| Nicotiana Tabacum - Solanaceae or Nightshade | | | | This soil sterilization process helps prevent |
| | | | disease, weeds and even insects and is |
| I've been working in or around tobacco since | | | | recommended for organic projects. Prevention |
| I was a kid. I worked the fields of the | | | | is always easier that cure. Take this |
| tobacco belt as a 12 year old, and in the | | | | important first step and use only sterilized |
| years since have had an infatuation with the | | | | soil to start your seedlings. |
| many different strains of tobacco which are | | | | |
| available to the home gardener. The beautiful | | | | In the meantime, while it's still bitter |
| plants produce a medley of varying blossoms | | | | cold outside, you can be preparing the spot |
| with different colors, shapes and sizes, and | | | | where you plan to transplant your tobacco |
| is quite an attractive, enjoyable plant to | | | | seedlings. The soil should be cultivated to |
| grow. | | | | remove old root systems. Apply generous |
| | | | amounts of compost and manure and work it |
| Unlike the tobacco grown when I was a kid, | | | | deeply into the existing soil. An unpleasant |
| the varieties that I have focused my | | | | chore, but one that is absolutely necessary |
| attention on are more exotic and require | | | | if you want your tobacco to thrive and |
| specialized treatment to ensure a "bumper | | | | produce large healthy leaves suitable for |
| crop". Connoisseur tobacco is grown in much | | | | working into cigars. |
| smaller quantities than the 300 acre fields I | | | | |
| was accustomed to cultivating and tending as | | | | Once the seedlings are around 8 inches tall, |
| a child. This is because each plant requires | | | | they will be ready for transplanting. |
| more TLC from the grower, and one BIG part of | | | | |
| treating, cultivating and caring for these | | | | Growing the hearty tobacco plant really |
| wonderful giant plants, is to leave the | | | | isn't very difficult. There are topping and |
| chemical sprayer in the barn. I'll skip the | | | | suckering stages during the second half of |
| organic lecture, it's pretty self | | | | the plants life which are necessary to ensure |
| explanatory. While I realize that smoking | | | | that the nutrients are delivered to where it |
| anything habitually will eventually cause | | | | counts, the main leaves, and not wasted on |
| health problems, it should go without saying | | | | useless parts of the plant. Do not use sucker |
| that the tobacco produced using only natural | | | | suppressing chemicals! Sucker your plants by |
| additives is considered the lesser of 2 | | | | hand. The two main types of sucker control |
| evils. If you think it would harm a person to | | | | chemicals are contact and systemic chemicals. |
| have prolonged physical exposure to a certain | | | | Contact chemicals work by burning young |
| chemical, why in the world would you spray | | | | suckers that are newly formed. Systemic |
| that same chemical on the vegetation that | | | | chemicals inhibit cell division and can |
| you're going to consume on a daily basis? | | | | either work locally or throughout the entire |
| Organically cultivated crops may cost more, | | | | plant. Maleic hydrazide is the most common |
| and involve more work, but the reward is | | | | systemic chemical used for sucker control. |
| quite satisfying. | | | | Avoid these chemicals like the plague because |
| | | | they are certainly not naturally occurring |
| When to get started is a timing issue that | | | | compounds. One drop of either of these harsh |
| has everything to do with where you are | | | | chemicals, anywhere near your plants, and |
| planning to grow your crop. Tobacco can never | | | | your efforts to produce an organic crop will |
| be touched by frost, so germinate your | | | | have been in vain. Spend the time and do it |
| seedlings according to your regions climate. | | | | right, and just break the little suckers off |
| Seeds can be bought very inexpensively | | | | as they shoot out of the limb/stalk |
| online. A quick google of 'tobacco seeds' | | | | intersection. Once the top has reached 12 |
| will produce plenty of stores that would love | | | | inches break or cut it off and discard it. |
| to sell you their seeds. To produce cigar | | | | Keep your plants watered but don't over do |
| quality tobacco, you'll need at least 2 | | | | it. Tobacco is a moisture sensitive crop, and |
| different varieties of tobacco. I suggest | | | | can easily drown. Make sure your plants have |
| HAVANA 503B for your natural wrappers, and | | | | sufficient drainage at all times. Standing |
| SMALL STALK BLACK MAMMOTH for your maduro | | | | water around your plants for very long is |
| wrapped cigars. The wrapper type tobacco | | | | almost always fatal. Go to your crop after a |
| produces a thinner, less veiny leaf and | | | | hard rain to check that the water is running |
| should be reserved for outer cigar wrappers | | | | off. If it isn't draining away you'll need to |
| only. For the filler, the basic choice is | | | | cut small trenches to direct the water away. |
| VIRGINIA GOLD but as a grower you can produce | | | | |
| different varieties and create your very own | | | | Harvesting the tobacco should be done by |
| blend. And remember, you will need much more | | | | hand. Never try to speed up the ripening |
| filler tobacco than wrapper, so plant your | | | | process with pre-harvest chemicals which |
| seedlings accordingly. AND ALWAYS KEEP YOUR | | | | cause yellowing of the leaves so more can be |
| DIFFERENT PLANT TYPES MARKED FOR | | | | harvested at one time. Plants indicate their |
| IDENTIFICATION! Keep these ID signs with | | | | ripeness by beginning to yellow, a signal |
| their respective plants throughout the | | | | that chlorophyll is beginning to break down. |
| growing and curing process or you'll not have | | | | Each leaf should be carefully inspected |
| a clue as to which tobacco is which, | | | | before it is removed from the stalk to ensure |
| especially after curing. | | | | that it is ready for harvest. If it is |
| | | | collected too soon, the curing process will |
| It takes anywhere from 6-12 weeks for | | | | be flawed. The leaves will ripen in stages, |
| seedlings to mature into plants large enough | | | | from the bottom up. Usually 3-4 passes are |
| to be transplanted into their permanent spot | | | | required to allow each stage of leaves to |
| in the garden. This figure averages out to | | | | fully ripen. This process of collection is |
| around 9 weeks, just a touch over 2 months. | | | | referred to as "priming", and is used the |
| Here in the southeastern united states, the | | | | majority of the time. Burly tobacco plants |
| climate dictates that you should germinate | | | | are stripped all at once, referred to as |
| and begin planting your seeds indoors in late | | | | "stalk-cut", and left in the field for 2-3 |
| February, early March. If you have a late | | | | days to wilt before being sent to the curing |
| spring and frost is still threatening you may | | | | facility. |
| have to keep the plants indoors longer. I | | | | |
| start all seedlings indoors, in individual | | | | Curing the tobacco is an entirely different |
| cups, with a mild soil blend that is kept | | | | subject. There is plenty of information |
| moist and warm. Some people sterilize the | | | | readily available online, just do a quick |
| soil prior to planting seeds either by | | | | search for "Curing Tobacco". |
| burning, steaming or chemical applications. | | | | |