First buds. Do I top and when?

[Balgaire]

So, I checked this morning and have my first plant budding (I think). These plants are in partial shade. I am leaving town on Sunday until Friday. Should I top now, wait, or let one or two plants flower and self-pollinate? (I have 5 total plants). Do I pinch? Cut?

Thanks!

 

[FmGrowit]

Not ready to top yet.

 

[Balgaire]

Thanks. With me being out of town starting Sunday for 5 days, do I risk missing a topping window?

 

[FmGrowit]

Probably not. The timing might be perfect. You want some type of stem under the flower head, then break it or cut it off.

You can even let it go until a few flowers open.

 

[deluxestogie]

The sequence below was all taken today. They are the same tobacco variety at different stages of stalk elongation. The timing is a wild guess on my part, but you can get an idea of how much work the plant has to do, prior to blossoming.

Most commercial growers will wait until a certain percentage of a crop shows open blossoms, then top them all at once. So you have a lot of leeway.

Bob