FantomBadger's First Attempt at Tobacco

Kushtaka

Active Member
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Jun 30, 2026
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Southeast Alaska
I had a gas powered tiller once. What an unsatisfactory piece of shit that thing was.
Broadforks are superior to tillers. A tiller will increase compaction over time by turning the soil over, killing mychorizal fungi and destroying glomalin which allows water to separate sand, silt, and clay from organics. A broad fork doesn't turn the soil over. It just opens it giving roots easier paths and more oxygen. A broadfork will decrease compaction over time.
 

UmbriaFarmer

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Feb 18, 2026
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Umbria Italy
Broadforks are superior to tillers. A tiller will increase compaction over time by turning the soil over, killing mychorizal fungi and destroying glomalin which allows water to separate sand, silt, and clay from organics. A broad fork doesn't turn the soil over. It just opens it giving roots easier paths and more oxygen. A broadfork will decrease compaction over time.
I'm deffo gonna make one.
 

StoneCarver

Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
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Aug 26, 2025
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Winston-Salem,NC
Do you have any knowledge of oak leaves as mulch?
The general consensus that I'm aware of is that using oak leaves isn't an issue. However, it may take a year or more than softer tree leaves for them to adequately decompose. There are oak leaves in my compost as I use whatever fills up in my ditch. The oak leaves always take the longest to decompose. As usual, you want to balance the brown leaves with a green manure of some kind. For green manure, I use algae and weeds from my pond. Rarely do I use grass clippings due to the risk of weed seeds.
 

UmbriaFarmer

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Feb 18, 2026
Messages
152
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Location
Umbria Italy
The general consensus that I'm aware of is that using oak leaves isn't an issue. However, it may take a year or more than softer tree leaves for them to adequately decompose. There are oak leaves in my compost as I use whatever fills up in my ditch. The oak leaves always take the longest to decompose. As usual, you want to balance the brown leaves with a green manure of some kind. For green manure, I use algae and weeds from my pond. Rarely do I use grass clippings due to the risk of weed seeds.
Cool, thanks! I don't even really care much if they take years to decompose, they're still gonna be effective as a mulch for weed suppression which is what I'm looking for.
 

FantomBadger

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Apr 10, 2025
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54
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Location
Lusaka, Zambia
Small update, just posting one photo.

28a2f370-b2c1-4e06-aae1-0f404141954a.jpeg

We are surviving the heat. It’s cooling down. I’ve changed my watering routine to include two small waters around 11h00 and 14h00 to help with the heat. Broadleaf 2 is looking really good. They’re the plants that starts on the 3rd row, photo is taken from newest to oldest plants.

First two beds have received their second pass of SOP, BL 2 has received their first.

Most of BL 1 and Mixed 1 has been topped and topping on BL 2 are expected to start by the weekend.

I am not getting to it, but my 60 Olor seedlings need a small N boost.

I want to apply Bt tonight.
 
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