romanko
Active Member
I hang each primed leaf individually using those little Christmas ornaments wire hooks, works really well
prepping air cured leaf for storage
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Smokin Harley
Well-Known Member
16 gauge aluminum wire here. I loop one end around a sharpie marker so it forms an eye, then slide on a variety and plant position tag, string the leaves one inch from the stalk end of the main rib end ,all facing the same direction. I fill up a wire until it gets to about 20 inches the looped end gets hung on one nail then loop the other end around another nail driven into rafters 24" on center.
My experience has been that strung leaves that all face the same direction have a greater tendencency to curl and nest within one another, than if strung back-to-back, front-to-front. The difference is in their likelihood of developing mold along the stems during prolonged damp conditions after the leaf has died, but before the stem has fully dried.
I string them so that the stem-to-stem pair is in direct contact, whereas the front-to-front stems are separated by a fingertip width. This makes little difference in leaf that has a very thin stem (like small Orientals), and the greatest difference in leaf that has a thick, succulent stem.
Even then, after a week or more of continual rain, I have to carefully inspect the leaf that has colored, but still has a juicy stem, and mist ~2.5% acetic acid (5% distilled vinegar, diluted 50:50 with water) along the leaf stems, if any mold appears on either surface.
Bob
I string them so that the stem-to-stem pair is in direct contact, whereas the front-to-front stems are separated by a fingertip width. This makes little difference in leaf that has a very thin stem (like small Orientals), and the greatest difference in leaf that has a thick, succulent stem.
Even then, after a week or more of continual rain, I have to carefully inspect the leaf that has colored, but still has a juicy stem, and mist ~2.5% acetic acid (5% distilled vinegar, diluted 50:50 with water) along the leaf stems, if any mold appears on either surface.
Bob
vinconco
Well-Known Member
My barn is full of tobacco strung just like you described. We've been in the grips of a rain/cold event for the last 2 weeks on the east coast and already I'm seeing mold on some of the stems that have dried. Most of my stems are still full of juice and yellow but the rain won't stop. Could you elaborate on the procedure you mentioned above. I think I'm in desperate need of it RIGHT NOW.
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
Another "I do that too" post from me. I use thick galvanised steel wire. I let the tobacco leaf wilt for a day or so before stringing because I find that freshly cut ones have so much water in the stems that they are liable to crack where the hole is made. I cut the wire at a 45 degree angle to make a kind of point at the end so it's easier to push through the stems and then go in alternating direction until the string is full.
I can sympathise with the "rain won't stop!" feeling - that was me last year. I don't have anything in the way of heating or humidity control apart from simple ventilation or physically putting water on the floor of my shed ... it's completely off grid and when it decides to rain and rain then the leaf will refuse to dry completely and will begin moulding around the stems ... I've never had much success with the vinegar approach either - I'm just sticking to harvesting as early as I can and using varieties which I know will cure nice and quickly ... there's a lot of variation between varieties.
I can sympathise with the "rain won't stop!" feeling - that was me last year. I don't have anything in the way of heating or humidity control apart from simple ventilation or physically putting water on the floor of my shed ... it's completely off grid and when it decides to rain and rain then the leaf will refuse to dry completely and will begin moulding around the stems ... I've never had much success with the vinegar approach either - I'm just sticking to harvesting as early as I can and using varieties which I know will cure nice and quickly ... there's a lot of variation between varieties.
The definitive remedy for mold on stems is drying. One thing the vinegar does is prevent the mold that is already present from dispersing viable spores all over the leaf, once it dries.
Vinegar:
The humidity on the porch is lower, because the temp inside the house is higher than outdoors during most of the year. The traditional way to prevent mold in an entire barn of tobacco during prolonged, damp weather is to add heat to the barn. If the heat is an open, exposed wood fire, then you end up fire-curing your leaf. If the added heat does not introduce smoke into the barn (either because of a flue, or the use of an electric heater), then you still have air-cured leaf.
Since relative humidity is a function of temperature, raising the temp ~20ºF above ambient will reduce the relative humidity by about half. So just a few degrees of temp increase may make a big difference with regard to mold.
Bob
Vinegar:
- fill a sprayer bottle half-full with 5% distilled vinegar
- add distilled water (or really any water) to fill the spray bottle
- spray a mist of vinegar solution along the affected stems
The humidity on the porch is lower, because the temp inside the house is higher than outdoors during most of the year. The traditional way to prevent mold in an entire barn of tobacco during prolonged, damp weather is to add heat to the barn. If the heat is an open, exposed wood fire, then you end up fire-curing your leaf. If the added heat does not introduce smoke into the barn (either because of a flue, or the use of an electric heater), then you still have air-cured leaf.
Since relative humidity is a function of temperature, raising the temp ~20ºF above ambient will reduce the relative humidity by about half. So just a few degrees of temp increase may make a big difference with regard to mold.
Bob
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