Gmac
Well-Known Member
Come get some of our's. We had 20" in four days back in July. It's been raining almost every day all summer here. Cutting grass every week.
Gmac
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deluxestogie Grow Log 2017
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Gmac
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Gmac:
If we got that kind of rain, the hillsides would all be down in the valley. What would the farmers do then? We farm on hillsides as steep as 45 degrees around here. The farmers have specialized machinery that adjusts to the terrain with hydraulic leveling systems. A new wheat combine costs $700,000 and the headers (you gotta have 2, one for wheat and one for dry peas) cost $175,000 each.
Sorry for the low quality photo, this was taken before I got my new digital camera. Combine on hillside unloading into bank-out wagon. Bank-out wagon is being pulled by a 600 H.P "Quad-Track" tractor that weighs 60,000#'s Wagon will hold about 900 bushels (54,000 #'s). Wagon comes down the hill to load trucks waiting at the bottom of the hill. This is a moderate hill of about 20 degrees. You can see the header tilted to accommodate the hillside while the combine sets level with the hill. Combine moves at about 8 miles per hour and can harvest about 100 acres of wheat in a day. I don't know how much a new tractor costs, but it has to be in the multiple hundreds of thousands of $.
If we got that kind of rain, the hillsides would all be down in the valley. What would the farmers do then? We farm on hillsides as steep as 45 degrees around here. The farmers have specialized machinery that adjusts to the terrain with hydraulic leveling systems. A new wheat combine costs $700,000 and the headers (you gotta have 2, one for wheat and one for dry peas) cost $175,000 each.
Sorry for the low quality photo, this was taken before I got my new digital camera. Combine on hillside unloading into bank-out wagon. Bank-out wagon is being pulled by a 600 H.P "Quad-Track" tractor that weighs 60,000#'s Wagon will hold about 900 bushels (54,000 #'s). Wagon comes down the hill to load trucks waiting at the bottom of the hill. This is a moderate hill of about 20 degrees. You can see the header tilted to accommodate the hillside while the combine sets level with the hill. Combine moves at about 8 miles per hour and can harvest about 100 acres of wheat in a day. I don't know how much a new tractor costs, but it has to be in the multiple hundreds of thousands of $.
There are two more stalks of Prancak N-1 still growing, and not yet matured.
After a leaf count, I've determined that I have two more primings of Corojo 99, and three more primings of Piloto Cubano PR. I have hanging room in the shed for about 5 more primings. Those, along with the two stalks of Prancak N-1, are all that's left to harvest, except for the one potted Havana 322.
Now, I really need to begin lifting the tobacco roots with the pick ax. All the scrubby suckers that are emerging can harbor many insect pests, and cause more issues in those beds next year.
Hornworm Report
I reviewed my hornworm notes for this season.
- wave 1: 6/17/2017
- wave 2: 7/19/2017
- wave 3: 8/23/2017
I believe that I found only 1 hornworm one inch long or larger, all season. The rest, and there were easily 100, were quite tiny when they met their untimely deaths. To that, I'll add a wild guess of at least 100 squished hornworm eggs over the season. It seems that the effort to manually manage hornworms was probably less than the effort that would be required to spray the upper and lower surfaces of every leaf 5 or 6 times during the summer. The inspections would happen regardless. The cost of squishing is zero.
The greatest exertion in my hornworm approach was at the time of the first wave, when the plants were mostly waist-high or shorter. This required prodigious counts of stooping, squatting and standing. As the plants grew taller, inspections were noticeably easier.
Aphids Report
Until about two weeks ago, I experienced ZERO aphids. I attribute this to the use of imidacloprid in the transplant water for each seedling. One indication that the imidacloprid had effectively vanished from the entire plant by mid August is that the one plant to subsequently develop aphid colonies beneath its leaves (a Besuki-Ambulu) did so from the very lowest to the highest leaves--simultaneously. For this single plant, which was bagged for seed, I sprayed the affected leaf bases with permethrin a week prior to stalk-cutting it, then thoroughly hosed it and dried the water from it overnight on the clothesline, before taking it to the shed. (I removed its bagged head before cutting the plant stalk.)
I found a scant few aphids on maybe 3 other leaves total. These were managed by simply rubbing the aphids into oblivion with a fingertip.
Chemicals Report
- imidacloprid (Bayer Fruit Citrus and Vegetable Insect Control): applied only at the time of transplant. The amount used was calculated from 16 plants/60 ft[sup]2[/sup] bed, and followed the label recommendations per square foot for most vegetables. No aphids, few flea beetles, and less vigorous baby hornworms were the result. I will use this again next season.
- permethrin spray: used on each blossom head once, at the time of bagging. Used on the leaves of one plant (see Aphids, above). No budworms appeard inside the bagged heads. This is well worth the effort.
- low chlorine 10:10:10 (Southern States Vegetable Grower): applied at the label recommendation for tomatoes and peppers (23 pounds per 1000 ft[sup]2[/sup]) only once, shortly before transplant. I am quite satisfied with the tobacco growth.
- iron phosphate in bran (generic Sluggo): sprinkled onto two troublesome beds about 1 week prior to transplant. In the bed alongside the house foundation, I had no slug damage at all. In the other bed (Prancak N-1), I saw a lot of damage, but I cannot attribute it to slugs. The damage vanished after covering the transplants with Agribon AG-15 floating row cover.
The lawn needs to be mowed. The Corojo 99 and Piloto Cubano PR both have leaf ready for priming.
Maybe tomorrow.
¡Mañana! ¡Mañana!
¡Te quiero, mañana!
¡Pues eres un día más!
Roberto
Maybe tomorrow.
¡Mañana! ¡Mañana!
¡Te quiero, mañana!
¡Pues eres un día más!
Roberto
That all sounded good. But as I walked past the Corojo 99 it implored me...implored me...to prime some of its leaves. (Actually, I was just thinking about everything I will need to get done tomorrow, and caved.)
So, I have primed ~60 leaves of Corojo 99. That's a string of leaf that will be too long to fit into the kiln after it cures. So I gave it a little extra wire, to allow me to cut it in half at kiln time.
I'm still impressed with how truly large these upper leaves have grown. On any other variety, just a few leaves this size would have me clucking.
Bob
So, I have primed ~60 leaves of Corojo 99. That's a string of leaf that will be too long to fit into the kiln after it cures. So I gave it a little extra wire, to allow me to cut it in half at kiln time.
I'm still impressed with how truly large these upper leaves have grown. On any other variety, just a few leaves this size would have me clucking.
Bob
I'm really trying to hold out harvesting the corojo. I smoked one of the field cured lugs that was hiding under the plant in avuelta binder and I gotta say it was really good. I can't wait to try the leaf that isn't trashy. Real special strain here.
Corojo 99 is the first variety that I've ever grown that had me pondering the pros and cons of monoculture. A huge crop of this would be rather nice. But every year, one or two varieties that I grow have issues with some disease or another. Putting all my tobacco eggs in one basket would definitely be stressful, and probably dumb.
Besides, my shortest possible list of excellent varieties goes well over a dozen, and I do enjoy the variety.
Bob
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Did you prime the highest leaves, or are there still some left on each plant? I'm finally heading home after 10 days traveling with my family. I can't wait to see what my plants look like now! When I left, my Corojo 99 was primed to a bit above midstalk. Top leaves were showing ripe texture, but weren't yellowing. I expect they'll be perfect now...
There's a Sucker Born Every Minute [P.T. Barnum]
The suckers are sprouting like...well...suckers. They always look so promising. If I invest the time in caring for them, they nearly always turn out producing crappy finished leaf. (Crappy enough that I still find old bags of kilned suckers that have been in hiding for 5 or more years...because they are crappy.) And of course, those cute little green suckers provide a medium for yet another generation of tobacco pests to proliferate. They deserve capital punishment.
I have 3 generous primings of Piloto Cubano PR remaining on the plants. They are being somewhat sluggish about maturation.
Only 1 priming left on the Corojo 99--the so-called "tip" leaf. Tip leaf for most of my varieties is typically 6 to 8" long. They are thick, tiny packages that, after kilning, explode with rich flavor. While I have no doubt that the Corojo 99 tip leaf will be thick, and richly flavorful, they are leaves with a size that might be expected for bottom leaf.
Bob
The suckers are sprouting like...well...suckers. They always look so promising. If I invest the time in caring for them, they nearly always turn out producing crappy finished leaf. (Crappy enough that I still find old bags of kilned suckers that have been in hiding for 5 or more years...because they are crappy.) And of course, those cute little green suckers provide a medium for yet another generation of tobacco pests to proliferate. They deserve capital punishment.
I have 3 generous primings of Piloto Cubano PR remaining on the plants. They are being somewhat sluggish about maturation.
Only 1 priming left on the Corojo 99--the so-called "tip" leaf. Tip leaf for most of my varieties is typically 6 to 8" long. They are thick, tiny packages that, after kilning, explode with rich flavor. While I have no doubt that the Corojo 99 tip leaf will be thick, and richly flavorful, they are leaves with a size that might be expected for bottom leaf.
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
What are your soils like there? The photos look like you have a sandy - gravelly well drained soil without a lot of clay or loam. Just curious.
Wes H.
What are your soils like there? The photos look like you have a sandy - gravelly well drained soil without a lot of clay or loam. Just curious.
Wes H.
The soil looks the way it does because of a lack of rain. I would describe it as a clay/loam. There is very little sand and not much gravel. The area is generally erosion silts from the Appalachian foothills. My drainage is acceptable only because the garden area is sloped. The slope has an underlayment of sloped shale and sandstone about 6 feet down.
Bob
Bob
An odd aircraft buzzed my house today. I've never seen one of these before. It sounded like a single-engine propeller plane, but seemed to fly much faster than the small Cessna that I commonly see doing basic flight training exercises.
I believe that it uses a push prop in the rear. My best guess is that it is an AeroCanard, which is a kit-built plane. [I wonder if you could power one with a Crockpot?]
Bob
I believe that it uses a push prop in the rear. My best guess is that it is an AeroCanard, which is a kit-built plane. [I wonder if you could power one with a Crockpot?]
Bob
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Long EZ?
Although not an experimental aircraft person, my eldest brother is an aeronautical engineer. He agrees that the photos are of a Burt Rutan VariEze of some flavor. It must have been flying out of the Virginia Tech airport.
Bob
Bob
mwaller
Well-Known Member
I did the final priming of my Corojo 99 last night! Since I have been away for about 10 days, many of the stalks now have some sizeable suckers. Are these worth pursuing, or should I just pull the whole plant at this point?
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Leave them in until it hits 30F, or until they show signs of ripeness, whichever comes first, then pick them. (Just my opinion)
Gavroche
Well-Known Member
[QUOTE = mwaller; 139130] J'ai fait l'amorçage final de mon Corojo 99 la nuit dernière! Depuis que je suis parti depuis environ 10 jours, beaucoup de tiges ont maintenant des ventouses importantes. Est-ce que cela vaut la peine de poursuivre, ou dois-je simplement tirer toute la plante à ce stade?
View attachment 21864[/CITATION]
Damage to post the question at Bob ... she will be lost for everybody, she would be better in your blog of growth either in a subject dedicated Just my opinion
Dommage de poster la question chez Bob... elle sera perdue pour tout le monde, elle serait mien dans votre blog de croissance ou bien dans un sujet dédié
Juste mon avis
View attachment 21864[/CITATION]
Damage to post the question at Bob ... she will be lost for everybody, she would be better in your blog of growth either in a subject dedicated Just my opinion
Dommage de poster la question chez Bob... elle sera perdue pour tout le monde, elle serait mien dans votre blog de croissance ou bien dans un sujet dédié
Juste mon avis
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
In the Seattle area, that could take a long time. It rarely freezes there, and more likely is the tobacco suckers would become fungal due to the fall rains and high humidity. I use to live in the Seattle area. Tukwila actually. and the central Puget sound gets most of it's 40 -50" of rain in the fall and winter. All hell breaks loose when it actually snows there, a rare occurrence. One January I saw it rain 6 1/2 inches in less than 8 hours.
mwaller: You have some nice big stems there, I hope your harvest was successful, and good luck with the curing and especially the burning part!
Wes H.
mwaller: You have some nice big stems there, I hope your harvest was successful, and good luck with the curing and especially the burning part!
Wes H.
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