Tobacco Growing

[Bobby Bass]

Received my tobacco seed order yesterday, I went a head and put in an order with Leafonly as they had seeds in stock and the ones that I wanted. I ordered a Havana long leaf, Sm Black Mammoth and some Virginia Gold. I have found out that I can grow different varieties in the same plot.  I ordered from LeafOnly because they sell seed in small (25-50) to a pack for less then 3.00 and only a postage stamp for delivery.  When I got the seed packs there is more like a hundred seeds to a pack. Tobacco seed is about the size of a dot of pepper. Couple of weeks from now I will start them indoors and we will see how big I can get them before moving them to the greenhouse and then into the ground. The leaf that I will be growing can be used for cigarettes and also as a wrapper and filler for cigars.  Thought I had started a thread here about growing tobacco 

[lentz]

that sound pretty neat I recommend starting to keep milk jugs because last year I started pumpkins indoors and did not have them in a big enough container and transporting them from a smaller one to a milk jug then into the ground was to much stress on the plant and really stunted it

[Bobby Bass]

that sound pretty neat I recommend starting to keep milk jugs because last year I started pumpkins indoors and did not have them in a big enough container and transporting them from a smaller one to a milk jug then into the ground was to much stress on the plant and really stunted it

Got lots of pots, been doing this greenhouse thing for about twenty years, what actually works pretty good is quart size yogurt containers. then you can flavor your plants.   

[lentz]

Yogurt flavored cigars haven't heard of them

[MTCOMMER]

What is the process once you get it grown?

Dry is out, roll it and smoke it?  Ive always been curious about the whole growing process.  Keep up posted with pictures once it gets sprouting!  Pretty cool idea!

[Bobby Bass]

In a nut shell it takes several weeks to germinate seed and then several more weeks to grow to the 4-6 inch height for transplanting to the garden. Rule of thumb for growing is if you can grow tomatoes you can grow tobacco. I am growing three different kinds of leaf. One for cigarettes and the other two for cigars.  Crop has to be done growing by early August so the leaf will have enough time to dry properly. Here I am going to dry several different ways of drying as I can do open air drying outside, drying inside a vented storage building, inside a green house (heat) and might try doing some drying in my sauna. Growing does have its problems with getting enough sunlight and having to bag or remove flowering tops, removing suckers and the right time to pluck leaves.  Drying is another adventure and then after that there is the storing and curing of the tobacco. Next comes learning how to roll cigars and the fun part of blending different leaf to get a good smoke.

Cigarettes require drying curing and then shredding of tobacco which will be another set of skills to learn. I smoke cigars so that is what I am going to try and learn with my first batch and of course errors can hopefully be smoke in a pipe. Will be growing in three separate places so we should gel a pretty good variety of leaf to experiment with.

[DDSBYDAY]

  I also would be very interested in seeing pictures of the process.  I had never thought about it before.  I just assumed our growing season was too short.  1lb of cigarette (pipe) tobacco goes for 23$.  I wonder how many leaves it takes to make a pound?     I like your project. 

[Bobby Bass]

Seeds I have selected are ready in 55 days so we should get some to harvest by early August. They still grow cigar wrapper leaf in Wisconsin and have been doing it for a very long time so it can be grown up here. I will post some pictures but not going to get to serious about tracking the growing process, plenty of YouTube already out there on the subject.

[dew2]

Just went to the site for seeds and made a shortcut to it.I will be trying some this season.I'll read their site to see if I can find the right plants for me.Any info as to the yeild of finished tobacco in pounds cut and ready to roll?? I like Virgina tobacco suggestions? Like my maters I use wall-o-water and get the plants in the ground by mid april.Have youtried the wall-o-waters?
 Might try to wrap a cigar or two.I always thought the drying process made the good stand out and not type of plant?? Just a newbe to tobacco

[glenn57]

you know dew............he is just camouflaging his words with this tobacco thing.....hes actually growing the wacky stuff.

[Bobby Bass]

Just went to the site for seeds and made a shortcut to it.I will be trying some this season.I'll read their site to see if I can find the right plants for me.Any info as to the yeild of finished tobacco in pounds cut and ready to roll?? I like Virgina tobacco suggestions? Like my maters I use wall-o-water and get the plants in the ground by mid april.Have youtried the wall-o-waters?
 Might try to wrap a cigar or two.I always thought the drying process made the good stand out and not type of plant?? Just a newbe to tobacco

Don't have a clue as to yield per plant, I believe each plant should give you 18 to 22 leafs. Of course different plants will yield different size leafs. Virginia gold I believe is used as a cigarette tobacco. if you  want to try making cigars you are going to need something for a filler, a binder and a wrapper, The Havana can be used for all three. I am growing both the Virginia and Havana but am also going to try a sm mammoth leaf which is grown for wrapper. Keep searching the web tons of information out there, I would suggest to not just read one and take it for the gospel truth, There is also some crap advice out there to. Would be nice to find some one else that is a newbie to share ideas with. As for the wall of water I have a greenhouse so I will be going that route trying to get my plants well on there way before I plant them. I also am farther up north so my window to plant will not be till mid May if I am lucky.

[DDSBYDAY]

  I think I am going to give this a try too.  I did not realize that tobacco is a perennial in the right climate.  Most commercial growers use new plants because the leaves are bigger the first year.  My plants will be grown in northern Minnesota also.  We don't have any trouble growing tomatoes.  I hope deer are non tobacco chewers.   

[Bobby Bass]

Planted the tobacco seeds in their little greenhouse starters today, they are not kidding about how small the seeds are!

[Bobby Bass]

Been a week and am starting to see some very small seedlings emerge. Could use some sunshine to help speed things along in the Den window.

[glenn57]

Been a week and am starting to see some very small seedlings emerge. Could use some sunshine to help speed things along in the Den window.

them are those lakeiwannabethere dandylions!!!!!

[Bobby Bass]

These guys are certainly taking their sweet time growing! If you have not started your Tobacco plants by now you are running out of time.

[Bobby Bass]

Tobacco update: Well did a real good looking over the tobacco trays and it would appear that I am growing more weeds then tobacco. After doing some research I think I have about six plants which gives me at least one plant of each of the three varieties that I planted. First lesson here learned is that I need to start a lot more seeds to actually get to a tobacco seedling. Still with the six plants I will now baby them and then I will decide if I am going to put them in the ground or just try to grow them in large pots. The pot idea might may be the way to go as I will be able to keep them in the greenhouse and control the temperature much better. Or I might try some in the garden and some in the greenhouse, this is a learning experience so I am experimenting

[kenhuntin]

In all earnest Bobby I would give up on the tobacco and nurture the weed you got growing. More money in it and it seems that tobacco is soon to be completely outlawed and hemp is soon to be glorified legal.

 Seriously I am very interested in the tobacco updates and hope to see photos soon. I never even thought it could be cultivated in this climate.

[Bobby Bass]

This is what a two month old Small Black Mammoth seedling looks like, this tobacco is used for making cigar wrappers. With luck it should grow to about four feet with 18-21 leaves.

[Bobby Bass]

Picture of ten week old tobacco plant after being transplanted to a larger 1 quart pot, has started to spread out.

[Bobby Bass]

Tobacco plants are now 11 weeks old and this one is in a qt pot and is 6 inches high with the leaves 8 x 4 inches. The couple of plants that have made it this far are doing well and if the weather improves they will be good size when they go into the ground or an outdoor pot.

[kenhuntin]

They are an attractive looking plant. Kinda like horseradish. Big difference in one weeks time.

[glenn57]

kinda cool. never actually seen a tobacco plant that up close. but bobby...............I gotta ask. does tobacco leaves need lip balm????????

[Bobby Bass]

Glen     I have three small black mammoth which are doing very well and a couple of Havana long leaf that are just sitting there, I am waiting for them to take off as it would be nice to get some leaf from them. The mammoth is a wrapper leaf used as the final layer when building a cigar. The Havana can be used as a filler, the center of the cigar and also as a binder which you wrap around the filler to give you the shape of a cigar and then add the final wrapper to finish it off. The Virginia leaf I planted never happen for me. Since this is my first year doing this I am learning I have to plant a lot more seed to get as many plants as I need. The current idea is I am going to transplant to five gallon buckets and keep the tobacco on the big deck where I can control how much light they get and water. With luck I will be able to harvest the mammoth leave and be able to figure out how to dry and cure them for later use. I can buy dry leaf over the Internet and also from my local tobacco shop so I might be making my own cigars still come this fall.

They are a good looking plant and many people plant tobacco just for the look of them and as ornamental decorations. I think they will look pretty good on the deck along side the swing as they do grow over four feet tall with the big leaves.

[glenn57]

  was just giving ya a bad time. I'd assumed that was put there to judge size!!! good luck.

[Bobby Bass]

was just giving ya a bad time. I'd assumed that was put there to judge size!!! good luck.

Well it does make their leaves nice and shinny   

[Bobby Bass]

Plant is now 13 weeks old and is 10 inches high and 16 inches wide, ready to transplant to a 10 gallon planter and placed on the deck for the summer. Will be putting the three Mammoth plants on the deck while the four Virginia long leaf are going to be planted in the garden. That is of course when the weather warms up enough here to put something in the ground..

The container for the tobacco plant is a qt size yogurt cup, actually it is two of them. A trick to use when planting is to plant your one plant in a cup and put several holes in it for drainage. I then put that cup into another cup that I have added about a ½ inch of pea rock to. This allows excess water to drain into the bottom cup and keeps the upper cup out of the water. Cheap way to keep the window sills clean.

[glenn57]

  there's that lip balm again!!!!!! cool looking plants!!! when I did the start your plants from seed thing I did the reverse of what you did when it came to the water/moisture thing. I put water in the bottom cup, holes in the cup with the plant in it. that way the roots had to reach for the water.

hope it all works for ya!!!!

[Bobby Bass]

pretty soon the leafs will be big enough to hold the carmex jar!  I have done the watering thing both ways. I like when my plants get big enough to water with the gravel in the bottom cup. Makes it easy to keep track of not over watering them by just lifting the cup. With grandkids and hoses we never seem to have a problem with plants drying out around here!

[Bobby Bass]

17 weeks old and the Mammoth tobacco plants are now in 40 quart planters on the deck here. Looking forward to see how much they grow in the next month. The Virginia Gold long leaf plants (4) of them were put into the garden yesterday and I am looking to see if they will take off out there.