Baltimore here

[Piavov]

Hey everyone!

I'm a Virginia girl living in a Baltimore world.

I have experience growing N. tabacum, but this year I'm experimenting with growing N. rustica in containers.

I've got a hell of a pest problem - my leaves are getting chomped on, but I can't figure out by what. Where's the best place to post "HELP" threads here?

Attaching pics, just in case anyone sees this and can help...

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to also start a thread and let us know a bit more about you in the introduce yourself section.

That looks like tobacco hornworm damage. You need to manually search the leaves for caterpillars and eggs.

 

[MarcL]

Welcome to Fair Trade Tobacco.

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT

Pier

 

[Charly]

Welcome to FTT,

There are many different pest that like to eat our tobacco plants, hard to know which one is in action here.
As ChinaVoodoo said, check for eggs and caterpillars, or any other bug on your leaves.

Good luck with your crop (and pests)

 

[Moth]

Hello from the South of England. Snails gravitate towards the rustica.
Be aware of their homing abilities - apparently you need to move them more than 20 meters / 65ft to stop them coming back (assuming you move then rather than dispatch them)

Snails' homing instinct can be overcome, if you move them 20m away

If snails are put far enough away from their home patch, they are unlikely to return, research shows. Beware gastropod wars…

www.theguardian.com

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Welcome. I was born and raised in Baltimore County, now living in Cecil County. That definitely looks like Horn Worm damage. Use BT or Spinosad to get rid of them. Or if you want to have some real fun, pick them off with your fingers and squish them.

 

[Piavov]

Welcome. I was born and raised in Baltimore County, now living in Cecil County. That definitely looks like Horn Worm damage. Use BT or Spinosad to get rid of them. Or if you want to have some real fun, pick them off with your fingers and squish them.

If I could find them, I would...

 

[Moth]

this year I'm experimenting with growing N. rustica in containers.

What kind of rustica are you growing?
How large are the pots?
What do you intend to do with them? Smoke/chew etc?

 

[Piavov]

Aztec.

The containers are around 18 inches - I can't remember exactly right now. When I grow this kind again next year, I may increase the size a bit, but they're doing surprisingly well (pests aside). I have to fertilize regularly, but other than that - total success (I was skeptical).

I'm Muscogee - I use it for ceremony, offerings, and gifts.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Hornworms that can munch that large a chunk from a leaf are large enough to easily spot. My impression is that there is torn leaf and punctured leaf. Crickets and browsing critters tear leaf. Birds puncture leaf (smiley hole in 2nd image) when they nab an insect on the surface.

Bob

 

[Piavov]

Welcome to the forum. Hornworms that can munch that large a chunk from a leaf are large enough to easily spot. My impression is that there is torn leaf and punctured leaf. Crickets and browsing critters tear leaf. Birds puncture leaf (smiley hole in 2nd image) when they nab an insect on the surface.

Bob

Thanks! I know they're not hornworms -- I've grown up with tobacco and tomatoes and know how to spot even the smallest hornworms (which also just appeared on my n. tabacum out back in the ground).

The birds eating bugs makes a lot more sense -- I've got birds nesting all around the plants. Thanks!

 

[deluxestogie]

Ah! Don't get me started about nesting birds. They usually do their damage on young plants, because every nest can benefit from a bit of insecticidal leaf. Starlings are my nemesis, shortly after transplant. But they really don't seem to mess with larger leaf.

Bob