Tobacco Seedlings

[dvick003]

I know that it is super late to have started seed here in Virginia but I wanted to just get a feel for growing a few plants. I will probably let them go to seed if they grow at all. Deluxestogie graciously provided seed for me and I decided to drop a few seeds in some starter and see what happens. On average, how long would you say it takes to see the seeds sprout into seedlings? Thanks in advance my fellow gurus of the leaf...

 

[Knucklehead]

It depends. 3-10 days on average.

 

[dvick003]

Wow! That seems like a wide window to me...

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I'm in Maryland and have started seeds in the beginning of June in the past. You have a good chance of getting a crop.

 

[deluxestogie]

They'll likely be big enough to transplant by the first week of August. After that, they will require 60 to 75 days (if the stars align) to mature enough to harvest.

Good luck with the grow.

Bob

 

[dvick003]

Great. Thanks for the encouragement guys!

 

[dvick003]

So, I am thinking somewhere around 120 days or 4 months to go from seed to harvest?

 

[DGBAMA]

Roughly, here is a timeline...

From seed to transplant size 6-8 weeks
Add "days to maturity", which starts when they are planted in the ground, and is different for every variety. Days to maturity is based on 50% of the plants flowering (the time for topping).

If you are priming, harvest starts about the same time as topping, for stalk harvest, roughly 4 weeks after topping.

You can look up " days to maturity " for your varieties on GRIN, or Skychaser's seed site here:

http://nwtseeds.com/seed_list.htm

 

[DGBAMA]

Tobacco growing is also full of guidelines but very few hard and fast Rules...... It takes a couple grows to get the feel for things, then you just roll with it and make adjustments by the "seat of your pants" method. Every grow for me has been a little different and presented it's own challenges.

 

[Knucklehead]

It depends. 3-10 days on average.

Wow! That seems like a wide window to me...

It depends on the class, the variety within that class, starting methods and materials, starting conditions, age of seed, and year to year difference even with the same batch of seed. I've had Rusticas pop up in three days, Orientals seem to pop earlier than other classes, but usually most all of them are popping by ten days. I start getting worried and reseed after fourteen days if there is very low or no germination.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Roughly, here is a timeline...

From seed to transplant size 6-8 weeks
Add "days to maturity", which starts when they are planted in the ground, and is different for every variety. Days to maturity is based on 50% of the plants flowering (the time for topping).

If you are priming, harvest starts about the same time as topping, for stalk harvest, roughly 4 weeks after topping.

You can look up " days to maturity " for your varieties on GRIN, or Skychaser's seed site here:

http://nwtseeds.com/seed_list.htm

So, are you saying that you wait, not touching any of them, until half the plants are flowering, then top all of them at once? Is this essential, or just an efficient manner of doing it?

 

[deluxestogie]

So, are you saying that you wait, not touching any of them, until half the plants are flowering, then top all of them at once? Is this essential, or just an efficient manner of doing it?

That's just the GRIN definition of "days to maturity." It's a practical guideline for your many acres of tobacco. For home growers, you can top individual plants as needed. For fewer, larger leaves, just top when there are 14 or 16 or 18 leaves. To grow tip leaf, top when the blossom stalk begins to elongate. Or...just top when you feel like it. For an individual plant that is lagging behind in development, compared to its neighbors, topping will accelerate maturation.

The timing has effects on the stalk, the suckers and the leaves. After a season or two, you'll get a feel for it.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

So, are you saying that you wait, not touching any of them, until half the plants are flowering, then top all of them at once? Is this essential, or just an efficient manner of doing it?

This is the way commercial growers do it. One reason is to save labor costs, another possibility is that it helps the plants mature or ripen evenly so harvest becomes fairly predictable and happens over a shorter number of days. As home growers with small patches, we can also top each plant when it flowers and prime each leaf when it is mature or ripe (cigars when mature, cigarettes when ripe). Harvest can be spread out over a longer period and it not cost us anything monetarily. It is possible that the later maturing plants can put on more size or weight if done this way and improve our yields of good leaf. Frost or good curing weather are your only concerns if extending your harvest times. I actually do it both ways. This year I topped all the VA 355 dark air (48 plant row) all at one time, but they were fairly even in flowering. My 48 count row of Maryland is flowering unevenly through the row. There may be a 14 day space between first plant flowering and last plant flowering. I plan to top about half the row tomorrow, and the other half in a few days as those plants catch up.

 

[Smokin Harley]

less than a week as long as the temp is steady and around 80. keep the soil moist until they sprout.

 

[dvick003]

Dang, I am learning that patience is needed with tobacco. I have 6 pots containing probably 10-15 seeds in each. As of now, I have 2 pots with 2 teeny-weeny seedlings sprouting for a total of 4 plants. The rest are a big fat nada as of now...

 

[Smokin Harley]

"As home growers with small patches, we can also top each plant when it flowers and prime each leaf when it is mature or ripe (cigars when mature, cigarettes when ripe). "

What do you mean by "cigars when mature , cigarettes when ripe"....I'm not sure I understand the difference.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Dang, I am learning that patience is needed with tobacco. I have 6 pots containing probably 10-15 seeds in each. As of now, I have 2 pots with 2 teeny-weeny seedlings sprouting for a total of 4 plants. The rest are a big fat nada as of now...

if you just sowed seed 4 days ago ,thats good, give the others some time. Its possible they are late starters or maybe they are ether of two things, not wet enough to sprout or too wet and they damped off/rotted out already.
The tiny seedlings are pretty tough. I was thinning/transplanting to single cells when mine had 2 sets of true leaves. They like foot room,and light.

 

[dvick003]

That's just the GRIN definition of "days to maturity." It's a practical guideline for your many acres of tobacco. For home growers, you can top individual plants as needed. For fewer, larger leaves, just top when there are 14 or 16 or 18 leaves. To grow tip leaf, top when the blossom stalk begins to elongate. Or...just top when you feel like it. For an individual plant that is lagging behind in development, compared to its neighbors, topping will accelerate maturation.

The timing has effects on the stalk, the suckers and the leaves. After a season or two, you'll get a feel for it.

Bob

Could you elaborate more on this? I have been wondering about when to top and what affect that has on the leaf quality...

 

[deluxestogie]

Could you elaborate more on this? I have been wondering about when to top and what affect that has on the leaf quality...

Topping is not necessary.

If you allow the blossom heads to fully form (as is done traditionally with Orientals), it has the following effects:

• leaves are smaller
• leaves are thinner
• leaves are milder in nicotine
• leaves are more aromatic
• leaf maturation occurs more slowly
• fewer suckers will form in leaf axils
• it attracts budworms

When you top a plant:

• it triggers overall leaf maturation
• leaves grow larger
• leaves grow thicker
• leaves grow stronger in nicotine
• suckers immediately begin to form in leaf axils

Some home growers (including me) top at the base of the main bud stem, keeping all of the leaf. Many commercial growers top lower on the plant (to 14 or 16 or 18 leaves), since tip leaf may not be financially advantageous, and lower topping produces larger leaf on the remainder of the plant.

The earlier you top, the earlier the leaf will mature, and the earlier generalized suckering will start. Like others who have commented here, I usually wait for the bud stalk to elongate, before topping, but you can top at any time--much earlier or much later.

Shade-grown wrapper is often not topped.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

"As home growers with small patches, we can also top each plant when it flowers and prime each leaf when it is mature or ripe (cigars when mature, cigarettes when ripe). "

What do you mean by "cigars when mature , cigarettes when ripe"....I'm not sure I understand the difference.

Cigar leaf is primed when it is mature. There will be very little to no yellowing and the leaf is primed before it takes on an extreme rugose texture (alligatoring). Priming can begin just before topping, or nearly coinciding with topping. I prime cigar leaf just as it begins to turn a lighter shade of green, before yellowing takes place beyond the tips. However, Besuki leaf can show an improvement if harvested when showing some yellow.
Cigarette varieties are primed later than cigar varieties. They are primed when ripe, which is past the point of maturity. When the leaf has thickened, taken on a rugose appearance, and yellowing is well under way. Either a mottled yellow/green color or a mostly yellow color.
Ripe tobacco leaf: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/174-Ripe-tobacco-leaf