| |
|
|
|
|
Share/Bookmark this Topic:
|
| Message |
Author |
by alist
on Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:19 am |
|
White Rabbit wrote:
You need a lot of plants to grow a years worth of smokes.
Given I was smoking 10 pounds a quarter when I smoked and assuming a minimal harvest of 4 oz. per plant (given variations in plant size and Turkish, particularly, being much smaller than a Virignia, so having a lower dried weight), I would have had to grow 160 plants in order to smoke one year!
White Rabbit wrote:
Then you need a place to cure the leaves for at least 6 months.
I had been looking at those species that were low nicotine, but also that could be air cured, which includes the Turkish and Maryland.
White Rabbit wrote:
I have a "green thumb" and grow numerous vegetables and flowers from seed, but tobacco is another matter.
Keep at it and don't EVER give up. Everything I have read leads me to believe it takes time to 'get' tobacco, but once you have it, you will WORK that green thumb like clockwork. (And I don't claim to have it myself. I have just had much LUCK so far this year.)
White Rabbit wrote:
Virginia Bright can be smoked almost immediately after drying I have been told, and if you let it cure in a shed or barn for 6 months, it will be much better. It does not need to be "flue cured".
That I did not know. I know which Virginia I will be growing next year though.
White Rabbit wrote:
We all are looking for "easy cheap answers", but I am afraid there are few to be found.
I think it is just a matter of letting the plant show us what it needs. I don't think it will be particularly difficult. We are talking about a plant that has been cultivated for 8000 years and has shared it's gifts with us for the same amount of time. We just have to listen to it.
White Rabbit wrote:
This summer I will be looking to make friends with some Amish Farmers in Deleware who grow tobacco to see if I can purchase some leaves to dry myself this fall and winter. This seems to be the best route for me, and it is not illegal to purchase or sell raw tobacco leaves, they are not taxed. Only processed tobacco is taxed.
I know someone on another forum who might find this information useful and would most likely share some seeds with you if you could pass the contact information along to him. |
|
|
alist
Smoker
Joined: Sep 01, 2007
Posts: 133
|
| |
Back to top |
|
|
| |
|
by shihan
on Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:27 am |
|
saggioculo wrote: I do have a balcony where I grow tomatoes but is it at all possibly to be able to grow tobacco as a potted plant? Saggioculo
Actually, tobacco grows very well in pots because the soil does not compact as tight, you can control how long water stays in the pot and the fertilizer you use won't wash away as fast as if you planted in the yard. You can use a two gallon pot for good results and a three gallon for best results.
The down side is it takes approx 30 plants for a one pack a day smoker per a year.
I say go for it. |
|
|
shihan
Newbie
Joined: Jul 16, 2009
Posts: 8
Location: Houston, Texas
|
| |
Back to top |
| |
|
by libertarian99
on Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:37 am |
|
White Rabbit wrote: Dear Saggioculo,
Here is a good site for information on growing your own.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tobacco-Growing-and-Curing-at-Home
The seeds are very hard to start and get to the stage where you can plant them outside or in larger pots. That said, tobacco is a weed and grows very well in numerous locations and types of soils. I would suggest purchasing "plants" from the seedman.com or some other source. As you can see from the site above, the plants are quite large. Each plant I have read will yield between 6 and 12 oz of cured tobacco. You need a lot of plants to grow a years worth of smokes. Then you need a place to cure the leaves for at least 6 months.
I've had good luck putting the pots in my windowsill between the two panes of glass where they can't be disturbed, and then pouring water into the plastic dishes under the pots. The less you handle the seedlings, the better.
The hardest thing, to me, is spacing the seeds so they don't smother each other. The seeds are practically microscopic and it's hard to plant just a few in each pot.
Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, I had good luck placing the pots inside a Target mini-greenhouse. They grow like crazy in there and no insects can destroy the leaves. The only problem is you will have to move them eventually because they get too tall for the mini-greenhouse.
I have bought a bunch of cheap metal stakes, chicken wire, plastic and insect netting to shelter the plants once they outgrow the greenhouse. I figure the investment will pay off if I can successfuly make it through the processing phase the first year. I got five-gallon pots from a growers supply place for about $1 per pot, another investment that should last many years. |
|
|
libertarian99
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: May 01, 2009
Posts: 453
|
| |
Back to top |
| |
|
by shihan
on Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:57 pm |
|
I came across a site that showed how to make plant pots out of newspaper. Roll the paper around a glass, remove the glass, fold in the bottom, reinsert the glass and press the paper on the bottom down, fill with starter soil and plant. The reason I bring it up is that you can germinate, grow and slice the sides and bottom and insert the entire paper pot into the ground.
Also I have read that it takes 30 plants for a one pack per day smoker. I am sure it depends on the variety of tobacco. |
|
|
shihan
Newbie
Joined: Jul 16, 2009
Posts: 8
Location: Houston, Texas
|
| |
Back to top |
| |
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
|
|
