Need Assistance with Air-Curing Green

[paintercote]

Thank God I found this forum. I have hung my tobacco and a lot of it is trying to dry green. I don't want to rant on and on but it is necessary that I explain. I built a large tent for curing ( green to yellow to brown). it has controlled humidity and temperature. I am maintaining 75 degrees at 70 to 75% humidity. PERFECT. However, the leaves I hung were pulled from my green house because I didn't know the plant (Virginia bright leaf ) would grow up and out of the green house. Grew wonderfully. So, I had to pull plants from the greenhouse. I hung all the leaves in bundles of 3. The larger leaves are doing pretty good but the green leaves I hung are trying to dry before the release of chlorophyl. I keep misting them to keep them moist but it seems like a loosing battle. These green leaves may have not supposed to be hung? I don't know. I am prepared to throw them out but maybe there is a battle plan if some one out there can help. Take note. My subject matter here is curing / hanging, release of chlorophyl, I plan kiln ferment after this. the kiln is completed with fan, heat source and humidity control.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Check out the New Growers' FAQ and useful topics in the Index of Key Forum Threads (both linked in the menu bar).

Other members may offer more useful assistance on your question. My immediate thought is that those leaves that are not coloring prior to drying were primed before they were mature enough to color well. If the current conditions of the curing area are indeed perfect, then you can do is allow them to hang, and see how they turn out, or try stacking the leaves in a box, rotating them every day, to accelerate yellowing and avoid mold. Leaves that exhibit clear signs of maturation usually color successfully.

Bob

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT. Some members have tried to avoid “flash drying” with various methods, with some successful results. Peruse the forum and you’ll find it. But alas, usually the taste is far from good... even after kilning, or toasting or casing. The best you can achieve is “meh... nearly smokable” to my knowledge. But try and be sure to post your results here!
The easiest way to avoid flash dried leaves is to harvest ripe (I.e. mostly yellowed on the plant) leaves, or at least mature (with some yellowing at the tip).

pier

edit: Bob has been faster and more helpful than me!

 

[deluxestogie]

I'll add that if you still have top leaf still on plants in the greenhouse, and you must remove them, cut the upper portion of the stalk, and hang those tops in your curing space to stalk cure. The presence of the stalk will slow desiccation of the top leaf.

Bob

 

[paintercote]

Thanku so much. I will research that to make sure I do it right.

 

[deluxestogie]

For thin stalks, cut the stalk with pruning shears, then use a wire (either passed through the stalk or simply tied around the stalk) for hanging. Always label each cut stalk.

For thick stalks, cut them with loppers, then drive a nail into the base at an angle, for hanging on a rope or wire.

Bob

 

[paintercote]

I think Im beginning to understand. Im going to sleep on this and in morning go out and cut the stalks down and just above the largest leaves. this will leave my plants about 3 to 4 feet high to grow through the winter. I will pull the lower leaves as they yellow. I will hang the upper / cuts in my curing room. Maybe the plants will survive winter, or not. this is my first grow. What do you think? am I on the right track.

 

[paintercote]

Welcome to FTT. Some members have tried to avoid “flash drying” with various methods, with some successful results. Peruse the forum and you’ll find it. But alas, usually the taste is far from good... even after kilning, or toasting or casing. The best you can achieve is “meh... nearly smokable” to my knowledge. But try and be sure to post your results here!
The easiest way to avoid flash dried leaves is to harvest ripe (I.e. mostly yellowed on the plant) leaves, or at least mature (with some yellowing at the tip).

pier

edit: Bob has been faster and more helpful than me!

Thanku. and I love this web sight / forum. Im going to learn tons here. Do you think there is a way to save these leaves that aren't drying /coloring correctly

 

[Knucklehead]

Thanku. and I love this web sight / forum. Im going to learn tons here. Do you think there is a way to save these leaves that aren't drying /coloring correctly

This photo was taken inside a tent?

 

[paintercote]

yes, one bay of my garage. it has small fan, humidity70-75%, and heat 75-80 degrees.

 

[POGreen]

Hi and welcome to Fair Trade Tobacco !

 

[paintercote]

Thanku. got any advice to save these leaves that tried to cure green. they came straight off the plant before yellowing. my mistake. They are in my curing station at 70% humidity and 75-80 degree heat with small fan. I spray them if necessary to wet them even farther. trying to get them to release chlorophyl before I ferment them. First time Gower here

 

[deluxestogie]

try stacking the leaves in a box, rotating them every day, to accelerate yellowing and avoid mold.

Many varieties are primed while green, but mature, rather than yellow-ripe. As a leaf (or apple or banana) begins to ripen, it releases ethylene gas. By stacking the still-green leaves in a box, this concentrates the ethylene, and accelerates yellowing. Rotating them every day will help in avoiding mold.

Bob

 

[paintercote]

Thanku. Just learned something, again. I have learned more in one day on this web sight than I have in 3 months of watching endless jibber jabber on U-tube. thanks again

 

[paintercote]

any suggestions on what to do with the leaves that are not browning. I may have neglected the humidity control and they spent a night almost drying. I understand that the chemical process of releasing the phemaldrohide (green stuff) stops if the leaf is allowed to dry. Like I said, I may have just slipped one night/day on the humidifier.

 

[paintercote]

I live in Wa. state where it is cold now. So, I hung plastic to make a room out of one of my garage bays. It is controlled automatically with heater and humidifier. Sometimes I would check my leaves only to find them drying regardless of what the meter on the humidifier said, so I would mist them with a spray bottle to moisten them up. Well, I got sick of this. So, in a spiritual stroke of genius, I turned the dam fan off !! It takes a day or 2 for mold to set in so I figure this would be fine if I babysit them. It worked and actually reinstated the curing process. So I guess this thread is only to state, turn off the fan and up the humidity if your leaves are drying. Its OK. Turn fan back on periodically to keep the air moving. Its hard being a genius. I must nap now. thank you

 

[Ben Brand]

My tobacco used to dry to fast, living in South Africa I had a heat and zero humidity problem.
I`ve put some burlap sacks at the bottom of my line I dry the tobacco on, and kept it moist, that helped that problem.
Good luck.
Ben

 

[Ben Brand]

If the humidity is to low, it will definitely cure to fast and have either green spots or whole green leaves. try and keep the humidity up, that said, not to much otherwise you'll`e have a mould problem.
Good luck.
Ben

 

[Knucklehead]

I live in Wa. state where it is cold now. So, I hung plastic to make a room out of one of my garage bays. It is controlled automatically with heater and humidifier. Sometimes I would check my leaves only to find them drying regardless of what the meter on the humidifier said, so I would mist them with a spray bottle to moisten them up. Well, I got sick of this. So, in a spiritual stroke of genius, I turned the dam fan off !! It takes a day or 2 for mold to set in so I figure this would be fine if I babysit them. It worked and actually reinstated the curing process. So I guess this thread is only to state, turn off the fan and up the humidity if your leaves are drying. Its OK. Turn fan back on periodically to keep the air moving. Its hard being a genius. I must nap now. thank you

I only use the fan when I worry about the humidity being too high or when it rains. I haven’t actually tried it myself, but you can also suspend towels from a bucket or tub and the water will wick up the towels and raise humidity. You just have to occasionally fill the tub with more water. Kind of a low maintenance solution.

 

[paintercote]

I switched over to a small USB fan made for electrical units. It's about 6 inches wide and just barely moves air. I'm watching closely cause I jacked humidity up to 80.