Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, with common flue cure varieties like the virginias, will there be enough time netween primings to flue cure before the next priming is ready to go in the chamber?
Enough time to flue-cure each priming?
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If your flue-curing chamber is of sufficient size to hold all of a single priming (typically 3 or 4 leaves per plant), then you can flue-cure each successive priming as it becomes ready. My experience has been that the entire flue-curing season lasts about 6 weeks, starting when the lowest leaf matures to yellow tips.
Bob
Bob
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
I think with a 4' wide by 4' tall by 2' deep chamber, i should have plenty of room to cure my vabl. Im flip flopping things constantly it seems but it would probably be in the neighborhood of 100 to 120 plants so i have enough to blend out and age for next year too!
For flue-curing, the leaf must hang in the chamber, with adequate air flow suffusing the leaf with the circulating air. My chamber is about the same dimensions. The most I ever accommodated was a grow of 16 Virginia plants. I would guess that it could handle about twice that many plants.
Bob
Bob
Yeah, I've had problems with 'timing' of flue-curing different strains. Specifically, some strains of Virginias take about 3 days in the kiln to go through the yellowing phase, while other strains may take up to 7+ days to yellow. This seems to be indifferent to how ripe the leaves are. And I prefer to pack the kiln full for each cycle.
And the problem is even worse if trying to flue-cure several strains at the same time, some are still green when others are fully yellowed.
Solved this problem (or partially have solved it), by 'pile-curing' leaf prior to flue-curing them.
I will prime ripe leaf, 2 to 5 days before they go into the kiln. They are them stacked in a pile, covered, the pile broken down and 'aired' out, re-stacked every day, until they go into the kiln. This seems to initiate the yellowing phase, quickening the time spent in the kiln.
Biggest challenge with this approach - identifying which strains (and ripeness) will take longer. Just have to experiment !
I have actually pulled green-leaf of one strain out of the kiln to pile-cure some more, while I finish the drying phase of flue-curing the other yellow leaf.
Perhaps I should not try growing too many different strains !
One big advantage of pile-curing, or initial early yellowing of leaf, is that I can overlap this while other leaf is finishing the flue-cure, i.e., I can get more flue-cure cycles done during the entire priming/curing phase of home-grown tobacco.
And the problem is even worse if trying to flue-cure several strains at the same time, some are still green when others are fully yellowed.
Solved this problem (or partially have solved it), by 'pile-curing' leaf prior to flue-curing them.
I will prime ripe leaf, 2 to 5 days before they go into the kiln. They are them stacked in a pile, covered, the pile broken down and 'aired' out, re-stacked every day, until they go into the kiln. This seems to initiate the yellowing phase, quickening the time spent in the kiln.
Biggest challenge with this approach - identifying which strains (and ripeness) will take longer. Just have to experiment !
I have actually pulled green-leaf of one strain out of the kiln to pile-cure some more, while I finish the drying phase of flue-curing the other yellow leaf.
Perhaps I should not try growing too many different strains !
One big advantage of pile-curing, or initial early yellowing of leaf, is that I can overlap this while other leaf is finishing the flue-cure, i.e., I can get more flue-cure cycles done during the entire priming/curing phase of home-grown tobacco.
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Oldfella
Well-Known Member
@LeftyRighty said,
I actually pulled green-leaf of one strain out of the kiln to pile-cure some more, while I finish the drying phase of flue-curing the other yellow leaf.
Perhaps I should not try growing too many different strains !
I may have the same problem. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Oldfella
I actually pulled green-leaf of one strain out of the kiln to pile-cure some more, while I finish the drying phase of flue-curing the other yellow leaf.
Perhaps I should not try growing too many different strains !
I may have the same problem. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Oldfella
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
My last flue curing setup was 4'x7'x7', and if I correctly recall, it was about half full with 60 plants. One issue I had was with growing different types of flue cured tobacco. I would pick at about the same ripeness, but they would complete yellowing at different rates which caused me to find a middle point where some was over ripe and turned dark. This delayed it by a little with each run.
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
Was that 60 whole plants or the primings from 60 plants?
You cannot flue-cure "whole plants."
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Primings.
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
So, here is what I figure. If a chamber 4x4x2 will handle 30 plants' primings, then a chamber 8x8x2 should accommodate 120. Do you agree? Would a 4 or 5 qt crockpot still provide adequate heat assuming it is well insulated and sealed?
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I don't know what sort of power consumption a crockpot is. My estimation is that you would need at least 250W for moderately insulated 8x8x2 in order to achieve 165°F.
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