Cigar Birthing

[jcruse64]

Originally Posted by MarkinCA

I'm wondering when you transplant the young tobacco seedling, if you can do so the same way that you might with a tomato seedling (ie, will roots grow out from the stim the same way as a tomato plant does)?

As noted by Richard, yes. A couple of the farmers I worked for even had us set a short row of tomato plants next to their rows of tobacco, using the tobacco transplanter/setter (a mechanical device pulled by tractor. Two or more workers sit on the setter and feed the plants to a set of rotating fingers that put the plant into a traveling "groove" that is made by the setter and then firmed back as it travels. Fun job).

[jcruse64]

Oh, and thanks to Richard, I get to try this at home myself this year. Thanks to Richard again, for sharing his experience with all of us in this thread, and sharing the means to experience it personally ourselves.

You are a fine example of a BOTL .

Joe

[MarkinCA]

[SIZE=3]Thanks jc...[/SIZE]

[tzaddi]

[SIZE="6"]2008 Tobacco Growing, Comprehensive Update
[/SIZE]3/23/08 thru 5/29/08

[SIZE="5"]F[/SIZE]or those following this thread, this will be the first official update for the 2008 growing season. And for those of you that are new welcome.

Although I have been chronicling the 2008 plant growth all season I have been a bit lax about putting a post together. Knowing that once I started it was going to be a big commitment and I may have been a bit apprehensive.

For those that have offered encouragement, as always thanks for the support.


This year I have several fronts going, so this first post will hopefully explain what is going on in the garden as far tobacco is concerned and who knows we might even get a glimpse at some of my other botanical buddies.

As most gardeners soon find out… the growing space one had the previous year just doesn't seem big enough this year. So I put in the effort and expanded the garden space inside the fenced area and I'm in the process of completing a third tier on the terraced garden. The soil here is rich in iron and quartz sand with plenty of stones. In the case of the fenced area I basically had to dig a hole and filter out the stones and then add the soil with organic amendments back into the hole. The stones you see to the right of the garden are all from the newly claimed growing space.

4/28/08



My other method of adding garden space is to build a retainer wall of stones and then backfill it with nutrient rich soil. That is what I have done with the terraced area. The following photo was taken last night, so as you can see I have a bit more soil to add. The stones where gathered from around the property, hopefully not to far away from the garden as legs and wagon are the transport method.

5/29/08



[SIZE="4"]This Years New Seedlings
[/SIZE]
The following images show this years newly planted seed growth from from March 23 to May 29.

3/23/08

4/11/08

4/14/08

4/18/08

5/7/08

5/21/08
Transplanted to larger containers.

5/29/08

[tzaddi]

[SIZE="4"]Preemptive Tobacco Growth[/SIZE]

Looking back over a previous post from November one might recall this photo. In it I noted that the potted Jackass Bitters (Neurolaena lobata) had sprouted several tobacco plants at it's base. As winter approached I moved this container into the atrium hoping that the Jackass Bitters would hold up through the winter.

11/6/07


As nature would have it the Jackass Bitters did not make it but the tobacco plants came through with a jump start on the 2008 growing season. The following images show their progress from April 20 thru May 29. Along the way they where planted into the garden. Their final count was 6.

4/20/08

4/28/08

4/30/08

5/7/08

5/7/08

5/21/08

5/29/08
With Sunflowers behind

5/29/08

[tzaddi]

[SIZE="4"]Like a Phoenix Springing Forth…[/SIZE]

Well maybe not from the ashes… If you reference the large plastic terra cotta colored container from last season you might remember that at the end of the season I cut all of the plants back to the root and there is sat on the outside deck all winter long. Well to my surprise sometime in mid March of this year the stumps started to sprout. As most of know this is not the way to grow the best tobacco but in the name of science and poetry I decided to see how far these plants would go. Tobacco is normally grown as an annual and is potentially a woody, shrub like perennial. In the case of these potential "perennials" some of them have already had their flowering buds pinched to maintain leaf growth. The following images document this progressive return.

3/23/08

4/14/08

4/20/08

4/28/08

5/7/08

5/29/08
Almost ready to pick the first priming


[SIZE="4"]New Varietals[/SIZE]

Thanks to a few generous friends I have the opportunity to grow a few new varieties of Tobacum nicotiana this year. I was able to sprout a few of the Connecticut seeds that fellow gorilla Pierredekat had sent me in a trade and my friend from Oregon brought a handful each of Havana and Perique tobacco seedlings on a recent visit. So if all goes well we will be watching these grow this year.

Here is the Connecticut seedlings, they took at least 3 more weeks to sprout than the fresh seed from last years crop.

5/29/08

5/29/08

5/29/08


Well I hope that wasn't too confusing and now that it looks like I have a game plan I will try and keep this thread updated as things develop. Oh, and if it gets boring, as in the same old same old please let me know.

Growing Regards,

Richard

[MarkinCA]

[SIZE=3]Its never boring reading updates to your "Cigar Birthing" thread Richard. I'm just kinda frustrated with my seedlings this year. One, I'm using seeds from about a year back, and two, when they reach about 1/4" they simply burn and disintegrate. Most likely due to some hot weather we have recently had in our area. Think I'm gonna have to convert to a greenhouse method when they do sprout and move em' into filtered sunlight this next go around...[/SIZE]

[jcruse64]

I'm with Mark, not boring at all.

My first attempt with seed failed, but attempt #2 has several little seedlings coming forth, so I hope to have something for this season, even if a little late.

[tzaddi]

I thought I would share a few photos taken of the Nicotiana bigelovii tobacco plants that I have growing. My friend Steve brought a few seedlings down from Oregon on his last visit in early May.

As you can see it has a beautiful white blossom in contrast to the Nicotiana tabacum's pink flower. Remember the Nicotiana glauca shout out from a post last year, with it's yellow blossom.

If there was a tobacco native to California it would be bigelovii probably originating in the Western United States. It mildly aromatic flower seems to prefer an evening or night bloom shying away from opening when the sun is up. It is sometimes called "Indian Tobacco" and I have heard it referred to as "Coyote Tobacco". Like all of the Nicotiana family most reference sources advise against ingestion of any kind, but I have come across instances of smoking it's small leaves.

The following photo taken on the 6th of this month illustrates that after many wagon loads of stones and wheelbarrows of soil the new lower terrace has been completed. Like some Redding version of Rio de Janeiro the Blessed Mother watches over.

Within three days, 6/9/08 the new space was being occupied by Perique, Havana, Maya Mopan and assorted herbs.

Last years revivalist insists on going to seed ASAP no matter how many times I pinch the forming flower buds.

Yielding handfuls of early leaf, (first priming).

Meanwhile in the lower fenced garden the sunflowers, tomatoes, and early start tobacco continue to grow well.

[duhman]

Beautiful.
Hey, Richard, do deer eat tobacco?
Sometimes they know when not to eat plants. If only I could get them to eat my oleander.

[tzaddi]

The following photos where taken a few hours ago before I started this post. As you can see despite the wind and heat they continue to adjust to their new space.

I invite you to stop by and pick up some potted plants ready for the ground, as you can see I have a few left.

So it's "Happy Trails" until next time.

I have a few more photos that I did not post today at my gallery here. <click

And don't forget to stop by and visit my new BOTL dustingaunder and see how his plants are doing, here < click.

—Richard

[bobarian]

Amazing stuff as always Richard! That one shot of the bloom is fantastic!
This year looks like a bumper crop, congratulations! How it the curing of last years coming? BTW the terraces look great even without the tobacco!\
A little bit of the Mediterranean in Redding!

[tzaddi]

Originally Posted by duhman

Beautiful.
Hey, Richard, do deer eat tobacco?
Sometimes they know when not to eat plants. If only I could get them to eat my oleander.

Last year they ate my my tobacco when it was very small and I had to put up a fence. This year I didn't put it in the ground until it was larger, they don't really like the taste once it starts to develop it's nicotiana characteristics but we shall see. I have been going out at night and dispatching a few earwigs that insist on munching.

I discovered a few deer prints the other morning in the lower terrace but no munching.

They did find a few young peppers and and sunflowers (they munch the heads off) in an unfenced area in front of the house. There are still 2 sunflowers that they didn't touch out there.

I had a talk with one of the deer the other day while he was chowing down on some cracked corn.


Thanks for the look see.

EDIT:
I was just out checking for earwigs and caught a few of the boys stopping by for a bit of birdseed so I snapped a few photos for you.

[tzaddi]

Originally Posted by bobarian

Amazing stuff as always Richard! That one shot of the bloom is fantastic!
This year looks like a bumper crop, congratulations! How it the curing of last years coming? BTW the terraces look great even without the tobacco!\
A little bit of the Mediterranean in Redding!

Thanks my friend. The stones are free as long as one doesn't mind moving them from here to there.

I check the leaf from the last 2 years ever so often and the last time I checked it is developing some character. One of the guys from the weekly Redding cigar club is scheduled to drop by next week for a rolling session so I will probably inventory the stock when I prep some leaf for the gathering of torcedors


Man this page takes a bit of time to load even with high speed DSL, sorry Oh well, you guys should have posted a few more posts between updates .

[masonichistorian]

[SIZE=2]I’m in the army and currently in Iraq, I love Cigars and come from Puerto Rico but my home base is back in Arizona. And this is something that I have been dreaming about for a long time. Were can I purchase seeds and is there a book or something that I can have with me that will help me in the prose’s for this, were can I learn to roll my own Cigars. This is something that I want to start doing, you know something peaceful that dos not have to do with all the stuff that I have to go throw out here, kind of I guess that what I’m trying to say is after all the war and everything from out here I want to pick up growing tobacco and rolling my own as a hobby you know something peas full and maybe some tomatoes while I’m at it.
You are definitely and inspiration toured what I want to accomplish.
[/SIZE]