Wruk53 2024 Grow Log

[WillQuantrill]

I unroll a 30-inch piece of wire, make an eye on one end and thread about 40-50 leaves onto it then attach it to a 26-inch stick that has a hanging wire attached to both ends. I hang the sticks of tobacco on a chain that is hanging from the ceiling on two large screw hooks. The wire I use is 16 gauge, but it doesn't have to be that thick.

Another fun trip to the hardware store it is! Thanks for sharing Wruk! I'm thinking I'll rig up a 2×4 frame with eyelet screws for this year. I'll post any progress

 

[wruk53]

I transplanted my Bitlis seedlings this morning. Tomorrow is 5 weeks from planting the seeds.

 

[wruk53]

I stalk harvested all of my One-Sucker this morning, all of the leaf is mottled, thick and stiff. It's been almost 5 weeks from topping. The RH and temperature forecast for the next week is just about perfect for color curing.

Bitlis on day 3 from transplant. There was a little bit of sun scalding after the first day, but no obvious transplant shock. It's been hot, sunny and windy as usual for this time of year.

 

[GreenDragon]

Nice! Love the curing setup. Great color on those.

 

[wruk53]

Third day of color curing.

 

[wruk53]

It's been one week from transplant for Bitlis. Some of them aren't looking too sporty. I neglected to harden them off before transplanting and it's been hot as hell all week. I think they will all survive though.
I ordered a 50 cell Winstrip tray today for my future grows. The 72-cell tray is okay, but I'd rather have a more robust and larger root system at transplant. Besides, I need to cut down on the number of plants anyway. 50 plants 2 or 3 times a year is more than enough.

 

[wruk53]

I bought a wireless humidity/temperature monitor a few days ago and mounted the remote sensor in the attic. It was sunny and clear all day with a high of 93 degrees. The high temperature in the attic was 124 degrees at about 3PM. The ideal temps for kilning lasted about 4 hours. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. I'll just keep the tobacco in a low medium case to avoid mold during cloudy or cooler weather.

 

[MadFarmer]

The ideal temps for kilning lasted about 4 hours. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. I'll just keep the tobacco in a low medium case to avoid mold

It's worked for me so far, and I've never had anything in the attic mold. But I don't live in Florida.

 

[wruk53]

Bitlis at 3 weeks from transplant. The largest ones are beginning to bud already. Not going to yield much.

The boxed leaf is One-Sucker, I have it on the porch to bring it into case after which, I'll strip out the midrib, bag it and attic kiln it. The leaf in the garage is still drying out.

 

[manfisher]

Bitlis at 3 weeks from transplant. The largest ones are beginning to bud already. Not going to yield much.

The boxed leaf is One-Sucker, I have it on the porch to bring it into case after which, I'll strip out the midrib, bag it and attic kiln it. The leaf in the garage is still drying out.

What tobacco product will you make out of the Bitlis and other crop? Snus?

 

[wruk53]

What tobacco product will you make out of the Bitlis and other crop? Snus?

My plan is to mix it with a high nicotine variety and make a snus with more natural sweetness and an oriental smell and taste. The way it looks, I'm not going to have much to work with. We'll see.
All of my tobacco is intended for snus.

 

[wruk53]

Bitlis at 4 weeks from transplant. I think I can officially put this crop down as a failure. I'll be lucky to harvest a few ounces from the entire bunch. This is the fifth different variety I've tried that went to flower after only a few weeks. Some strains just do not seem to like my methods. Most of them were varieties that were developed in far Northern latitudes.

 

[wruk53]

This is why I don't try to grow during the summer. As of early this morning, we've had six inches of rain in the past three days and there's probably two inches or more in the rain gauge right now, it's still raining hard.

 

[FrostD]

This is why I don't try to grow during the summer. As of early this morning, we've had six inches of rain in the past three days and there's probably two inches or more in the rain gauge right now, it's still raining hard.

At least your buckets look like they are raised up a bit from the pooled up water! @wruk53 you have tobacco island right there in your yard!

 

[wruk53]

Just emptied 4.9 inches of rain from the gauge, bringing the total to almost 11 inches. Radar shows more coming. This is not normal June weather, but it happens often enough that it's not worth trying to grow this time of year. This is more like normal August rainfall for South Florida. I'll start seeds in mid-July or early August for a fall crop.

 

[ProZachJ]

Welcome to the "for goodness sake, enough rain" club. Don't worry I hear el nino is done

 

[wruk53]

Three or four weeks ago I sprinkled some Bitlis seeds in these pots outside. The pots originally had flowers in them and were hung under the front eaves, after they died, I pulled them up and added a little soil. Just something to fool around with till it's time to start a fall crop.

 

[johnny108]

Nice!
I’ve found windowsill and balcony crops to be worth the trouble, yield-wise, with orientals, when the weather is bad.

 

[wruk53]

A few of the Bitlis look like they are about to bite the dust. It's been very wet here, we had almost 3 inches of rain yesterday. I'm going to drill a few holes around the bottom of the pots for better aeration and drainage.

 

[wruk53]

Planted 50 cells of Little Yellow this morning for a Fall harvest.