Oldfella
Well-Known Member
They are looking really nice. I find that YTB goes well with my Virginia gold it just knocks the harshness out of it. Add a little Izmir Ozbas and you have a great smoke.
Oldfella
Oldfella
Last edited:
Tobaccofieldsforever 2022 Grow Log
- Thread starter Tobaccofieldsforever
- Start date
"Ozbas" is the Turkish word for "original". I assume you are referring to Izmir Ozbas.
Bob
Bob
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I forgot to put Izmir in, my bad. Edited and sorted.
Oldfella
I didn't mean to sound priggish. I agree with you. Izmir is a Basma type. Virginia flue-cured plus burley plus any Basma variety (or most Oriental varieties) makes a wonderful blend that you adjust to taste.
Bob
Bob
Old Gasman
Well-Known Member
Oh that's good to know because that's exactly what I'm growing, although I don't have the facility for flue curing.
Sun-curing a Virginia flue-cure variety is an alternative. It takes about 3 weeks to accomplish, though I have had that turn out successfully with 3 weeks of mostly overcast skies. I called it cloud-curing. I just brought it indoors whenever rain threatened.
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
That's what I do. Depending on the strain, 4-7 days in the greenhouse where it is warm and humid to color cure. Then I hang them out on the chain link fence (weather permitting) to dry down, then off to the barn to hang and age.
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
I always sun cure my Virginia. Somehow the sun seems to impart a special flavor of summer to the leaves. During the winter months I sometimes use the cardboard box for yellowing, and then they hang around in my lounge until I'm ready to do whatever with them.
Oldfella
MadFarmer
Well-Known Member
Would sun curing dark Virginians be advised?
- Type 21. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Virginia Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in the Piedmont and mountain sections of Virginia.
- Type 37. That type of air-cured or sun-cured tobacco commonly known as Virginia Sun-cured, Virginia Sun and Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of Virginia, and produced principally in the central section of Virginia north of the James River.
Dark Virginia fire-cured likely would not do well with sun-curing, though I'm not certain of that. Dark Virginia air-cured or sun-cured would definitely do well if sun-cured. So the answer to your question depends on the nature (the "market-type") of the specific variety. The USDA market categorization was often based on local practices and typical (in the late 19th century) market uses, rather than on the plant variety's possible processing methods and uses. Also, it's frequently a problem just trying to identify which USDA "Type" applies to a particular variety, without a lot of tedious research.
Bob
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
Bob has pretty much answered your question. Try it and see. I've only used Virginia Gold so I can't say.
Oldfella
Oldfella
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Let me know how all of that goes. All though I want to build a flue cure chamber and get away from sun curing flue cure types, I considered growing a dark Virginia variety this season but did not for no particular reason. It is still something I would like to experiment with.
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
I noticed roots are coming through the bottom holes of the cells I have my plants in. I know this is something that happens with plants in general but I was wondering if I should leave some water in the bottom of the 1020 tray for them to find. I’m also a little concerned because I am going to have to remove these come planting time and a lot of root tearing (extra recovery time) will happen. Any tricks or tips in how to deal with this or is it just part of the process?
I would not add water to your tray at this point. Torn roots are no problem, so long as the root ball in the tray cell is well watered. No matter how much effort you expend pampering the roots, after transplanting the tobacco plants will just sit there and stare at you for a week or two, before the plants show conspicuous growth.
Bob
Bob
MadFarmer
Well-Known Member
My growing a dark Virginia will have to wait at least until next season. (I don't even own seeds )
It's tough because I'm interested in all the processing options, sun curing in particular, but the only end product I would use would be cigars.
Using a dark air-cured variety as a minor component in a cigar filler blend can add body to otherwise bland filler leaf.
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
A dark air cured variety is different than a dark Virginian variety correct? I just want to sort this out once and for all because I’m never too sure about it. “Dark” is an actual tobacco variety like burley correct?? I see people list the name of tobacco seeds as dark air cure often but I guess it is similar to saying a Virginia flue cure variety? Just listing the way the variety is traditionally cured as part of the description I guess. I would expect a dark virginian to have qualities of both Virginia and dark varieties together then, but maybe I’m wrong.
Good luck with that! Don't you just love tobacco terminology? "Burley", "Dark Fire-cured" and "Dark Air-cured" are distinct USDA market classes. Each of those classes include dozens or even hundreds of distinct, named tobacco varieties. "Dark Virginian" is not very specific or meaningful. From a biologic perspective, most of the "Dark" anything tobacco varieties are quite similar, having larger, thicker leaves which bear denser trichomes (leaf hairs), and are stickier when green. They tend to have higher nicotine levels, and tend to provide a fuller-bodied, somewhat less acidic smoke. Fire-cured and air-cured leaves of any sort taste different, mostly because of the smoke and soot particles produced during fire-curing—a taste that is dependent on the wood variety used to produce the smoke.
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Does trimming tobacco seedlings stimulate growth or is it simply to allow smaller plants to get light? I am considering trimming some of my seedlings but it is admittedly difficult to bring myself to cut something away I have been trying so hard to grow…(the orientals are growing very well!)
Yes. Trimming the leaves induces an "herbivore predation" response from the plant. [If the plant were a forum member, it would complain that something is eating its leaves.] In reaction, the roots become more robust, and increase their production of alkaloids (e.g. nicotine) to transport to the poor, threatened leaves. You get stronger roots, thicker stalks, and more insect resistant leaves.
The trimming reduces shading of smaller or slower plants. The trimming reduces leaf surface area (and water demand) at the time of transplant, so the plants are more tolerant and resilient. And finally... all of the clipped leaves would end up as bottom trash anyway. I've compared growth in the field. Untrimmed plants start off ahead of trimmed plants, but within about 3 weeks they are indistinguishable. Also, my count of useable leaves per plant is the same.
My Orientals (Prilep 66-9/7) looked similar this morning. Then I gave them a heartless buzz (photo in my grow log). They are the stick figures in the far-right of the photo.
Bob
