My window, balcony and garden: 2025

[johnny108]

In order to get a comparison between my growing medium, and my garden soil, I planted a PYKY-171 seedling in a 26L container and placed it outside.
This sized container has given me full sized tobacco plants in the past, and I’m hoping for the same with this variety, so I can figure out what my garden soil is like.
Testing soils isn’t as easy in Germany as it is in the US. The soil is heavy clay, and massively needs a compost addition, but I wasn’t able to source anything reliable and affordable this year. Next year? Probably my own compost.

 

[jackpine]

I’m hoping to get enough seedlings to try 2 different container sizes.
The black square pots are 3”/8cm square, and 3.5”/9cm tall: they fit in a 12-pack tray.
The purple container is 4.33”/11cm across and 2.75”/7cm deep: they fit in a 6-pack tray with a bit more dead space between the containers.
It will be an exterior windowsill grow.
Stay tuned!View attachment 55778

bookmarking this, sound interesting!

 

[johnny108]

Backup transplants: a white pot for an early sprouted Black Sea Samsun, and 3 square black pots off of the balcony with Bursa.

 

[johnny108]

Nine more PYKY-171 made it to the garden!
Appointments, kids’ birthdays, and work leave me only one or two hour blocks of time to plant, and this patch of ground was loaded with old rotted branches buried by the previous owners. (The pile recovered is next to the right side bush at the top of the picture)
Considering the abundance of invasive species they planted, I’d love to meet them and ask them about their plans for the garden. (Preferably somewhere dark, while I’m holding something heavy….).

 

[johnny108]

3 more Bursa put into 10L pots off the balcony!

 

[johnny108]

Last fourteen PYKY-171 transplanted!
Now I gotta decide what to put in the last section that goes at a slight slope up a small hill…

 

[johnny108]

All 11 Bursa are in final containers and outside!

 

[johnny108]

Trabzon-2 seedlings potted up to prevent overcrowding and hopefully speed growth.
Gotta fill that empty field patch!
(I still have 9 more under the lights, but they need more time)

 

[johnny108]

Hyang Cho! (Plus one little Yellow-109 that needed space..)

 

[johnny108]

Field is looking good: no transplant losses.
Suckering has started in the Jaffna and the Virginia Gold.
Bitlis is flowering (from my last grow blog),
And the balcony Xanthi has started flowering.

 

[johnny108]

I pulled these Black Sea Samsun out from the seedling lights way too soon.
Tried to use window light- moving them around to wherever the sun was, and the results were a mess.
So I repotted them, pulling most of the lower leaves, and burying the stem. Since the seedling lights aren’t tall enough for these containers, plus they are full of rusticas, and orientals, off to the greenhouse they went!
Samsun is the lower right. Just above them is a 12, and 6-pack of Hyang Cho, and above that is a 12-pack of Trabzon-2.
At the top is a small pack of Yellow-109 that was getting leggy in the windows, as well.
The two grey packs to the left are bell peppers and basil.

 

[johnny108]

First loss: a PYKY-171 was blown over by strong winds and snapped at the soil line.
Replaced with a Trabzon-2.

 

[johnny108]

Considering the wind this place gets, I think it would’ve been better to plant nothing but One Sucker- a much shorter plant.
That’s probably going to be next year’s crop….

 

[Pj654]

Considering the wind this place gets, I think it would’ve been better to plant nothing but One Sucker- a much shorter plant.
That’s probably going to be next year’s crop….

That sucks wind is wrecking your plants hope the rest recover well. Can't wait to have new home with a big garden like that, looks amazing

 

[johnny108]

Due to the early flowering problems I’ve had with this strain the last 2 times I tried to grow it, I up-potted the Drosgi Black-Blue just as roots started showing out of the bottom of the seed tray.
(3 closest to the camera are Yellow-109: the rest of those will be potted up tomorrow).

 

[johnny108]

Put in a “zero-row” (before the 1st row) of Hyang Cho.
Mostly because I’m still curious about the strain, but also because I can’t move for all the seedlings I have of it!
The ars-grin website shows high levels of flavor components that are usually only found in Oriental/Turkish tobacco.
And this variety is Sun cured in South Korea….could this be an Oriental flavored tobacco with high nicotine?

 

[johnny108]

Back-ups/space filler Yellow-109 potted up.

 

[johnny108]

Bitlis stalk harvested!
Replaced with 2 Yellow-109, and a Hyang Cho.

 

[johnny108]

Potted up 9 Trabzon-2, and 12 Sultan of Albania. On the windowsill for hardening off…

 

[plantdude]

Put in a “zero-row” (before the 1st row) of Hyang Cho.
Mostly because I’m still curious about the strain, but also because I can’t move for all the seedlings I have of it!
The ars-grin website shows high levels of flavor components that are usually only found in Oriental/Turkish tobacco.
And this variety is Sun cured in South Korea….could this be an Oriental flavored tobacco with high nicotine?View attachment 55897

Off to a good start.
There's always Shirazi for an oriental with higher nicotine. It doesn't really fit an oriental in my mind though. It's from Iran and has a nicotine content about like most tobacco (higher than traditional orientals), resembles regular tobaccos in growth habit, and is traditionally used for hookahs (shisha). It lacks the floral aroma of most orientals and is fairly neutral flavor wise while not being overly harsh if inhaled.
I had a little puro made from last years crop a few days ago and it was enjoyable as always. It doesn't stand out as exceptional by itself but it blends with about everything if your looking for something to mix with orientals to bump the nicotine content up, or cigs, or even a neutral filler for cigars. Also good for chewing tobacco and keeps the nicotine content up better than having a lot of traditional orientals in the blend. It's one I have found myself growing every year due to it being so neutral and growing well in my location. Kind of a middle of the road staple tobacco with good dependability - the Toyota Corolla of tobaccos...