Don said 142 straight in a cigarette is good as is and I'm sure most people would agree. try a stronger Havana mixed with brightleaf on a 60/40 bl/h mix and play with the ratios, the distinctive Havana flavor goes with everything imo, including smokeless.
The Knucklehead way to Grow a Blog
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Staking: When plants blow down, they usually pivot at the ground, either lifting out the root ball, or snapping some roots on one or all sides. I've done stakes full height and half height. What seems to determine a successful staking is adequate length pushed INTO the ground, regardless of the above ground height. Actually, I had the impression that the staking was more stable if the top of the plant could bend in the wind without it trying to bend the stake as well.
Bagging or Topping
Your question about reaching to bag a plant from your chair raises some interesting challenges. First of all, as you well know, you can't get much work accomplished directly overhead, at the tip of your finger. The objects to be manipulated need to be lower than that. If we take 5'6" as a productive working height (for twisting, tying, inserting lightweight things), you should have a good chance at bagging at the button stage on the varieties (all medium size plants) that I was able to extract from the (currently) 9 pages of your grow log: Burley, VA gold, Izmir, Samsun-Maden and YTB. I should mention that my Smyrna #9 (an Izmir variety), in 2011, required a step ladder for bagging. And if you wait to a later stage to bag, then it will require some bending and be a nuisance. The tops of some varieties are fairly floppy and flexible, while others are stiff, and will snap off.
An alternative would be to plant just your seed producers near a porch or deck with a ramp, and not worry about them having ideal conditions for leaf yield.
If you want to venture into the frontiers of invention, then a long handled gadget that would spread a blossom bag at 4 corners, then release the bag, might allow you to bag any height plant from your chair. I'm thinking on the order of the banding tool often used to castrate livestock,
http://www.jefferspet.com/band-castrator/camid/LIV/cp/I3-C1/
...but with four 30" vertical posts to spread the bag. While ties can be simple fabric or string, a Velcro cable tie might make it easier at at extended reach:
http://www.uline.com/BL_6496/Velcro-Cable-Ties
Bob
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
Knucks, if your grow goes well enough that your plants are too tall for you to bag, let me know. I will be happy to take a small road trip to give you a hand. It is the least I can do; would be a good chance to meet and shake the hand of a man who has helped me a lot already getting ready for my first grow.
the idea of putting your seed producers near a ramp is a great one. also buckets could be used since they can be tilted. another possibility might be to top your plants, then let a sucker at a more manageable height flower and bag that.
Bob - Thank you for the extensive and helpful suggestions. Bagging early and staking sounds like my best bet. The turkish varieties will be spaced according to Emre's chart and pretty much left alone. No extra water, little or no fertilizer, no topping, they may not get too high.
As to the 9 pages you're welcome to change the title to Knuckleheads Grow Book. LOL What do you think about the seed producers being grown in buckets? Will that have a negative effect on the seed produced since usually the best looking plant is bagged?
DGBama - Thank you for the offer brother, I may take you up on that. Bring fishing pole. We need to hit Roma's together soon anyway.
Seed packaged and will be mailed tomorrow.
As to the 9 pages you're welcome to change the title to Knuckleheads Grow Book. LOL What do you think about the seed producers being grown in buckets? Will that have a negative effect on the seed produced since usually the best looking plant is bagged?
DGBama - Thank you for the offer brother, I may take you up on that. Bring fishing pole. We need to hit Roma's together soon anyway.
Seed packaged and will be mailed tomorrow.
We were posting at the same time with the same idea. Great minds think alike. I don't have any ramps, I designed my own house and all entrances are ground level and under a porch. The buckets might work, but the plants are usually stunted. Will that adversely affect the quality of seed? I know usually your best plant is bagged. I also may be making something out of nothing. I can always just cross that bridge when I get to it.
what about bagging the sucker though? that way you still get to take your pick of the lot
I missed that one. Problem solved. Don't be shy, speak up next time.
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
knucks, Romas is a short walk from my work and my lunch hours are flexable. Weekdays between 12 & 2. Pick a day. Been a while since I have had a good Lasagne&Salad.
Knucks,
I did a few "bucket" grows in the winter on my back porch. I can say that the plants got 6-7 feet, with no loss of apparent comparison outdoor height and characteristics typical of my "summer" outdoor plants. All of them were growing in 5-7 gallon buckets, a few with two plants each. You should easily pull that off for your "seed" plants.
I did a few "bucket" grows in the winter on my back porch. I can say that the plants got 6-7 feet, with no loss of apparent comparison outdoor height and characteristics typical of my "summer" outdoor plants. All of them were growing in 5-7 gallon buckets, a few with two plants each. You should easily pull that off for your "seed" plants.
Bagging- Before you bag, ask yourself what you want to get out of it. Sometimes you bag just to get seeds for next year's grow. If this is the case it doesn't matter much how you do it. If, on the other hand you want seeds that will give you the best possible plants in the years to come then you need to develop some criteria that will allow the fulfillment of your goal. For instance, For the past 3 years I've been trying to save seeds from BSS-Maden that have a low sucker potential. During the sucker season I observe each of my Maden plants and tag the ones that do not have suckers. Last year I bagged 5 Maden plants but by the end of the growing season I only saved seeds from 3 of those because of my secondary criteria, these being aphid resistance and general sturdiness of the plants. It is a long process. All the Maden plants eventually developed suckers and aphids, just not as quickly or as many as the ones I did not select.
You could pick other criteria such as height or the quickest to germinate etc. I'm just saying instead of randomly throwing a bag over any ol' tobacco plant develop a selection criterion first and pick those plants that meet it.
You could pick other criteria such as height or the quickest to germinate etc. I'm just saying instead of randomly throwing a bag over any ol' tobacco plant develop a selection criterion first and pick those plants that meet it.
Jitter, last year I did that with my plants as well. I tracked which plants were best directly from the time I sowed them. Fastest growing was my #1 criteria, in my climate I need plants to grow fast (on their own), #2 was low sucker growth #3 (which was added late season) was which plant recovered the most after the red flea beetle infestation.
I am only collecting seeds for the year to come, but I DO want a superior product. If you're growing tomatos, you don't just stop after spring cleaning off the horn worms, mites and rotten fruit do ya? If you're investing the time, you might as well benefit.
I am only collecting seeds for the year to come, but I DO want a superior product. If you're growing tomatos, you don't just stop after spring cleaning off the horn worms, mites and rotten fruit do ya? If you're investing the time, you might as well benefit.
Don't forget that each variety has its own set of unique characteristics. A criterion to consider for bagging is if the plant is true to type. Sometimes the biggest or fastest may not be.
As for the effect on the quality of the seed from plants grown under differing conditions (i.e. field-grown vs. bucket grown), it does directly affect some epigenetic factors (proteins that regulate the expression of certain genes), and may or may not affect the first generation grow-out from that seed. But epigenetic factors do not change the presence or nature of the genes themselves. So later generations (and possibly the first [F1] generation) are not affected.
Bob
As for the effect on the quality of the seed from plants grown under differing conditions (i.e. field-grown vs. bucket grown), it does directly affect some epigenetic factors (proteins that regulate the expression of certain genes), and may or may not affect the first generation grow-out from that seed. But epigenetic factors do not change the presence or nature of the genes themselves. So later generations (and possibly the first [F1] generation) are not affected.
Bob
Since the bulk of my plants will be in two long rows with a generous row spacing (possibly 6-8 ft.) the outside of each row will be easily accessible. I finally remembered I own a four wheeler that's several inches taller than my chair. I can easily build up something on the back rack to transfer to, and I think I may be able to hook a plant over and bag it without excessive bend to the plant. I may also stake it first to keep from tilting the root ball. If it snaps, I've just topped a plant and will try another. I have cousins and friends that can help, I just prefer doing stuff myself. Thanks for all the information and suggestions, guys, brainstorming is what I needed.
AKH...or...Knuckelhead 
Sorry, I take my hat off to you sir, I know many people in wheel chairs that seem to be better off than you are that wouldn't even consider going into their lawn. It's good to see somebody with as much initiative as yourself.
Good luck with your grow!
Sorry, I take my hat off to you sir, I know many people in wheel chairs that seem to be better off than you are that wouldn't even consider going into their lawn. It's good to see somebody with as much initiative as yourself.Good luck with your grow!
I felt sorry for myself for a total of 15 minutes. I woke up in ICU next to a quadriplegic that had to have a ventilator in his throat to breath, forever, someone to pee and crap for him, feed him, dress him, bathe him, etc. All he could move was his head. If left unattended he would die. My attitude changed in a hurry and I've never looked back. I've worked all my life except for the last five (30 from the chair), the last two surgeries ended the possibility of gainful employment, but I still find constructive things to occupy my time. Those sitting in the house on dope and feeling sorry for themselves are cripples. I was just slowed down a little bit.
Hey, it's the thought that counts anyway.
You're God Damn sure not a cripple (except possibly mentally). Your pipes demonstrate that beautifully. There are fully mobile people who would kill to be able to make that kind of art work.
Thanks. And bite me.
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