ProZachJ's 2025 Grow Log
- Thread starter ProZachJ
- Start date
For decades, I would "double-dig" my garden beds, not only loosening the deeper soil, but allowing my added compost, etc. to mix more deeply. When I began growing tobacco, I did the same "double-digging" (down to about 18-24 inches). It took stubborn Bob a number of years of tobacco blow-downs to conclude that the bonus of increased productivity from "double-digging" came with a cost of increased blow-downs. Now, my tobacco beds are tilled only about 12 inches deep. And the plants are now less prone to laying flat in the wind, though they may still tip as much as 30° in a wind storm.
Bob
Bob
You just saved me a remarkable amount of work this month.
Thank you.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
Seems like evertime you have a weather update since last year Stevie Ray Vaughn plays in my head. I admire your resilience.
Not much sun over the past week. Hopefully we will get some today. Despite the overall disorganized state left by the blowovers most of the plants did survive and are healthy, though growth has had a noticable pause since then. I have one Del Gold deciding to early flower and one Blue Star 100 that is motteling for unknown reasons. The good news about the blow overs is that since the ground is covered with the geotextile fabric I should still get some harvest from the lower leaves even though they are going to be less pretty. I have no idea why my Perique and Staghorn row has done so poorly. I guess I am going to blame it on the different compost I used to construct them being not great stuff. I will definitely go back to my previous supplier in future years.
Exactly 50% of my Del Golds are in full flower and were topped today, 48 days from setting out. I should have done better research on the variety. I just looked at the days to maturity (70-75) and failed to pay attention to it being bred in northern latitudes. The learning never ends! Happily, None of the Stolaks have bloomed, but I can see the small start of a bud on a few. The Blue Star 100s appear that they will be the last to mature.
My Del Golds in the bato buckets haven't bloomed, but have a totally altered size if not appearance, almost looking like Orientals. You can see the yellow leaves on the bottoms where I fumbled the fertigation and caused nutrient lockout. The upper leaves are far more green ( and mega sticky) now that they are getting appropriate nutrition.
Maybe batos would be great for growing real Orientals.
My Del Golds in the bato buckets haven't bloomed, but have a totally altered size if not appearance, almost looking like Orientals. You can see the yellow leaves on the bottoms where I fumbled the fertigation and caused nutrient lockout. The upper leaves are far more green ( and mega sticky) now that they are getting appropriate nutrition.
Maybe batos would be great for growing real Orientals.
I grew a Xanthi hydroponically a while ago, and it turned out great smelling leaf.
One Sucker in the same set up failed from mold, while surrounding One Sucker in my semi-soilless mix did just fine.
Hydroponic orientals might be a winner, but the bigger leaf you get from this type of system might make for a dilute flavor.
My plant was only 2’ tall, as it was only in a 1L pot of perlite/vermiculite, so the leaves were still pretty small.
Hydroponic performance is probably going to vary greatly from strain to strain.
Might be worth a try to set up a line of buckets with a different strain in each one?
Anders A
Well-Known Member
Wow, looks absolutely amazing
Due to fairly constant thunderstorms and cloud cover, the color curing period of the first priming was extremely humid averaging above 90% and cooler than normal this year only reaching the low 90s for highs. The curing went slower than the first priming last year but the hothouse is now cleaned out and running for season 2.
