You have me completely baffled.
Bob
Bob
MAB 2020 (Virginia Gold)
- Thread starter MAB
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New theory:
They are growing for maximum leaf size, but do not want to increase the strength and nicotine of the leaf. So they remove all the leaves above a certain level, while retaining the bud head.
Instead of stalk-harvesting when the plant has matured, they cut segments of the stalk, each holding 3 or 4 leaves, and place the segments over a stick for air curing.
Maybe.
Bob
They are growing for maximum leaf size, but do not want to increase the strength and nicotine of the leaf. So they remove all the leaves above a certain level, while retaining the bud head.
Instead of stalk-harvesting when the plant has matured, they cut segments of the stalk, each holding 3 or 4 leaves, and place the segments over a stick for air curing.
Maybe.
Bob
Yes, it is unbelievable! LOL
the professional grower receives for a kilogram of cured and cured Kentucky no more than 3 or 4 euros ... a worker costs at least 10 euros per hour! and I can't explain how it can waste time and money on those operations that I believe are useless.
Anyway, I'm going to write an email to the tobacco growers association to find out why those women do the sucker and flower operations.
the professional grower receives for a kilogram of cured and cured Kentucky no more than 3 or 4 euros ... a worker costs at least 10 euros per hour! and I can't explain how it can waste time and money on those operations that I believe are useless.
Anyway, I'm going to write an email to the tobacco growers association to find out why those women do the sucker and flower operations.
There may be a specialty market for those tiny leaves.
Bob
Bob
Good luck with your inquiry. When I sent some questions to the Dominican growers association (in both English and Spanish), they just ignored me.
Bob
Bob
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
Yes!!!! Maybe.New theory:
They are growing for maximum leaf size, but do not want to increase the strength and nicotine of the leaf. So they remove all the leaves above a certain level, while retaining the bud head.
Instead of stalk-harvesting when the plant has matured, they cut segments of the stalk, each holding 3 or 4 leaves, and place the segments over a stick for air curing.
Maybe.
Bob
Oldfella
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
That was rude. You would never get that from, FTT, someone will help.
Oldfella
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Another theory is that removing the leaves, you get bigger seeds and that bigger seeds grow faster.
Guys, I have just read the regulation for the cultivation of the Kentucky variety for the Toscano cigar (DISCIPLINARE DI PRODUZIONE DEL TABACCO KENTUCKY)
and among other things it talks about the harvest that must be done from top to bottom!
Is it harvested that way in the USA too?
Bob, that image with the boy holding up a stem of leaves, looks like he's picking up tobacco cut segments of the stalk !
ChinaVoodoo, professional growers here buy seedlings sown on floating beds, they no longer sow like they used to.
and among other things it talks about the harvest that must be done from top to bottom!
Is it harvested that way in the USA too?
Bob, that image with the boy holding up a stem of leaves, looks like he's picking up tobacco cut segments of the stalk !
ChinaVoodoo, professional growers here buy seedlings sown on floating beds, they no longer sow like they used to.
Harvesting leaves from the top of the stalk downward seems truly odd, since the leaf always matures from the bottom of the stalk upward. In the prime burley growing areas of Kentucky, the tobacco is always stalk-harvested. The entire plant is briefly wilted in the field (so it requires less room in the barn, but being careful to avoid sun scald). Then the base of each stalk is speared onto a tobacco stick, transported to the barn, then hung as an entire plant, to cure.
Bob
Bob
Alpine
Moderator
MAB, can you provide a link? I’d be interested in reading the whole “disciplinare”
pier
pier
Alpine
Moderator
Thanks Bob, I’ll read it along with the “Kentucky production rules” for the Italian market. It will be interesting to compare the two and understand the differences.
pier
pier
Another strange thing: here, after having harvested starting from the top, they cover with a cloth the lower part still to be harvested:
Link: http://www.tabaccokentucky.it/video.html
my guess is to protect the leaves from the UVA rays of the sun ...
I forgot to mention that cultivated Kentucky tobacco is then cured with fire.
Link: http://www.tabaccokentucky.it/video.html
my guess is to protect the leaves from the UVA rays of the sun ...
I forgot to mention that cultivated Kentucky tobacco is then cured with fire.
Hello everyone! How long have I not updated the Log, I have always taken pictures but I never had the time to publish them!
So, here's a quick summary:
Sunday 23 August 2020 the 13th week in the soil ended and during this week I finished harvesting the leaves in the middle of the stem:
The 14th week on the soil ended on Sunday 30 August 2020:
Sunday 6 September 2020 the 15th week in the soil ended and during this week I took the top stalk leaves with the whole stem.
There is still a row of plants that have not bloomed in the ground, it is an area that takes little sun because it is shaded by the large walnut tree
I curing the top leaves by hanging the stems in the cellar:
Therefore, my first growth ended 15 weeks after the transplant. Now I am looking for a a second growth but this year too is going badly.
This is a picture of Sunday October 18th, after 6 weeks of growing for a second crop:
This is the second consecutive year that I don't get a second crop and I don't understand why these plants don't grow. I have to say the main crop didn't have suckers!
See you at the next update
So, here's a quick summary:
Sunday 23 August 2020 the 13th week in the soil ended and during this week I finished harvesting the leaves in the middle of the stem:
The 14th week on the soil ended on Sunday 30 August 2020:
Sunday 6 September 2020 the 15th week in the soil ended and during this week I took the top stalk leaves with the whole stem.
There is still a row of plants that have not bloomed in the ground, it is an area that takes little sun because it is shaded by the large walnut tree
I curing the top leaves by hanging the stems in the cellar:
Therefore, my first growth ended 15 weeks after the transplant. Now I am looking for a a second growth but this year too is going badly.
This is a picture of Sunday October 18th, after 6 weeks of growing for a second crop:
This is the second consecutive year that I don't get a second crop and I don't understand why these plants don't grow. I have to say the main crop didn't have suckers!
See you at the next update
Last edited:
paintercote
Well-Known Member
my plants are growing out the top of my greenhouse. Winter is coming, can I cut the tops of the plants off (Virginian bright). Better yet, this is my first time to grow. Some one please tell me what to do. Thanku, Chris Cote (paintercote). Western Washington state. I am also new here and have a previous post concerning curing / trouble shooting. Would love to chat with ANYBODY. Thanks again.
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Hi paintercote your paints are very high! I speak English very badly and I write with Google Translate, so it is difficult for me to help you ... but if you ask Bob and others, they will surely be able to answer you!
Hello everyone! Finally I have finished devening the leaves, cutting the tobacco and, the best thing: weighing it
Thus, from my 56 Virginia Gold plants in the garden I have obtained Kg. 4,519 (about 10 Pounds) of commercial tobacco (with the central vein) which becomes Kg. 4,087 (about 9 Pounds) of tobacco ready to be smoked.
Two more calculations: the yield per plant was 80 grams (2.82 ounces) which becomes 73 grams (2.57 ounces) ready to smoke.
I am noticing that my yield falls a bit every year and with each passing year the drought is greater, maybe I should give a lot more water than I am giving.
Also, I have 13 plants in a part of the garden shaded by a walnut most of the day, that walnut is getting huge!
The good news is that I will still have enough tobacco to smoke until next year
Tobacco cutting is the worst moment of the whole production, it's really a job: 20 days, 4 hours every day, such a monotonous job pulling the central vein off, pressing the leaves and cutting into small strips:
Well, I won't think about it until next autumn!
I smoked a couple of cigarettes with the tobacco of the leaves of the middle stalk: it has a floral taste, not grassy or funky or hard and it burns well.
This year, in my wife's flower pot, a plant that looks like tobacco of the ornamental varieties has grown:
I wanted to save the seeds but then I forgot.
Happy Christmas to all and see you next spring!
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