Fal town grow log

[Faltown]

Morning all, so yesterday I've started my second year of growing tobacco. This forum was the only thing that made last year possible, and I'm excited to implement all the advice, information and knowledge I learned to this year.

My main problem last year was starting to take an interest in growing when I knew next to nothing. I ordered reasonably random seeds, started too late, transplanted to late, harvested too early, and from my choices of seed, had problems with mildew.

So this year, I've set seed early, as it's actually pretty rare for us to get frost, and kept (for now) my choice to two. The first is staghorn, which I only did 4 plant's worth as paid more attention to different cultivars. Staghorn though proved to be hardy, strong growing, and partly due to leaf shape excellent at blue mold resistance. And the second is some seed I collected. It's going to be a bit of a suprise, but I left yellow twist bud, and nostrano del brenta to go to flower, and hopefully cross pollinated. I'm unsure of the outcome, but I collected a lot of seed, and am planning 70% crop of staghorn, so it'll be a nice experiment!

I've recently switched full time from rolling tobacco to a pipe, so my hope is to use the staghorn as a base to possibly mix in some Latakia, for a everyday smoke.

The flower picture is of the nostrano/yellow twist (hopeful) cultiva!

Let's see how 2025 goes for everyone!

 

[Faltown]

One week later, and the six trays I've done with the nostrano/yellow twist are alive! Very happy as average temperatures here at the moment are 10 degrees celcius ( and I'm too tight to put the heating on!), plus I read somewhere that seeds are hit and miss the year after harvesting?!

Anyways, complete unknown of what these guys will grow into, but happy as I've still a large stock of seeds, and they've appeared before my staghorn seeds that I purchased last year.

This year, I need to remember - patience!

 

[Faltown]

Long time has past, and been busy, but been trying to stay on top of everything. For me, money is really tight, so I've been a bit slow in affording compost. Today I think I've got everything that's going in, in a pot.

I've used plastic beer Kegs that I got for free, cut in half to give mostly 15 litre pots, with a few 10 litres.

Ended up with 100 baby plants, and have 55 potted up. Larger ones were done around two weeks ago, so hopefully the others will give me a bit of time to process, as I'll have a bit of a break between harvesting time's.

These were from seeds I collected last year. I left a yellow twist bud and a nostrano del brenta to flower, and unsure whether any cross pollution occured, but as it stands these are looking very nost.

 

[Knucklehead]

Nice looking crop of plants.

 

[deluxestogie]

unsure whether any cross pollution occured

If you did not bag the blossom heads, then Bob is sure they crossed. N. tabacum usually self-pollinates to about 90%, when open pollinated. So about 10% of the male genes have crossed.

Bob

 

[Faltown]

Nice looking crop of plants.

Cheers buddy!

 

[Faltown]

If you did not bag the blossom heads, then Bob is sure they crossed. N. tabacum usually self-pollinates to about 90%, when open pollinated. So about 10% of the male genes have crossed.

Bob

I didn't bag them, so we'll see what I get! Probably should of done a few plants of something I know I like, but whatever this turns out to be homegrown is always special. Cheers Bob

 

[Faltown]

It's difficult to see in the photo, but I'm wondering whether I should give these a feed?!

They were potted up into some multi-purpose compost 4 weeks ago today. The compost claimed to have added nutrients. I have given possibly one liquid feed around 2 weeks ago. The leaves are not as vibrant green as they used to be, but there's not even the start of a stalk. Carefully looking at the terminal bud, there's no sign yet of flower, just alot more leaves to come.

So, I'm wondering whether to,
A. Leave them, and prime leaves as they yellow, whilst watching for signs of nutrient deficiency in new growth.
B.feed them liquid feed and risk having the first sets of leaves turning yellow anyway, but with fertilizer in them!

Just conscious about the time it takes for a plant to not have any liquid fertz. In it's leaves.

I think I might of answered my own question! Pics are of today, and around a week ago for the colour difference.

Overall, very happy and all going well I think!

 

[The Haroo ln]

Try a high nitrogen fertilizer it helped me with mine

 

[Knucklehead]

I think I might of answered my own question! Pics are of today, and around a week ago for the colour difference.

What did you figure out? What brand of liquid fertilizer are you using?

When I grew in the ground I used triple 10 granular slow time release fertilizer once at the beginning of the season.
The instructions on my water soluble Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer recommends an application every 7 to 10 days. So, not slow release.

I found that the smaller plants consume less fertilizer than the larger plants so keep an eye on the growth and color and adjust your feedings to the size and conditions on the ground. I would fertilize when my leaves showed a slight paleness to the leaves and fertilize through the season until about topping time then stop the feeding to allow the plants to ripen without kicking them back into a growth stage.

 

[Faltown]

Try a high nitrogen fertilizer it helped me with mine

Cheers bud. Yea I've got some powder stuff specifically for salad leaf, so pretty much just nitrogen. Just worried if in actual fact these leaves are naturally ripening, I don't think there would be time for them to use up/ get rid of the fertz before it's trapped in the leaf

 

[Faltown]

What did you figure out? What brand of liquid fertilizer are you using?

When I grew in the ground I used triple 10 granular slow time release fertilizer once at the beginning of the season.
The instructions on my water soluble Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer recommends an application every 7 to 10 days. So, not slow release.

So I think I'm going to not fertilize for a couple of days. If indeed it is that they need a feed, I'll see the new growth start to yellow. In that case I can prime lower leaves and then give them a feed. If the lower leaves continue to yellow, but the newer growth doesn't, I can prime the lower leaves and then feed

 

[deluxestogie]

Perhaps I am mistaken, but my understanding of your concern is that chemical fertilizer is somehow accumulated in the leaves. Instead, the root system takes up the fertilizer, then coverts it into assorted organic compounds that are transported into the leaves. There is never "fertilizer in the leaf."

Lower leaf always matures before upper leaf, and if allowed the time, begins to ripen. A fully ripe leaf is senescent, and no longer takes up significant nutrients from the stalk.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

The plants are not mature enough to be ripening.

The yellowing you see on the lower leaves of the Yellow Twist Bud is the growth habit of the variety. That's just the way they grow.




These photos were taken by @skychaser at northwoodseeds.com. Above is the YTB, below is the Staghorn.

 

[Faltown]

Perhaps I am mistaken, but my understanding of your concern is that chemical fertilizer is somehow accumulated in the leaves. Instead, the root system takes up the fertilizer, then coverts it into assorted organic compounds that are transported into the leaves. There is never "fertilizer in the leaf."

Lower leaf always matures before upper leaf, and if allowed the time, begins to ripen. A fully ripe leaf is senescent, and no longer takes up significant nutrients from the stalk.

Bob

Ahhhhh, I see! I was worried about feeding them too late, and ending up with difficult combustion.

I've given them all a feed with some high nitrogen, so hopefully they'll be happy!

 

[Faltown]

The plants are not mature enough to be ripening.

The yellowing you see on the lower leaves of the Yellow Twist Bud is the growth habit of the variety. That's just the way they grow.

View attachment 56267


These photos were taken by @skychaser at northwoodseeds.com. Above is the YTB, below is the Staghorn.


View attachment 56268

Thanks bob. Yep was a bit of an unknown this year given the cross pollination, but thanks for the reminder on the colouring. Cheers

 

[Faltown]

Thanks for the reminder Bob about yellow twist bud and nostrano del brenta growth habits. I can't actually remember which of the two plants I collected the seeds off, but 4 day's after feeding with some great weather and think it's all looking ok. New growth is nice and green, and lower leaves are getting a bit pale, like ytb seems to do.

At the moment, lot's of sucker's but I like a bit of gardening, and leaves are very sticky! Seems to have a narrower leave shape than nostrano, but similar shape, form that's similar in growth too, but yellowing of lower leaves like ytb! Pretty cool cultivar so far!

 

[Faltown]

Perhaps I didn't give a good enough feed at the start of last week, as the yellowing on the lower leaves continues!

Being that these are a yellow twist bud/nostrano del brenta cross, would you be priming the yellow lower leaves now, or just wait?!

They've been in these final 15 litre pots for 5 weeks now. In on fresh multipurpose compost, and fed probably 3 time's with a high nitrogen soluble feed.

Prime or wait?! Weather looks good next 10 days, and I prefer my tobacco high in nicotine. My impatience is still there!

 

[Faltown]

Edit, just tried to prime a couple, and definitely no "snap" of the stem. So going to find some patience and wait!

 

[Knucklehead]

This may make you feel better:

Yellow Twist Bud Tobacco - Victory Seeds®

Multipurpose tobacco for plug, cigarette and pipe blending, and cigar filler.

victoryseeds.com