In 2012, I carefully pruned to a single sucker per plant, for about 2 dozen different varieties. Because of the abnormally long growing season last year, the suckers grew well, yielding leaf that was nearly as large as the primary leaf.
Most of this sucker crop cured rather slowly. I still have quite a bit of it, now 1 year old. My opinion of the leaf, when kilned after 1 year, is that it's not all that good. It often lacks the distinctive flavors and aromas of primary leaf, is lighter in final color, possesses a less desirable texture, and tends to have more holes and dried aphids than primary leaf. While sucker leaf is not as high in quality as primary leaf, it nonetheless requires just as much work per leaf, just as much hanging and storage space as primary leaf, and just as much kiln space. Plus, the curing conditions (weather) are not as favorable when the suckers need to go into the shed.
This season, I have removed all suckers from every plant as soon as they emerge. Since tender sucker leaf attracts significantly more pests (aphids and flea beetles in particular) than more mature leaf, I've experienced fewer issues with pests. The plants are dedicated to producing the best quality leaf. An added advantage of my no-sucker policy is that the nutrient drain on the soil is minimized.
As soon as the last leaf is removed from a stalk, the stalk is cut 6" above the soil. [This leaves a handle for knocking off dirt from the root ball.] As soon thereafter as the soil dries to a crumbly state, I pry out the root with a shovel.
My opinion at this moment is that if I want more leaf, I'll increase the number of plants, rather than expend the time a resources to produce inferior leaf. Added to this, my total number of tobacco plants for 2013 was significantly higher than for 2012, and I've maxed out my hanging space.
Although many members have had success with sucker crops, and been satisfied with the quality of the leaf, that has not been my experience here in southwest Virginia.
Bob
