China Voodoo's 2016 grow blog

[ChinaVoodoo]

I need a little help with seed selection. I'm growing all new varieties this year. Last year I overworked myself, growing with friends and curing everyone's tobacco. We did 200 plants, 11 varieties in 4 locations. I have it all stored at my place though, and my partner is my best friend so no hard feelings or anything. I still plan on starting seedlings for everyone, but have been explicit that I'm not curing anything from off my property. I moved and have a larger yard with better sun. I think I have room for around 60-75 flue cured and 75-90 orientals. I want to keep it simple, so i would like to grow 3 orientals and 3 flue cured varieties.

For orientals, I'm definitely growing Yenidje, Canik, and Lattaquie 92


For flue cured, I definitely want to grow Helena and Ternopolski 7. For the last choice, I would like help in deciding between White Stem Orinoco, Costello Negro, and Golden Wilt. I would appreciate input. I should add that I already have the seed.

As an aside, I thought I'd tell you a bit about my name, China VooDoo. It comes from the fact that years ago, I thought I'd had enough of working in the oilfield and i went back to school and studied acupuncture. Get it? It didn't work out and I'm back inspecting welds. I'm not actually Asian, by the way. Anyhow, this is one of the reasons I'm going to be growing Ternopolski; that's where one of my grandfathers was from. The other was born in Brantford, son of a Scottish immigrant.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Looking forward to the grow, I love watching the temperate climate grows especially. Is your post harvest weather conducive to the initial leaf curing at all?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Looking forward to the grow, I love watching the temperate climate grows especially. Is your post harvest weather conducive to the initial leaf curing at all?

Not at all! Final harvest is after first frost. I've learned tobacco can handle freezing to -3/C if there is sun during the daytime. Can't cure in an unheated space. Likewise, it's very dry here inside even if there is significant relative humidity outside because the water holding capacity of air changes so much with temperature . Once you come inside, the relative humidity drops; 100% relative humidity outside at 0C, is 10% relative humidity at 40C.

So outside it's too cold and inside its to dry. You can't simply humidify your garage because you'll get mold in the insulation. It'll condense on/in the walls to the outside. You could heat and humidify an un-insulated space, but it would get expensive. By the time I was done curing everything in 2015, it was -25C outside.

I built a really well-insulated room in the unheated garage, totally set up for hanging, with a temperature and humidity controller. By the end of it, a small hole in the space between the wall and the ceiling had icicles. I have moved since, so i will have to build something new. This time it will be a separate structure.

 

[Alpine]

ChinaV if you are interested in eastern europe and russia strains you can take a look at this:
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/4203-Amar-sayn-from-Russia-Buryatia?highlight=Amar+sayn
member Eisenspane posted some links of ucrainian and russian on line seed sellers.
Talgar seems very interesting...
Pier

 

[Chicken]

Getting a early start are we ? Normally I'm the first on the board to start..and I've already started..I got 12 starting trays going right now..and many more to start..I've never had this many trays going..
I've been thinking of starting a grow blog. But was wanting to wait till I had all my seeds dropped.

I'd suggest you do what I have planned to do.and that is build me a shed just for curing my bacca in.I'm gonna make it on the design of the old timers curing barns..more tall than wide..

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Getting a early start are we ? Normally I'm the first on the board to start..and I've already started..I got 12 starting trays going right now..and many more to start..I've never had this many trays going..
I've been thinking of starting a grow blog. But was wanting to wait till I had all my seeds dropped.

I'd suggest you do what I have planned to do.and that is build me a shed just for curing my bacca in.I'm gonna make it on the design of the old timers curing barns..more tall than wide..

I really like that vertical wood siding. I imagine being taller will increase the effectiveness of the insulation, decreasing the ceiling size.

 

[Chicken]

It really depends on and if you plan on growing bacca for many years to come...if so then building a barn is definitely a good investment.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

It really depends on and if you plan on growing bacca for many years to come...if so then building a barn is definitely a good investment.

I'm planning on flue curing throughout the season, then air-stalk curing orientals at the end. I'm thinking if I can section the inside of the barn, you know, like have a temporary wall that splits it in half, then I can flue cure in a smaller space, then at final harvest, remove the wall and use the entire barn for air curing.

 

[Jack in NB]

If it's any help for air curing, I hang mine in my tractor shed as I harvest, and leave them until the start of the next harvest - late July or Aug. We get dry conditions through the winter here, but spring and summer give me the fluctuations in humidity that seem to work.

Then I pick a muggy period when the leaves are a bit in case and box them, stored over my garage, for later processing.

It has worked as well as the kiln curing I used to use (not flue curing, however)) for my stock.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

If it's any help for air curing, I hang mine in my tractor shed as I harvest, and leave them until the start of the next harvest - late July or Aug. We get dry conditions through the winter here, but spring and summer give me the fluctuations in humidity that seem to work.

Then I pick a muggy period when the leaves are a bit in case and box them, stored over my garage, for later processing.

It has worked as well as the kiln curing I used to use (not flue curing, however)) for my stock.

I live in the city, so i just don't have the space for that, but I'm pretty sure it would dry green. I do really like that idea. It'll be nice that I'm not moving this November like I did in 2015. I'll be able to leave the stalk cured stuff hanging all winter. Kinda like you do.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I'm still looking for opinions on Costello Negro, Golden Wilt, and White Stem Orinoco.

For flue cured, I definitely want to grow Helena and Ternopolski 7. For the last choice, I would like help in deciding between White Stem Orinoco, Costello Negro, and Golden Wilt. I would appreciate input. I should add that I already have the seed.

 

[COLIN]

I will let you no about the cos negro tomorrow when I take it out of my flue curing chamber.

 

[Knucklehead]

When Skychaser grew Costello Negro he told me it was his new favorite flue cure variety and he has grown a butt load of flue varieties. He sent me some samples of his first grow which I believe was air cured. It was a wonderful stand alone smoke all by itself that reminded me of a Turkish/flue blend, without having to blend. It was also great in blends. It has a very unique taste for a flue variety and I highly recommend it. I will grow it along with Reams 158 the next time I grow flue varieties in 2017.

 

[Brown Thumb]

I grew white stem in 2014, I just pulled a bag and tried some.
Sweeter than VA gold.
It flue cures a nice yellow.
I only have about 10 pounds of it, so I guess it was not a big producer.
Or it's due to I lost at least half of my starts to mold and dampening off that yr.
I might mention it in my 2014 grow.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

White Stem doesn't sound like it's going to add the same variety to my crop as Costello would.

Thanks to the both of you.

I'm also looking forward to hearing about Colin's Costello because he flue cured it as compared to skychaser.

 

[DGBAMA]

A white stem flue cure type sounds interesting.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

March 6. Planting day. 24 Costello Negro, 24 Helena, 24 Ternopolski-7, 24 Canik, 18 Lattaquie-92, 30 Yenidje. Total 144.
The original plan was 252, but my beautiful bride who's less obsessed with tobacco and thinking more clear on the subject of gardening talked me down. She's probably right.

The soil in the trays is a mix of stuff I bought and stuff the previous owner of my house had kicking around. 1/8 Hortibec African Violet Mix, 1/8 Schultz Potting Soil Plus, 5/16 bagged generic garden soil, 3/16 peat moss, 1/4 sea soil compost.

I have a seedling heat mat. Three 54W 4' t5 fluorescents. The entire rig has a plastic film around it, and a humidifier on low to keep the seedlings from drying out.

Here's some photos.




Color coded popsicle sticks designate the type of tobacco. The colours were done with crayon.

 

[metalbone]

Should the fixtures be a bit lower?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Should the fixtures be a bit lower?

Totally. However, since they are not germinated yet, I only have one light on at a distance. Once they start growing, I'll bring the lights right down within an inch.

 

[Gavroche]

China say :

March 6. Planting day. 24 Costello Negro, 24 Helena, 24 Ternopolski-7, 24 Canik, 18 Lattaquie-92, 30 Yenidje. Total 144.

ChinaVooDoo, you think of 100 % of seedings, of 144 sowed(scattered), of 144 grown-up plants?


What surfaces of fields these 144 plants are going to represent?