Hayden Grow 2023

[Hayden]

A little bit late but better than not ^^
After last years complete fail because of slug attacks i managed to get some viriginia gold (first pics) and i think 98er Criollo. I write i think because i managed to forget it again what gave more seedlings the 98 or the 99. Its one of the two sadly the piloto cubano seed doesent worked very well.

All in all the weather is much nicer than my first grow 3 years ago, i managed the weeds much better, i layed down watering system for tobacco and my vegetables and fertilized better.
We had some really hot temperatures the last time so the tobacco did not grow that fast and i just started to see the first flower buds last week.

All in all i could maybe fertilize next year even more i think and my plan is to let the leaf mature some more. In my first growing year the yellowing was maybe more a cause if nitrogen deficency than true maturness.

Speaking of my harvest most of it became moldy over last winter because we had some water leaking in the storing room and i did not recognized it fast enough.


But i'm exited for this years harvest and the quality of it because i think i did a better job this year.
The leafes of the viriginia are darker in reality the cigar strain could actually have had more nitrogen. I did throw in some additional chicken manure and foliage feed it a little bit which helped the next days after the foto.

 

[deluxestogie]

Congratulations on a better second season. The first one is always a learning experience.

Bob

 

[Hayden]

Some big virginia plants in the botanical garden of my university town. They are 6' foot in height and have some pretty large leafs. Most likly were watered mutch better then my crops because we had some really hot/dry weather and my watering system was not build in this early period.

The area is part of shown in the foto is part of an agricultural crop showing area.

 

[deluxestogie]

I have not seen every known variety of Virginia tobacco, but those look to my eye to be a white-stem burley variety.

Bob

 

[Alpine]

A white stemmed burley would have been my guess too.

pier

 

[johnny108]

The botanical garden doesn't need those for compost.......do they?

 

[Hayden]

The botanical garden doesn't need those for compost.......do they?

Hehe i should ask them.
Together with the advise from deluxstogie and alpine that they should label their tobacco rightly

 

[johnny108]

Tha

Hehe i should ask them.
Together with the advise from deluxstogie and alpine that they should label their tobacco rightly

That wouldn’t be the Herrenhäuser Gardens, would it?

 

[Hayden]

Tha

That wouldn’t be the Herrenhäuser Gardens, would it?

No its the Botanical Garden in Erlangen. A nice little garden if one comes along.

Besides that we had some really cold nights and rainy days with temperatures at night in my home town in august with 5°C. I'm still in my university town but my parents already told me that the tomatos look rough.
Luckily its now warmer again and no more rain but lets see if they survive and not get infected. Its espically sad because they are now starting to be harvested.

 

[johnny108]

No its the Botanical Garden in Erlangen. A nice little garden if one comes along.

Besides that we had some really cold nights and rainy days with temperatures at night in my home town in august with 5°C. I'm still in my university town but my parents already told me that the tomatos look rough.
Luckily its now warmer again and no more rain but lets see if they survive and not get infected. Its espically sad because they are now starting to be harvested.

Currently sweating in Hannover during a thunderstorm at 25C….
Hoping my just this week transplanted Rusticas don’t drown.

 

[Hayden]

I have some problems. A few plants are showing some issues. Should i just snap the infected leafs or cut the whole plants ?

 

[deluxestogie]

A wider view of entire plants would be helpful. In the first two images, every visible leaf appears to be affected to a greater or lesser extent. My crude guess is that this is Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV), which is transmitted by thrips, earlier in the growing season. This late in the season, limiting spread is probably not useful.

I would be inclined to just harvest as usual, and then throw away any leaf that is clearly trash. Next season, consider using imidacloprid in your transplant water, to minimize the proliferation of thrips (~50% effective at reducing TSWV).

Bob

 

[Hayden]

A wider view of entire plants would be helpful. In the first two images, every visible leaf appears to be affected to a greater or lesser extent. My crude guess is that this is Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV), which is transmitted by thrips, earlier in the growing season. This late in the season, limiting spread is probably not useful.

I would be inclined to just harvest as usual, and then throw away any leaf that is clearly trash. Next season, consider using imidacloprid in your transplant water, to minimize the proliferation of thrips (~50% effective at reducing TSWV).

Bob

Thank you for the advise i took some more fotos.

 

[Hayden]

First time virginia vs this years virginia.
I smoke the mud leafs as i write this from this years virginia and 98 and even these taste far more tobaccoy than most of my first years crop.
2 little pipe heads from every strain let me also feel quiet a bit more nicotin than from the first years crop.

What a difference. Quiet a lot things are much better and add up: fertilization, hoeing (a sharp hoe makes weeding fun), the weather is far better and i let them more time to ripen.
The yellowing of my first time growing was a lack of nutrients and not of ripness. This years leaf look much more like the pictures of you guys.

I will be back in the garden in 2 weeks because i will drive back into my university town but maybe i have then enough ripe leaf to start a flue cure run.

 

[Knucklehead]

They look beautiful. It took me three seasons to feel comfortable with not only the process of growing but also with my methods. My own personal assembly line finally felt efficient instead of bumbling and stumbling around feeling like I was always a step behind. Good job.

 

[Hayden]

Need some help.
The upper leaf of some plants appear to be more ripe and yellow of my cigar strain then the lower leaf from the same plant. Should i first harvest the upper leaf then ? I suspect yes but i want to make sure.


My virginia is still quiet green with only some lower leafa getting really yellow but far to few to justify flue curing. Big difference to my first grow where everything was cut down too early at this time of year.

 

[Hayden]

thatsthe little dutch which also does not look that ripe

 

[deluxestogie]

Allowing suckers to grow confuses the timing of leaf maturation.

Bob

 

[Hayden]

Allowing suckers to grow confuses the timing of leaf maturation.

Bob

Yes with the little dutch i lost the fight as i was some time away from the garden. The bigger strains i picked them much better and also after the foto i cleaned them from suckers.
So i suspect i should harvest the mature/ripe looking cigar leaf (picture 1) and just wait for the lower leafs till their time comes, or ?

 

[Hayden]

First primed leafs of Criollo first picture and little dutch second picture.
Both leaf typs look quiet good looking forward to tasting it. Also i snapped a few lower virginia leafs and cured them in the sun the ones who were ripe enough but even the more air cured ones i like already.
As i said before. Quiet an improvment in quality this year.