Jackpines first time growing

[Knucklehead]

Not so much the early rain, what I should have mentioned is that we have a lot of sand that really eats up any amendments ( leaf mold, cow poopy ect.) added to the soil so a lot of leeching.

Clay based new (not used) non-clumping kitty litter might help with the sand.

How To Use Kitty Litter To Help Your Plants Thrive - House Digest

Gardeners and plant lovers are always looking for ways to improve their soil. Can adding kitty litter to your soil mix be the solution you've been seeking?

www.housedigest.com

 

[jackpine]

Clay based new (not used) non-clumping kitty litter might help with the sand.

How To Use Kitty Litter To Help Your Plants Thrive - House Digest

Gardeners and plant lovers are always looking for ways to improve their soil. Can adding kitty litter to your soil mix be the solution you've been seeking?

www.housedigest.com

I'd never have thought of that! the article says to mix it at a 25% to 50% ratio, This will take some major math-ing for my simple mind.

 

[jackpine]

Coming along, just now seeing first signs of bug damage so mixing up some BT tomorrow

 

[deluxestogie]

In the upper image, showing a 'V' shaped gash, I suspect that the beak of a bird damaged the leaf while plucking a bug from its surface. BT will minimize damage by caterpillars (bud worms, hornworms, other caterpillars), but has no effect on other insect forms.

Bob

 

[jackpine]

In the upper image, showing a 'V' shaped gash, I suspect that the beak of a bird damaged the leaf while plucking a bug from its surface. BT will minimize damage by caterpillars (bud worms, hornworms, other caterpillars), but has no effect on other insect forms.

Bob

I've put 5 beer traps out, I didn't have my phone with me at the time but between the 5 I trapped 8 slugs. The damage in the pic and 2 more spots are the only damage I have so something is working or the word hasn't gotten around in the bug community yet that there's tobacco growing in the neighborhood

 

[plantdude]

I love beer traps. My wife keeps putting them out and catching me

Joking aside your plants are looking good. Leaf mould, compost and wood ash will work wonders even on sandy soil if you keep adding it every year. I've heard some people even bury logs and let them naturally decay as a form of gardening amendment, there is some fancy term for the technique. No idea how that would do for tobacco, but it may help.
I had a wood pile for about 10 years. Wood rots fast around here when it's in contact with the ground so I would just throw more wood on top each year and let the bottom layer act as a buffer and naturally decompose. I put a garden in that spot eventually and everything grew like crazy (including some tobacco) for about three years without any extra soil amendments or fertilizer. We have pretty heavy clay down here though and an almost impenetrable hard pan about 2.5 feet down. Not much leaches out of the soil.

 

[jackpine]

Six weeks after setting, at least to my untrained eye, things look pretty good. No fertilizer as of yet other than what I tilled in before planting.

 

[jackpine]

My tallest

 

[jackpine]

first flowers showing up, already topped two plants and only plan on letting one or two heads to go to seed. Plants are about five feet tall at this point

 

[WillQuantrill]

first flowers showing up, already topped two plants and only plan on letting one or two heads to go to seed. Plants are about five feet tall at this pointView attachment 56875View attachment 56874

They look nice and healthy!

 

[Knucklehead]

They look nice and healthy!

Second that. Great looking patch.

 

[manfisher]

Man I wish my first time growing last year went as smooth as your year 1, your plants look fantastic!

 

[jackpine]

Man I wish my first time growing last year went as smooth as your year 1, your plants look fantastic!

Thanks, beginners luck I suppose, but it seems the Havana 608 seed likes Michigan sand

 

[jackpine]

Started priming sand leaf and any of the lower leaf showing yellowing, only about two and a half dozen but its a start. I need to start on a curing box although probably no hurry for it right now.

 

[jackpine]

An old saying around some work places "give the laziest man the hardest job and he'll find the easiest way to do it" so my idea after spending a LOT of time wrapping leaf with rubber bands then using string to hang hem, I thought of trying to spear them with wire to hang them. Any thoughts on this before I get too far with this, is this feasible, will it harm the leaf??

 

[deluxestogie]

That should work fine. Even lazier is to use a longer piece of the same wire to string many leaves face-to-face and back to back. I've done that with up to 72 leaves on the same wire, with a smidgen of space between each leaf. That turns it into one "item" to hang or move.

Bob

 

[jackpine]

Exactly what I was looking for-thanks Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

I usually cut the wire end with a fairly square cut, rather than a point. That minimizes poking holes in my fingertips. Gently rocking the square-cut end of the wire against the leaf stem will always puncture it. I cut the Tyvek tags from used postal mailing envelopes.

Bob

 

[jackpine]

I usually cut the wire end with a fairly square cut, rather than a point. That minimizes poking holes in my fingertips. Gently rocking the square-cut end of the wire against the leaf stem will always puncture it. I cut the Tyvek tags from used postal mailing envelopes.

Bob

since my last reply I went out and was able to pick and hang another 48 leaves thanks to your advice. 82 deg. right now and muggy, with an early start tomorrow I should be able to get all hanging form my little plot( minus the two plants that I'm waiting for the seed pods to ripen).

 

[jackpine]

Hanging more leaf today, really happy with to size of some of these