BarG 2014

[Rickey60]

I copied this spinosad label hope it helps.

Uses

Spinosad controls a wide variety of pests including fleas, caterpillars, fruit flies, spider mites, fire ants, leaf beetle larvae, thrips, leaf miners and leaf beetle larvae to name only a few. It is recommended as one component of Integrated Pest Management for greenhouses because it does not target beneficial insects such as ladybugs and predatory mites. Another common use of Spinosad is as an anti-flea medication for dogs and cats.
Mode of Action


When target pests ingest or simply come into contact with the active ingredient Spinosad, it causes rapid excitation of that insect's nervous system. It will then die within one to two days. Spinosad is valued as an active ingredient in part because it has little effect on non-target predatory pests.
Toxicity


Spinosad carries the signal word CAUTION on its label. There is little known risk to workers and applicators and no specific protection requirements are listed. Spinosad shows very low toxicity to mammals if ingested.

 

[BarG]

Spinosad seems to have little effect on the snowy cricket. It may have slowed there appetite a little. I have not had any hornworm problems this year and very few bud worms. The effeccts of using it seems to kill the eggs before they hatch even when laid after spraying. I have used it twice since planting. I have been priming some very nice leaves off the bezuki crop that a large majority are very large with no holes and yellowing nicely. I primed again today and will hang tommorrow quite a few.

 

[Knucklehead]

I switched from BT to Spinosad this year also. Mainly because of the advertised spray intervals being twice that of BT, meaning half as much spraying. I've only sprayed once this year but it needs it again. It's just been raining every day for the past week and I'm waiting for some clear weather.

 

[BarG]

My ground has never dried out since I planted. I have had to replace every single mandrel and pully with a bearing on my mower this year, even after shredding I can barely keep up with the areas I keep mowed. My first year of growing during a drought I was damn near using a pick axe to set my plants.

 

[BarG]

The Bezuki leaves yellow and cure amazingly fast. My big leaf to beat leafs was 27 1/2 " x 16 ". My average lower leaves have all been in the 24" x 16" range

My dixie shade is doing well this year average leaf is about 10"w x 16"L


Briskets are looking good.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Great looking leaf! And now I'm hungry looking at your grillin'!

 

[BarG]

That was the first hour of 20 hours. I remembered how to do it. Firm enough to cut with a knife and tender enough to melt in your mouth.

 

[BarG]

I would be inclined to top the Vuelta Abajo (at least most of those that are budding), and keeping up with the subsequent suckers. You should end up with some large and lovely leaf.

Bob

I am impressed with my Vuelta abajo and my Machu picchu this year over last year. You and JBD are great for suggesting new varietys to try.

 

[indianjoe]

BarG,
I like the dixie shade and the brisket aint't bad either

 

[BarG]

I am looking forward to the Dixie shade. It seems real promising for my tastes. I thank you indianjoe for that.
Every now and then I need some beef, besides wild pork and venison.

 

[BarG]

Here is a pic of some virginias that were dried in about 2 weeks. I covered my green house with tarps to eliminate direct sunlight and piled the leaves on racks a few deep. My avg. temps did not reach that high but several hours a day it hit over a hundred inside. My next batch with the mid leaves is reaching higher prolonged avg. temps so I will see in a couple weeks how they turn out. As for the leaf itself it is readily smokable and has a nice flavor although I would not call it flue cured.
The leaves had most of the yellow fixed and the flavor is a lot smoother and tastes better than my air dried from last year. The leaves seem to have a bit more elasticity also. 95% of the stems were also dry after 2 weeks.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Looks good enough to burn...
Flue cured without flue curing!

 

[BarG]

Looks good enough to burn...
Flue cured without flue curing!

It is, I wish I could get that tobacco candy aroma though as BigBonners and Bob's cozy can flue cured. I wish. One year I will make a metal surround and run a heated pipe through to up the temps. Yea maybe next year.
It is not Flue cured. I have been smoking it already for a week by itself and with a lb. of mix already shredded. I have never been able to enjoy homegrown so soon after picking. I am anxious to try the upper leaves as the nic content seems low from these.

 

[DGBAMA]

Smokable leaf in two weeks without a curing chamber, well done.

 

[BarG]

Smokable leaf in two weeks without a curing chamber, well done.

Its rare I know until you try some cozy can flue cured prilep that smells like tobacco candy. My goal at the time is fixing the yellow color. 90% okay. I want to reach some higher temps next year. I did de stem every thing already just in case the stems wern't 100% dry. I had to rehydrate in my kiln which i use during the summer months. Totally sealed in a bag the heat overnight made them pliable enough to de stem. I pulled the bag out and opened hoping to smell fresh baked pie , Insted I got smooth smelling Virginia.

 

[BarG]

I have 2 Machu Piccu plants and 1 olor plant after tomorrow. I will pick the remaining tips from the bezuki about 10" long and mow down whats left of my weed infessted cig. garden. Between rains averaging every other day I have not been able to keep up with gardens or yard. As soon as you cut it is time to do it again. I have some excellent cigar leaf and quite a bit of cig leaf probably about 75% cured. I will be hanging the last of my burleys and marylands I saved tomorrow.

I will be sending out several good size samples of the bezuki , some kilned and some not depending. Some people may prefer to kiln their own.

My dixie shade did well this year. some of the the leaves exceeded the pics posted/ The color curing is turning out real nice. A nice deep dark brown . I can't wait to see what they kiln out to. Samples of these will be sent as well.

 

[deluxestogie]

I have Bezuki and Timor growing this year. The Bezuki is shorter, with almost umbrella-like leaves. The Timor is a taller plant, with leaves almost as large as the Bezuki. Timor leaves have no fuzziness or stickiness to them. They're surface is absolutely smooth, and a somewhat darker green than the Bezuki. Interesting stuff.

Bob

 

[BarG]

I loaded my kiln up 7-11-14. Using some 2 year old along with some of last years for this batch. the 2 year old is in sealed vapor proof bags 1 lb. and 5 lb. so far just by looking I see no problems . The leaf was in a case to be pliable without cracking. I see no condensation in bags or change in case by feel. 2 1/2 weeks to go . The temp is at 123 degrees. The crockpot keeps enough moisture for my loose leaf to keep case. I had a bunch of bursa stuffed in a coke 12 pack box and it rehydrated after a couple days after dry storage. I will take it out very soon as I have tried it and it is already smoother..

 

[BarG]

My Bezuki only got about 4.5' but even the tips after topping were big enough to roll a small cigar. I had almost no suckering and very little pest problem wheras the Havana 425 was literaly attacked. I have never heard of Timor, but I never heard of bezuki either till I bought some from Don. A great thing about this site Bob, is the sharing. Your garden looks fantastic again this year. I have been battling old equipment[weed eaters and lawnmowers] not to mention working out of town.

edit; My havana 425 leaves from the tips after topping were huge compared to th first time I grew. They were every bit as large as the mid leaves.

 

[BarG]

Here is how my drying is coming along this year. The top pic is my drying rack.
The lower pick is my second batch of virginias dryed in my greenhouse.