OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
How big are those leaves? The photos look like they are very large.
Wes H.
Wes H.
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DistillingJim
Well-Known Member
They are. This has been my first grow this year, but Amersfoot has by far had the biggest leaves.
Tutu
Well-Known Member
So another little update on what is happening in the Netherlands. Unfortunately my friend kept the harvested leafs in the carton box for way too long. Even though I repeatedly told him to hang them in the garage, it took him about a week to get to it. He had to throw out the majority of leafs because of mold. Unfortunate, but on the other hand, the amount of leafs he's got left are easier for him to handle. So the first few pictures are of the remaining leafs.
The other thing I want to show you is the following. Last year he grew Amersfoort. After harvesting the plants he left the stalks for what they were. The flowers turned into seedpods and they fell in the buckets. The seeds were dispersed to the whole balcony. Including the olive tree buckets. I took a few seedlings from one of the dead-stalk Amersfoort buckets for him to grow into plants this year. These are the plants I posted pictures of previously. These are the plants he harvested. But the remaining seedlings grew and grew. I should have taken clearer pictures at the time, but at least I still got a few foggy once.
The other thing I want to show you is the following. Last year he grew Amersfoort. After harvesting the plants he left the stalks for what they were. The flowers turned into seedpods and they fell in the buckets. The seeds were dispersed to the whole balcony. Including the olive tree buckets. I took a few seedlings from one of the dead-stalk Amersfoort buckets for him to grow into plants this year. These are the plants I posted pictures of previously. These are the plants he harvested. But the remaining seedlings grew and grew. I should have taken clearer pictures at the time, but at least I still got a few foggy once.
The olives seem to be happy with the tobacco.
Bob
Bob
Tutu
Well-Known Member
I'm struggling the same struggle over here Lefty. Especially the Rustica is difficult to get going over here. To germinate the seeds is not a problem at all but to keep them alive for longer than two weeks is. Here is a photo of the survivors from the planting that I did a while a go. It's not much, but the highlight is the KxA, as well as still having living specimen of Nostrano del Brenta, which died on me each previous occasion.
I've also previously posted pictures of the Xanthi plant which I moved to the front of the office when it was was a young adolescent. I harvested it and cut it stalk. I've been letting two suckers grow out of the new stalk. I'll show some pictures of the result. I think it's starting to look quite nice and in a little while I can start to harvest these sucker leafs. I'll sun-cure them just like I did with the other leafs.
I've also previously posted pictures of the Xanthi plant which I moved to the front of the office when it was was a young adolescent. I harvested it and cut it stalk. I've been letting two suckers grow out of the new stalk. I'll show some pictures of the result. I think it's starting to look quite nice and in a little while I can start to harvest these sucker leafs. I'll sun-cure them just like I did with the other leafs.
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Like I said there are a few people in the Netherlands growing a few plants too. This time I will post two pictures. the first is from a friend of my mum. He has forgotten which variety it was but I think it's a Corojo. It's grown to a noteworthy size given the weather circumstances. The other photo is of a Kasturi specimen grown in a pot by my mum. It hasn't grown to a very impressive size though.
Tutu
Well-Known Member
I had already highlighted the loner Xanthi in front of my office for quite a bit. It went into a new phase tonight, so I'm going to give an update. Wether the plant will go into yet another phase depends on the gardeners, on whether they will let the stem be or not. I'm curious what another round of suckers will look like. The leafs might go into forming weird shapes. Well, we will see about that. Or not...
Tutu
Well-Known Member
While I'm drying my Xanthi seedpods I want to make an update on my new germination method. Since I've had quite some issues with getting seedlings to a reasonable size, I figured I need to try things a bit differently. I had previously tried to germinate seeds inside my house, where the airconditioning is blowing at full speed during the nights, so I had to spray water quite often to prevent them from drying out. For germinating this works great, but the little fellows won't grow at all after that. I had also germinated seeds in my bathroom, but they died a quick death too, presumably because of a lack of air ventilation.
What I'm doing now seems to work, although I don't want too cheer just too soon. However, I got my rustica seedlings beyond the stage in which they died each previous attempt. So I'm still germinating the seeds in my bedroom where it is cool, dry, and I spray them twice or three times a day. Once there is only the slightest hint of germination I move the plants to the back of the house. There's sunlight over there druing mornings and late afternoons, but I have a few seedling-trees that provide a large-enough canopy to protect my plants. No, although they look alike, these seedling trees are no marijuana plants. I wouldn't dare to grow those over here. Actually they are a type of locust indigenous to Malaysia. Which is where I brought the seeds from. It's hot these days in Indonesia, so in order to prevent my tobacco seedlings from drying out I water them with little buckets from below. For now, things seem to be going pretty smooth. Much smoother than before. I've got some rustica's going, (Sultan Albanian, Limonka, Mapacho) and some Nostrano, Liquiçá, as well as KxA and AxK (F1).
What I'm doing now seems to work, although I don't want too cheer just too soon. However, I got my rustica seedlings beyond the stage in which they died each previous attempt. So I'm still germinating the seeds in my bedroom where it is cool, dry, and I spray them twice or three times a day. Once there is only the slightest hint of germination I move the plants to the back of the house. There's sunlight over there druing mornings and late afternoons, but I have a few seedling-trees that provide a large-enough canopy to protect my plants. No, although they look alike, these seedling trees are no marijuana plants. I wouldn't dare to grow those over here. Actually they are a type of locust indigenous to Malaysia. Which is where I brought the seeds from. It's hot these days in Indonesia, so in order to prevent my tobacco seedlings from drying out I water them with little buckets from below. For now, things seem to be going pretty smooth. Much smoother than before. I've got some rustica's going, (Sultan Albanian, Limonka, Mapacho) and some Nostrano, Liquiçá, as well as KxA and AxK (F1).
Alpine
Moderator
Good job Tutu!
Pier
Pier
Tutu
Well-Known Member
I have finished pressing all of my Xanthi leafs. That is, all first grown Xanthi leafs.
The sucker-crop is still curing. I've lined up some of the leafs for a nice picture.
Two pictures actually, with and without flash.
I've also taken some pictures of another leaf, a big one.
This one is from Cuban seed. To be fair, not grown by me, but by someone else.
It measered 75 cm, which is 29,5 inches.
The ruler in the picture is 30 cm, or 12 inch.
The sucker-crop is still curing. I've lined up some of the leafs for a nice picture.
Two pictures actually, with and without flash.
I've also taken some pictures of another leaf, a big one.
This one is from Cuban seed. To be fair, not grown by me, but by someone else.
It measered 75 cm, which is 29,5 inches.
The ruler in the picture is 30 cm, or 12 inch.
A really big leaf is worth a thousand pictures.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Nice leaf, keep up the good work!
Wes H.
Wes H.
Gavroche
Well-Known Member
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Yes I do indeed have seeds of this variety leaf. For now, a few more photos of what's going on at the moment.
- I managed to find some flue cured Lombok. I'll send some of it to Leftynick later on. Smells really good.
- In the midst of transplanting the Sultan Albanian, which as you may know, is a Rustica.
- Here they are, ready and set to go into the canopy garden.
- The canopy garden from up top.
- The little buckets of tobacco, steadily growing.
- Xanthi seed, harvested from the plant in front of my office.
- The plant in front of my office. Aiming for a third sucker crop.
- A beetle duo on a tree.I thought they looked fresh. Husband and wife perhaps.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Some kind of "True Bug", order Hemiptera. Definitely not a type of beetle, order Coleoptera. And big one's at that. Must be well over an inch. Notice the difference in the rear pair of legs. Definitely showing the dimorphism of male & female. The individual in the upper part of the photo is probably the male and he uses his hind legs as "claspers" to hang onto the female during the reproductive act. Notice the hooks on the legs. Also part of the "clasping" mechanism. Aphids are in the order Hemiptera. As well as the Box-Elder Bug and the Lygus Bug.
I had to take entomology in college, and they made us learn all the major orders of insects and other arthropod pests of crops.
Interesting photo's.
Wes H.
I had to take entomology in college, and they made us learn all the major orders of insects and other arthropod pests of crops.
Interesting photo's.
Wes H.
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Yes I did indeed notice the hind legs! Some nice insects around here sometimes. Not only that, also mystery tobacco plants turning up now and then. This is not the first one, and it won't be the last. It's about 200 meters away from the plants in front of the office, but the office is right inbetween the two spots. I really wonder what this plant might be. I have no idea, but I've transplanted it, as it might do a little bit better in a large container rather than the place I found it at.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Most of the world's largest insects live in the tropics. Those in the photos you included certainly are big ones! The next time you see something like that you should capture a pair (if you can) and have them identified. You never know, you might discover a new species. There are thousands of new species of insects identified each year. A lot of new discoveries are made in tropical places, where there is a lot of habitat for different kinds of bugs. The discoverer of a new species gets the naming rights. You could attach your name to a new species of bug.
There is a fascinating story regarding Charles Darwin and newly discovered insects. Explorers in Madagascar found a new kind of Orchid. This Orchid had a particularly long flower that would require some kind of a specialized pollinator with a very long proboscis. When the explorers came back to England and described the flower to Darwin, he predicted that there had to be a specialized moth out there with a proboscis long enough to pollinate this flower. Sure enough, after several years of searching, the specialized moth was discovered. I'm pretty sure I remember reading this story in Wikipedia. Look it up if you are interested.
Living in the frozen north, I don't have volunteer tobacco plants. Sounds like an interesting kind of weed problem to have. Good luck with the tobacco growing!
Wes H.
There is a fascinating story regarding Charles Darwin and newly discovered insects. Explorers in Madagascar found a new kind of Orchid. This Orchid had a particularly long flower that would require some kind of a specialized pollinator with a very long proboscis. When the explorers came back to England and described the flower to Darwin, he predicted that there had to be a specialized moth out there with a proboscis long enough to pollinate this flower. Sure enough, after several years of searching, the specialized moth was discovered. I'm pretty sure I remember reading this story in Wikipedia. Look it up if you are interested.
Living in the frozen north, I don't have volunteer tobacco plants. Sounds like an interesting kind of weed problem to have. Good luck with the tobacco growing!
Wes H.
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Yup, I know that Darwin story. Around the tropics of South East Asia, most of these things were discovered in a quite similar fashion by Alfred Russel Wallace. Well worth your time reading one of his books. Over here on the very populated Java, I doubt I'm going to find a new species of insect. If anything, I'm more likely to find them on travels to places like Sumba and Timor. Not sure if I'm going anywhere anytime soon.
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