WillQuantrill 2025: broadleaf redemption

[WillQuantrill]

7 weeks from transplant and the plants sure have responded to proper "summer" climate. Couple days this week just over 100* but mostly in the low 90's and sunny, no rain. The wind has been exceptional last 4 days, playing games with the CB enough I braced 5 of them. Made a boner move and accidentally snapped off the top third of the smallest CB while trying to stand it upright. (2nd picture).Makes sense with such large leaf individually turning into a sail. All of the H2K besides one has been topped. 5 of the 8 CB have been topped with the tallest being spared for seed. 3rd picture is the tallest plant right now is CB which surprises me everything I have ever read call it a 3-4 foot plant so I'm happy. Not 1 Olor has flowered yet and they are still growing well. I expect them to surpass the CB in height. One Sucker in 4th picture is doing great being much closer to the ground. Couple observations on my OS, the leaf is very shiny, and when each one starts they have a wrinkled look then grow outwardly losing that appearance. The CB all flowered within 3 days of each other while.

 

[deluxestogie]

ARS-GRIN's standard for "plant height" should be measured at the start of the crowfoot. So in the photo with the tape measure, that would be at about 48".

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

ARS-GRIN's standard for "plant height" should be measured at the start of the crowfoot. So in the photo with the tape measure, that would be at about 48".

Bob

My perception of expected height only having seen photos was more squat or bushy. The part I look forward to is priming and measuring how big these beauties are.

 

[WillQuantrill]

8 weeks from transplant and we all survived a week of abnormal sustained high wind. Second picture is the 2 headed H2K that I pruned off the other half a couple weeks ago. It caught up to the rest and flowered this week. 3rd picture is my Olor that has surpassed CB in height with only 1 flowered enough to top. 4th picture are the 4 One Sucker plants that growth has surprised me. These little skinny kind of shriveled looking leaves at the start fill out quite nicely. Last picture is the CB side of the garden including my seed donor. The sun was going down and put a delightful orange tint over the yard. Noticed a little bit of bug damage on my outermost plants on Seco leaves but nothing to panic about yet.

 

[WillQuantrill]

My wife showed me how to make a collage with the garden pictures. Every Sunday I try to take a picture from the same position in hopes to capture a better look at growth week to week. More striking is growth in last 3.

 

[deluxestogie]

Last picture is the CB side of the garden including my seed donor.

Are you planning to save seed from the un-bagged blossom head in that photo?

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

Are you planning to save seed from the un-bagged blossom head in that photo?

Bob

Yes, each year I pick one plant of one variety to take seed from while the others are topped.

 

[deluxestogie]

Just keep in mind that tobacco-pollinating bugs can travel over a radius of about ½-mile.

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

Just keep in mind that tobacco-pollinating bugs can travel over a radius of about ½-mile.

Bob

Thank you, I feel reasonably certain Im the only weirdo growing tobacco in this part of Suburbia. But that brings up an interesting question Ill ask MU extension in a couple months when I turn in a soil sample. If they have anyone else logged as tobacco growers around me.

 

[WillQuantrill]

9 weeks from transplant, and all of the cigar leaf has been topped. Have 1 hold out in One Sucker. Found a couple hornworms in my CB and evicted them. Funny thing, my Olor had started to sucker well before flowering but after being topped, suckers are pretty minimal compared to the other varieties. It will be interesting to see how the Olor and CB compare on weight after kiln per plant. Now comes the part of the season to play protector and guardian.

 

[WillQuantrill]

Weeks 10, swept out the air cure shed, assembled my new ergonomically upgraded sorting table, and got the low tech humidifier in place. I really hadn't planned on priming today but some of my low Seco was starting to yellow. Got about 4 Olor leaves and 12-15 CB leaves to hang (left in picture). Rate of suckers has slowed down so now we just be patient for the perfect primings. As I said in a previous post I will cut and stalk cure the One Sucker, first experience with that technique but It still appears to be a couple weeks away from ripe. Gonna try to hang fewer leaves in a "hand" this year to allow for more air flow between. Especially the CB the leaves weigh quite a bit more.

 

[WillQuantrill]

11 weeks, 1 day from transplant and I primed all of the rest of the Seco this week. The new setup in the cure shed is going really well, I haven't been the least bit worried about any leaves drying green even with temperatures reaching into the 120's my troph/fan gains me about 10% more RH in the heat of the day while still circulating air. Looked back at previous posts and this week I should be right at the 35 days since topping CB so I will go ahead and prime the Viso, its ripe now really (picture 3 with Jalapeños), picture 1 for comparison, picture 2 for the OS and Olor that seems to still be gaining height and picture 4 is inside the shed. The only question in my head I have yet to answer is when to cut the One Sucker for stalk curing. I almost chickened out this week and started priming by level when lower leaves are seeing bug damage but decided I shall stay the course and try it.

 

[deluxestogie]

picture 2 for the OS

If the plants in the left of the photo are Operating System, then I would say they are ready for stalk harvest.

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

If the plants in the left of the photo are Operating System, then I would say they are ready for stalk harvest.

Bob

Sorry, abbreviated for One Sucker

 

[WillQuantrill]

If the plants in the left of the photo are Operating System, then I would say they are ready for stalk harvest.

Bob

Thanks though Bob, I appreciate the affirmation.

 

[WillQuantrill]

I saw this fat little bugger fall out of some primed leaf I was hanging and the few number of leaves eaten almost entirely made sense. Just wished I was near a fishing hole to let this guy take part in the circle of life. Ha.

 

[deluxestogie]

With hanging leaf, you can look on the floor beneath them for black kibbles and bits of hornworm poop.

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

12 weeks from transplant, and alot of priming happening. Picked all of Connecticut Broadleaf, Habano 2000 all Seco and most of the Viso, Olor Seco and stalk cut all 4 One Sucker plants. Had to hang 2 more ropes in the rafters of the shed for all the leaf. This year I have grown around the same number of plants but the varieties are much more productive with the most productive, Olor, still has Viso and Ligero left to prime. Olor will make the short list of varieties I will grow again. Habano 2000 while not as productive has yielded some very nice wrapper leaf. Probably leave Ligero H2K, and Olor on the plant for a week or two.

 

[WillQuantrill]

13 weeks from transplant and the only leaf left on the plants is Olor ligero top priming. Still found a couple hornworms today so letting the leaf go longer is making me nervous for bug loss but I wanna go 1 more week to get some Ligero thats nice and dark. Really pleased with my variety picks this year, nice yield so far and alot of wrapper. Olor is averaging around 25 leaves per plant. With this much leaf I will have to kiln it in 2 cycles if not 3.

 

[Knucklehead]

Nice batch of hanging leaf. Keep an eye out for hornworm poop on the floor.