Air drying in cool/cold weather

[PeacePipe]

I know the ideal temp and humidity for air drying but this year I was not prepared for the early fall and cool temps here... I did my final harvested a little late (mid September) allowing some of the plants to fade just to learn and see/smoke the differences . Loved the experience watching them fade but now I kinda regret not utilizing those few weeks to initiate the long term art of drying and curing..

I see no molds at all so I am counting my blessings.. This is not ideal I know but it has to suffice until the tops are almost dry (whole plants.) Then I ll be able to bring it indoors to finish the last days. Until then the temps are less then 60 during the day and nights are much cooler and frost will soon follow...

I am using my Harley shed for drying my crop this time and it is in the shade due to my love for my FXLR. Next year I ll be ready for the challenges and attempting some flue and smoke cures but all will be harvested on time too though ..

Anybody else have any experience with air drying at less then ideal temps? I have maybe a few weeks to go at max but I could always harvest the leafs while reducing the stems in order to speed up the last stage but I would rather not... This is really the art and craft of it all in my humble opinion.. Anyone can grow this plant but I dont think just anyone can turn its green leaves into something smoke worthy even with simple air drying..

 

[bonehead]

if the leaves are not green anymore they can be dried in the house. once the leaf is yellow you are safe to dry them as fast as you wan't. it is easy to make good tobacco but it takes time to let it age. if you can get a year ahead on your grows you will be golden.

 

[PeacePipe]

Thanks Bonehead-

I think the tops will yellow up very soon, the rest of the plant is there just waiting on these tops due to the cool weather..


"once the leaf is yellow you are safe to dry them as fast as you wan't----------"Thats what I needed to hear

 

[squeezyjohn]

Good advice there ... It's a problem I encounter on a yearly basis! If the leaves are still green and you need more curing time the only options really open to you are to use artificial heat / dehumidifiers or simple old fashioned air venting if you're off that kind of grid.

The real mould problems occur for me once the temperatures get low enough for dew to condense on the leaves on rainy days ... this normally happens when the midribs are struggling to dry off completely. But I agree if your leaves show no more signs of green then get them indoors as soon as you can and let them dry out.

 

[Gavroche]

I know the ideal temp and humidity for air drying .

Well... and what they are? Sorry to dig up the subject but at the moment the weather report is not clement.

bien... et quelles sont-elles ? désolé de déterrer le sujet mais en ce moment la météo n'est pas clémente.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Pile it in any reasonably warm environment, then get to drying. Do you have an attic? Mine is always the hottest part of the house. Both garage and house have an attic and once tobacco is yellow it goes up there.

I've had issues with flash drying strung leaf while still green up there but if stalk harvested it's usually pretty safe.

Pile as much leaf as you can into a cardboard box. You can take them out as they yellow or just wait about a week and string it all. If I didn't have a dry hot attic (100-110 degrees f during mid day) I'd just hang them in the basement where the dehumidifier could dry them out.

Once the green is out though the most important thing is getting the mid ribs crispy. After that time is on your side, you can kiln once humidified or wait a year, whatever.

 

[LeftyRighty]

There shouldn't be a problem just leaving the tobacco hanging in your shed during cooler-wet or dry weather, it'll just continue to cure and age properly. I've actually 'over-wintered' mine for the last few years, just let it hang until the following spring, then bring back to case and process it. Although, I do put an oscillating fan on it 24/7 during warmer weather - moving air helps prevent excessive moisture and mold. I set the fan speed to just enough that I see the leaf wiggle a bit.
Yeah, you don't get much 'ageing' when it's freezing temps and the tobacco is crispy-crunchy dry, but there's usually enough warm spells during winter and early spring to help it along.
My understanding/experience is that the ideal temps for mold are 70's & 80's, with high humidity, but good ventilation (moving air) greatly reduces mold. Works for me !

 

[Gavroche]

OK when the leaf became yellow, more problem I think, it is going to be quietly cured.

My question is: when I hang on my green leaf, there is an ideal temperature and a hygrometry so that it passes in the yellow...

I have edges of leaf which remain green, or then green spots last year also(however,as well) but less(at least) this year.


Ok... quand la feuille est devenue jaune, plus de problème je pense, elle va guérir tranquillement.

Ma question est : quand j'accroche ma feuille verte, existe-t-il une température et hygrométrie idéales pour qu'elle passe au jaune...

J'ai des bords de feuille qui restent verts, ou alors des taches vertes... l'année dernière aussi mais moins cette année.

 

[Bex]

I have a question on this one. Our summer here has been horrible, and while I was able to get some mature burley which was able to be air cured, I am now confronted with a substantial amount of leaf that will no longer mature on the plant, I imagine, due to the weather. Instead, it's getting trashed with wind, etc. So, I have begun to harvest the green, immature leaf. This is my first year air curing.....while I am attempting to mist the leaf often, in order to try to get it to go brown prior to drying, is that the only thing that you can do in order to try to get it to cure correctly? I have no electricity in the shed that I'm using - and a good portion of the mature leaf that I collected cured well. But the green, immature leaf is somewhat problematic. Would love to hear some hints about what I can do. I do have a curing chamber - as that's an 'artificial environment' has anyone ever used it to air cure in some way???

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I have a question on this one. Our summer here has been horrible, and while I was able to get some mature burley which was able to be air cured, I am now confronted with a substantial amount of leaf that will no longer mature on the plant, I imagine, due to the weather. Instead, it's getting trashed with wind, etc. So, I have begun to harvest the green, immature leaf. This is my first year air curing.....while I am attempting to mist the leaf often, in order to try to get it to go brown prior to drying, is that the only thing that you can do in order to try to get it to cure correctly? I have no electricity in the shed that I'm using - and a good portion of the mature leaf that I collected cured well. But the green, immature leaf is somewhat problematic. Would love to hear some hints about what I can do. I do have a curing chamber - as that's an 'artificial environment' has anyone ever used it to air cure in some way???

What is the humidity? Is it drying green, or is it simply taking a long time to cure due to cool temperatures?

I can't necessarily give you the answer to your question, but I highly recommend next year, actually investing in a shed that is sealed and insulated well enough to heat and humidity, or heat and dehumidify. It is an expense. I understand that. But my shed cost half as much as the $3000 I would be paying for tobacco each year if I didn't grow my own. I imagine you're in the same boat in Ireland and can easily justify the expense.

This is my shed. http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...Curing-Tobacco-on-the-Northern-Prairies/page2
I can flue cure with 600W. It's minus 10C right now and the 300W lightbulb is on maybe a quarter of the time, keeping it at 90F. I fill the humidifier once every three weeks.

 

[Bex]

Interesting.....while I may not build such a chamber, I wonder if my flue curing chamber - which is actually a sealed chest freezer, would not be able to perform in a similar way. My flue curing is finished and the chamber is empty. It is simple enough to run it with the crockpot and maintain temps and humidity. It’s a thought.....???

 

[deluxestogie]

Set your chamber to 90ºF, add a container of water if needed, then leave the lid cracked. Watch closely for yellowed or especially for brown leaf, and promptly remove it. So long as the leaf is green, it won't mold.

Bob

 

[Bex]

OK, that sounds very doable. Thanks! I use the ‘crockpot method’ - so I could just add water to that.....any hints on what kind of RH I’m shooting for???

 

[deluxestogie]

Since it is living leaf, probably about 80%.

Dr. Bob's (who lives in the cold, upper mid-west of the US, maybe Minnesota) developed his original Crockpot curing chamber, using an old refrigerator, for color-curing.

Bob

 

[LivinInPiperHell]

then bring back to case !

This expression 'bring back to case' keeps popping up.

Could someone be so kind to explain what this means? Thanks.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

This expression 'bring back to case' keeps popping up.

Could someone be so kind to explain what this means? Thanks.

Case has multiple meanings. First I will explain the context that it's usually used for in the forum. Tobacco which is "in case" is at the moisture level at which you would smoke it. "Low case" is more dry. "High case" is more moist. Or generally speaking, "case" is the level of moisture of a tobacco. e.g.. "hey China, what case is that tobacco in?" "Oh, it's in high case. I'm afraid if I don't dry it out, it could mold".

Alternate meaning 1: (verb) "to case" is the process of adding flavoring (a casing).

Alternate meaning 2: (verb) "to bring into case" is to change the moisture level of a tobacco such that it becomes "in case". A lesser known synonym of this is Reorder.

 

[LivinInPiperHell]

Thanks China. Well explained.