 sq ft) so I will try that. $25 for a 50 lb bag which is not bad for fertilizing a large area. http://oces.okstate.edu/cleveland/horticulture/N-P-K rates of various organic fertilizers.pdf
The veggies will get poultry manure.
My understanding is that higher nitrogen delays ripening, and prolongs color-curing. Chloride impedes burn.
Bob
Hmmmm. I have not researched tobacco specific fertilizers however this company/source advertises low chloride potassium fertilizer for commercial growers.
Of course they dump tons of fertilizer on their fields year after year which causes a buildup of salt/chlorides over time whereas the average home grower doesn't.
Heck they say even whizzing near the plants too often can cause salt buildup in the soil.
The past couple of years, I have gone with a 10:10:10 low-chloride fertilizer (aimed at vegetable growers) from Southern States. It's really the only low-chloride that I can find locally. Since I rotate my tobacco beds, I am not concerned with the nitrogen accumulating in the soil.
But yes, we have forum members who can testify to their first tobacco crop being fire-retardant. It's really discouraging to grow beautiful leaf, cure it, age or kiln it, then discover that it just chars black, and won't burn no matter how much you relight it.
Chlorine sneaks into fertilizer under the confusing names of "muriate of potassium", "MOP", "muriate of potash", "potassium chloride", or even worse, no analysis of the source of potassium. (Since potassium chloride is the least expensive source, assume that is the source if the product does not specify a source.)
Bob
But yes, we have forum members who can testify to their first tobacco crop being fire-retardant. It's really discouraging to grow beautiful leaf, cure it, age or kiln it, then discover that it just chars black, and won't burn no matter how much you relight it.
Chlorine sneaks into fertilizer under the confusing names of "muriate of potassium", "MOP", "muriate of potash", "potassium chloride", or even worse, no analysis of the source of potassium. (Since potassium chloride is the least expensive source, assume that is the source if the product does not specify a source.)
Bob
Okay so I haven't done much research at all into fertilizer for tobacco, honestly I am starting a lot of other plants that will take up more of my worry time.
I thought it typically grows "like a weed"? And that it would be fairly easy if I can get the transplants to settle in outside? I am only going to grow 25 or so plants mainly as an experiment and to mess around with curing methods.
Will I get "okay" results if I just go with 7-1-2 soybean meal as fertilizer?
I just don't know. If they will be planted in freshly broken sod, then it likely won't matter. If the tobacco is going into soil that has been planted with a garden for several years, then the 7:1:2 seems insufficient--IF you apply at the rate to supply the nitrogen.
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
There isn't enough potassium.
Hmmm. Okay I guess I need to buy some then. Will only put it in the planting holes and not broadcast it everywhere so it should build up too much.
You may want to look into a soil analysis by the state Agricultural Extension Service. You send them a small box of dirt. Typical cost is between free and about $20. Knowing what's there helps a lot in determining what supplementation may be useful. (For me, the turnaround time is about a week.)
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I take it you want to stay organic. In addition to home made compost, I use alfalfa pellets. The ones I buy at the animal feed store are 2.6% nitrogen. I have to estimate the phosphorus and potassium somewhere around .75 and 3.0, respectively. So about 2.5-0.75-2.0. Since its organic, only 33% of the nitrogen, 60% of the phosphorus, and 90% of the potassium are actually available in year one, so effectively, the numbers are more like 0.85-0.4-1.8. This ratio is in the neighborhood of many recommendations for tobacco fertilization. Slightly low in phosphorus, but phosphorous deficiency is less common and less detrimental.
http://w.oil-palm.org/ppiweb/bcrops.nsf/$webindex/1AC005B7F1BAA7C385257214002757BB/$file/06-4p23.pdf
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That's some odd stuff in that Chinese study. (e.g. In the chart, the first 3 rows represent a reasonable fertilizer blend COMPLETELY LACKING N or P or K, respectively. Who does that?) The focus was on the government approved blend (OPT), which translates to an N
:K of about 10:14:18. So no surprises there.
Oops! No nitrogen at all! My bad.
Bob
:K of about 10:14:18. So no surprises there.
Oops! No nitrogen at all! My bad.
Bob
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Yay!
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Oops! No nitrogen at all! My bad.
Bob
Lol. I did learn from it that low phosphorus is the least detrimental, and low nitrogen is the most detrimental. Mind you, I don't know if they controlled for pH, so maybe low nitrogen got a double whammy.
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