Seed to Cigar: My journey to grow, harvest, ferment and roll my own cigars!

[HercDriver]

Hello FTT!

It was suggested I check this site out so here I am.

I wanted to start a thread to showcase my journey from "Seed to Cigar". I purchased four different strains of seed from Sustainable Seed Company to try out. They are Connecticut Broadleaf, Habano 2000, Cuban 98 and Havana 608. I searched the web far and wide and watched as many tobacco growing videos as I could. I started my seeds in small starter pots then moved them up in size each time the plants got too big. I continuously weeded out the less healthy plants each time I moved them to a new pot. I was finally left with one primary plant in a large pot and a secondary in a smaller pot just in case the primary one didnt initially survive. Im located in Norther Kentucky for those interested in the environmental conditions.

Feel free to ask questions, make suggestions or request.


On to what people are care about most. The pictures!

I do have some questions for the experience growers. Im having some issues with my plants. Ive posted pictures of each plant and the respective leaf that has the issue. Ive done some research online and looks like it could be anything from overwatering, underwatering, PVY disease and a few others. Anyone experience any of these?


Habano 2000 - the leaves on the bottom are starting to show small yellow circles. Which looks like PVY.

​


Cuban 98 - Also looks like PVY.

Connecticut Broadleaf - this plant is showing the biggest hit on its main leaves. It looks like a potassium deficiency or its a result of over watering. It may be over watering because the leaves are still soft and have color. Or maybe some sort of sun burn. But its in the tip of the plant which also could lead me down the path of potassium deficiency.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Welcome to the forum. Great pictures too!

 

[MarcL]

Wow! .. that took no time at all for you to join in over here. I mean it, don't forget us over on botl. You should go over to the Introduce yourself section so we can welcome you.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. I'll offer an opinion (especially for a Herc Driver). In this photo:

a few of the flecks appear to be curly squiggles. So I'll cast a vote for Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV). Nothing to really do but watch, to see how it turns out. Many times, TEV will affect just a few leaves on the entire plant, without reducing the quality of all the others.

Here's a thread on the subject: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/950-Tobacco-Etch-Virus-(TEV)

As you've found in looking through tobacco disease photos, it's often difficult to distinguish among several possibilities. The smaller the number of affected plants, the more challenging the diagnosis.

Bob

EDIT: I have not noticed spread of TEV to neighboring plants, once the disease develops. I think it's a one-shot gift from our insect neighbors.

 

[HercDriver]

Welcome to the forum. Great pictures too!

Thanks!

 

[HercDriver]

Wow! .. that took no time at all for you to join in over here. I mean it, don't forget us over on botl. You should go over to the Introduce yourself section so we can welcome you.

Ha! I wont forget BOTL. Ill make an intro thread as well.

 

[HercDriver]

Thanks for your input. Its much appreciated. Ill continue to assess the plants as they grow. Ive since removed all the affected leaves and we'll see if that makes a difference, if any. Its definitely hard to diagnose because a lot of the symptoms have similar appearances. I also havent found any insects on any of the tobacco plants. I think being elevated away from the yard on the top of my deck is helping with that a little.

Welcome to the forum. I'll offer an opinion (especially for a Herc Driver). In this photo:

a few of the flecks appear to be curly squiggles. So I'll cast a vote for Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV). Nothing to really do but watch, to see how it turns out. Many times, TEV will affect just a few leaves on the entire plant, without reducing the quality of all the others.

Here's a thread on the subject: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/950-Tobacco-Etch-Virus-(TEV)

As you've found in looking through tobacco disease photos, it's often difficult to distinguish among several possibilities. The smaller the number of affected plants, the more challenging the diagnosis.

Bob

EDIT: I have not noticed spread of TEV to neighboring plants, once the disease develops. I think it's a one-shot gift from our insect neighbors.

 

[Charly]

Hello and welcome HercDriver.

As you said, different diseases sometime show the same symptoms.

If I can add my two cents :
For me your plants do not seem to have PVY, as Bob said, the leaves with a lot of very small spots seems to be TEV (to be confirmed)
For your Connecticut Broadleaf, I am pretty sure it's some sun burn. if you take a look at the second picture (the leave with burned area on both sides) : the leaves (when it's too hot) are becoming soft and hang on the pot, the pot (black) becomes very hot and burns the leaves that are lying on it (I already had this kind of sun burn).

 

[HercDriver]

Charly, thanks for the input! I definately think its TEV as the bottom of the leaves of that plant are starting to show similar signs. Ill snap a pic.

For the CBL I also think it may be sun burn. The last few days like I said have been in the upper 90s (F) and all the plants in the yard are struggling until they get watered in the evening or early morning.

I had a suggestion that tobacco plants are water hogs and having them in pots it may be a good idea to water often as well as add a lot of plant food seeing as tobacco plants take a lot of nutrients from the soil. I dont think my pots are big enough to support the plant without adding food. Im going to add some food to their watering today and see how they respond.

Hello and welcome HercDriver.

As you said, different diseases sometime show the same symptoms.

If I can add my two cents :
For me your plants do not seem to have PVY, as Bob said, the leaves with a lot of very small spots seems to be TEV (to be confirmed)
For your Connecticut Broadleaf, I am pretty sure it's some sun burn. if you take a look at the second picture (the leave with burned area on both sides) : the leaves (when it's too hot) are becoming soft and hang on the pot, the pot (black) becomes very hot and burns the leaves that are lying on it (I already had this kind of sun burn).

 

[HercDriver]

Figured since my primary plants were showing signs of TEV I got some 5 gallon buckets to put my secondaries into as they had well outgrown the little pots they were previously int.

 

[HercDriver]

Well...here we go! I wanted to get a test kit to test a few of my soil samples from the pots. I started with the Connecticut Broadleaf because it seems to be suffering the most out of any of the plants.

 

[HercDriver]

I think my soil is about the 6.4 range which from what I can tell is acceptable.

 

[HercDriver]

Well it looks like all my Nitrogen, Phospherous and Potash are all on the lower side. Hmmm. Interesting since I have been using a tomato based fertilizer as tobacco and tomatoes share the same requirements for soil content.

 

[deluxestogie]

"Tobacco performs well when soil pH stays in the 5.8 to 6.2 range."

"Tobacco plants that develop man­ganese deficiency are grown on soils with a pH of 6.2 or higher..."

https://tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu/tobacco-fertility-nutrients/

Bob

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

Bob:

The article mentioned above, recommends Manganese Sulfate as a supplement. Would my manganese dioxide (MnO2) be usable as a soil supplement? Would the MnO2 have to be broken down in the soil first?

Just curious, I have chelated Sulfur and MnO2 in my inventory of goodies. Should I decide to become the Mad Scientist. I've never heard of any farmer around here using Manganese as a supplement. Although in more recent years the soils guys have been starting to recommend small quantities of boron ( 1 -2 ppm)

My Rhododendrons however, like acidic soils and sulfur and Iron. I also have some chelated iron in my bag of goodies.

Wes H.

Better living through modern chemistry.

 

[deluxestogie]

Just get some sulfur (for acid loving plants) and lower the pH.

Bob

 

[HercDriver]

Thanks for the link and suggestion! Ill get to reading.

"Tobacco performs well when soil pH stays in the 5.8 to 6.2 range."

"Tobacco plants that develop man­ganese deficiency are grown on soils with a pH of 6.2 or higher..."

https://tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu/tobacco-fertility-nutrients/

Bob

 

[HercDriver]

Little morning update! I huddled the plants together for a pretty big storm that was rolling through last night. Luckily there wasn't a significant level of wind. If its one thing Ive learned its that these plants are delicate yet strong at the same time. The stalks are definitely relatively strong but the juvenile leaves will tear or break and are susceptible to abrasions from other leaves or their own pots.


Anyway I came out to do a morning run through. Heres some pics!

Enemy of the state! Make sure you are checking your plants. Almost missed this little japanese beetle. They seem to love my tobacco and bean plants.

Some closer pictures of some of the leaves and their coloration.

 

[deluxestogie]

Very nice photos up close. My experience with Japanese beetles is that they land on tobacco by accident, then get a tummy ache. I've never seen them gathered in masses on tobacco, the way I find them on my grape and blackberry and hazel.

Bob

 

[HercDriver]

They really like my bean leaves! I think Japanese Beetles and Cucumber Beetles are my biggest issue in the garden.

Very nice photos up close. My experience with Japanese beetles is that they land on tobacco by accident, then get a tummy ache. I've never seen them gathered in masses on tobacco, the way I find them on my grape and blackberry and hazel.

Bob