Squeezyjohn's grow blog 2015

[squeezyjohn]

Yes it is Knucks - but mine came from GRIN: Mahorka #11 Stalingradskaia .. PI499190 (TR32)

I've tried those russian cigarettes with a long cardboard bit that you pinch to form a kind of filter - they have a very heavy tobacco in them - I wonder if it's the same thing?

 

[deluxestogie]

My impression is that those long Russian filters are to accommodate very thick mittens.

Bob

 

[squeezyjohn]

Visited the allotment to see how things were going ... All my bamboo shoot and amarelinha from GRIN has been colour cured and is dry but I don't think it's going to be very good leaf - the poor summer here led to small and thin leaf in those varieties.

However I am ¾ of the way through priming the Bolivian Criollo Black - it colours nice and quick and seems fast to dry the stem too. This has grown very well for me despite the weather - but I think it has been a bit slow and would probably do even better in a great summer here.

All the rusticas are harvested too - The Mahorka Stalingradskaia is definitely a strain of rustica which has many traits more like regular tobacco than most. It's leaves are not as thick and rubbery as most rustica - it colour cures more readily and almost has a yellowing phase before turning brown ... my other giant leaved variety (1000 year old tobacco) is much more typical of other rusticas I've grown - hugely thick rubbery leaves which don't yellow and look like they will remain a little bit green for ages. The 1000 year old tobacco also displays a far more normal pungent rustica smell while curing whereas the Stalingradskaia is almost fragrant and floral with a hint of rustica smell.

 

[BlazedUp]

I just ordered a few items from GRIN today. Had never heard of it before reading a post on this site. Were you happy with what you received from them? The price is definitely right!

 

[squeezyjohn]

Oh the seeds are top notch with an amazing germination rate - the varieties are all well documented and cover a huge range of plant types.

I didn't see myself as ordering from a company ... it felt more like a privilege to have the ability to access such a fantastic academic collection and I was very grateful for the experience. I think the price is not for profit. If I had not been happy in any way with what I got - it wouldn't be the same thing as ordering from a commercial company ... I would have still been grateful!

 

[squeezyjohn]

Last leaves of Bolivian Criollo Black tobacco harvested today ... all I have left in the ground are my seed bagged plants to mature before the frosts! Almost all done.

Meanwhile conditions have been good for air curing this September and a lot is already in storage. The 2 breeds of large leafed rustica I grew are still colour curing but I have high hopes for them ... if you remember I grew Stalingradskaia which almost goes through a yellowing phase and is turning an even light brown despite the fact that the mid ribs refuse to die and are still a bright green .. and the 1000 year old tobacco is behaving more like a typical rustica with it's thicker leaves - turning a kind of green-brown colour before developing a more dark red-brown on the top of the leaf with some green on the back.

All in all - it's been a pretty awful summer - colder and much less sun than usual with a slow start ... BCB has been the outstanding performer just like Silver River was last year ... both plants seem to love the conditions in the UK.

 

[Knucklehead]

Any year you miss the hail, tornadoes, biblical sky blackening clouds of locust, devastating drought, baccy killing floods, diseases, etc. and you end up with a crop in the barn, it's a good year. I'm glad things worked out for you this season.

 

[squeezyjohn]

Thanks Knucks! I think all in all we have it pretty good here in the UK ... no tobacco pests like hornworm, cutworm, budworm over here at all ... just good old fashioned slugs and dismal weather!

I have had my worst season on the allotment for almost everything ... two very mild winters have meant that critters are a real problem and tobacco is probably the only thing that the rabbits and deer haven't decimated here.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I've only ever lost a part of a single leaf to deer, they learn pretty quick.

I had rustica grow wild this year, I believe it is Aztec. Most of the plants were small and pathetic, growing just enough to produce a crop of seed. Two plants grew big considering the competition and hard soil plus lack of fertilizer. Of these one grew large and the leaves are yellowing on the plant like a tobacum. I will save the seed, it is a fighter, out competing all manner of weeds. I thought that was interesting enough to save seed from alone. Tobacco growing wild in Vermont, wholda thunk it.

And thanks for the snus recipe you posted on the interwebs. Well done and much appreciated.

 

[Muskrat]

Any year you miss the hail, tornadoes, biblical sky blackening clouds of locust, devastating drought, baccy killing floods, diseases, etc. and you end up with a crop in the barn, it's a good year. I'm glad things worked out for you this season.

Heh. Reminds me of a British commentary on why Americans are so different. He proposed that the reason is because Americans are constantly dealing with disasters of Biblical proportions, from earthquakes to tornadoes and hurricanes to droughts to floods to wildfires to deep snow and ice being dumped overnight, whereas the worst England gets is a ripping good frost.

 

[squeezyjohn]

Here's a few photos of the curing progress on the heavily laden allotment shed!


The grape vine is doing brilliantly and looks nice against the curing leaf under the eaves.


Bolivian Criollo Black harvested a week and a half ago - at the yellow stage


Bolivian Criollo Black harvested yesterday - at the green wilted stage


Inside the shed rustica that has been hanging for almost a month - the front ones are Stalingradskaia strain.


Also inside the shed - some Bolivian Criollo Black at the almost brown stage.

 

[deluxestogie]

The hanging tobacco is looking great, especially alongside your always picturesque grapes.

Bob

 

[DonH]

Did you get seeds from the Mahorka Stalingradskaia and the 1000 year old? I'd definitely be interested in growing some. Those leaves are huge compared to the Azteca and Isleta Pueblo I've grown.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I've saved seed heads from both ... but stupid me didn't bag them and of course they're two types of Rustica ... I've never bagged my rustica before as I've only ever grown one variety. You know how Rustica just shoots to flowering and I missed the opportunity!

So ... I might have some interesting cross hybrids of two different large leaf varieties ... but if you want to grow the pure strains I have a few seeds left of both that I plan on growing out for seed production next year. all being well.

They definitely are big leaves ... I didn't give them any more attention than I have in past years and the leaves are 2 to 3 times the size of regular rusticas.

 

[squeezyjohn]

BTW - The strain of 1000 year old tobacco I used is the one widely distributed by Salt Spring Seeds. The Stalingradskaia was from GRIN ... I will take care to raise and bag a plant from the remaining 10 or so seeds left in my packet ... eek!

 

[squeezyjohn]

OK here's my end of season notes with colour curing nearly over:

The season was far worse than last year for most plants ... late to warm up in the spring and a very overcast and colder than average summer with some prolonged periods of rain. A small Indian summer in September which was more help to curing than it was to growing.

Varieties

Bamboo Shoot
Seemed to dislike the British climate! Grew fairly small and leaves began dying back before flowering. Tobacco not very mature at harvest. This is fairly typical of my previous attempts to grow flue cured types. Quite a lot of leaves air-cured a greenish colour due to immaturity and at present have a vaguely coconut smell.

Amarellinha

Very similar to above ... grew in to bigger plants and with less dieback before flowering but not a great harvest ... cured tobacco seems to have very low nicotine levels.

Bolivian Criollo Black

A lovely big plant that thrived on despite the bad weather. Huge leaves and a really good harvest over 4 primings. Very similar in success to Silver River I grew last year - later ripening was probably due to weather rather than variety. Lower leaves cured a medium brown via bright yellow - upper leaves much darker brown. Nice levels of nicotine in the leaf.

N.Rustica (1000 year old tobacco)
Grew very quickly in to plants with typical very rubbery shiny dark green leaves - many with unusually large leaves 2 foot or more wide. Took a hell of a lot of manual sucker control to stop the plants bushing out with 3 days growth sometimes over a foot long during the middle of the season! The leaves are very reluctant to go brown and the nicotine levels of the leaves are not very high for a rustica at all ... in fact it is weaker than most N.Tabacum varieties I've grown.

N.Rustica (Mahorka Stalingradskaia)
Grew at a similar rate to the 1000 year tobacco above with similar sized leaves - but the leaf texture and colour was far closer to an N.Tabacum variety and they also cured brown more readily (but not as readily as the BCB which just cures like a dream). These leaves have a mild flavour and pack a lot of nicotine. A note to self (and others) maturity is a hard thing to gauge with rustica - so harvest as late as you can - but don't leave it so late as to miss the warm curing weather ... it needs a long cure.