Tennessee Red Leaf

[TigerTom]

I found a packet of Tennessee Red seed I ordered from Seedman some time ago.

His website lists it with "pipe tobacco" varieties, but I'm not sure what type it is.

Is it a Burley? Dark VA? Flue cure?

Anyone out there have experience with this one?

 

[FmGrowit]

Many companies that sell seed create their own names. This is why it is highly recommended you purchase from our preferred seller http://northwoodseeds.com/Seed List2.htm

I've never heard of Tennessee Red before.

 

[deluxestogie]

What its "true name" is will likely remain a mystery. [A plague upon all "creative" seed vending houses!] Nearly every tobacco variety name that includes a reference to Tennessee is a burley. BUT...ARS-GRIN shows only 38 accessions (including the obsolete ones) that contain "Tennessee" anywhere in all their data fields. "Tennessee Red" is not among them. [Not a good sign.]

Sustainable Seed Co. (a reliable source, with a high reputation) has an entry for Tennessee Red, indicating that it is out of stock. BUT...its surprisingly brief description of it entirely lacks a characterization of its CLASS. I suspect "copy and paste" from the seed wholesaler's comments. Northwood Seeds (@skychaser ) does not list it.

The good news: You get to be the FTT member who (with the assistance of other members, if needed) assigns an adequate description and CLASS to Tennessee Red--AND that will become the definitive word on the subject. I'll bet a nickel that it's some sort of red burley, as opposed to the paler, "white burleys". I may lose five cents, but if @FmGrowit has never heard of it, I think you can take that to the bank.

Bob

 

[TigerTom]

According to this post, Northwood Seeds carries it but it hasn't been put up on the website:

Samsun-Maden

Good evening, Some time ago, I ordered seeds for Bafra from New Hope Seed. Later, I was reading a discussion about orientals on the now-defunct howtogrowtobacco.com forum something interesting. I thought I would check it here just to be sure it's accurate. Someone posted (and I can't recall...

fairtradetobacco.com

I had a thought that it could be some kind of burley, but thought I'd check the forum since there is a dearth of information on the web.

 

[baccy]

I were wondering the same. Mine is from leafonly website bought 2 years ago and says on the bag TA116 Tenneesee Read Leaf. Now I checked their site and they have Tennesee Dark listed in a cigar seeds section, thou in description says excellent for cigarettes and pipe.. Go figure.

 

[Alpine]

Did you try to search TA 116 in the ARS-GRIN database?

pier

 

[TigerTom]

Did you try to search TA 116 in the ARS-GRIN database?

pier

I did just now. I got back two search results: Oryza sativa ("Asian Rice") and some sort of Bok Choy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis).

The mystery deepens.

Anyway, I haven't grown it. The seeds are probably dead now since I got them about 15 years ago. If I ever get the itch, I'll order some from skychaser.

 

[baccy]

I started the seedlings at 15th of April and transplanted in the fild mid May. They were sitting down with just a few leafs first two months. I thought they won't make anything but then they explode out of nowhere. The tallest plant is 190 cm, rest are 180cm on average.

Most leafs are very long, narrow and sharp as you could see on sixth picture. The bottoms have more of an oval shape but still are getting pointy towards the end.

The surface is very smooth and nice to touch. It is not sticky at all unlike the Virginia Golds I grow.

I wrote to the website I have bought the seeds and staff told me that it is a cigar strain meant for wrapper or fronto. They said I could also use it for cigarette as well if its not to strong for me. From what I read here cigar strains should not be picked yellow, but I'm afraid of drying them green, so I will process them ripe - air cure - kiln.

 

[deluxestogie]

This is Long Red (PI 552693, TC 117).

[image ARS-GRIN]

It's height averages 1 meter to the bottom of the crowfoot.

Bob

 

[TigerTom]

I started the seedlings at 15th of April and transplanted in the fild mid May. They were sitting down with just a few leafs first two months. I thought they won't make anything but then they explode out of nowhere. The tallest plant is 190 cm, rest are 180cm on average.

Most leafs are very long, narrow and sharp as you could see on sixth picture. The bottoms have more of an oval shape but still are getting pointy towards the end.

The surface is very smooth and nice to touch. It is not sticky at all unlike the Virginia Golds I grow.

I wrote to the website I have bought the seeds and staff told me that it is a cigar strain meant for wrapper or fronto. They said I could also use it for cigarette as well if its not to strong for me. From what I read here cigar strains should not be picked yellow, but I'm afraid of drying them green, so I will process them ripe - air cure - kiln.View attachment 43518View attachment 43519View attachment 43520View attachment 43521View attachment 43522View attachment 43523View attachment 43524View attachment 43525

Good looking plants. Where did you buy the seeds? I did a quick search and the only other pictures I could find were for Leaf Only selling seeds (advertised as a fronto), but the plant they show appears to be some type of Burley, not at all like what you show here.

I can see the leaves you have maybe being suitable for filler, but the leaf vein angle seems a bit too acute for a wrapper. Maybe I'm wrong. If I am, hopefully someone will correct me.

Anyway, I got my seeds from Seedman back in, I think, 2008 but I never planted them. Maybe next spring I can test how long tobacco seeds live outside ideal storage conditions.

-Tom

 

[deluxestogie]

the leaf vein angle seems a bit too acute for a wrapper.

Leaf with an acute vein angle can always wrap a relatively narrow cigar. The above illustration indicates how thick a cigar can be, for a given wrapper leaf.

Bob

 

[skychaser]

Tennessee Red Leaf

 

[deluxestogie]

Very nice. Do you have an ARS-GRIN PI number for it?

Bob

 

[baccy]

Good looking plants. Where did you buy the seeds? I did a quick search and the only other pictures I could find were for Leaf Only selling seeds (advertised as a fronto), but the plant they show appears to be some type of Burley, not at all like what you show here.

Hi, yes I bought them from that site in 2020, at the moment they have Tennessee Dark which is different.

I can see the leaves you have maybe being suitable for filler, but the leaf vein angle seems a bit too acute for a wrapper. Maybe I'm wrong. If I am, hopefully someone will correct me.

I don't know, I haven't grown cigar variety before and never rolled a cigar. Even if they are not perfect I will try to roll a few for the learning.

Leaf with an acute vein angle can always wrap a relatively narrow cigar. The above illustration indicates how thick a cigar can be, for a given wrapper leaf.

Bob

Interesting. Do you mean that a narrow cigar is preferable to roll or that an acute angle makes a narrow cigars and less acute thicker ones? Also this particular leaf you shown is a huge one, it would be a long circumference cigar.

 

[deluxestogie]

Also this particular leaf you shown is a huge one

It's your leaf, from your post. My point about the vein angle is that since the axis of the cigar bunch is aligned with the secondary veins of the wrapper during rolling, a more acute vein angle limits how thick a cigar it will wrap. With a vein angle close to 90°, the length of the wrapper leaf is the limit of the cigar's possible circumference. No one need do math. Acute vein angle wrapper for narrower cigars; rectangular vein angle wrapper for any cigars.

Bob

 

[BrotherJ]

@baccy
@deluxestogie got to it first, but I'd like to add another illustration. I've attached an image that I modified. I found this on a quick image search. I have no idea whose hand that is, but it looks like he needs to eat more red meat. The yellow represents a cut of the leaf that you might want to use for wrapper. The red represents the same, but turned at just a bit more of an angle, as if the leaf veins were a bit more acute.

Because you'll want to roll your cigar perpendicular (90 degrees) to the leaf veins, the veins determine how long your wrapper will be and thus how thick/long of a cigar you can wrap with it. Acute vein angles will have you running off the edge of the leaf. You could try to compensate by cutting your selection closer to the stem, but the veins are much thicker there and not as good for wrapping.

More experienced users please comment and correct if I've shown something wrong.

 

[TigerTom]

Leaf with an acute vein angle can always wrap a relatively narrow cigar. The above illustration indicates how thick a cigar can be, for a given wrapper leaf.

Bob

Thanks for that. It makes sense. You'd previously mentioned that varieties like Little Dutch can make a good wrapper, but then when I looked at the vein angle I questioned how.

Learn something new every day.

 

[TigerTom]

Tennessee Red Leaf

That's appears quite different than what @baccy is growing. What do you reckon the type is?

 

[deluxestogie]

@polygon55 offers a "Tennessee Redleaf"

Cigarette-pipe grade. Seeds are from Sweden. There is no special information on the variety. The period from planting to flowering is 72-80 days. The flower is red. The shape of the plant is conical. The height of the bush is about 1.2 m. The leaf is dark green, sessile, the neck is narrow, the leaf blade is elliptical. Number of leaves 20-22.​

Western classification​

Light leaf air / heat dried (FLUE-CURED FC)​

Aging (days) 72​

Number of tobacco leaves 20-22​

Tennesse Redleaf | Сорта табака и махорки

Сигаретно-трубочный сорт. Семена получены из Швеции. Особой информации по сорту нет. Период от посадки до цветения – 72-80 дней. Цветок красный.

tobacco.professorhome.ru

I'm not clear on what this is, and whether or not it is the same as @skychaser's Red Leaf. The link also provides several photos.

Bob

 

[baccy]

Thanks to Bob and BrotherJ for clarify the angle thing !

It's your leaf, from your post.

Yes I knew, thats why I said is a huge one and seeing the green line you draw I thought wait thats at least 20cm, doesn't sound like narrow cigar. Now I just measured that exact leaf:



Its at least 23-24 cm.

Another leaf:



I know I didn't mesure exact green line you draw but still if you remove 4-5 cm would be a thick cigar, isn't it?
Please correct me if I don't get it.

@polygon55 offers a "Tennessee Redleaf"
Cigarette-pipe grade. Seeds are from Sweden. There is no special information on the variety. The period from planting to flowering is 72-80 days. The flower is red. The shape of the plant is conical. The height of the bush is about 1.2 m. The leaf is dark green, sessile, the neck is narrow, the leaf blade is elliptical. Number of leaves 20-22.Western classificationLight leaf air / heat dried (FLUE-CURED FC)Aging (days) 72Number of tobacco leaves 20-22

Mein are much taller excluding the flower stalk. Number of leafs are arround 30. Leaf is dark green yes.