Professor Pangloss' 2016 Saga of Folly

[deluxestogie]

I plugged the numbers from the chart without rh into an rh calculator the other day and it came up with different numbers.
I don't know how much it matters

I think that, given the level of control most flue-curing chambers (including commercial ones) have over temp and ventilation, it probably makes little difference.

If we take Winston Salem, North Carolina as ground zero for flue-curing in the US, the elevation is 970 feet. Within the range of 55 to 100ºF for outdoor temperature, the atmospheric pressure is ~0.97 atm. This would lower the vapor pressure required to evaporate moisture from the wick of the wet bulb (causing it to display a lower temp), when compared to sea level (~1.0 atm). What is the impact on RH? I can't think it through. It makes my brain hurt.

Bob

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Priming oriental (Herzegovina Flor) and hanging in greenhouse for sun curing.

 

[deluxestogie]

With the Herzegovina, did the blossom stalks extend beyond the plant (like most other varieties), or stay nested within the top leaf (like many Hungarian varieties)?

Bob

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

They actually haven't bloomed or even budded yet, but I read those leaves as ripe, so I took 'em. They're still growing on top, but I will go look closely tomorrow and see if I can see a bud. I only have 8, and they were planted late, after that burley. I'll be bumping the deadline this season.

Not that I can change it now, but compared to the others, these were yellow-ish, and some were almost white. Look ripe to you?

 

[deluxestogie]

Look ripe to you?

They do.

Bob

 

[Gavroche]

The base of leaves was breakable professorP ?

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Yep, broke like celery.

Flue curing day! I moved the kiln to the greenhouse for my own neuroses and loaded it with Virginia Bright Leaf from.various stalk positions. This leaf was cut last Saturday and has been yellowing since. My plan was to run it at 100F for today just to make sure it's yellowed. There's a tiny bit of green on some of the stalks, but the lamina are almost all yellow or going brown. Then, I was gonna ramp up to 118 for overnight and tomorrow, and run 135 through Monday. I don't have a hydrometer, and I simply drilled half inch holes in the bottom and top to hopefully move the humidity. I figure, along the same line of reasoning as Bob, that people used to execute this task with far less science than we tend to apply here. And I simply don't have time to tinker on it more. This will be my only batch this season - the rest of the VA is hanging on clothes hangers in the greenhouse to sun cure.

What you see are three coat hangers of leaf, maybe 15 decent sized leaves on each - which fits pretty well already yellowed. The thick stalks in the front are the tips - I just cracked the top three or so off the stalk at one whack when I strung the leaf, and these are just crammed in there on top.

It goes without saying that if I'm cocking this up, please tell me before I get too far on the road to perdition.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Are the leaves still attached to the stalks?

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Just the little tips, maybe 4" of stalk holding all 3 together. Maybe 12 little leaves total. They're mostly yellow already, nevertheless

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Anyone following this idiocy - due to the flue cure chamber being located in a greenhouse, and its skin being black, it's hovered about 4 degrees Celsius over the setting (100F) all day. I looked in, and the lamina are very bright yellow, but the stems are still green. Instead of ramping up tonight, should I leave it set to 100 overnight? I thought maybe I could skip the four days of yellowing if the leaf was already mostly yellow.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

If the leaf is mostly yellow it is time to ramp up the temp and start drying.

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

It looks basically like the pic above...just maybe more vivid. So the higher temp will take care of the green in the stems?

 

[deluxestogie]

Ignore the green in and close to the stems.

Bob

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Okay. I set the controller for 118F just now, so it'll have that overnight, and I noticed that the top vent on the case was definitely pushing hot, moist air.

Wondering aloud: ChinaVoodoo and I were kicking this question around earlier. We wonder if the slope between temperatures on the chart is essential or just a function of trying to heat and vent large barns. A small chamber will make those temp jumps much quicker and with much less turning on and off of heat sources. I wonder if that means the whole process could be radically simplified and much shorter for hobbyists. I suppose we'll find out, at least something, because I made the move from 42 (it overheated in the sun) Celsius to 47.8 in two stages over only 4 hours or so, instead of 12. And tomorrow I suspect it's going to do like it did today and rise over my set temp due to the sun, so I'll probably hit the 135 stage pretty soon. I guess I figured I'd run 118 for tomorrow and start ramping (or just go to) to 135 over Sunday night. Or if that seems crazy, Monday morning, run overnight, and turn it off on Tuesday morn.

Thanks, all.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

We wonder if the slope between temperatures on the chart is essential or just a function of trying to heat and vent large barns.

The first time or two I followed the chart for ramping up temps but then soon abandoned it. Once the leaves get mostly yellow I crank up the temp to 135-ish.

 

[Gavroche]

I crank up the temp to 135-ish.

During how long please ? one week ?

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

The first time or two I followed the chart for ramping up temps but then soon abandoned it. Once the leaves get mostly yellow I crank up the temp to 135-ish.

That's good to know. I guess I'll go and turn it up now that it's morning. This is good for other newbies, because the $7 controller will do that job handily - not everyone needs to fully automate with an expensive controller. Based on the pic above, and given that I ran it at 118 overnight, how long would you push 135?

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I only do small batches like you have. Once the leaves are yellow I set the T-stat to 135 until they are crispy which for me is about 8 hours. I lift the lid to my kiln occasionally to make sure no moisture has built up. I then strip the leaves, unless the stem is completely bone dry. 8 hours at 135 is enough to dry the lamina but usually not the stem and a moist stem will start to mold in storage.

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Ok, so I should occasionally crack the door and peek? I could also leave it cracked like Bob suggested with a rubber band or something to let humidity out. Are you predicting that the leaf will be dry but the stems would take another day? Should I plan to let it run 135 overnight or through tomorrow?

Thanks so much for your help and patience!

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I actually put a thin block of wood under my lid for venting purposes. Serves the same purpose as Bob's rubber band. The lamina dries out much quicker than the stem. Since everyone's kiln is different in cube and heat source you'll just have to check your stems until they are dry.