Anders A Grow Log 2024

[Anders A]

Beautiful plants Anders, nice job.

Thanks

 

[Anders A]

How do you plan on curing? Will you stock cure or pick the leaves individually?

Stalk-cut and hang whole plants on most, but some I will harvest leaf by leaf and hang on a stick.

48 Tofta - stalk-cut
38 Virginia Bright leaf - stalk-cut
38 PY KY171 - stalk cut
6 Prilep - stalk-cut
5 Björkö Burley (unknown variety) - leaf by leaf
2 KY171 - stalk cut
2 Havana 142 - leaf by leaf
2 Monte Calme Jaune - leaf by leaf
2 Alida - leaf by leaf

 

[Anders A]

My Tofta plants are starting to show signs that it's time to harvest soon (today 67 days since transplanting).
The leaves are starting to get a little marbled (don't know if that's the right translated word), and the upper leaves are starting to look a little "burnt" at the tips .
And the leaves also start to shimmer a little towards the yellow side.

However, I wait a while, maybe a week or so, until I harvest, I want them to color cure as smoothly as possible once I harvest.
Maybe I'll choose to harvest a single plant first, and hang it to see how easily it cures.

 

[deluxestogie]

Pick a good time, then harvest them all. That allows you to have all the curing stalks hanging simultaneously, and drying at the same rate. Since it requires weeks, a single, experimental plant won't be very helpful.

My own guide to stalk-harvesting is to wait for some signs of maturity in the top leaf, then cut the stalks down.

Bob

EDIT: There is a saying in tobacco country that a full barn is better for curing than a half-filled barn. A full barn offers a better buffer to swings in temp and humidity.

 

[Anders A]

Pick a good time, then harvest them all. That allows you to have all the curing stalks hanging simultaneously, and drying at the same rate. Since it requires weeks, a single, experimental plant won't be very helpful.

My own guide to stalk-harvesting is to wait for some signs of maturity in the top leaf, then cut the stalks down.

Bob

EDIT: There is a saying in tobacco country that a full barn is better for curing than a half-filled barn. A full barn offers a better buffer to swings in temp and humidity.

Ok, I'll do that.

Do you remember from last year what typical signs your Tofta plants showed before you chose to harvest them?

 

[deluxestogie]

In this post:

Deluxestogie Grow Log 2023

How far should you let flowers develop before topping?

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

 

[Anders A]

In this post:

Deluxestogie Grow Log 2023

How far should you let flowers develop before topping?

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

Thank´s, I find it by myselfe when I looked in your Growblog 2023

 

[Anders A]

Dog training in progress.

My puppy Bruno has just reacted/marked by sitting down at a Prilep which has started to show signs of maturity on the lower leaves
which now are ready to be harvested

 

[johnny108]

Dark-air retriever?

 

[FrostD]

Dog training in progress.

My puppy Bruno has just reacted/marked by sitting down at a Prilep which has started to show signs of maturity on the lower leaves
which now are ready to be harvested

View attachment 52446

Let us know how the training goes! I may need to train our boxers to do the same thing!

 

[Anders A]

As the weather is expected to be good with sun and heat for a few days now, I take the opportunity today to harvest all 48 Tofta plants (stalk cut)
(entire first row on the left). All plants are showing good signs of being ripe for harvest.
69 days after transplanting, 13 days after blooming, 11 days after topping.

Will try hanging all the plants in a new barn, but I am a bit worried that it will be too dry there for color cure, but will move them if that turns out to be the case.

 

[Anders A]

Then I have harvested all my 48 Tofta today, and finally got to use my new Tobacco barn, which was actually supposed to be a storeroom, workshop and dog kennel but this year it will be tobacco there. And in honor of the day, I also put up the Swedish flag

Glad the harvest is underway, and it looks to be a good harvest this year, probably my best in my four years as a tobacco grower.
I want to take the opportunity to thank the rest of you for a pleasant and rewarding association here.

 

[Anders A]

My four comparison plants.
Two PY KY171 on the left and two "regular" KY171 on the right. All transplanted May 25, (70 days ago).
None are blooming yet. Their height is now 137, 121, 124 and 118 cm. The other 36 PY KY171 I have today have an average height of about 140 cm and are still growing. I think this PY is a very interesting variety, it will be very fun to see what the yield will be. It has very thick and heavy leaves.

 

[Anders A]

Virginia Bright Leaf, today 71 days since transplanting.
Transplanted May 25, flowered and topped July 25 (61 days after transplanting) and today, 10 days after topping, even the upper leaves are starting to turn a nice yellow shade. Stalk cut in the coming week, (have 38 plants of them).
And yes, I have now given up hunting weeds

 

[manfisher]

Then I have harvested all my 48 Tofta today, and finally got to use my new Tobacco barn, which was actually supposed to be a storeroom, workshop and dog kennel but this year it will be tobacco there. And in honor of the day, I also put up the Swedish flag

Glad the harvest is underway, and it looks to be a good harvest this year, probably my best in my four years as a tobacco grower.
I want to take the opportunity to thank the rest of you for a pleasant and rewarding association here.

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That is a GORGEOUS shed! Might steal your design some day

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Wow Anders A, beautiful grow and excellent work!

 

[cavedane]

Dog training in progress.

My puppy Bruno has just reacted/marked by sitting down at a Prilep which has started to show signs of maturity on the lower leaves
which now are ready to be harvested

View attachment 52446

Sweet nice puppy ..still...next yer you may train him ...otherwise he will mark in a different way ...by lifting on bag leg

 

[Anders A]

Color cure - Tofta, the first 7 days

Plants, harvested 1st August, hung them up indoor straight away, here photo taken over 7 days, 1st to 7th August.

Have a little problem with it being too dry and too hot during the day, so there is a risk/tendency to dry green.
Have therefore moved the plants apart in the evening and opened the door and gates so the moist air came in, then moved the plants together in the morning and closed the door and gates and then succeeded in delaying the drying of the plants and now things are starting to look okay.

Starting tomorrow we will have cooler and rainier weather, which I personally appreciate at curing times

 

[Anders A]

75 days since transplanting

Today my PY KY171 bloomed and actually on the same day also the "regular" KY171 (the two on the right).
Height to Crow foot, 170 cm (66,6 inch), height topped 126 cm (44,4 inch). I topped the other 36 PY KY171 on July 25 (62 days since transplanting).
When these are ripe for harvest, I assume that the rest of my varieties are both harvested and fully cured and perhaps also finally dried

 

[Anders A]

Virginia Bright Leaf
Today I harvested my 38 Virginia Bright Leaf
79 days since transplanting, 17 days since topping. 18 leaves, height to crow's foot and topped, 140 cm (55 in), blade length, (10th blade), 81 cm (31 in), blade width 51 cm (20 in). All plants showed fine signs of maturity, even the upper leaves. I let them hang out for a few days when sunny and warm weather is expected.