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Tobacco

Tobacco

Nicotiana Tabacum

Tobacco is a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family. This family includes tomato,
pepper, eggplant, Irish potato, and a number of other plants. The Nicotiana rustica species
was commonly used by American Indians and may still be used for ceremonial purposes in some areas.
This growing instruction is mainly about the use as an ornamental plant or for producing rolling tobacco.
Introduction
Mr. John Doe

Head Director

Description

Tobacco should be grown in a sunny location on well-drained soils. Poorly drained soils could result in poor growth and even death of the plants. Tobacco can be grown on poorly-drained soils if the rows or hills are bedded and ditches or furrows are used to remove excess water. Drought stress could limit growth on excessively drained soils unless irrigation is provided. Lack of sun will result in spindly plants, poor growth and thin leaves. Some types of tobacco such as that used for cigar wrappers are grown under some shade to promote desirable leaf characteristics. Do not plant tobacco on the same soil more than once every four to five years. Instead, rotate the tobacco with plants that are not susceptible to common soil-borne pests of tobacco. Grasses would be excellent rotations for tobacco, while tomato, pepper, and similar plants would not be suitable. In addition to soil-borne pests, several virus diseases and insects that attack tomato and pepper also attack tobacco, so try to keep these plants in different areas of the garden.
Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Pre-sow indoors beginning in February on seedling soil in a small greenhouse at 21 to 25 degrees inside the house. Make sure the soil is moist enough, but not too wet either. To make it easier to presow and spread the seed, the seed can be mixed with some sharp sand and scattered by means of a can or lid with some holes. Or spread the seeds directly and carefully in the soil, with the fingers ‘like salt’ over the surface, but do not squeeze the seed too hard. Spread the seed well and spatially on the surface and do not cover with soil, mist lightly with water again. Sow on evenly distributed and levelled seed-covering soil, keep moist with spray mist. Sowing too close together gives problems later on, in transplanting to individual pots. It can take up to 10 days for the seed to emerge, but under good conditions you can already see green dots after a few days. Keep the soil lightly moist with mist, not too wet and not too dry, check regularly. Tobacco is light-sensitive seed, in the wild the tobacco seed rises best after a wildfire, so it has a chance to emerge and not be overgrown by fast-growing plants and grasses. Tobacco is rightfully a fire element plant. The seed-bearing buds that come into contact with the fire will burst open, causing the countless seeds to fall to the ground. One of those seeds will grow into a full-fledged plant thanks to the help of the fire. Store a small portion of the seeds in case something happens in a cool, dry place and dark place. Direct sunlight quickly makes it too hot in a seed/breeding box on the windowsill, they will fall over from the heat in such a box with a plastic cover. From sowing onwards, preferably place them in as light a place as possible but protect them from direct sunlight by using white limed glass or very thin paper such as patterned paper which they have in a fabric store. Do not use patterned paper or whitewashed glass on cloudy, gray days, as they will stretch by looking for sunlight and is not desirable. When the seedlings in the propagator/greenhouse get leaves as big as a thumbnail then prick out/transfer to each a separate pot of e.g. 7x7cm. Be careful not to damage the roots, now they can grow up for a few weeks. Scoop out a corner of the container with a spoon or flat cheese slicer, place it in front of you on a newspaper and now the young plants are fairly easy to pick up and pot them up. Now you notice the advantage of a fine seedling soil with no lumps in it, the roots are now not in a lump and without damage transferred to a pot. Seeds should be sown about 50-60 days prior to the desired date of transplanting. Transplanting should be after there is no further danger of freezing temperatures. Normally the best transplant is about 6-8 inches in length. If the plants have grown during a few weeks and the leaves are clearly out of the rim of the pot, transplant to the garden or repot into large pots or tubs. Do not transplant to the garden until after the last chance of night frost. If the small seedlings/plants lose the leaf green it is a sign of nitrogen deficiency, the plants get a yellow glow or yellow spots. This is easily remedied by adding a low/half dose of liquid organic tomato fertilizer to the water.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Ph value of the soil is ideal if it is around 5.8 to 6.5 (PH test kit garden center). If lime is needed to raise the pH, use dolomite in order to get the magnesium nutrient which is important for plant growth. Fertilize the soil with well-digested cow, horse or sheep manure (sheep or llama manure is preferred), possibly add some extra lime and/or use e.g. a (bio) complete vegetable garden fertilizer. Compost can also be applied very generously. Some Lava meal (contains many minerals) may also always be worked into the soil. In sandy soil some Bentonite (rock flour, also called swelling clay) can be used in connection with the mineral housekeeping and better moisture retention. The soil needs to drain off excess water quickly, clay soil can be improved by adding natural lava clay granules or sand and humus to make it lighter and better draining. Tobacco does not like too wet soil, root damage can occur. Do not fertilize too heavily.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Plant spacing in the open ground: space the plants about 24 inches apart. Rows should be 42- 48 inches apart. . With single rows, the plants have more space and light each. This results in larger plants, but it does not necessarily yield more than with double rows. Single rows does produce the largest leaves. With double rows, zigzagging in the row itself, the plants get less light at the bottom so that they themselves turn yellow faster and become ready for picking. The leaf will also yellow more quickly after picking before it dries. The double rows mean that proportionally more is placed on the same surface area than as with single rows, which in the end gives a slightly better result. Double (zigzag) rows are preferred. Before planting, make a hole of about 20 cm deep and place the plant in the middle, this is in preparation for the next step: Earthing up. Once the plants get to knee height (at about 1/2 m) start earthing the plants up. To earth up is to push soil towards the stem in a big pile of at least 30cm high, so they are more resistant to falling in high winds. storm is bound to come. It doesn’t matter if a small leaf disappears under the ground. Water young plants when it is very dry but preferably let them search for water themselves so they develop a good root system. Repeat the earthing up process several times so that they are firmly planted in the ground when they reach full size. In very windy areas, the crop should be protected by a hedge or e.g. pole beans, 2 to 3 rows of corn, or other crop that catches and flattens most of the wind. It is always advisable to place a windbreak around the tobacco. Topping. Nicotiana Tabacum intended as a smoking tobacco preferably to be topped, that is to say the flowers are removed as soon as they can be cut and preferably also the thieving shoots (as with tomatoes). There are also growers who just let the thieving shoots, called suckers, grow in the armpit of the leaf, however, the true tobacco specialist will tell you that the thief shoots are of inferior quality. It may be necessary to remove suckers several times. Thieves and flowers draw strength from the growth and development of the main leaves that are directly attached to the stem. If the plants are thieved, the final quality of the tobacco will be much better. Thief leaf is often much lighter and less powerful in experience, which some people prefer. You can experiment with this yourself, if you wish.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
The same as for tomatoes and other plants from the nightshade family. The big leaves give a lot of shade so the companion plants need to like that.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
The soil needs to drain off excess water quickly, clay soil can be improved by adding natural lava clay granules or sand and humus to make it lighter and better draining. Tobacco does not like too wet soil, root damage can occur.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
As the big leaves produce a lot of shade, not many ‘weeds’ (or ‘wild herbs’ as we call them) will be growing around the plant. The best to do is, cut the little plants at the base and place them on the earth, so they can compost.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Fertilizers for tobacco could be the same fertilizers used for tomato, pepper, or potato. Fertilize the soil with well-digested cow, horse or sheep manure (sheep or llama manure is preferred), possibly add some extra lime and/or use e.g. a (bio) complete vegetable garden fertilizer. Compost can also be applied very generously. Some Lava meal (contains many minerals) may also always be worked into the soil. In sandy soil some Bentonite (rock flour, also called swelling clay) can be used in connection with the mineral housekeeping and better moisture retention. Do not fertilize too heavily.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Aphids – They are usually harmless for your plants, but if you want to clear them off, then just wash your plants periodically with the garden hose. Caterpillars – those can eat the whole leaf in one day – that will definitely damage your harvest. Natural way to protect your plants from being eaten up by leaf-grinders is to pick them up by hand. Remember that you are not a commercial grower, maximum 30-40 tobacco plants is all you need for the year. This number of plants is pretty small – you can manage it by hand, just walk around your garden every morning with your first cigarette in hand and pick up all the caterpillars you can see – they are more visible in the morning before the mid-day heat, when they start hiding from sun.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Harvesting is done from about 2nd to 3rd week of July until the end of September.
How to Harvest:
Harvesting could be accomplished by either removing leaves from the stalk in the field and curing them or by cutting the stalk off at ground level and hanging the entire stalk in the curing facility for the leaves to cure. The leaves would then be removed from the stalk after they have cured. If the entire stalk is cut for curing, it should be about 3-4 weeks after topping. The lower leaves would be partially deteriorated at this time. If the leaves are removed in the field, there should be four or five harvests at intervals of 1-2 weeks. The first harvest would be at or soon after topping and when the leaves show a slight yellowing. Harvesting is done from the bottom up. Pick 3 to 5 leaves per plant per round with a sideways movement from the stem and repeat this every 7, 10 or 14 days. A ripe leaf no longer looks as smooth, is a bit thicker and firm and more likely to be a bit bulbous, curly and lumpy and can start to look yellow. You determine your own quantity and harvesting rhythm. It is advised to rinse the leaves clean of sand or impurities in a tub of rainwater and a flat soft brush (bath brush) (note TO: I did this, but have my doubts now if this is necessary and also valuable substances could be rinsed of) and thread them through the vein (or use a clothespin for each leaf). The harvesting and hanging is thus spread over several rounds of harvest over several weeks. Harvesting everything at once is also possible but not recommended if there is not enough space. Thread the leaves onto a piece of string (hemp/flax) with a threading needle or hang them with a clothespin, a few cm from each other, preferably under a ventilating shelter because of rain and sun, If the leaves have yellowed and are limp with brown tips, they can be left to dry in a dry, airy place in the house, possibly with a fan to get some air movement. Check regularly for you can find the most fungus on the main vein of the leaf because it stays moist the longest. aerate and/or heat. The main vein can be zipped in at the bottom with a small pointed blade for faster drying.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Curing: the drying of the leaf. Tobacco may be cured with heat added or it may be air cured. There does not appear to be any practical means for the gardener to use heat to cure the tobacco because of the facilities that are required. Tobacco could be cured without heat if a building with good air circulation is available. Unheated garage or barn which gets all the weather elements except the rain (moisture, wind, cold, heat) is the best place for natural curing. Temperatures for air curing may range from 60-65°F (15 C) up to 90-95°F (32 C), and the relative humidity of the air should be about 65-70 percent. Proper curing should take a few weeks in order to have good quality. Tobacco that cures too fast will be green and not have good aroma and flavor, while mold or rot may develop if curing is slow. A building that can be opened and closed as needed to control the relative humidity and drying rate is desirable. Curing procedures need to be developed for individual situations. The ‘color-cure’ process, conversion and loss of the chlorophyll, is first seen at the bottom of the plant when the leaves are ready for picking. The lower leaves of the plant, the sand leaf, are beautifully thin and aromatic, which makes them extremely suitable as a cover for cigars. With warm temperatures in summer this yellowing process before the final drying is easy, the colder it gets the slower this yellowing process is. Once the leaves are strung on hemp string they should not be dried too quickly, during a hot day with lots of wind your tobacco can be green and glassy dried between the leaf veins (lamina) within 2 days. Green tobacco tastes very hard to bitter, doesn’t smell very good and is not what you are aiming for. On very hot days with lots of wind and low humidity you can hang open plastic bags over the tobacco with clothespins on the underside of the bags. This allows the tobacco to break down its leafy greens nicely without drying up too quickly. But also the plant sprayer with clean water can help on very dry days to keep everything moist.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Processing. When the middle grain is dry and crisp, it is easily removed by first hanging the tobacco in a damp room or under a roof outside (or spray it with water). The tobacco becomes supple and alive again as it absorbs moisture back into the air making it easy to strip the main grain from the tip of the leaf. Cigars can now be made from it. Dry tobacco can be kept in a dry and cool place in e.g. banana boxes. Check the tobacco a few times a year to see if it is not too damp, because mold is on the lookout for. They say that tobacco has a lifelong shelf life, but there are producers who first let the tobacco lie for 6 years before processing it. During storage and maturation the quality improves, it becomes fuller in flavor, less sharp on the tongue, while the aromas are more fragrant. Aging: All commercial tobacco is aged for a year or more before it is used. Unaged tobacco is harsh and does not have good flavor. For the home gardener, aging will probably be as difficult or even more so than proper curing. Aging may require as long as 5-6 years and does not occur unless temperature and moisture conditions are favorable. If the tobacco is too dry, there is no aging and if it is too moist, there will be decay of the leaves. Unfortunately the proper temperature and moisture content vary widely. The home producer would need the knowledge and skill to properly age the tobacco. Fermenting: also called sweating, This is the process by which ammonia is released from the leaf to make it sociable. It can be done by heaping the tobacco into large piles called pylons that raise the temperature and humidity or by use of a kiln with a heater and humidifier. Under the raised temperature and humidity enzymes in the leaf cause it to ferment. It is not necessary to spray a fermenting solution on the leaf as some suggest the enzymes will do it naturally. Sometimes this is also referred to as curing. This system of maturing leaf came from the days when tobacco was shipped by sail. The ship would sit in port for a few weeks, very humid and bails stacked tight together. When the tobacco reached it’s destination it was found to smell and taste sweeter. For more information: Tobacco Leaf Harvesting, Curing, and Fermenting: https://www.leafonly.com/tobacco-harvesting-curing-fermenting.php wooden kiln instruction guide: https://www.seedman.com/wkiln.htm Tobacco Fermentation / Curing Chamber for Cigars: https://www.instructables.com/Tobacco-fermentation-curing-chamber-for-cigars/
Seed Saving:
If its only 1 type plant you have then just leave 1 or 2 plants to set seed and wait for the flowers to pollinate themselves and produce seed pods, after the seed pods turn brown and become a dry and brittle, you can take the seeds off by breaking off the top of the seed pod .If you have different types of plants that you will want to save seeds from, then you can bag the flowers before they bloom with a fine mesh or veil that you can buy at any fabric store, this will prevent insects/bees from cross pollinating the plants and keep them from becoming hybrids and it will also allow airflow to the flowers.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

Blood Lice in Poultry – Parts of the dried log can help control blood lice in the poultry brooder house. Cut or saw the bare dry logs to a length of 50-80 cm and distribute 1 per square meter. Check for mold with moisture and replace if necessary. The main veins can also be used for this purpose. Blood lice are very difficult to recognize on the chicken itself, best seen on the eggs as small red dots. Lice in plants – Dried tobacco (waste) can be incorporated into the root area of the plant to better resist aphids and whiteflies. This is done with cacti like plants but then again against mealy bugs that sit on the roots. A tobacco tea can be made by adding 50 to 80 grams in a liter of cold water and bring gently to the boil. When it boils take it off the heat and let it cool, then strain it through a cloth and put in the syringe. Spray the top and bottom of the leaves of the plant to be treated. After a few days repeat again or if the weather is desirable. Links: https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/14/90/00001/AA26000.pdf https://www.elenasgarden.ca/Growing-tobacco-Curing-tobacco http://www.tobaccoseed.ca/ http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingtobacco.html

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