Growing Tobacco At Home
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Growing Tobacco An Age Old Tradition
Growing Tobacco is a centuries old activity
.
Tobacco was named after the tobacco tube, which was the tube used by Caribbean natives to smoke the crushed leaves of the plant. This custom was one of the discoveries made by Christopher Columbus during his historic voyage of 1492.
Tobacco, once one of the most popular of all herbs, has had some bad press during the last decades. And for a good reason, misused it smells horrible, and is associated with more diseases than you can imagine. The use the Indians had for it is perhaps a sign of the overindulgence of our society. Like Coca we miss the social structures for a in society embedded non invasive use.
Tobacco is a Nightshade Family Member
Today most tobacco is grown commercially, yet the tobacco plant can be grown privately both for personal use and for use as an ornamental plant. Although most commercial tobacco is grown in warm climates, flower and fruit gardening guides home gardeners from cooler areas can also successfully grow the plant.
Tobacco is a member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family that also includes tomatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. Growing it is very similar to growing tomatoes. One of the smallest plantseeds
, an ounce of tobacco seed is probably a lifetime supply for most flower and fruit gardening guides home gardeners, containing up to 300,000 individual seeds. In fact, one teaspoon of tobacco seed is enough to grow six acres of tobacco.
The Tricky Part is to start the Seed Correctly
Probably the most complex part of growing tobacco is starting the seed properly. Because tobacco seed is so small, it needs to be started indoors. Tobacco seed has three requirements for germination: light, moisture, and a temperature of at least 65F.
Use Compost rather than Regular potting Soil
It is important to use seed compost rather than regular potting mix to start tobacco seed. Because the seed needs light to germinate, it is placed on top of the compost. Tobacco plants feed heavily on nitrogen and potash but sprouting seeds don't need the nutrients and scorch when placed on nutrient rich potting soil. Seed composts are low in nutrients.
Growing and tending the tobacco Seedlings
Four to six weeks before the last frost, place seeds on top of moist, but well-drained seed compost. An easy way to spread the seed evenly is to mix it with two parts of sand to one part of seeds. Although seeds need to be kept moist, to prevent washing them into the soil, either use a misting bottle or keep the compost moist with a wick system. To keep seeds from scorching in bright sunlight, filter your seed container by covering it with a sheet of light paper.
When seedlings reach six to eight inches, transplant them to your garden when all danger of frost is past. The tobacco plant needs full sun to grow broad leaves. Plants grown in partial shade will produce slender leaves. Garden transplants should be spaced about two feet apart in rows that are three feet apart. Keep transplants from drying out by transplanting either on a cloudy day or in the evening. Tobacco transplants should be watered thoroughly after planting and daily until the plant is well established.
Harvest your Tobacco
When growing tobacco for harvesting, remove both flowers and suckers from your plants to enable the plant to devote its energy to growing large leaves. Your tobacco will be ready to harvest and cure about 90 days after germination.
Kewl
Growing Tobacco is a centuries old activity
.
Tobacco was named after the tobacco tube, which was the tube used by Caribbean natives to smoke the crushed leaves of the plant. This custom was one of the discoveries made by Christopher Columbus during his historic voyage of 1492.
Tobacco, once one of the most popular of all herbs, has had some bad press during the last decades. And for a good reason, misused it smells horrible, and is associated with more diseases than you can imagine. The use the Indians had for it is perhaps a sign of the overindulgence of our society. Like Coca we miss the social structures for a in society embedded non invasive use.
Tobacco is a Nightshade Family Member
Today most tobacco is grown commercially, yet the tobacco plant can be grown privately both for personal use and for use as an ornamental plant. Although most commercial tobacco is grown in warm climates, flower and fruit gardening guides home gardeners from cooler areas can also successfully grow the plant.
Tobacco is a member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family that also includes tomatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. Growing it is very similar to growing tomatoes. One of the smallest plantseeds
, an ounce of tobacco seed is probably a lifetime supply for most flower and fruit gardening guides home gardeners, containing up to 300,000 individual seeds. In fact, one teaspoon of tobacco seed is enough to grow six acres of tobacco.
The Tricky Part is to start the Seed Correctly
Probably the most complex part of growing tobacco is starting the seed properly. Because tobacco seed is so small, it needs to be started indoors. Tobacco seed has three requirements for germination: light, moisture, and a temperature of at least 65F.
Use Compost rather than Regular potting Soil
It is important to use seed compost rather than regular potting mix to start tobacco seed. Because the seed needs light to germinate, it is placed on top of the compost. Tobacco plants feed heavily on nitrogen and potash but sprouting seeds don't need the nutrients and scorch when placed on nutrient rich potting soil. Seed composts are low in nutrients.
Growing and tending the tobacco Seedlings
Four to six weeks before the last frost, place seeds on top of moist, but well-drained seed compost. An easy way to spread the seed evenly is to mix it with two parts of sand to one part of seeds. Although seeds need to be kept moist, to prevent washing them into the soil, either use a misting bottle or keep the compost moist with a wick system. To keep seeds from scorching in bright sunlight, filter your seed container by covering it with a sheet of light paper.
When seedlings reach six to eight inches, transplant them to your garden when all danger of frost is past. The tobacco plant needs full sun to grow broad leaves. Plants grown in partial shade will produce slender leaves. Garden transplants should be spaced about two feet apart in rows that are three feet apart. Keep transplants from drying out by transplanting either on a cloudy day or in the evening. Tobacco transplants should be watered thoroughly after planting and daily until the plant is well established.
Harvest your Tobacco
When growing tobacco for harvesting, remove both flowers and suckers from your plants to enable the plant to devote its energy to growing large leaves. Your tobacco will be ready to harvest and cure about 90 days after germination.
Kewl
Hi --
For some reason, I didn't get e-mail notifying me of the replies here until this last one today.
I've been really busy shipping out seeds and pounds of "decorative" tobacco for "novelty use only". I'll see if I can answer some questions now.
Thanks for posting "Growing Tobacco An Age Old Tradition". I would modify their methods a little re: starting the seeds. Use presterilized, Canadian peat-based unfertilized potting soil to start the seeds and screen it with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. 65F is too cold, make it 72-80F. Water them from the bottom and mist them daily. Didn't I post how to start seeds here before?
Re: water and humidity - When the transplants are first set out, they need to be kept moist. Once the roots develop, they need a lot less water. Here in Texas, I didn't irrigate in July and August at all and only lost 5 of 250 plants (and those because of too much water earlier in the season, I think). They do not require humid air. Tobacco is grown in some of the most arid regions of the world.
Re: hours of light -- Tobacco is a field crop. They want as much light as possible every day. I wouldn't try to grow tobacco unless I could give them at least 8-10 hours of full light a day.
I'll review my posts here and try to add another section soon since I forget where I left off.
If anyone has other questions, let me know.
Bob
[email protected]
For some reason, I didn't get e-mail notifying me of the replies here until this last one today.
I've been really busy shipping out seeds and pounds of "decorative" tobacco for "novelty use only". I'll see if I can answer some questions now.
Thanks for posting "Growing Tobacco An Age Old Tradition". I would modify their methods a little re: starting the seeds. Use presterilized, Canadian peat-based unfertilized potting soil to start the seeds and screen it with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. 65F is too cold, make it 72-80F. Water them from the bottom and mist them daily. Didn't I post how to start seeds here before?
Re: water and humidity - When the transplants are first set out, they need to be kept moist. Once the roots develop, they need a lot less water. Here in Texas, I didn't irrigate in July and August at all and only lost 5 of 250 plants (and those because of too much water earlier in the season, I think). They do not require humid air. Tobacco is grown in some of the most arid regions of the world.
Re: hours of light -- Tobacco is a field crop. They want as much light as possible every day. I wouldn't try to grow tobacco unless I could give them at least 8-10 hours of full light a day.
I'll review my posts here and try to add another section soon since I forget where I left off.
If anyone has other questions, let me know.
Bob
[email protected]
Hi --
I read all the posts here and I really have been neglecting this thread. Great responses and questions from y'all, though!
I will talk about how to start the seeds for a bit. None of this is set in concrete, but this method works for me. If I forgot anything major or minor, let me know.
Tobacco seeds are very tiny. Actually smaller than a mustard seed. As such, they need a little tender loving care to start. Typically, the seed is started 5-6 weeks before your last average frost and grown to transplanting size much like tomatoes. I use 72-cell plug trays to start my seeds but many people use 6 inch pots and separate the transplants when they are larger. If the trays have been used before, I dip them in a 5% chlorox solution and let them dry.
I use a sterilized, commercial peat-based potting mix without fertilizer additives to start my seeds. I screen the mix through a 1/4 inch hardware cloth to make sure it's very light. Then, bottom water the tray to moisten it. You will not be watering these seedlings from the top. I fold a white piece of paper in half an put a quantity of seed at one end and tap it until as close to one seed falls in each cell on top of the media as possible. Do not cover them with potting mix. Don't worry about putting 2-3 seeds in there as you can either tease them out of the cell plug later with a toothpick and replant (handling only by the leaf) or simply clip off extras with a pair of scissors.
Cover with a clear plastic sheet and either put somewhere where the temperature stays a steady 72-78F or put a heating pad under them on low. Do not put them in the sun as they will cook. After they germinate in 7-10 days (I use a magnifying glass to see them), remove the plastic.
You will want to put them in about 75% shade (or 25% light) for 12-15 hours a day. You will then mist the seeds twice a day or more. Keep them very moist and humid. If your air is very dry, you may want to put them in a tent with ventilation to maintain humidity levels. This is when using a sterilized commercial potting mix and clean trays pays off as in this humidity and temp, molds and algaes will want to form. If you see a white fuzzy mold, allow them to dry out on top until it dies. If you fertilize them after they reach dime size leaves, only use 1/5th strength Miracle Grow or equivalent generic type at most. Remember, you are watering and fertilizing them from the bottom (float on water until it soaks up)
As the seedlings get bigger, give them a little more light until you have reached about 50-75% full light and the leaves are about the size of a quarter. Then you transplant to 4" pots or cellpacks and move them gradually into full light. Around this time you can start giving them 1/2 strength fertilizer as needed.
That's about all I'm up to typing today! Ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them.
Bob Kemp
[email protected]
I read all the posts here and I really have been neglecting this thread. Great responses and questions from y'all, though!
I will talk about how to start the seeds for a bit. None of this is set in concrete, but this method works for me. If I forgot anything major or minor, let me know.
Tobacco seeds are very tiny. Actually smaller than a mustard seed. As such, they need a little tender loving care to start. Typically, the seed is started 5-6 weeks before your last average frost and grown to transplanting size much like tomatoes. I use 72-cell plug trays to start my seeds but many people use 6 inch pots and separate the transplants when they are larger. If the trays have been used before, I dip them in a 5% chlorox solution and let them dry.
I use a sterilized, commercial peat-based potting mix without fertilizer additives to start my seeds. I screen the mix through a 1/4 inch hardware cloth to make sure it's very light. Then, bottom water the tray to moisten it. You will not be watering these seedlings from the top. I fold a white piece of paper in half an put a quantity of seed at one end and tap it until as close to one seed falls in each cell on top of the media as possible. Do not cover them with potting mix. Don't worry about putting 2-3 seeds in there as you can either tease them out of the cell plug later with a toothpick and replant (handling only by the leaf) or simply clip off extras with a pair of scissors.
Cover with a clear plastic sheet and either put somewhere where the temperature stays a steady 72-78F or put a heating pad under them on low. Do not put them in the sun as they will cook. After they germinate in 7-10 days (I use a magnifying glass to see them), remove the plastic.
You will want to put them in about 75% shade (or 25% light) for 12-15 hours a day. You will then mist the seeds twice a day or more. Keep them very moist and humid. If your air is very dry, you may want to put them in a tent with ventilation to maintain humidity levels. This is when using a sterilized commercial potting mix and clean trays pays off as in this humidity and temp, molds and algaes will want to form. If you see a white fuzzy mold, allow them to dry out on top until it dies. If you fertilize them after they reach dime size leaves, only use 1/5th strength Miracle Grow or equivalent generic type at most. Remember, you are watering and fertilizing them from the bottom (float on water until it soaks up)
As the seedlings get bigger, give them a little more light until you have reached about 50-75% full light and the leaves are about the size of a quarter. Then you transplant to 4" pots or cellpacks and move them gradually into full light. Around this time you can start giving them 1/2 strength fertilizer as needed.
That's about all I'm up to typing today! Ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them.
Bob Kemp
[email protected]
Punk
Well-Known Member
I think you're right, because the part of the country they grow it in is a humid place, kentucky, tenn, west virginia.
I know that you pretty much have to grow it outdoors because they get so big.
Hi --
I have friends who grow tobacco in the Nevada and Arizona deserts. I have several friends who grow tobacco in California where it's so dry they are screaming for rain. I grow tobacco in N. Texas which isn't known for being humid.
Tobacco is grown in Turkey, all over the Mid East and it adapts well to dry conditions.
Tobacco does not need high humidity to grow well. In fact, it's really drought tolerant once the roots have established. We had no rain here in July and August and I didn't irrigate once and only lost 5 plants out of 250 I put out.
Bob
GreenSurfer
Well-Known Member
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lemonjellow
Well-Known Member
how about cloning , can tobacco plants be cloned and or grown by means of hydropnics??
Hi,
Sure, you can start tobacco tip cuttings from the top or suckers (branches) and you can grow it indoors. But when you consider that a 7 foot tall plant that takes up 6 sq. ft. of floor space only yields about 3 oz. of dried product, and add up the cost of running full sun quality lights for 5 months, you quickly realize that the cost-benefit ratio just doesn't add up.
Tobacco is a field crop. You can grow enough tobacco in a 30x30 foot garden for 1 pack of cigs a day for a year.
Forget growing tobacco indoors unless you just like the looks of a plant or two, then grow it in a sunny window and be prepared to put acephate (Orthene) systemic insecticide on it regular to control aphids and spider mites.
Bob
Hi --
I don't know where you are located, but in most parts of the US it's way too early to plant tobacco. You need to plant the seeds 5-6 weeks before your last average frost. Trying to hold over plants in pots too small inside to plant out in Spring now may result in them bolting to flower too soon or being stunted or both.
Bob
Hi --
I thought I'd talk a little about how to grow the tobacco outside in a field now. I've already talked about starting the seeds indoors 6-7 weeks before your first average frost, but what do you need to do in the field to prepare to plant and what about during the growing season?
Picking the field - Tobacco requires full sunlight all day. The location of the field should give the maximum of direct sunlight without shade possible. At the very least, you must have 8 hours of full sunlight. Try to make sure the field isn't on a hillside with an extreme slope unless you are able to control flooding and runoff erosion. Make sure the field isn't in a place where flooding occurs and water is likely to stand. If so, you may need to consider using raised beds. Tobacco does not like to have its feet in standing water.
The first thing to be aware of is that the soil should be well-worked. If it is a new field, then a deep plowing is usually required. This should be done NOW NOW NOW! (early Fall) If you do not have access to a tractor and a plow and are growing a small crop of 150 plants or less, then you can use a heavy garden fork. Go down the row and put the fork as deep in the ground as you can, lever up the soil and turn it over and continue until it is done. After that, till the top 8 inches or so to prepare to put the transplants out in the spring.
Next, it makes good sense to amend the soil almost anywhere you are located with a good composted manure. If you can, get a soil test at your local ag extension and follow their directions for adding nutrients and adjusting the ph. Ideal ph for tobacco is about 6.8, just slightly acidic. If the ph is too low, you can add lime. If it is too high, you can add pelleted sulphur. These amendments are available at a reasonable price at a feed store.
Tobacco does not like highly fertile soil. In fact, the best tobacco quality comes from sandy soils poor in nutrients. You add what the plant needs, just enough for it and no more. Unlike tomatoes which are heavy feeders, tobacco should be fed just enough to grow the leaves you want then starved for nutrients so that it does not store up a lot of nitrogen compounds in the leaves and stems. In this manner, you make it easier to color cure after harvest (I will write a section on curing after harvest later).
Hardening the transplants - About a week before you put them in the field, place them outside during nice weather starting at a couple of hours of light a day and ending up with them in full sunlight. Beware of freezes. Beware of high winds. Beware of the pots completely drying out.
The average tobacco plant is set out 2 feet apart in the row with 3 feet between rows. Some dwarf varieties, such as rustica, can be placed much closer. Some huge varieties should be spaced even further apart. And this is a guidline, if your soil is particularly fertile, you can place them a little closer but remember that the plants each need good light and an 8 foot tall plant will cast quit a shadow! You also will need room to work between the rows! I've had people who used close row spacings complain they can't get into the jungle!
I typically put out the transplants and put about 1/2 cup of Miracle Grow (or other full-nutrient liquid fertilizer equivalent) on each plant. In the hole, before I plant them, I put 1 tsp of epsom salts and a handful of compost and mix it up. Be SURE to plant the transplants deep! You can remove the bottom 2 leaves or so if you like. If the transplant is 6 inches tall, plant at least half of the stem under the ground! Tobacco will root from the stem like tomatoes, and this will give it a much bigger root system faster. It will also reduce the problem of plants falling over in the field later.
One week later, I side dress the plants with a dry fertilizer. The type you will need will depend a lot on your soil test, but if you didn't get one your local feed store will advise you on what is best. Half of the nitrogen should be in a slow release form. You can take a hoe and make a 3-4 inch deep trench about 6 inches from the plants along the row on each side and spread the fertilizer according to the lbs per sq. ft. needed then cover it up.
Watering -- The new transplants will not have an established root system to support the full sunlight. Expect them to wilt during the heat of the day but don't panic! They will usually rehydrate overnight as long as you supply some water to the roots. Water in the morning and never during the full light of the day no matter how wilted they look. Overwatering is a bad idea because the plant roots may be drowned. Light watering, but often, is a bad idea because that will only encourage the roots at the top to grow and we want them to reach 10-12 deep as they reach down for the water.
Allow the top 3-4 inches of soil to be fairly dried out, then soak them down. After watering, test the soil with your finger or dig some out with a shovel 6-8 inches deep to check the moisture content deeper in the ground. If it is dry down there, water some more. This should mean you are only required to water the plants every few days at most if you don't get rain during the establishment of the deeper roots. Later in the season, deep roots will allow the plants to be more drought resistant and perhaps irrigation will be unnecessary.
About 6 weeks after you plant them out, side dress again with the same fertilizer. That's all the fertilizer you will need for the year.
Ok, that's a pretty good description of how to get the field ready, to plant and how to get them started.
Next I will talk about harvesting methods. Let me know if you have any questions.
Bob Kemp
[email protected]
I thought I'd talk a little about how to grow the tobacco outside in a field now. I've already talked about starting the seeds indoors 6-7 weeks before your first average frost, but what do you need to do in the field to prepare to plant and what about during the growing season?
Picking the field - Tobacco requires full sunlight all day. The location of the field should give the maximum of direct sunlight without shade possible. At the very least, you must have 8 hours of full sunlight. Try to make sure the field isn't on a hillside with an extreme slope unless you are able to control flooding and runoff erosion. Make sure the field isn't in a place where flooding occurs and water is likely to stand. If so, you may need to consider using raised beds. Tobacco does not like to have its feet in standing water.
The first thing to be aware of is that the soil should be well-worked. If it is a new field, then a deep plowing is usually required. This should be done NOW NOW NOW! (early Fall) If you do not have access to a tractor and a plow and are growing a small crop of 150 plants or less, then you can use a heavy garden fork. Go down the row and put the fork as deep in the ground as you can, lever up the soil and turn it over and continue until it is done. After that, till the top 8 inches or so to prepare to put the transplants out in the spring.
Next, it makes good sense to amend the soil almost anywhere you are located with a good composted manure. If you can, get a soil test at your local ag extension and follow their directions for adding nutrients and adjusting the ph. Ideal ph for tobacco is about 6.8, just slightly acidic. If the ph is too low, you can add lime. If it is too high, you can add pelleted sulphur. These amendments are available at a reasonable price at a feed store.
Tobacco does not like highly fertile soil. In fact, the best tobacco quality comes from sandy soils poor in nutrients. You add what the plant needs, just enough for it and no more. Unlike tomatoes which are heavy feeders, tobacco should be fed just enough to grow the leaves you want then starved for nutrients so that it does not store up a lot of nitrogen compounds in the leaves and stems. In this manner, you make it easier to color cure after harvest (I will write a section on curing after harvest later).
Hardening the transplants - About a week before you put them in the field, place them outside during nice weather starting at a couple of hours of light a day and ending up with them in full sunlight. Beware of freezes. Beware of high winds. Beware of the pots completely drying out.
The average tobacco plant is set out 2 feet apart in the row with 3 feet between rows. Some dwarf varieties, such as rustica, can be placed much closer. Some huge varieties should be spaced even further apart. And this is a guidline, if your soil is particularly fertile, you can place them a little closer but remember that the plants each need good light and an 8 foot tall plant will cast quit a shadow! You also will need room to work between the rows! I've had people who used close row spacings complain they can't get into the jungle!
I typically put out the transplants and put about 1/2 cup of Miracle Grow (or other full-nutrient liquid fertilizer equivalent) on each plant. In the hole, before I plant them, I put 1 tsp of epsom salts and a handful of compost and mix it up. Be SURE to plant the transplants deep! You can remove the bottom 2 leaves or so if you like. If the transplant is 6 inches tall, plant at least half of the stem under the ground! Tobacco will root from the stem like tomatoes, and this will give it a much bigger root system faster. It will also reduce the problem of plants falling over in the field later.
One week later, I side dress the plants with a dry fertilizer. The type you will need will depend a lot on your soil test, but if you didn't get one your local feed store will advise you on what is best. Half of the nitrogen should be in a slow release form. You can take a hoe and make a 3-4 inch deep trench about 6 inches from the plants along the row on each side and spread the fertilizer according to the lbs per sq. ft. needed then cover it up.
Watering -- The new transplants will not have an established root system to support the full sunlight. Expect them to wilt during the heat of the day but don't panic! They will usually rehydrate overnight as long as you supply some water to the roots. Water in the morning and never during the full light of the day no matter how wilted they look. Overwatering is a bad idea because the plant roots may be drowned. Light watering, but often, is a bad idea because that will only encourage the roots at the top to grow and we want them to reach 10-12 deep as they reach down for the water.
Allow the top 3-4 inches of soil to be fairly dried out, then soak them down. After watering, test the soil with your finger or dig some out with a shovel 6-8 inches deep to check the moisture content deeper in the ground. If it is dry down there, water some more. This should mean you are only required to water the plants every few days at most if you don't get rain during the establishment of the deeper roots. Later in the season, deep roots will allow the plants to be more drought resistant and perhaps irrigation will be unnecessary.
About 6 weeks after you plant them out, side dress again with the same fertilizer. That's all the fertilizer you will need for the year.
Ok, that's a pretty good description of how to get the field ready, to plant and how to get them started.
Next I will talk about harvesting methods. Let me know if you have any questions.
Bob Kemp
[email protected]
timmythetooth
Active Member
Great thread! just some questions - how well does it grow with vegetables and cannabis? i have a medium sized vegetable/cannabis garden and some tobacco would be a nice addition.
Also Im in canada - will the season be too short? I do some indoor gardening so would it be beneficial to start the seedlings in February to plant May after our frost?
thanks for all the info!
Also Im in canada - will the season be too short? I do some indoor gardening so would it be beneficial to start the seedlings in February to plant May after our frost?
thanks for all the info!
Hi -Great thread! just some questions - how well does it grow with vegetables and cannabis? i have a medium sized vegetable/cannabis garden and some tobacco would be a nice addition.
Also Im in canada - will the season be too short? I do some indoor gardening so would it be beneficial to start the seedlings in February to plant May after our frost?
thanks for all the info!
As a rule of thumb, we start tobacco 5-6 weeks before our last average freeze. You will want to use a 5-1/2 month total time to harvest from planting the seed as an average. There are early varieties that will take as little as 4 months total which I expect to have for sale soon. The wild tobacco called Rustica has a much shorter harvest time, but they are 2-1/2 to 3 foot tall plants and have up to 5 times the nicotine as standard cigarette tobbaco (such as Virginia flue-cured, SilLeaf, or burley).
Regarding how well tobacco plays with the other garden veggies, tobacco is in the nightshade family and as such, it "benefits" from the same pests as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes. It is a good idea to plant tobacco on the other side of the garden.
I will talk more about pests later, but in general the three you have to be concerned with are aphids, the tobacco or tomato hornworm and/or potato beetles.
Bob
Hi --
This is going to be a quick one. Harvesting tobacco isn't rocket science. There are basically two methods -- whole stalk harvesting and priming.
Whole stalk harvesting is typically done 3-4 weeks after a percentage of the plants in the field have broken buds. Almost all varieties of tobacco are harvested in this manner because it is the least labor intensive.
Whole stalk harvesting is just that - the whole plant is cut at the base of the stem. Then, it is either staked out upside down in the field in bunches on a sharpened stick to keep the leaves off the ground, or staked on a wagon specially made to haul the crop to the drying barn. To stake tobacco, the main stem is split near the base of the plant.
Priming is the harvest method which picks individual leaves off the plants as they yellow from the bottom-most leaves upwards to the top. This is the most labor-intensive method of harvesting tobacco and is generally used for high quality cigar tobacco for blending. Home growers of tobacco will frequently use this method as it makes it easier to color cure and they don't typically have quantities large enough that the labor expense is too excessive.
Priming, in commercial farming, is generally done one-third to one-fifth of the plant at a time. The bottom third, middle third and top third (for example) of the plant are picked in separate harvests. The leaves are picked by snapping them off at the base in a quick, downward motion although for some varieties of tobacco a special hatchet is traditionally used. They are then brought to the barn and tied or hung to begin the drying process.
A typical tobacco plant has roughly 18 usable leaves that are spread among 5 primings. From bottom to top, these primings are referred to as Volado, Seco, Viso, Ligero and Corona. These defined areas of the plant have special significance to cigar makers as they are stronger or weaker in flavor and are used to blend the cigar filler, binder and used as wrappers.
That's the basics of harvesting tobacco and I hope that helps you all.
As usual, should you find anything I need to add, alter or remove in this, please comment and I'll react appropriately!
Bob
This is going to be a quick one. Harvesting tobacco isn't rocket science. There are basically two methods -- whole stalk harvesting and priming.
Whole stalk harvesting is typically done 3-4 weeks after a percentage of the plants in the field have broken buds. Almost all varieties of tobacco are harvested in this manner because it is the least labor intensive.
Whole stalk harvesting is just that - the whole plant is cut at the base of the stem. Then, it is either staked out upside down in the field in bunches on a sharpened stick to keep the leaves off the ground, or staked on a wagon specially made to haul the crop to the drying barn. To stake tobacco, the main stem is split near the base of the plant.
Priming is the harvest method which picks individual leaves off the plants as they yellow from the bottom-most leaves upwards to the top. This is the most labor-intensive method of harvesting tobacco and is generally used for high quality cigar tobacco for blending. Home growers of tobacco will frequently use this method as it makes it easier to color cure and they don't typically have quantities large enough that the labor expense is too excessive.
Priming, in commercial farming, is generally done one-third to one-fifth of the plant at a time. The bottom third, middle third and top third (for example) of the plant are picked in separate harvests. The leaves are picked by snapping them off at the base in a quick, downward motion although for some varieties of tobacco a special hatchet is traditionally used. They are then brought to the barn and tied or hung to begin the drying process.
A typical tobacco plant has roughly 18 usable leaves that are spread among 5 primings. From bottom to top, these primings are referred to as Volado, Seco, Viso, Ligero and Corona. These defined areas of the plant have special significance to cigar makers as they are stronger or weaker in flavor and are used to blend the cigar filler, binder and used as wrappers.
That's the basics of harvesting tobacco and I hope that helps you all.
As usual, should you find anything I need to add, alter or remove in this, please comment and I'll react appropriately!
Bob
doowmd
Well-Known Member
hello again everyone! just thot i'd tune back in again and tell everyone sorry bout that first post i put on here. kinda come off sounding fucking nstupid by saying 'isn't illegal to grow tobacco at home,,,,yadda yada yadda.' lmao @ myself.
ok long story short, i live in ky, had been misinformed by some local farmers on the subject, was stoned when i came on here and discovered the thread and replied sounding like.... well like a douche i guess. lol i've cut many a row of tobacco in my life and have seen it grow since i was young. maybe i should've replied w/ a story or to from that instead of asking about the legality of procuring seeds!!!!lol i mean idkwtf i was thinking really! and, yes, i do realize how oxymoronal (is that a word? lol) it is of me to question wether its legal or not to 'grow ur own' tobacco, all the while i'm on a 'grow ur own' site lol. i just hope i dont see a quote from this dumb shit end up in someones sig! (hope i didnt just jinx myself)anyway, thats all for now. peace and smoke everyone!
btw one cool tidbit from back in my 'backer cuttin days is this: i've seen tobacco plants standig WELL over 8 ft, w/ a broadleaf on some over 24 inches across and 3 ft. long! i've seen a guy fall out of the third tier of a barn all the way to the packed dirt below! pretty funny shit (since he wasn't hurt of course) but u kinda had to be there! i've fell off the second tier,onto a wagon so it didn't hurt to bad!
ok long story short, i live in ky, had been misinformed by some local farmers on the subject, was stoned when i came on here and discovered the thread and replied sounding like.... well like a douche i guess. lol i've cut many a row of tobacco in my life and have seen it grow since i was young. maybe i should've replied w/ a story or to from that instead of asking about the legality of procuring seeds!!!!lol i mean idkwtf i was thinking really! and, yes, i do realize how oxymoronal (is that a word? lol) it is of me to question wether its legal or not to 'grow ur own' tobacco, all the while i'm on a 'grow ur own' site lol. i just hope i dont see a quote from this dumb shit end up in someones sig! (hope i didnt just jinx myself)anyway, thats all for now. peace and smoke everyone!
btw one cool tidbit from back in my 'backer cuttin days is this: i've seen tobacco plants standig WELL over 8 ft, w/ a broadleaf on some over 24 inches across and 3 ft. long! i've seen a guy fall out of the third tier of a barn all the way to the packed dirt below! pretty funny shit (since he wasn't hurt of course) but u kinda had to be there! i've fell off the second tier,onto a wagon so it didn't hurt to bad!
Hi -
I have seeds for a burley that yields 27 leaves and goes over 10 feet tall. 3-1/2 foot long leaves. Needless to say, you have to space them out a lot wider than the average tobacco plant.
BTW, it's about 6-7 weeks now before you need to plant your tobacco seeds indoors, so get your seeds soon!
Bob
