Love to smoke, and "ramble"

[Knucklehead]

Congratulations papa! Break out the ceegars.

 

[Boboro]

You on the way to growin backer.

 

[Aaron]

It sure is exciting seeing new sprouts smiling up at you.

 

[DGBAMA]

Congrats on the starts. Exciting time.

For reference, best results will be had with soil that is damp, not wet. I would also recommend sifting your starting soil to remove chunks, only use fine soil for starting so seeds don't become buried.

 

[daniel draeving]

Last year I transplanted some Virginia outdoors that were about four inches tall and the deer ate three of them. I've also had rabbits nibble on the leaves a little but once the plants get around eight inches tall the animals seem to leave them alone.

 

[DonH]

Last year I transplanted some Virginia outdoors that were about four inches tall and the deer ate three of them. I've also had rabbits nibble on the leaves a little but once the plants get around eight inches tall the animals seem to leave them alone.

That's when the leaves start to have nicotine in them. Before that they can get eaten.

 

[garryricketson]

OK, thanks, we are going to be getting some "mesh" wire, to put around the area where I plant, just to be safe, they have some sheep here, and all though also usually there is somone that that stays with them, when they let them out and he has promised to keep them away from where the plants are, however , it would be better to put a fence around them, sheep can be out and out destructive, I have seen them literally first nibble at a plant, and even if they don't eat any of it, they still pull it up, at the bottom of the stem, pulling it by the roots, just to leave it laying there.

 

[garryricketson]

winston-smoker An onyx pipe sounds very interesting ... if the craftsmanship is good, I would think it would make a nice decorative piece.

I finally got some pitchures of it, (the onyx pipe) , it works too, but it is more of a "novelty" or as you say, nice decorative piece.
This in my hand gives a more clear Iidea of the size,

 

[garryricketson]

that land does look promising,

not what i would have thought it would look like,

can we see a soil picture, a dug hole or something,,, some overturned soil?

Here is a couple of photos, it is fairly dry, almost damp, but not much.
in this one it is dryer this is where the dirt is,
We have some lime trees, in this area, but there is plaenty of room in between them for a few plants. It is very rocky, anywhere that has never been "worked" before, I pulled out the stones, in the "holes" above, very well drained, when one digs down 2 or 3 feet, it starts getting rockier, but small stones, like gravel.

 

[Knucklehead]

Great job on the pipe. It's beautiful. Thanks for posting it.

I think your soil will produce some fine tobacco.

 

[garryricketson]

Thanks , I could probably search the forum and find an answer to this, but I am very tired, going to lie down and sleep early tonight, My question : At what point, or when can I take the plastic covering off my seedlings ?, they are all sprouting nicely,
Tomorrow is saturday, ya hoo!, only half a day at work, maybe I can post some photos, of them this week end.

 

[bonehead]

the whole thing is to keep them moist without letting them grow mold. when i get the seeds to sprout i usually crack opened the cover a small amount. it really depends how humid or dry your air is. it is hard to say not being there. you don't wan't them to dry out and you don't wan't them to damp or dampen off. i don't know if that is the rite term. basicly if they are to wet they will rot off a little above ground level and if they are to dry they will die also. it is not as hard as it sounds. you will be able to see if there is to much humidity or if it is to dry. sometimes i raise and lower the cover as needed until they get established.

 

[Knucklehead]

I don't use plastic covers. Where I live has high humidity already. I use 1020 trays with inserts (10" x 20" in size = 1020). The inserts hold the soil and sit down in a solid tray. The water goes in the bottom tray. The water "wicks up" the soil column. Bottom watering seems to be better for the plants and encourages the roots to grow down toward the water. My soil comes with fertilizer in it, but if your soil has no fertilizer you can add the fertilizer to the water. I use a TDS meter to check the fertilizer in the water. If you don't use a meter, use about half the amount of fertilizer that the instructions on the fertilizer call for. Many members have found that fertilizing by the instructions will burn up the seedlings. I have heat mats under the trays. You probably will not need heat mats in your climate. I keep the bottom tray 1/4 full of water. The picture shows two side by side trays with inserts inside the trays. The inserts in the picture are divided into 48 cells. Each cell has a hole in the bottom for the water to wick up into the soil. This year I am using 72 cell inserts. They still fit a 1020 tray so each cell is smaller. I will end up with one plant per cell.

 

[DGBAMA]

Bonehead is right on; it really is a judgement call. If the cover has condensation, it needs to be at least partially removed for ventilation. Same if the tray is in sunlight, you can quickly cook them with the lid sealed.

I prop mine up a couple inches in the morning and close them at night. If my soil is damp enough, I have a bit of condensation inside the lid in the morning but the inside of the lid drys out within a few hours in the morning after being propped open. I would not set the lids aside completely until you have at least a first leaf showing.

 

[garryricketson]

Hmm, ok, and I was going to try to go to sleep early, , The air here is very dry, things can dry out real fast. I am thinking though, it would be a good idea to at least start letting some air, ventilation, and just keep an eye on them.

 

[bonehead]

some times if it is a real cold spring i start plants in my family room near the wood stove. it is as dry as a ?? i open the tops of the trays using a pencil and once most of the condensation is gone from the clear plastic cover i close the top. it is like a dance with the humidity. i water from the bottom on an old cookie sheet so i can try to keep the foilage dry and the roots moist.

 

[deluxestogie]

I use 1020 trays with inserts (10" x 20" in size = 1020).

Hmmm. That never crossed my mind. I just assumed that "1020" was a category (like "D-cup"), rather than a measurement. I got out my ruler and measured a 1020 tray. Since the sides are sloped outward, the top is a bit larger than that, but, sure enough, the bottom of a 1020 tray is 10" x 20". It's never too late to learn.

Standard 1020 trays come in two forms: those with drain holes and those without. My approach has been to nest the holey one into the unholey one, with the cell insert resting in the upper (holey) tray. To water an entire flat (tray), I lift out one of the insert units (typically a 4 or 6 or 8 cell unit), pour 2 quarts of water into the upper tray, then replace the insert unit.

I add water when the surface of the soil just starts to lose its moist, springy feel. For me, this is once every few days. While about 1/3 of the water drains completely into the lower tray, it continues to provide moisture to the soil in the inserts by evaporation--that is, it acts as a buffer, preventing the soil from flash-drying while I'm not paying attention.

To enable me to lift a tray easily, in order to rotate it in the light, or move it to a different place--especially when it contains water, each assembly (insert, holey tray, unholey tray) is also nested into a sturdy 1020 web tray.

All of these assorted trays add to the initial cost of setup, but nearly all of it can be reused year after year. I usually discard the used inserts, and start with fresh ones each year, but the rest is just well cleaned. My grow is in the range of 300-400 starts (that includes extras). For much more massive grows, a cheaper approach might be better.

Bob

 

[garryricketson]

Here are some more photos, I do not have access to ready made seed cells, or assorted trays, so I am using styrofoam cups, and a old wheel barrow, that had a lot of holes in the bottom, well not to many, but enough so it drains well.
this is it covered, They are spruting more "clustered,close then I expected, so I have started separteing them, and putting individuals in cups, Since it has warmed up now, even at night not to cold, I also tried putting 1 sprout, in its proper place in the ground, this evening, and put a clear plastic "cup", over it, to help it stay protected and moist, if that works ok, then I will probably just start taking them from the wheel barrow, to their places in the ground,instead of putting them in cups, just to later in a few weeks, do it again, from the cup, to the ground.
This one, I am not sure that it is tobacco, it is considerabley bigger then the others, it seemed to just "pop" up, Here are some close ups of the others,,
and this would be the last one, it is in a cup.
I have started leaving them uncovered in the day, and they seem to be doing better, I was surprised, some of the sprouts all ready have roots, 1inch long or a little more, so I think I need to get busy, the dirt in the wheel barrow is only about 4 inches deep, below that is sand, about 2 inches deep, then in the bottom is gravel, if the roots get down into the gravel, I will have trouble transplanting them, without damageing the roots.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Looking good! Good luck with your grow this year.

 

[DGBAMA]

If the roots grow enough to reach the gravel it will be almost impossible to kill them on transplant. Very Hardy plants once established.