Greenhorns, welcome to the club

[BarG]

As a greenhorn tobacco grower this has been my favorite site because: and i reiterate because of the availability to purchase whole leaf tobacco in small quantititys to see whats out there. that being said I have been astonished from what I have learned by [purchasing small quantitys of individual tobaccos] being a smoker for 45 yrs. I will be growing a much larger variety this year to try to have an abundant supply of the different strains that have appealed to me. This is not a promotion but a revelation of what is available to any one with a patio that recieves sunlight to umpteen acres. It took me me way to long to start doing this, personaly." Slap myself on the forehead.""quote by FmGrowit"

 

[Tman]

I must be in the right spot, sense I haven't put a seed in the ground yet. I just received my free seeds from FmGrowit. I will be starting them in march and I have no idea how this will turn out, but it looks like it will be fun. So BarG what did you learn with your first crop of plants? I will probably only have 6-8 plants just to see what happens..lol If that works out next year I might do more.

 

[Chicken]

i deserve a slap on the forehead also,,,

all the gardens ive grew in the past,,,plowing with a store bought cigg in my mouth,

i should have been growing baccy,,, many years ago<

 

[BarG]

I must be in the right spot, sense I haven't put a seed in the ground yet. I just received my free seeds from FmGrowit. I will be starting them in march and I have no idea how this will turn out, but it looks like it will be fun. So BarG what did you learn with your first crop of plants? I will probably only have 6-8 plants just to see what happens..lol If that works out next year I might do more.

My recommendation Tman Is to start with as many as you can handle. My first year was 25 plants and of those I had maybe 1/3 worth a damn. The next year I used seeds from the one best plant I let flower and grew about 400 survivors I kept give or take out of thousands of germinated seedlings.[ every seed I planted germinated.] I would suggest a minimum of 50-100 if you have room. More is better. There should be no problem aqquiring seeds for a few different varietys for blending your own, that was my mistake last year of not growing several varietys.

 

[Tman]

Thanks BarG that will get me started out. What would you blend with ERGO. Those are the only seeds I have ATM . I will have to buy some thing else to blend with it. You know I have many questions , but I'm just going to focus on getting the seeds I have in the ground first. Than what to do after that. You will see me alot in here with my questions..lol

 

[BarG]

Send me a pm with your address Tman and I'll see you get a few more seed varietys to try. as far as ergo, I have never tried [yet].

 

[Chicken]

your going to need a burley to mix with the ergo,,,and any other strain you grow,

i.m.o. the burley is what gives the '' filler baccy{ergo} it's full flavour

 

[Tman]

Ok thanks Chicken I haven't got a handle on all the strains of tobacco yet , so witch ones are the burly..lol is that the right question? I spent the day out in the timber cutting oak for the wood stove and fire place. I should be down in Florida or Texas kicking back. Thanks again for your imput.

 

[Tman]

I got my baccy seeds from BarG today, woohoo I have to thank you guys for the seeds . Now if I can get them to germinate I am going to have a good crop. I think I am going to start them in paper egg cartons. Than transplant into bigger pots. I have about another month before I start.

 

[rasta979]

I to am a greenhorn when it comes to growing tobacco. I am a cigar fella myself and thats what I am gonna focus on grow wise. I am interested to hear how your first grow goes Tman, me being in MO we may see alot of the same conditions this year

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum, rasta979. What part of Missouri are you in? Do you have a plan yet for how many plants you'll attempt?

Bob

 

[BarG]

I wouldn't use eggcartons tman, they can dry out to fast with out over watering and tobacco seed germinations might dry out from evaporation. youl see how small and tiny they are , and shallow the starter root is. A too dry surface can damage. If you do, place in tray with removable cover to prevent to much moisture loss . I use a spray bottle to mist the soil and seeds with a cover ,to keep heat and moisture in till big enough to put in seedling planter trays or cups. I put a couple dozen seedlings,2 tiny leaveas,in an eggcup and gave to a friend and a short period of neglect killed them.

 

[Daniel]

Tman, I used plastic dixie cups last year with holes punched in the bottom of them. I placed them in 1020 trays like these.
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/1020-standard-trays-no-holes-10_pack/seed-starting-trays

The dixie cups will fit 44 cups to a tray but like to fall over a little bit. This year we also got these inserts that are made to fit the trays and hold 48 plants per tray.
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/traditional-inserts-806-10_pack/flats-trays-inserts

I cant recall what shipping was but we ordered 20 trays and 40 inserts. One insert fills 1 tray so 10 trays and 10 inserts is enough to start 480 plants for $20. You can probably find something similar locally. I highly suggest it. the plants fit the tray better. The inserts already come with holes in the bottom. To water you just lift up the insert a bit and pour water in the tray. and it makes moving the starts around easy. Make sure you get trays with no holes though.

Egg cartons will dry out to fast and will fall apart with handling when wet. I would not even try using paper dixie cups.

Best of luck with your growing this year.

 

[rasta979]

Welcome to the forum, rasta979. What part of Missouri are you in? Do you have a plan yet for how many plants you'll attempt?

Bob

I am in Callaway County in between St. Louis and Columbia just north of I-70. I am formulating a grow plan and reading in the forums to get a better idea of the process. I welcome any advice and recomendations for good fit plants in my area that make for a good cigar.

Cheers

Ross

 

[deluxestogie]

Ross,
Do you mean, "The Kingdom of Callaway?" I spent 5 years in Columbia ~1970 B.C.

Bob

 

[rasta979]

Bob,

I do indeed! I grew up in Columbia, went to Mizzou, and then left Boone county when I wanted to buy land. Booches and Shakespears are still intact and going strong. You can get a Shakes pizza shipped to you thease days if you have a hankering for back in the day.

Ross

 

[Tman]

I to am a greenhorn when it comes to growing tobacco. I am a cigar fella myself and thats what I am gonna focus on grow wise. I am interested to hear how your first grow goes Tman, me being in MO we may see alot of the same conditions this year

You are right rasta But you will be able to start yours a few weeks before me . I plain on starting mine mid march and getting them out the door the 1st of may. The weather has been mild this year , so maybe alittle sooner if I can.

 

[Tman]

Ok I guess I won't use egg cartons I will give those trays a try. What is the best way to handle those seeds to get them in a pot . They are so small I don't no if I got a seed or a piece of dirt.lol You don't try to put 1 seed per pot I hope.

 

[Daniel]

I start the seed in a separate container and then move each sprout as it germinates, once sprout per cell. Still this is time consuming and tedious. Not to mention hard on the eyes and requires a steady hand. putting a few seeds per cell then thinning is a popular method. No mater what you do it is tiny seed and a pain to work with.

 

[BarG]

So BarG what did you learn with your first crop of plants?

I could easily count on both hands and both feet what I learned Tman.Growing tobacco is just like growing vegetables but different! Veggies you eat, tobaccy you smoke. Starting your seedlings in proper soil or medium is or could be critical to producing a healthy productive plant. Carefully choose type of fertilizer if any is used after setting.[awaiting soil test for 2012 season] .As for pests, the only type Ive had to deal with[2011] were the horn caterpillars and another similar type of white moth caterpillar, I don't reccommend the powder form of baccillus thureingenis [BC] as the plant leaves are so sticky you can't wash it of, luckily I learned this while plants were young, I switched to concentrate with a spray canister attached to hose.,This works for a few plants or a few hundred, and lasts a good while.[does not affect beneficial insects such as honey bees or bumble bees which are critical for my veggie crop to thrive]. Thats 3 examples I learned that will make this year easier and with better end results. I'm sure other members have plenty to add to this depending on there own individual first experiences. Go through and read all posts pertaining to starting your seeds and plants and keep in mind there truly are some real life expert growers here to learn from. Try to follow any tried and true advice that relates to your growing situation.