Tobaccofieldsforever 2022 Grow Log

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

Hello to all fair trade members. Winter has finally begun to break and I started most of my tobacco varieties about 5 days ago. This seasons tobacco will be: Krumovgrad, Prilep, Harrow Velvet, Yellow Twist bud, MD 609, Virginia gold, and Buckeye Red (this is what my father calls the tobacco he has grown for 20 years. It is allegedly the creation of a Maryland tobacco farmer who grew/grows for commercial sale.) That is all I know for sure thus far. I wish everyone an excellent growing season and there are many more posts to follow!

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

This will be my first year using peat pots at all. I know this can be a matter of personal opinion, but are these things any good? I have read negative comments about them restricting the root ball, etc…

 

[deluxestogie]

If the exterior of the peat pot remains dry, the roots will not penetrate the walls, but will circle around the interior. If that should happen, then the peat pot should be peeled off of the root ball at the time of transplant to the field. If you decide to transplant with the peat pot intact, then be sure to burry its upper edges completely in the soil, to prevent moisture wicking from continuing to keep the walls dry.

I have used peat pots in the past, and have chosen to use 1020 tray inserts instead, both for increased number of seedlings that can be started in the same space, as well as the greater ease of final transplant to the field. That is just my preference.

Bob

EDIT: I like your variety selection. I look forward to seeing the results of your "Buckeye Red".

 

[billy]

i just avoid anything that restricts root growth at all. just seems like something where its how much are you ok with this making it worse. my opinion of them isnt as bad as those peat pod things with a round net that i still find years later in my compost pile with mangled pepper roots trying to get out of the net, atleast with peat pots i can remove the plant or atleast peel the bottom off. im more ok with burying cow manure pots but their pricing is small scale for fun only. but thats my rant on bury-able pots lol

 

[Oldfella]

I have always used Peat pots for my plants. I find that give great results and it’s easy to see when watering is required. I don’t recommend the net covered one's they tend to get too wet. I lost a few plants to root rot using them.
Oldfella

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

A couple questions and concerns. In the attached pictures are my current seed starting setup and some mold that has grown on the outside of all the peat pots. I’m using a 1020 lattice tray inside a solid tray in an attempt to bottom water. The surrounding tobacco plants are just f2 hybrids I grew out inside over the winter to keep me busy. I may abandon them altogether or at most keep selfing the Virginia burley hybrid for 5 more seasons…haha! Anyway, I was wondering if just wiping the mold off the pots and giving them more air would be an ok route, can the mold potentially damage the plants?. Is bottom watering a good option with peat pots like this? (Seems like they would fall apart). I’m hesitant to use hydrogen peroxide on them as my dad told me he killed many tomato seedlings with it before when he tried it. I’m also not crazy about the seed starting soil I’m using but I had it on hand so oh well (made sure there wasn’t any urea). The orientals seem to be growing quickly while the burleys and marylands not so much. Hopefully that is just the nature of the plants and not any neglectful actions on my part!

 

[Knucklehead]

The mold isn't going to hurt anything. We're providing the perfect moist heat for mold growth. You can wipe the mold with a cloth but I wouldn't use anything else, it's fairly common. I don't have any experience with the peat pots, I would guess just use them like plastic. I personally wouldn't bury the seedlings with pot intact, but that's just my guess.
I wouldn't water from the top due to soil compaction and increased possibility of spiral root.

Spiral Root | Burley Tobacco Extension

Spiral root is a common occurrence in tobacco float beds. Almost all trays have a few spiral roots, but typically less than 2% of all cells in a tray are affected. Higher incidences have been observed under certain conditions. Though the exact cause of spiral root is not known, it it thought to...

burleytobaccoextension.ca.uky.edu

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

I would also like to thank @skychaser of http://northwoodseeds.com/ for supplying me with most of my seed this season! The ordering process was painless and I received my order sooner than expected! I was also very impressed with the amount of seed I received!! Thank you sir!

 

[Oldfella]

I have always used Peat pots for my plants. I also get mold but not much and I always plant the pots with the seedlings intact. The pots I use are round. To me it just looks like your pots, (because of the shape), are too close together and are not allowing a good airflow between them. Try to spread them out a bit if you can and always water from the bottom. As for the mold, don't worry about it, worrying causes ulcers so they say.
Keep an eye on it and remember, plenty of sunlight, good airflow, happy plants, sad mold.
Good luck with them and keep us updated.
Oldfella

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

Has anyone else ever grown yellow twist bud from seed? My seeds seem to be taking a long time to start to grow with respect to all my other varieties (another burley included). Just wondering if I was doing something wrong or that is their nature. A few of them in the cells have germinated but it seems like a very low germination rate thus far.

 

[deluxestogie]

I would be patient for at least 14 days after sowing. Variety, seed storage conditions and seed age all contribute to the timing of germination.

Bob

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

I would be patient for at least 14 days after sowing. Variety, seed storage conditions and seed age all contribute to the timing of germination.

Bob

Thank you, good to know.

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

@deluxestogie I wanted to ask you a question since you have been growing your own personal tobacco for many years and have, based on older posts of yours I have read, grown over 100 different varieties. Do you have large amounts of tobacco stored? If you grow something you are not very fond of (likely not an issue for you anymore) do you just store it away and there it sits indefinitely? I was just looking at my stored tobacco the other day and thinking about how much I have on hand and how I don’t really “need” to grow anything for a season if i would use what I have on hand. I would like what I have on hand to age more though and I also enjoy growing tobacco. Anyway, I know it is kind of a strange question but I was just curious what a seasoned professional like yourself has in storage.

 

[deluxestogie]

As a seasoned amateur, I have some home-grown tobacco that is 10+ years old. The varieties that are truly wonderful after kilning and a brief rest tend to vanish in a hurry. (My Corojo 99 falls into that group.) Nearly every variety that I was not too happy with has mellowed with time. Bolivia Criollo Black produces an odd taste in my mouth. After 5 years of just sitting in a bag, it lost that odd taste. Most harsh tobaccos will mellow over time (long time), though the 20 year old Henry Clay cigars that I smoked were as harsh as ever.

Kilning fully cured tobacco does most of the work, but some tobacco just needs more time, measured in years.

Bob

 

[skychaser]

I would also like to thank @skychaser of http://northwoodseeds.com/ for supplying me with most of my seed this season! The ordering process was painless and I received my order sooner than expected! I was also very impressed with the amount of seed I received!! Thank you sir!

You will always get about 5 times the amount of seed from me that you will get from anyone else. Enough to kill all the ones you planted first, start over, and still have plenty to plant it again next year. All my seed should be good for 5 years minimum if you store it right.. One advantage of buying farm direct. No fancy packaging though. You get a tiny zip lock bag labeled with a sharpie. My wife used to do all the orders and shipping. She had a standard of always getting every order shipped within 48 hours. Usually much less. I have done my best to uphold her standards. And have a new appreciation of just how much work she did.

The YTB seed you got was from 2021 so it is a fresh as it gets. I have noticed it to be a little slower germinating than some others. I'll be growing it again this year from the same seed you have and I will pay a little extra attention to how long it takes and what germ rate I get. Some tobaccos will sprout in 3-4 days in optimal condition while others right next to them take 10 days or more. So they do differ some depending on the strain.

As for the Q you asked Bob, well, that's me. I have tobacco that is 7-8 or even 10 years old now, Lots of it. Most are cigar tobaccos that I just didn't care for or are too strong for me. For what ever reason I just didn't like them. I will never smoke them and I have thought of offering them up to forum members for a really good price. Or just for the shipping cost. ?? But I thought maybe I should run it by Don first and be sure it's ok with him. As for the tobaccos I do like, I probably have a 4-5 year supply on hand. I skipped growing any for me last year. Everything I grew was for seed. It's nice having such a big stash and being able to skip some years.. And I only smoke well aged tobacco these days.

Cheers,
Sky

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

You will always get about 5 times the amount of seed from me that you will get from anyone else. Enough to kill all the ones you planted first, start over, and still have plenty to plant it again next year. All my seed should be good for 5 years minimum if you store it right.. One advantage of buying farm direct. No fancy packaging though. You get a tiny zip lock bag labeled with a sharpie. My wife used to do all the orders and shipping. She had a standard of always getting every order shipped within 48 hours. Usually much less. I have done my best to uphold her standards. And have a new appreciation of just how much work she did.

The YTB seed you got was from 2021 so it is a fresh as it gets. I have noticed it to be a little slower germinating than some others. I'll be growing it again this year from the same seed you have and I will pay a little extra attention to how long it takes and what germ rate I get. Some tobaccos will sprout in 3-4 days in optimal condition while others right next to them take 10 days or more. So they do differ some depending on the strain.

As for the Q you asked Bob, well, that's me. I have tobacco that is 7-8 or even 10 years old now, Lots of it. Most are cigar tobaccos that I just didn't care for or are too strong for me. For what ever reason I just didn't like them. I will never smoke them and I have thought of offering them up to forum members for a really good price. Or just for the shipping cost. ?? But I thought maybe I should run it by Don first and be sure it's ok with him. As for the tobaccos I do like, I probably have a 4-5 year supply on hand. I skipped growing any for me last year. Everything I grew was for seed. It's nice having such a big stash and being able to skip some years.. And I only smoke well aged tobacco these days.

Cheers,
Sky

Are you growing YTB this year for personal use? I have never grown it before but have read good things about it being smokable quite soon after curing. (I smoke cigs and occasional pipes. Have attempted to switch to pipe completely but was unable to leave the cigs alone.) The YTB seeds are coming along slowly I was just worried that maybe I did something wrong and wanted to check and make sure they don’t need any special care I am unaware of. I have read of people germinating seeds in low light conditions and people who keep lights on them around the clock so it is difficult to know what is best. Sunlight has always worked fine for me.
When you grow tobacco for personal use, do you top the plants? You must have massive amounts of tobacco from seed plants that were allowed to flower. Is tobacco from a plant that flowered generally more mild than a topped plant? I have considered letting some plants flower to try and keep the tobacco mild but there is a sacrifice in final leaf size. I read that priming about two weeks after topping can also keep the final product mild. Just some thoughts I’m throwing out there in disarray…haha! Thanks for the response and may the tobacco god not require of you a sacrifice for many more years to come…hahaha! Have a good season!

 

[skychaser]

I'm just growing YTB for seed this year. Very popular strain and I sell a lot of it and keep selling out, Golden Burley and Harrow Velvet are my personal favorites for burley. Good consistant producers in my climate and both age pretty quickly and are smokable in 3 months.

When I grow just for myself I top the plants. Obviously, I don't top seed plants. I'll prime them up to about 2/3 if I want the tobacco and leave the rest for the plant to use for food. The top leaves do tend to have more flavor and nicotine than lower leaves but I never keep them seperate. They all go into the storage bin together. I air cure everything and let it age naturally. I like to keep it as stupid simple as possible. And I have a pretty unsophisticated pallet so I am easy to please. And I am very happy with what I get. What I don't keep for myself all gets tilled back in for compost. Some of you guys would probably cry if you saw how much tobacco falls to the tiller every October.

 

[Tobaccofieldsforever]

I'm just growing YTB for seed this year. Very popular strain and I sell a lot of it and keep selling out, Golden Burley and Harrow Velvet are my personal favorites for burley. Good consistant producers in my climate and both age pretty quickly and are smokable in 3 months.

When I grow just for myself I top the plants. Obviously, I don't top seed plants. I'll prime them up to about 2/3 if I want the tobacco and leave the rest for the plant to use for food. The top leaves do tend to have more flavor and nicotine than lower leaves but I never keep them seperate. They all go into the storage bin together. I air cure everything and let it age naturally. I like to keep it as stupid simple as possible. And I have a pretty unsophisticated pallet so I am easy to please. And I am very happy with what I get. What I don't keep for myself all gets tilled back in for compost. Some of you guys would probably cry if you saw how much tobacco falls to the tiller every October.

It’s understandable for someone who is running a seed business. Likewise, commercial tobacco farmers till under pounds of tobacco buds/potential seed every season because they are interested in the leaf. I’ve never grown YTB before but read an old post on here where Don said it was his personal favorite for making cigarettes that are ready to smoke soon after curing and it piqued my interest. We will see. Thanks again for the seed and I will send as many people your way as possible because of your outstanding business practices. I’m still amazed by how much seed I got. I showed my dad the bags and he said “wow, that’s a lot!” I was expecting the little corner of a bag to be barely full…pleasantly surprised!!

 

[skychaser]

I sent some tobacco seed to a guy in Mississippi last week, along with a few other things. He grows greens for 5 restaurants and sells produce from his farm and at farmers markets. So he's not new to growing things. But he has never grown or seen tobacco seed before. I got an e-mail from him yesterdays saying "OMG I've never seen such tiny seed! How do you plant it?" lol I refer everyone to this forum for tobacco info who asks me a question and sent him a link to my tips page. http://www.northwoodseeds.com/tips.htm The only other seed I have seen that is a tiny as tobacco is Petunias. And they are a second cousin of tobacco.

 

[deluxestogie]

My germination occurs for a single variety of seed (liberally sprinkled) in a jar of starter mix. I have a separate, labeled germination jar for each variety. The only transfer occurs when I move germinated seedlings into their planned cells in a 1020 tray.

Transferring a tiny seedling with forceps requires a light touch. It's like lifting a tiny piece of cloud (Don't squeeze!), then gently dropping it into a sufficiently deep divot in its cell's soil mix. I never grasp the seedling directly with the forceps, but separate and lift the bit of soil into which it has put down its tiny root. As with rolling a cigar, anyone can practice and learn the touch.

Bob