anti mold spray/treatments

[parabolic]

Hi folks,

are there any homemade anti mold spray formulas that i can mix with water? when I bring colour cured tobacco back into case for fermenting in bags I have found the odd leaf or two with white mold and wonderd if I can prevent it?

cheers

Lee

 

[GreenDragon]

You could be casing too high, packing too tight, or using non-breathable bags, or a combo of these. Fermenting at 120F or above will prevent mold and you don't have to worry about the moisture levels so much. I can't think of anything to spray on the leaf that would not either be a temporary fix only or taste horrible.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

... what Green Dragon said!

An odd leaf here and there with a little mold isn't all that uncommon. If you are really concerned you could spray some hydrogen peroxide. It is easily degraded by heat and light so should not leave an aftertaste. I use 35% "pure" peroxide that I dilute down to whatever I'm in the mood for. The store bought stuff has stabilizers added to it so it might leave and aftertaste

 

[parabolic]

thank you both, 120f is about 49c and i have been plastic bag fermenting (semi air tight sealed) only at 20-30c max, so this low temp could be the reason, not high enough temp. I have tried the hydrogen peroxide before and it worked for getting rid of existing mold, however the peroxide smelt cheesy! I think it has a limited shelf life so i will buy fresh.

are those timber moisture meters any good at measuring the leaf moisture content? or is it best to just weigh the pre fermented tobacco in bone dry case to then add water to the correct %

thanks again guys, a great help

Lee

 

[Alpine]

Keep your kiln above 52 C and mold can’t grow. After kilning, I store the tobacco literally bone dry in carton boxes, which allow the leaves to “breathe”. Carton (or paper bags) let the moisture content of the leaves “swing” according to ambient RH. Of course, don’t store your precious kilned baccy boxes in a damp and cold environment!
For remoistening the leaves, I use a spray bottle with a mix of water and honey (1 teaspoon of honey per liter, more or less) and I feel no need for a moisture meter: do it a couple of times and you’ll get a “feel” for this: it’s not rocket science.
The honey added to the mix acts as a preservative, sweetens the tobacco taste and helps to retain moisture for a little longer. Propylen glicol is usually added to commercial baccy, but I prefer to avoid chemicals.

pier

 

[parabolic]

thanks for the advice alpine

 

[LeftyRighty]

there is a garden product - Serenade - that controls mold & mildew. Safe to use on fruits/veggies. (???)
I've used it on small patches on leaves, supposedly organic, a fungicide (strain of bacillus subilis) that attacks mold. I've never used enough of it on my leaves to comment about taste/flavor/aroma, nor even know if it's safe to smoke.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I use something similar to this. Note the probes. Some moisture meters for wood do not have them.

https://www.amazon.com/Proster-Moisture-Handheld-Detector-Measuring/dp/B01MV3PSF6/ref=asc_df_B01MV3PSF6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309786256292&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5084118720865125880&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008112&hvtargid=pla-560861937242&psc=1