I have not experienced a low germination rate for Little Yellow. Be sure to bag one head, and save your seeds. You will be pleased with the leaf.
Bob
hemlock's 2025 grow blog
- Thread starter Hemlock
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Bob
Ok. I've done as recommended and will get a seed collection for future years.
Very pleased with the growth of Little Yellow. I'm sure if I'd planted earlier the growth would be even more prolific. I haven't air cured before, so that's when the proof will be in the pudding for this leaf variety, this autumn.
Flue cured another batch of ten leaves Virginia Gold to experiment.
A couple leaves didn't lose green fully despite a few days in yellowing phase. Others yellowed pretty quickly. But some showed a little brown after excess days (around 4-5 days, waiting for stragglers to yellow)
Humidity ~93%. Temp around 95-100F
Wilting stage at 120F, kept humidity high over 90%, hoping to color cure the greenish laggards. Within less than 24 hrs most leaves had become brownish and not the bright yellow hoped for. Two leaves still have a greenish cast. They were picked mature with just a tip of yellow. Should have been more ripe.
Aroma has a caramel/toffee note along with sweet root vegetable/squash
key learnings:
- wait until more yellow and have consistency in the leaves at priming to ensure fast and even yellowing. Don't add more leaves to the batch a day or two into the run.
- don't prolong holding at high humidity if leaves have yellowed
- too high humidity during wilting seems to brown the leaves instead of fixing the colour.
It could be a happy accident? Or perhaps just leaf scalding. brown leaf after flue curing aroma is pleasant, and different. Won't know about flavor and combustion character for some time, since I will age the batch before smoking in a pipe. The green stuff will be compost.
.
A couple leaves didn't lose green fully despite a few days in yellowing phase. Others yellowed pretty quickly. But some showed a little brown after excess days (around 4-5 days, waiting for stragglers to yellow)
Humidity ~93%. Temp around 95-100F
Wilting stage at 120F, kept humidity high over 90%, hoping to color cure the greenish laggards. Within less than 24 hrs most leaves had become brownish and not the bright yellow hoped for. Two leaves still have a greenish cast. They were picked mature with just a tip of yellow. Should have been more ripe.
Aroma has a caramel/toffee note along with sweet root vegetable/squash
key learnings:
- wait until more yellow and have consistency in the leaves at priming to ensure fast and even yellowing. Don't add more leaves to the batch a day or two into the run.
- don't prolong holding at high humidity if leaves have yellowed
- too high humidity during wilting seems to brown the leaves instead of fixing the colour.
It could be a happy accident? Or perhaps just leaf scalding. brown leaf after flue curing aroma is pleasant, and different. Won't know about flavor and combustion character for some time, since I will age the batch before smoking in a pipe. The green stuff will be compost.
.
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There's some nice leaf there! It's always fun to figure out flue-curing.
- Limit the stalk-priming level to a single priming for a flue-cure batch, since leaf from higher up the stalk requires longer yellowing than leaf from lower on the stalk.
- Leaf from higher on the stalk will flue-cure to a more red or brown color, compared to lower leaf.
- Once the temp reaches ~104°F, any remaining green is now fixed. That's how you make green (candela) cigar wrapper.
- Regardless of the priming level, the flue-cure schedule should be followed closely after the yellowing stage.
The Haroo ln
Haroon
That's a really good effort at flue curing. You have some nice looking leaves! Good job
Thanks. Truthfully I'm hoping to get them on par with the perfect leaves from the pros. More time needed in the basement curing lab, though. Really makes one appreciate the mastery of professional growers.
Thanks for the advice.
The Haroo ln
Haroon
Practice makes perfect, or so the wise say.
Hi folks
Here's closely spaced Basma, starting to bud. Leaves are small, numerous and plants are about a metre tall. Not very resinous or aromatic compared to the burley, dark and virginias.
Here's what Virginia Gold looks like 20 days after topping. These were topped at early budding stage, not even close to flowers. I thought this would have stunted growth. They have turned out pretty full beasts at 1.5 meters.
Another learning is that spacing matters for this varietal. Despite columnar growth, the leaf size is big suggesting 30" spacing next grow.
Shown below are some blemishes and nibbles from transient critters, here and there, but no panic. Unless anyone thinks something more serious? No sign of resident worms or caterpillars around the chewed up leaf.
Here's closely spaced Basma, starting to bud. Leaves are small, numerous and plants are about a metre tall. Not very resinous or aromatic compared to the burley, dark and virginias.
Here's what Virginia Gold looks like 20 days after topping. These were topped at early budding stage, not even close to flowers. I thought this would have stunted growth. They have turned out pretty full beasts at 1.5 meters.
Another learning is that spacing matters for this varietal. Despite columnar growth, the leaf size is big suggesting 30" spacing next grow.
Shown below are some blemishes and nibbles from transient critters, here and there, but no panic. Unless anyone thinks something more serious? No sign of resident worms or caterpillars around the chewed up leaf.
Here's the Shirey. Plants are droopy and not as attractive as the oriental and Virginia Gold upright stature. The leaves are rugose, thick, and look ready but the overall plants are still quite green. Looking for advice if I should wait a few more weeks before stalk harvesting, until bottom leaves are yellowing? Same situation with my Harrow Velvet and Little Yellow.
Shirey and upper leaf images
Harrow Velvet upper leaf
Shirey and upper leaf images
Harrow Velvet upper leaf
The upper leaves shown in the photos appear sufficiently mature for priming or stalk-cutting.
Bob
Bob
During flue curing, Virginia Gold yellowing not complete on some leaves but others that were a nice blond have since formed dark patches. About 4 days into the yellowing. Temp is 100F and humidity is about 94% from crock pot heater.
Does anyone know what causes the brown? Is it too much humidity during the yellowing phase? Will such leaf turn out ok or is it scrap?
Does anyone know what causes the brown? Is it too much humidity during the yellowing phase? Will such leaf turn out ok or is it scrap?
My own experience is that if the leaves within a single batch are not initially at the same degree of maturity, or are from different priming levels, the first leaves will yellow nicely, but then develop brown areas while awaiting the slower-yellowing leaves. My opinion is that those brown areas don't detract much from the flavor of the finished leaf, though it's not as pretty.
The season during which I grew 32 plants of Virginia Bright Leaf, I found it easy to prime full batches of leaf from the same stalk level, and with nearly identical maturity. Those were some of my nicest batches of flue-cured. Seasons when I had fewer Virginia plants to prime, it was more difficult to make up consistent batches for flue-curing.
An alternative approach, used by some members, has been to yellow the leaf outside of the flue-cure chamber (e.g. towel curing in cardboard boxes), then select only fully yellowed leaves for the chamber—and—skip the yellowing phase of the flue-cure chart, going immediately to wilting.
Bob
The season during which I grew 32 plants of Virginia Bright Leaf, I found it easy to prime full batches of leaf from the same stalk level, and with nearly identical maturity. Those were some of my nicest batches of flue-cured. Seasons when I had fewer Virginia plants to prime, it was more difficult to make up consistent batches for flue-curing.
An alternative approach, used by some members, has been to yellow the leaf outside of the flue-cure chamber (e.g. towel curing in cardboard boxes), then select only fully yellowed leaves for the chamber—and—skip the yellowing phase of the flue-cure chart, going immediately to wilting.
Bob
The Haroo ln
Haroon
I always thought the higher the RH during air curing the quicker the leaves yellow and the darker they brown, obviously taking into account priming levels. Not sure if that's the same with flue curing?
The purpose of flue-curing is to permanently halt the curing process, once the leaves have yellowed.
Bob
Bob
Bob, I agree with your recommendation to prime at similar levels. For sure eliminates another variable. In addition I am concluding I should wait for a little more yellowing on the stalk since such leaves seem to change colour very fast. Mature leaf, but not close to ripe needs too much cajoling to advance the yellowing metabolic processes in the living leaf. Convinced I am removing from stalk too early on this varietal. It looks ready because lighter green with a bit of yellow at tips, but it's far too early to prime.
High humidity and yellowing temperature beyond when the leaves are yellow seems to be the culprit for turning them brown. Need more airflow and will try around 80% humidity.
My kegerator kiln doesn't have active air input and output. I bank on just what leaks out of a cracked lid to evacuate excess humidity. I think >90% RH is too high for yellowing if there is no active air exchange.
The experiments continue. Still have the vast majority of harvest yet to go and lots to learn through trial and learning.
After 5 days of yellowing the Virginia Gold, did a day at 120F to wilt the tobacco, and start drying. lowered humidity by closing crock pot lid. The lamina is crispy but stems moist and plump. No aroma due to absence of moisture. Next step into the oven at 155F convection mode, for stem drying.
Here's a small mountain of about 20 full sized leaves prior to stem drying. Pleased with the bronze/orange colour. Hopefully have locked in the natural sugars. One or two offending leaves still have some green tinge so will isolate from rest of batch.
Here's a small mountain of about 20 full sized leaves prior to stem drying. Pleased with the bronze/orange colour. Hopefully have locked in the natural sugars. One or two offending leaves still have some green tinge so will isolate from rest of batch.
