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Squeezyjohn's 2013 UK Grow Blog

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Boboro

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In july you cant even walk outside without a Beer or youll dry up like a stick of beef jurkey. Around here.
 

squeezyjohn

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Must say you lot in the UK got BALLS growing tobacco.
Lived in the UK for 3 years, Litchfield, Midlands, and what I can recall the most was the s....t weather, 4 seasons in one day. Went back April last year for my sons wedding, and with my luck, the UK had the most rain in a hundred years.
But I must say, a beautiful country, rich in history and tradition.
Good luck with your crop.
Ben

Thanks Ben! It's been glorious sunshine for the last 2 weeks.

And the way I like to look at it is that most plants thrive on what is mostly very rich soil with enough water coming from the skies that you never need to water established plants unless it's a drought.
 

squeezyjohn

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Well - the plants have just about established themselves in the bed ... for the tabacum varieties that's great as last year I didn't plant out until July for fear of bad weather and I'm sure they will do well through June, July, August.

As for the Rustica ... it's been a bit of a disaster. I think I must have planted far too early for them - they raced away in their cells and were very tall and leggy when I planted them out - although they toughened up nice and fast and none have snapped in the wind they have gone directly to flowering without putting on any leaf growth. I think I will try topping and controlling the suckers by hand to see if they get any leaf growth.

The lesson to learn is simply that Rustica varieties just race away sooooooo much quicker than Tabacum varieties. It may be a little late - but I am going to try sowing a new bunch of seed now to see if I can get some kind of results with the Rustica.

Hmmmm!
 

DGBAMA

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I have some starts bolting as well. If they threaten to flower early, I will try topping just above the first sucker and seeing if that one sucker will establish itself as a main stem. You might try the same, and plant the newly started seedlings inbetween each of the older ones. if the new ones catch up you can always pull the originals.
 

squeezyjohn

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That ... is a very good bit of advice DGBAMA ... thank you ... I would not have though about that at all.

They have definitely all started making flower buds on the main stem.

I knew I could rely on this place for some great advice.
 

squeezyjohn

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I have done as suggested by DGBAMA - taken nearly all these bolting rustica plants down to the first junction to force a sucker that will become a sucker crop. Last year I got good sucker crops from my rusticas - it is now much earlier in the season ... so unless the hormones that promote flowering have gone haywire I think it's a best solution because these things grow so fast - and at the rate they're going at the moment I'll get no decent leaves.

Once again - thank you DGBAMA - even if this doesn't work it makes perfect sense.
 

DGBAMA

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Just a first year guy myself. Only passing on a thought of bits gleaned from reading many posts in the last 8 months. I was way to late to do anything last year. Thought I had a good start myself but housework,ii inadequate lighting, and being unprepared to get them outdoors in a timely manner; plus some weird weather this year have resulted in me now dealing with the same problem you have. Only sharing how I am going to handle mine and hope for the best.
 

squeezyjohn

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July update.

It's been a real mixed bag with the tobacco this year. I've had countless problems - and I'm not even sure what the reasons for some of them are!

The rustica which went leggy and bolted has been recovered using the good advice given here to cut back to the first sucker and let that grow in to the main stem. It looks like this now:

IMG_1637.jpg

I was hoping for it to grow a bit taller before the flower buds started - but given what it's been through it's doing really well!

And most of the Yellow Twist Bud is doing pretty well:

IMG_1641.jpg

Some of the other varieties are making nice big plants too - Dark Virginia and Black Stalk Mammoth - here's the best mammoth plant:

IMG_1639.jpg

However - there is one area of the patch which just seems to be really struggling. I don't know if it something to do with what's in the soil. I have had quite a few problems with burrowing animals - voles and moles mainly who aren't attacking the plants but just use the soil under all my tobacco and vegetables as a highway and when they go under a plant the roots end up in a hole with nothing to hold on to. I've rescued some plants by catching it when it's happened and stomping the soil around it to get the roots back in the soil is working - but if I miss one then it's as good as dead! That doesn't totally explain the almost non-existant growth in this large area of the middle of the patch though:

IMG_1643.jpg

It is a little disappointing. This area was cleared of the weeds and all their roots by hand and some of it was cultivated last year - but the area of bad growth doesn't correlate with that pattern. The moles and voles or whatever they are have been tunnelling under plants completely at random so it's not the reason either.

The varieties Del Gold and Alida were complete write-offs - I shan't be planting them again.

All in all I'm going to get some nice tobacco - but nothing like the quantity I was hoping for. Next year the tobacco patch is definitely going to be rotated in to a place on the plot where other plants have been successfully cultivated this year and the ground preparation will be much better.
 

workhorse_01

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Sorry Squeezy about your luck. The water is the enemy over here this year. I'm about to start another plot around the corner from me, on higher ground.
 

squeezyjohn

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Thanks - I've been reading the news about the rain over there and it makes me cringe. We had that kind of a summer last year but frankly none of us depend on crops like tobacco like some here - the farmers who grew sweetcorn here took a massive blow though and most other crops were very bad - including a dreadful potato harvest full of blighted plants.

I'm very fortunate only to be "playing" at it. Last year my plants only went out in to the ground at the beginning of July - so the ones which are succeeding are going to be MUCH better than last year.
 

workhorse_01

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I've had standing water since the beginning and am just now drying up. For your plants that are bolting, wait to top until the buds separate, just before they open. you'll get at least 8" more height. I've seen a lot of people top when they first see the buds and they loose overall plant size.
 

DGBAMA

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I've had standing water since the beginning and am just now drying up. For your plants that are bolting, wait to top until the buds separate, just before they open. you'll get at least 8" more height. I've seen a lot of people top when they first see the buds and they loose overall plant size.

I seem to remember reading commercial topping is done when about 50% of the plants have first flowers just opening, so that would make sense. Thanks.
 

workhorse_01

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I think that just tells them that most are ready. We grow on a micro scale and have the ability to wait for all the buds to separate and maybe a flower or so to open. If the plant is still growing vertical, let it. Once all the buds have separated and are no longer in clumps, then top because the plant will grow no taller. Topping at this point will give you the tallest, fattest, prettiest, baby you can get. :cool:
I seem to remember reading commercial topping is done when about 50% of the plants have first flowers just opening, so that would make sense. Thanks.
 
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squeezyjohn

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Here is a short film I made to go with the first one in the hope that it might inspire others in the UK to try and have a go at growing their own. This part of the series shows the steps from germination of the seeds through to planting out and routine maintenance such as suckering and topping.


It's probably a case of teaching my grandmother to suck eggs posting it here - but it's footage of this year's grow anyhow.
 

workhorse_01

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Great video John, now put that pint in the fridge and let it get cold! I still don't get our cousins the Britt's and warm beer. I always heard it was because y'all use Lucas oil in the refrigeration compressors. (a/c man's joke)
 

Markw

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Looking good Squeezy I love the short film. This weather is nice and hot also helps I hope that you did not get the hail sttorms last night. keep up the good work mate they are looking good
 
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