Need some advice guys - varieties to plant

[Planter]

In this case I second the Prilep, it´s quite at the other end of the aroma spectrum (as far I know yet, I have only sampled a few pipe bowls of last summer´s harvest). Beautiful plants, btw.

 

[Chicken]

You really need to grow it..or get a member to send you some samples of their crop..my first year I grew all types..and 85% of them I'll never grow again..I wasted a lot of space that year growing crap..

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

I use either/both Izmir Ozbas and Prilep P66-9/7 in cigarettes. You can't go wrong with either one.

Click the "Observations" link on each page to compare leaf size, plant size, nicotine, etc. between the Virginia Bright Leaf and the NC 95.
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1447357
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1447352
(Not all info available for all varieties)

If you don't feel up to building a flue cure chamber, I have been quite satisfied with sun curing my flue cure varieties. The sweetness falls between flue cured and air cured.

Thanks for those links, Knuck. I'm leaning toward 40-50 VA FC, a few YTB and/or TN90 a few Conn Broadleaf. I don't use so much oriental that I really need to grow it. Do you know what the spacing should be between VA FC plants?

The sun is just not strong or out enough here (Cape Cod) to consider sun curing, but I'm still not even certain where I'll grow--maybe CT Valley where sun might work. I'm thinking I will "ferment" FC leaves a little after picking them to make sure they are yellow, then, I don't know. Hope to pick up some sort of chamber at the dump or someplace. Trash can cozy is too much work for me--don't have the tools. Small batches in the oven,maybe, but there must be something better than that I can come up with.

My 2014 MD 609 really surprised me, how good it turned out. Identical to the stuff I buy. I've got a lot of it--will trade for any VA FC.

CT

 

[Knucklehead]

Commercial growers use a spacing of 2' between plants, 3' between rows. I think for home growers a little more space between rows is nice. I use 8' rows and do a lot of the work and spraying from my four wheeler. But, I have plenty of space.

 

[DonH]

I see. Incense flavor is not what I want in a cigarette. I don't really have to grow any Oriental, a pound from WLT will last me a long time. Maybe I'll grow a little Izmur or Prilep. Mostly, I want to grow flue cured Virginia, a little YTB to try, a bit of TN90 and maybe a few Conn Broadleaf plants for cigar wrapper. 75% of my 2015 grow will be VA flue, and hope to have space for 50-60 total plants

Anybody know the difference between VA Brightleaf and NC-95? (not sure that is the right number) or other typical VA cigarette tobacco? I noticed that in 2014 Bob managed to produce VA Red at high temp and more lighter leaves too. I think he did it with the VA Brightleaf type.

I'll have to figure out some way to cure FC. Never done that--very different from my experience on Connecticut farms. But there is a lot of info on this forum.

CT

You won't notice the incense flavor if you blend it with other varieties. You will notice it if you smoke it as a puro. Basically, Turkish is a spice tobacco. If you blend it right, you won't want any casings but it will taste like a professionally blended cigarette.

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

Commercial growers use a spacing of 2' between plants, 3' between rows. I think for home growers a little more space between rows is nice. I use 8' rows and do a lot of the work and spraying from my four wheeler. But, I have plenty of space.

Thanks for that info, Knuck. Good news. Less even than burley, which needs 33 inches. Broadleaf and the MD I grew in 2014 need a lot more space, like 40" Gonna order seed this week--some VA Bright, NC95, ytb, CT broadleaf. Maybe I can squeeze some Prilep and FLA Sumatra someplace too. Plan starting seeds before March 15, transplant mid-May. Last year I was a month behind and that gave me constant problems. I got nice MD to trade tho--as soon as I can find the damm USB wire for the camera I'll post a trade.

4 feet of snow out the window here now, and getting another half foot today, but it's February. On CT shade we started seed around March 1, and still sweeping snow off the greenhouses in April. We would put up the plastic and got the houses ready last week in Feb, digging water pipes out of the snow. I plan to start mine inside, probably get a gro lite. Gotta stretch the growing season up here amap.

The tobacco growing/curing season in Conn is pretty much the same as the baseball season including spring training. By the World Series curing should be done and tobacco shipped to warehouse for sweat.

CT

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

You won't notice the incense flavor if you blend it with other varieties. You will notice it if you smoke it as a puro. Basically, Turkish is a spice tobacco. If you blend it right, you won't want any casings but it will taste like a professionally blended cigarette.

Thanks Don for explaining that. I find myself using less and less oriental in my blend and bigger proportions of VA flue. SO practically speaking, in terms of growing the types that I use the most, which is what I'm doing this year, I'll probably skip growing oriental and focus on the VA. I want a little CT Broadleaf, and YTB too. And maybe I have room for a few FL Sumatra or cigar filler plants, USA type.

Bursa looks like a cool plant to grow. Maybe next year. 2015 is going to be all about VA flue for me. The way Bursa grows narrow and straight, maybe it could be a potted plant for the winter? I might just skip everything else and do VA flue only, but I'm thinking to put the ytb and cigar plants on the outside edges.

Do you have a little bit of Bursa I could try for blending? Only need a few leaves. I have lots of MD609 to trade off.

CT

 

[Chicken]

Commercial growers use a spacing of 2' between plants, 3' between rows. I think for home growers a little more space between rows is nice. I use 8' rows and do a lot of the work and spraying from my four wheeler. But, I have plenty of space.

this year im growing them tight,,, allmost to the point of overlapping,, it may happen. but ill try to space them according to how i know they will grow,,,

but each of my '' rows '' are gonna be 3 plants thick

 

[DonH]

Thanks Don for explaining that. I find myself using less and less oriental in my blend and bigger proportions of VA flue. SO practically speaking, in terms of growing the types that I use the most, which is what I'm doing this year, I'll probably skip growing oriental and focus on the VA. I want a little CT Broadleaf, and YTB too. And maybe I have room for a few FL Sumatra or cigar filler plants, USA type.

Bursa looks like a cool plant to grow. Maybe next year. 2015 is going to be all about VA flue for me. The way Bursa grows narrow and straight, maybe it could be a potted plant for the winter? I might just skip everything else and do VA flue only, but I'm thinking to put the ytb and cigar plants on the outside edges.

Do you have a little bit of Bursa I could try for blending? Only need a few leaves. I have lots of MD609 to trade off.

CT

Yes, I have Bursa from 2013 which was grown with larger spacing. If you want I could send you samples of other Turkish types. PM me.