My first grow

[rainmax]

Bob you don't know how happy you just made my wife

I knew that ladybug brings luck and happiness. Congrats on your beautiful tobacco. I believe your wife is not in little people group. Beginners luck maybe?
Last year I was stunned of my tobacco plants and this year my second, I face with few unpleasant surprises.

 

[BigCasino]

Finally have most of my leaves primed and hanging how do they look?


The top leave ahve not gotten the rough alligatore skin look yet and are still green as ever should I pick them or let it ride some more?

Also If I plan on pressing tobacco into a brick for making pipe tobacco, ya know for slicing flakes later, can I do that as soon as they are dried and let them cure in the brick? or do I have to wait until they are ready to smoke to do that?
Thanks for any and all advice

 

[BigCasino]

also I have a few leaves with spots like this, does anyone know what they are and if I should worry about this? or smoke it anyways?

 

[chillardbee]

that almost looks like weather flicking to me. If it feels really bumpy to the touch it might be parasite, but i doubt that that is what it is. either way it should still cure good and be smokable.

 

[rainmax]

Also If I plan on pressing tobacco into a brick for making pipe tobacco, ya know for slicing flakes later, can I do that as soon as they are dried and let them cure in the brick? or do I have to wait until they are ready to smoke to do that?

I see you have nice tobacco and a lot of it, so make a brick and try. I came on same idea, but after I decide that I will try with perique press. I have an old oak barrel half a gallon or so and I will try to press it.
Here is an idea about perique press.

 

[Boboro]

It all looks good. I think you will have to dry it in a place you can control the heat and Rh. Its bound to get to cold up thar.

 

[BigCasino]

that almost looks like weather flicking to me. If it feels really bumpy to the touch it might be parasite, but i doubt that that is what it is. either way it should still cure good and be smokable.

Thanks, we kind of thought it might be sun burn cause the leaves that has faced the sun moist of the day

I see you have nice tobacco and a lot of it, so make a brick and try. I came on same idea, but after I decide that I will try with perique press. I have an old oak barrel half a gallon or so and I will try to press it.
Here is an idea about perique press.

Thats pretty neat Max, I don't want to make perique tho it doesnt like me much, I just want to press some stuff into bricks for flakes

It all looks good. I think you will have to dry it in a place you can control the heat and Rh. Its bound to get to cold up thar.

Yeah I have a place in my basement with a gas heater the we burn all winter

 

[Boboro]

Let the stuff growin grow if you can cure it.

 

[DGBAMA]

I would agree on weather damage too. That leaf looks like a few I had. The cause was the stakes I used to hold up blown over plants. Leaf damaged by rubbing on the stake I used to hold them up.

 

[DonH]

that almost looks like weather flicking to me. If it feels really bumpy to the touch it might be parasite, but i doubt that that is what it is. either way it should still cure good and be smokable.

I had the same thing on my African Red. It's leaves were thinner than other varieties so it was probably weather/sun. It cured and smokes fine.

 

[Knucklehead]

Acid Rain.

 

[BigCasino]

Acid Rain.

Is that like purple rain?

 

[Knucklehead]

Is that like purple rain?

Yeah, it'll eat the finish off your Little Red Corvette. lol

 

[BigCasino]

I'm guessing I need to pick the rest of my leaves before they freeze? how about what I have hanging and drying will they be ok, or do I need to move them into where it's warm?

 

[DrBob]

I'm guessing I need to pick the rest of my leaves before they freeze? how about what I have hanging and drying will they be ok, or do I need to move them into where it's warm?

you do need to hang them before they freeze. I leave mine in an unheated shed all winter in northern Wisconsin and they have colored up just fine over winter. I normally hang them before September 15, But I have hung some as late as October 15 and they colored up just fine but it took a long time. Indoor heated hanging would be better but not a necessity

 

[BigCasino]

Thanks Dr.Bob!

 

[chillardbee]

It would be a chance that they would cure good. If the leaf suffers a freeze before it coloured to yellow and kills it, it will stay and dry green especially if the humidity is low as it usually is in freezing weather. I haven't had leaves freeze before though because I always thought 'why take the chance'.