what are the spots from

[jason30809]

Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at growing and I have started with burley and virgina gold. Im from Augusta Ga and have recently had some leaves get to the point where I believe they are ripe. So I went ahead and grabbed a few and am now attempting to air dry/cure under a backyard gazebo. Within the last 2-3 days I have noticed some dark spots on the few leaves I have started with. Any help as to what this is and what caused it would be greatly appreciated because after a lot of research I have been unable to find anything on line that resembles exactly what im seeing. Thanks

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at growing and I have started with burley and virgina gold. Im from Augusta Ga and have recently had some leaves get to the point where I believe they are ripe. So I went ahead and grabbed a few and am now attempting to air dry/cure under a backyard gazebo. Within the last 2-3 days I have noticed some dark spots on the few leaves I have started with. Any help as to what this is and what caused it would be greatly appreciated because after a lot of research I have been unable to find anything on line that resembles exactly what im seeing. Thanks View attachment 32469View attachment 32470View attachment 32471View attachment 32471

Hi, welcome to the forum. Please start a thread in the introduce yourself section of the forum.

I'm confused a little. These leaves look nearly fully cured already. Further than one would expect in 2-3 days.

It's really hard to tell with the photos, but my first thought is that it looks like Aspergillus growth.

 

[Oldfella]

Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at growing and I have started with burley and virgina gold. Im from Augusta Ga and have recently had some leaves get to the point where I believe they are ripe. So I went ahead and grabbed a few and am now attempting to air dry/cure under a backyard gazebo. Within the last 2-3 days I have noticed some dark spots on the few leaves I have started with. Any help as to what this is and what caused it would be greatly appreciated because after a lot of research I have been unable to find anything on line that resembles exactly what im seeing. Thanks View attachment 32469View attachment 32470View attachment 32471View attachment 32471

Welcome from me in NZ. I'm not sure what the black spots are, our friend above is saying what I was going to. Also you can try a Spritz of a 1% solution of Peroxide, I often use a smallish brush. Just do a small area and leave it on, it won't affect the taste. If the spots disappear then, it's a good chance that it's mold. Spray the lot.
Cheers
Oldfella

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

If it is mold, you need more airflow or more warmth in your curing area. However, if they were already mostly cured on the plant itself, the mold may have come from when it was still in the garden. The solution to that is to pick them before they dry out.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum.

Your leaves are finished color curing. I would dry them down immediately. I don't see anything that would cause me to not smoke this leaf, though I would avoid using it as chew or cigar wrapper, since there is evidence of mold. The close-ups below are from your first image:

Fuzzy mold mycelia on the stem.

Since the cured stem remains more hygroscopic (moisture holding) than the cured lamina, some small amount of mold on the stem is common, but can spread. This leaf needs to be dried.

"Coffee-stain" effect.

"Coffee-stain" effect is the migration toward the perimeter of coffee particles in a spill of coffee. Here, I'm suggesting that this perimeter coloration is from something that "grew" outward from an initial point, or an injured area of the leaf that has necrosed from the center of previously injured leaf lamina. Might be mold, or might be any one of a number of other causes (from the field or from the shed).

Likely Aspergillus niger.

No question, this is molded here. Aspergillus mold produces aflatoxin that is hepatotoxic (toasts your liver). Studies have shown that aflatoxin is not present in the smoke of combusted tobacco, but it is present, and can be absorbed into your body, if you suck on the unburned leaf (smokeless, or used as a cigar wrapper).

Bob

 

[jason30809]

well That stinks. those two leafs in those pics have been hanging for about 2-3 weeks and were yellow before i hung them. This is the area I have them hanging in and like I said im in Augusta Ga so a range of 60-90 percent humidity and 75-95 F throughout the day and night. The air flow is as good as It can be because it is totally open on the sides. Anyway this is the set up and how it looks. Any ideas on how to prevent this on the rest of my future harvest? By the way I experimented with hanging a few in the garage were the humidity stays between 50-65 percent and less air flow but the leaves seemed to dry out really quickly (4-5 days) which I though was not preferable but there were none of these spots. My only option to have the leaves dry slowly over the course of several weeks would be that gazebo. The leaves hanging in the pic with the black spots have been out there about 2 weeks and the ones that are still slightly green have been out for about 4 days.

 

[deluxestogie]

You could allow them to mostly yellow, then bring them into the garage, and loosely surround them in a plastic sheet tent, to slow the drying.

Bob