i can, i spread them on paper then press fingertip on 2 or however many you want. if they dont stick breath on finger like your trying to fog up glass. and gently knock them off finger where you want them to fall. its slow but so is plucking out 19/20 tiny ones in a single cell cause you over planted.
If you need to process seeds one at time, you can use matches. Dip the end of match in water and then you can use it to grab a seed.
However, I would just sprinkle a reasonable (!!!) amount of seeds to large enough container of soil. Then when the seeds begin to germinate, you can pull the weaker ones away keeping only the strongest ones. And later when they are bigger, transplant to pots and from there to garden etc.
See the text and figures here: https://www.newhopeseed.com/tobacco_growing.html
(If the figures sections looks weird, think the figures 3, 4 and 5 in reverse order)
wruk53
Well-Known Member
I start my seeds in a 50/50 mix of perlite/vermiculite moistened with a very weak solution of miracle grow for tomatoes and epsom salts. I use large enough cups so that I can grow the seedlings to about six inches or so and plant directly outdoors. I pour my seeds into a bowl with a white bottom, press my finger down on them and transfer from 4 to 8 seeds per pot. I mist the top of the soil several times a day. Once the seedlings are established and thinned to one per pot, I start watering them with a syringe that's made for measuring out oral medication. I never put so much water in the pots that water runs out the bottom, just keep the soil evenly moist, not soggy. Normally, I'll just heft the pots and water accordingly. I don't use any type of humidity dome. I start my seeds in a cabinet under a 10,000 Lumen LED grow light. This method would not be practical for someone growing hundreds of plants but it is easily manageable for smaller numbers of plants.
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Hank
Member
Here are my Virginia reds growing on my patio. This is my first grow and I didn't separate the sprouts when I started them in trays back in April/May....so each planter has like 5 or six plants in each planter....this probably will not work out real well? I was going to try to separate them when they were transplanted into fabric planters, but I thought Id do more harm than good, so I left them alone....so far so good....I noticed aphids were attacking, so I sprayed them with my homemade tobacco juice in a spray bottle and it seemed to get rid of them. I hope they make it from insects, disease and storms, but if they don't it was fun trying.
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Be heartless. Get a pair of scissors, and cut off all but one plant per planter. Your results will be far better.
Bob
Hank
Member
I shall attempt that.....hate to be a tobacco plant murderer, but I guess thinning the herd will produce better results....will post a pic in a couple weeks to show how that worked out.
Hank
Member
I actually went right out and thinned them out just now.....wasn't as bad as I thought it would be....I need to add some more dirt to the pots and I think I will add another stake to each one before securing the stakes/stalks with wire. I just made up another batch of tobacco juice spray using cigarette butts in water with Dawn dish washing detergent...so i will spray them later when there not in direct sun light.
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GrowleyMonster
Creator of the Imperfecto
I like this.
This is the self watering model, has only 70 spaces so two corner spaces can be used for filling with water. I get the pucks good and saturated, sprinkle a few dozen seeds onto a sheet of paper, and slide it around to spread the seeds out. Then with the dampened point of a bamboo skewer I transfer three seeds to each puck, one at a time, transferring them to the top of the puck, without burying them. I use a magnifying glass to better see what I am doing. It sounds slower than Sleepy Joe but the process actually goes pretty quick. Then I put the plastic cover on, set the tray in front of a floor to ceiling window in my living room, and check in 48 hours. 72. 84. By then there are usually some little teeny sproutlets. I let all three grow as they will and when there are four leaves on each seedling, I cull them down to one on each puck. The top holds the moisture in while letting in light. When the seedlings outgrow the 36mm puck, I plant puck and all into a recycled nursery pot or a red solo party cup with a couple of holes poked in it for drainage, filled with garden soil. By this time, the plants are mostly staying outside, and getting daily watering with a mister nozzle. I have also planted the pucks right into the garden. I live in the city and so fewer animals to eat the tender seedlings. Possums, coons, squirrels, dogs, cats, don't bother tobacco plants.
With this system I get an excellent germination rate, and it is rare for a puck to need reseeding. Works great for a small operation with only 100 or 200 plants. Or less. Probably not practical for a commercial operation but it does great for me. The 36mm pucks can be bought to refill the tray, at Lowe's or on Amazon. There are three sizes and 36mm is the smallest. That's not quite an inch and a half diameter.
Self watering is maybe stretching the truth a bit. The bottom tray has a wicking mat that goes under the inner tray, and the peat moss pucks suck it right up from the mat. I can go several days without refilling, but you do have to refill occasionally. The non self watering type can still be watered from the bottom, made easier by removing a few pucks to make a place to pour water without disturbing seeds or seedlings on top of the pucks.
Amazon.com : Jiffy 5262 Self Watering Professional Greenhouse 70-Plant Starter Kit : Plant Germination Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Amazon.com : Jiffy 5262 Self Watering Professional Greenhouse 70-Plant Starter Kit : Plant Germination Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden
www.amazon.com
This is the self watering model, has only 70 spaces so two corner spaces can be used for filling with water. I get the pucks good and saturated, sprinkle a few dozen seeds onto a sheet of paper, and slide it around to spread the seeds out. Then with the dampened point of a bamboo skewer I transfer three seeds to each puck, one at a time, transferring them to the top of the puck, without burying them. I use a magnifying glass to better see what I am doing. It sounds slower than Sleepy Joe but the process actually goes pretty quick. Then I put the plastic cover on, set the tray in front of a floor to ceiling window in my living room, and check in 48 hours. 72. 84. By then there are usually some little teeny sproutlets. I let all three grow as they will and when there are four leaves on each seedling, I cull them down to one on each puck. The top holds the moisture in while letting in light. When the seedlings outgrow the 36mm puck, I plant puck and all into a recycled nursery pot or a red solo party cup with a couple of holes poked in it for drainage, filled with garden soil. By this time, the plants are mostly staying outside, and getting daily watering with a mister nozzle. I have also planted the pucks right into the garden. I live in the city and so fewer animals to eat the tender seedlings. Possums, coons, squirrels, dogs, cats, don't bother tobacco plants.
With this system I get an excellent germination rate, and it is rare for a puck to need reseeding. Works great for a small operation with only 100 or 200 plants. Or less. Probably not practical for a commercial operation but it does great for me. The 36mm pucks can be bought to refill the tray, at Lowe's or on Amazon. There are three sizes and 36mm is the smallest. That's not quite an inch and a half diameter.
Self watering is maybe stretching the truth a bit. The bottom tray has a wicking mat that goes under the inner tray, and the peat moss pucks suck it right up from the mat. I can go several days without refilling, but you do have to refill occasionally. The non self watering type can still be watered from the bottom, made easier by removing a few pucks to make a place to pour water without disturbing seeds or seedlings on top of the pucks.
