Mad Farmer's 2025 Grow Blog

[deluxestogie]

plants that act as though they'll never flower at all.

Any chance that these plants receive artificial lighting during the night?

Bob

 

[MadFarmer]

Any chance that these plants receive artificial lighting during the night?

Bob

There are no security lights or street lights on this side of the yard. The only artificial light would come from the kitchen window.

 

[MadFarmer]

Heavy rain, or an animal has ended my winter grow of Machu Picchu. It's fine by me. I'm still waiting on a blossom and there's still color curing going on in the garage. Sucker crops are only fun when the previous harvest is already up in the attic.

 

[Didgeridoo86]

I've allowed two generations of Black Swallowtail caterpillars to cycle through my fennel plants this year. The plants are huge so they are not really affecting them. My tobacco and tomatoes, however, get regularly treated with BT.

View attachment 56324

What is BT?

 

[deluxestogie]

What is BT?

Bacillus thuringiensis, which is a bacterial species that kills caterpillars, but is safe for other insects. It is widely available.

Bob

 

[MadFarmer]

2025 Vuelta Abajo seed. I remember a post where members bragged about removing chaff from their seed. I used the finest sieve in the house ran it through several times, what else could I try?

 

[deluxestogie]

I can't tell from the photo if that is a cup or a sieve. Here's what I use for N. tabacum seed:

400 micron: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=37445
600 micron: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=37442

Another thing to try is gently blowing away the chaff, which usually rises to the top with agitation. You can also begin by scooping away the relatively clean seed, agitating, then scooping again.

The entire issue with regard to chaff is that, while the seed itself does not transmit any viruses, then chaff can.

Bob

 

[wruk53]

It's a little tedious, but you can take a paper plate and pour your seeds from the bowl onto the plate, wipe the bowl out, then pour them gently back into the bowl, a lot of the chaff will remain on the plate because it's lighter than the seeds. Go back and forth several times like that and you can get most of it out.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

As a former ecology lab technician who had to sift soil samples, get the sieves. They're inexpensive enough, and the money is well spent. I'll be investing in them before I process the seed pods form this year's grow.
I'd rather shake around a sieve than pan for gold or winnow such tiny seeds.

PS - 400 microns is 0.4 mm, and that's ridiculously tiny.