the kiln has been turned on,{pic's }

[Chicken]

well. i decided that im gonna let it colour cure, outside of the kiln, hanging in a shed,

and once colour cured, then it will be placed in the kiln,

it was just doing things a little fast in there, i had some leaves that dried real green...

and i had some leaves that dried, o.k.

i guess it depends on the strain<<

 

[BarG]

That was the way I have always interpreted how to ferment. Place cured leaf in the chamber at proper heat and humidity.

Your sure set up for doing an awful lot at one time when your baccy cures. Congratulations on your new kiln.

What did you have the humidity set at?

One of the problems I could imagine for a closed area is maintaining a not to high humidity with all the moisture loss from green leaf, but I'm still learning. I'm kinda surprised you had any dry out unless the heat overamped the humidity, I guess thats why you removed some of the heat source!

 

[indianjoe]

Chicken,
sounds like you got a good plan. With the heat and humidity we got so far this summer, color curing is easy, so far.

 

[BarG]

Indianjoe, is your baccy crop as big as your tater crop was?

 

[indianjoe]

BarG,
she's a getting better and bigger. I've been harvesting off of several hundred plants for a while and hope to start another crop of baccy laid by sometimes next month. The main trouble I have had this year is keeping all of the varieties separate.

 

[BarG]

BarG,
she's a getting better and bigger. I've been harvesting off of several hundred plants for a while and hope to start another crop of baccy laid by sometimes next month. The main trouble I have had this year is keeping all of the varieties separate.

Indianjoe, funny you should mention that . I finished work early and started setting up for when I get to harvest some. The cat tore mini blinds work great for tabs, I can poke a galv. fence wire right through. The same type I used last year. I'm using a combo Bob style mixed with my own circumstances by trying to harvest certain levels of leaves by variety and labeling on about 4' wires that will be versatile for a similar setup I had last year. For varietys with a lot of plants just fill it up but fewer plants put tab before and after for a mix of varietys. I cam considering setting up a stand on my lawn wagon that holds approximate lengths of wire with tabs and marker that I can string and hold to bring to my hanging area, if it warrents. Good luck with both your crops.

You too Chicken....Good luck with your harvesting.

Please Jump in chicken, how are you keeping your different varietys separate during harvest?

Here we go Hijacking the most popular thread on the forum.

 

[Chicken]

Chicken,
sounds like you got a good plan. With the heat and humidity we got so far this summer, color curing is easy, so far.

alabama,,, i took basic training there, at FT.MCCLELLAN in 86' it was the end of the year, so the temp wasnt bad, I SEEN SNOW, i was very exited,

then about 3 years ago, i thought i was going to get back into a old profession of mine,,,PLOWING IN telephone cable, i went around july? and the heat and humidity kicked my butt, i allmost died,
i lasted one week, and come back, and got my old job back, driving a semi... im so spoiled,

Indianjoe, funny you should mention that . I finished work early and started setting up for when I get to harvest some. The cat tore mini blinds work great for tabs, I can poke a galv. fence wire right through. The same type I used last year. I'm using a combo Bob style mixed with my own circumstances by trying to harvest certain levels of leaves by variety and labeling on about 4' wires that will be versatile for a similar setup I had last year. For varietys with a lot of plants just fill it up but fewer plants put tab before and after for a mix of varietys. I cam considering setting up a stand on my lawn wagon that holds approximate lengths of wire with tabs and marker that I can string and hold to bring to my hanging area, if it warrents. Good luck with both your crops.

You too Chicken....Good luck with your harvesting.

Please Jump in chicken, how are you keeping your different varietys separate during harvest?

Here we go Hijacking the most popular thread on the forum.

im putting the same strain, on a single piece of wire, and labeling that wire,

if you look on page 1 you'll see my baccy hanging and labeled,

 

[BarG]

I saw that . You modified to allow for multiple varietys from last years strategy. I'm thinking along those lines also.

 

[Chicken]

I saw that . You modified to allow for multiple varietys from last years strategy. I'm thinking along those lines also.

perhaps when the time comes,

i'll send you a sample of each variety, and you can judge which ones you may want to grow more of,

and which ones you'd prefer to leave alone,

just by the way the plant grows, and suckers out, i know ''dark virginia'' wont be in the patch next year.

most of the plants, im really liking the way they are growing,

silver-river. lizard-tail,,y,t,b,------- ergo,,,,,,tn90,,white stock burley,,,

im sure im leaving 2 out,????

but i like the way those plants are growing, if the baccy is good, all them strains will make next years crop,

but some may be a beautiful large leaf plant, but the baccy sucks,....

we will see, after it's good and cured, in my HIGH TECH REDNECK KILN,

 

[BarG]

Sounds good, I'll send you some of the lower-middle leaves of the guatemalen and huehuetenago, if you didn't try any yet. Its great in cigars but ive enjoyed in cigs also. That lizard tail Iv'e read yall talking about it but not sure what it is as well as the white stock burley, the name is interesting though ha ha. When you break a leaf off does it grow back? I have a lot of cigar variety this year but I'm sure some of the lower leaves could also be mixed for cigarettes, I'll find out soon enough. A lot of ottoman and bursa also. I haven't researched everything yet but I haven't seen much on air dried perique on what to expect.

 

[Chicken]

looks like the ottoman,, and bursa, is going to be a all season plant,

possibly a whole stalk harvest plant,

they have not turned yellow at all.

>just tall and green

 

[BarG]

looks like the ottoman,, and bursa, is going to be a all season plant,

possibly a whole stalk harvest plant,

they have not turned yellow at all.

>just tall and green

I notice on a lot of commercial harvest videos they cut off a couple feet from ground and lay over to wilt, before spearing for transport. Do they prime the lower leaves and stalk cure the middle and top or strip all the leaves after wilting. I have room to whole stalk cure a quite few to experiment with the difference of finished primed versus stalk cured, but the primed will cure faster so it will depend on the weather at the time. How long has your bursa and ottoman been in the field? I know BB and Fmgrowit have both grown a lot of orientals.

 

[Chicken]

i'd say april 1'st.

and no yellowing,,, well i did prime the lug leaves, but the rest of the plant is growing good, but staying green

 

[Chicken]

my area has had 50+ days of rain, and i had mildew issues,

the kiln is now fully loaded. im gonna make a video of it, since the pic's dont do it justice, for the ammount of baccy it has in it,

i dont know, if i'd call it a kiln, or a redneck drying barn??? [ perhaps i'll start a thread with that question,lol]

it on a guess has about 40+ hands in there,

>
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-07-25
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-07-25
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all this

>

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05

went in here,

>

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05

..

all the cured baccy from my first picking is in there, i would have let it continue to hang, if only this weather would quit being so damp,!!!!!!!!!

heres where im at right now, pic's do it no justice, '' look for video''<!!!!!

>>

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05

right now, im powering it with a 250 watt heat lamp, and running 2 crock-pots,

it's averaging 100 degrees and 55-63% rh
i dont want to crank the heat up just yet, i want them to cure some more, but i had to create a artificial enviorment, instead of allowing them to hang in my shed<!!!!

..

By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05
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By chickenhawk434 at 2012-08-05

im leaving the middle section open,,, that is where, the heat is generated, and the fan pushes it around the kiln,

comments on my set-up,,???,

 

[Boboro]

Nice I wish I HAD a place that was hot and dry to put this crop and the next one to.

 

[BarG]

Keep sluuggin away Chicken.
The idea of adding heat and lowering the rh is going to eliminate your mold problem I hope. Ventilate a bit to the outside maintainining a low humidity will help. You work so hard for what your after You'll get it.