Seed Strain OVERLOAD

[SmokesAhoy]

So this year is wrapping up nicely and I am looking at what to grow next year. I am thinking about breeding the item i am growing this year with something else and possibly doing another type as well. There are just SOOO Flippin many strains! I want to grow delgold and still need the seed for it, I want to grow red russian because I always intended to, I want to grow cornplanter, and still need the seed, etc etc, there are just too many types lol. I am trying to find a great variety to cross what I have going this year to something with larger leaves and am keeping in mind that i fail miserably with too many varieties. grr, there are just so many awesome strains out there, this is soooo hard!

Anyone else have a bit of strain overload? I feel like I really learned something about this strain this year only growing it by itself, where last year i had so many varieties i just got confused. I wanna keep the count down so I feel like I learn something like i did this year, but there are just sooo many I want to grow hehe.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

And I've gotta say, say what you will about vermont, but the strains I grow taste soo much better than anything else I have tried... maybe its my soil, maybe my climate, maybe the rough cut pine attic it gets stored in (smells nice up there) but that stuff is amazing!

 

[Aaron]

I can feel your pain! I think I've gone right past overload straight to short-circuit. I made myself a list that I now have down to about 20 strains. I'm wanting to get it under 10 but there's just too many good choices out there.

 

[johnlee1933]

Yep, I feel the strain also. I wanted to do only four strains next year. My usual CT shade, Maryland 609, bursa and another, maybe a grow out for the forum. THEN I started reading and that was a big mistake ! Now I'd like to try another wrapper and Big Gem looks good. A different oriental would be nice, maybe a perique? Ah She It. Really all I started out to do was roll a nice cigar.

John

 

[leverhead]

I let some suckers flower on the Ottoman and Southern Beauty, then I'm trying to cross them both ways. More thoughtless than thoughtful, but what the hell. I'll learn as I go, maybe I can figure out a container grown plant that flue-cures well. I've got one seed pod plumping up on the Southern Beauty, the Ottoman hasn't been so easy. It's been fun doing surgery on poor defenseless flowers.

 

[Chicken]

im hoping to have my next patch down to 10 strains,,,

of good healthy big leaf. plants,

im so done with growing baccy that dont produce no quantity,

 

[BarG]

I'm trying not to become to obsessed. I'll try something new each year and be glad for it that I can grow some good smoke.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

There has been some buzz about FM's silver river and now I'm wanting to try that too. Gah. Maybe next year ill do 1 plot of what I know I like and then do little 3plant triangles like deluxe did to refresh seed and try new varieties. This hobby seems to demand more time thinking about what to do the next year than actually doing the grow the current year lol. I'm not complaining though, I love every minute of it.

 

[johnlee1933]

I guess this is the right place to post this. I got the two seed strainers Deluxe suggested and strained my Comstock Spanish and CT broadleaf seeds (bagged) last night. I have about 10 gm of each. As Bob said they cleaned up nicely. One kinda funny thing -- with the CT broadleafwhen I checked the 400 µ strainer I saw a lot of fine filament like "threads" about ¼" long. So I filtered again, 600 - 400 and again. Same thing but less of it. Finally I bit the bullet and removed it by hand and lost a little seed. Odd, the stuff went right thru the 600 µ strainer even though the strands were quite long.

John

 

[skychaser]

I have cleaned a lot of seeds from a lot of different varieties. Some are easy and some are a real pain. For what ever reason, the chaff is different from one variety to the next. Some are just plain nasty when sifting and winnowing them. A good dust mask is a must. I'd like to try growing some of that Comstock Spanish if you want to swap some seeds. I thought about posting my list of seed but I'm afraid it might drive Smokes over the edge. lol I'm growing Silver River this year. It's a very impressive plant. Lots of huge leaves that turn yellow as they ripen and they cure out very easily. I'm looking forward to seeing how it smokes.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I've seen your list man, its dead sexy. After this season we should trade. I have quite a few oddball strains too

 

[jeapadrenaline]

That silver river sounds impressive. I will have to get me some seed of that for next season. Other than that i desperately need to find me some Del Gold seed. And maybe a good producing rustica. But may just try aztec again. I think my main issue was my soil along with tooo wet early season. None of my plants where doing great, some did ok, others quite poorly. Next spring goma add a fe loads of steer manure, to help it along.

 

[taxedenuf]

I've tested many varieties over the years and Silver River to me is the best out there.I like low maintenance(same with women LOL).No fancy gadgets just pluck it dry it and smoke it.

I'll have plenty of seeds this year and it's all i grew.So, for all you self polinating baccy baggers.it's all good.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Delgold, cornplanter, sriver, xanthi, then I swear I'm done collecting more!

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Jeep check the pictures of deluxes cornplanter, it looks like an extremely well producing rustica.

 

[skychaser]

You've only seen half of it Smokes.

I sent an e-mail to FM last week with my full list and some details of my little operation. I will be contributing some of everything I have for the seed bank. I'm 100% behind the idea. So when all the who, wheres, and hows get sorted out, it will be available there. If that doesn't happen, I will make what I have available to everyone in this forum one way or another.

There is no Rustica that is a what I would call a "heavy" producer. At least none that I have grown yet. Sacred Cornplanter has produced the largest leaf for me. Fallowed by Mohawk. Then Aztec. But there is not a huge difference. Aztec and Isleta Pueblo have produced the most total volume of leaf for me.

My Cornplanter is ripe and mostly picked now. Got a tub full to thresh out. LOTS of seed in there. I picked some more Del Gold today and strung it up. The seed pods on it are turning brown now and the bloom is nearly done. I'll start harvesting the seed from it soon. And it looks like there will be plenty of it too. So your search is over Jeep.


Sky

 

[Tom_in_TN]

Based on just 1 year's experience my plantings were just the right amount, if I had been retired. Next season I will plant about as many varieties, but only about 10-15 plants of each. A few varieties will be 80 to 500 plants of each. I've had a taste of a few air-cured leaves from 2 Turkish varieties and they promise to be awesome when fully cured.

 

[jeapadrenaline]

Sky, once again you come to the rescue, thanks. The delgold will be a good addition for sure.
I had 10 varieties this year, and as of now i wont have that many next season, but possibly more plants in total. Although that may all change once everything is cured and tasted lol. My biggest obstacle will be to get the soil to a better condition. I was rushed this season, and it was all virgin ground i had to break, with @ buggered back it was hard to get anything done in time. And then came the rain.. and didn't want to stop. We had the wettest spring/early summer in over 50 years. By a lot.
i know i keep promissing, but one day i will upload a thread of pics from my poor garden, poor grow and awesome off grid living arrangements. Its just that i have so much to try and get done before snow flies plus no internet at home besides the mobile. And well, keeping up on reading all the new posts sure takes a lot of my time too lol

 

[SmokesAhoy]

So if I was adding strips of rustica to cigars the leaf size would not matter at all, to confirm, while those other plants produced larger leaves the Aztec produced more cured product per plant in the form of more numerous, smaller, leaves? Maybe ill just leave that alone then and continue growing Aztec.

 

[johnlee1933]

So if I was adding strips of rustica to cigars the leaf size would not matter at all, to confirm, while those other plants produced larger leaves the Aztec produced more cured product per plant in the form of more numerous, smaller, leaves? Maybe ill just leave that alone then and continue growing Aztec.

I have finally found a base tobacco (Maryland 609) I like. I can smoke it puro. The leaves are large enough I can even get some binder. Right now I am using CT shade as wrapper. So for the first time I get to play with blending and adding strips or partial leaves works for me.

John