Green leaf wrapper or dried green?

[FALaholic]

Curious to know if I may have harvested this leaf too soon.
Background: Leaf is a Virginia, type don't know.
Other leaves of the same variety were picked later, and dried to a beautiful amber ale color.
This leaf was picked 30 days after topping.

So would like to ask, did this dry green, or can it be used as a green wrapper?





PS. I do not believe that my drying conditions caused it to dry green (if that is indeed the case). My humidity and temps have not gone below 75oF/73%RH until Jan, and this was picked in early December. Took it about 3 weeks to dry out.

 

[DGBAMA]

I had quite a lot of problems with my virginia drying like that. Could be too much nitrogen too late in the season. I found I had to keep mine above 85%rh until the leaf yellowed.

 

[Knucklehead]

How yellow were they when they were harvested?
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3501-When-will-I-know-my-Virginias-as-ready-for-harvest

 

[Markw]

I had a few Burley dry green for no reason, it was not for the lack of humidity, also some of the sucker crop that I did this year also dried green. I can't explain it. It was not due to the lack of humidity or high temperatures. just some of the leaf dried green the others were fine.

 

[Knucklehead]

I had quite a lot of problems with my virginia drying like that. Could be too much nitrogen too late in the season. I found I had to keep mine above 85%rh until the leaf yellowed.

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3684-Burley-leaves-could-be-used-a-tissue-paper

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3671-Ripe-Over-Ripe-or-keep-going-pic

He stopped fertilizer two months prior to first harvest. I'm posting links to other threads where he's had some problems that could all be related. Thin Burley leaves, BigBonner suggested too much water. Other problems that Don suggested were due to an off-season growing schedule. December and January curing is pretty unusual.

His temp and humidity figures are dead on to what's usually recommended for a good cure. Sometimes leaves like that will darken up with age or kilning. Several of my cigar varieties cured with a brown front and greenish/gray back. The cigarette varieties cured at the same time all cured with ease. My curing conditions were similar to his at that time.

I screwed up a lot this first year. Hopefully we can put our heads together and make next year easier. Next year may be a totally different situation. (I damn sure hope my rain situation is different) Try to eliminate some variables. Earlier planting, get a soil test so you know where you are at the beginning in regards to nutrients. Some things are just out of our control.

 

[deluxestogie]

There's only one way to tell it the green leaf will make a smokable cigar wrapper. Roll a cigar and smoke it.

How rapidly a leaf dries is dependent on a number of attributes of the specific leaf. If the humidity is sufficiently high, the leaf cannot dry. The humidity may have been ideal for other leaves, but not for this one. Another culprit is sun scald. If the leaf is exposed to too much sun after picking, you can end up with a dry, green leaf.

Bob

 

[FALaholic]

How yellow were they when they were harvested?
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3501-When-will-I-know-my-Virginias-as-ready-for-harvest

Barely yellow, maybe 1" of the tips. I went with the recommended 30 days after topping philosophy. Shortly after harvesting this leaf, I let all the rest dry on the stalk.
I will admit, when I primed this leaf it was very bendy and had to be torn off, and not broken off.

 

[Knucklehead]

Barely yellow, maybe 1" of the tips. I went with the recommended 30 days after topping philosophy. Shortly after harvesting this leaf, I let all the rest dry on the stalk.
I will admit, when I primed this leaf it was very bendy and had to be torn off, and not broken off.

I got antsy and harvested some immature leaf too but it cured okay. (It did snap instead of bend, so there's that difference) I think there is something linking all your problems but I'm not smart enough or experienced enough to figure out what it is. I posted your threads hoping somebody smarter than me would have a light bulb moment and see a common thread running through your posts. It's something like too much or not enough fertilizer, water, or something. I think.

 

[Brown Thumb]

If you had to tear if off I would think immature leaf.
But then I cannot say I have not ever done that.
Is the face brown and the back green?
That does happen from what I have read and tastes OK .

 

[FALaholic]

I got antsy and harvested some immature leaf too but it cured okay. (It did snap instead of bend, so there's that difference) I think there is something linking all your problems but I'm not smart enough or experienced enough to figure out what it is. I posted your threads hoping somebody smarter than me would have a light bulb moment and see a common thread running through your posts. It's something like too much or not enough fertilizer, water, or something. I think.

If I were to guess, not enough fert, hence the reason for the paper thin burley. Too much water, reason for wilting. Wrong time, 2 months after topping, and I've still not harvested 100%.
On the flip side, not bad for my first grow. Got enough burley "compressed", to fill a large USPS flat rate box.

 

[FALaholic]

If you had to tear if off I would think immature leaf.
But then I cannot say I have not ever done that.
Is the face brown and the back green?
That does happen from what I have read and tastes OK .

This leaf in particular, I will agree harvested immature. After that, I began letting leaves go yellow; 1/2 yellow, back green. The curing was fine. Now I just let them cure on the stalk, and they come out leathery, and color nice.