Need some Help with Specific Questions on Tobacco Seed Collection.

[Durins Rest]

Hey Everyone!

So i have a couple questions about seed harvest. These are coming from a complete novice this being my first year growing so if they are dumb ignore me lol.

1. So i only planted 1 type of burley on my land { roughly 11 acres} but i did not use the white bags i see people using to prevent cross pollination. Does this only affect tobacco when other strains are planted nearby? OR can other plants affect the seeds???

2. So some of my plants have their pods drying but other pods on the same plant are very green. Is this normal?

3. Can you artificially dry out the seed pods or is it best for them to dry out on the plant? Can i top them and hang them to dry or use a dehydrator or will this ruin or mess up seed production?

Thanks again Im sure ill have alot more questions but these are the pressing ones right now since I have so many plants that are flowered that I want to harvest seeds.

 

[ariev]

1. Other plants of the same strain will affect the seeds, ideally you want the seeds to be as inbred as possible to maintain uniformity. Getting cross-pollination from nearby plants of the same strain will still give you very variable seeds compared to an inbred plant

2. This is absolutely normal and nothing to worry about

3. I would let them dry naturally to guarantee higher germination levels

 

[deluxestogie]

The rule of thumb for tobacco isolation (allowing you to not bag your seed heads) is ½-mile from the nearest Nicotiana tabacum of a different variety. [Hummingbirds, which forage over much larger distances than ½-mile, often feed on tobacco plant nectar.] In suburban settings, it may be challenging to know if any neighbors in that range are growing tobacco behind an obscuring fence. If you are confident that nobody within that range has grown tobacco this year, then your un-bagged seed heads should be okay.

The bud heads always produce pods of differing maturity. My practice has been to wait until most of the pods are showing some brown, then I cut the head, and hang it indoors (to avoid insects and critters that may eat the hanging seed) for several months, to allow the pods to fully dry naturally. In the late fall or early winter, I collect the dry seed, clean it, and store it dry, dry, dry, in little Ziploc bags.

[See the seed collection and storage topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads.]

Next season, plan to bag your seed heads, to eliminate the worry, and to allow you to grow more than one variety.

It's worth keeping in mind that a single tobacco plant may produce up to ¼-million seeds, and each pod may contain thousands of seeds.

Bob

 

[Durins Rest]

Thanks!!

The rule of thumb for tobacco isolation (allowing you to not bag your seed heads) is ½-mile from the nearest Nicotiana tabacum of a different variety. [Hummingbirds, which forage over much larger distances than ½-mile, often feed on tobacco plant nectar.] In suburban settings, it may be challenging to know if any neighbors in that range are growing tobacco behind an obscuring fence. If you are confident that nobody within that range has grown tobacco this year, then your un-bagged seed heads should be okay.

The bud heads always produce pods of differing maturity. My practice has been to wait until most of the pods are showing some brown, then I cut the head, and hang it indoors (to avoid insects and critters that may eat the hanging seed) for several months, to allow the pods to fully dry naturally. In the late fall or early winter, I collect the dry seed, clean it, and store it dry, dry, dry, in little Ziploc bags.

[See the seed collection and storage topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads.]

Next season, plan to bag your seed heads, to eliminate the worry, and to allow you to grow more than one variety.

It's worth keeping in mind that a single tobacco plant may produce up to ¼-million seeds, and each pod may contain thousands of seeds.

Bob

And yeah Im seeing that with the insane amount of seeds im getting in each pod. I'm wanting to collect as much as i can for further seasons, friend and family and even trading for different varietys. I have about 30 plants fully grown so im assuming my seed harvest will bee intense.

 

[deluxestogie]

I would urge you to not trade seed from un-bagged plants. Unless you are growing acres of tobacco, a tablespoon of well-stored seed will last you over a decade.

Bob

 

[Durins Rest]

I would urge you to not trade seed from un-bagged plants. Unless you are growing acres of tobacco, a tablespoon of well-stored seed will last you over a decade.

Bob

Does it matter if the burley is the only tobacco i grew and the only ones near me in regards to the non bagged seeds? And i wanted to plant 1-2 acres next year bc I own 11 acres.

 

[deluxestogie]

If you are happy with the tobacco you grow from your un-bagged seed, once it is grown in 2024 (so you can determine what that seed actually produces), and you observe little variation from plant to plant, then it is likely not contaminated with pollen from other varieties. So it would be fine to continue to plant that seed. Nonetheless, with unprotected blossoms, I would still discourage you from trading the seed.

It is so easy and inexpensive to acquire pure-varietal, known seed, that trading uncertain seed seems less than ideal. That is your choice. I encourage all growers who collect seed, to bag their bud heads prior to blossoming, in order to maintain the varieties that they grow.

What variety of burley did you grow?

Bob

 

[Durins Rest]

wow so glad I got on here! Im gonna grab bags for next year then and only trade after that years crop! And i didnt know you could do that!!!! So you can cut the tops off before flowering and let them dry and it still produces good seeds? And honestly i purchased them from leafonly and it just says burley no other specific variety info so ill probably buy new seeds next year from specific strains. Im using it for pipe tobacco so ill do more research on best burley strains for that.

 

[deluxestogie]

So you can cut the tops off before flowering and let them dry and it still produces good seeds?

Bag the bud heads prior to opening of the first blossom. Allow them to blossom and form seed pods. Allow the seed pods to mostly brown, then cut the bagged heads to hang indoors for further drying.

Check out the tobacco offerings from Northwood Seeds, owned and operated by our forum member, @skychaser.

Bob

 

[Alpine]

Unless you plan to grow several acres of tobacco (in which case I recommend www.nwtseeds.com that is @skychaser site for commercial growers) you’ll be better off buying seeds from www.northwoodseeds.com: same seeds but in quantities better suited for home growers and hundreds of different strains in different classes of tobacco (bright leaf, burley, dark Va, Maryland, orientals etc) to choose from and sold at an extremely reasonable price. Unless you have a rare or disappearing strain of tobacco that nobody else has , let the professional do the job of preserving pure strains: it is far simpler to buy fresh (and different!) seeds every year. Just my 0.02$.

pier

 

[deluxestogie]

And i wanted to plant 1-2 acres next year

That stuck in the back of my mind. During colonial days (pre-mechanization), a single man was deemed capable of properly tending about 1 acre of tobacco, and 2 acres, if he had a family. Today, while tilling with a tractor is simple enough, just transplanting and tending and harvesting and hanging an acre of tobacco is still a lot of work. Fertilizer costs, anti-pest costs, and the cost of sufficient curing space (a tobacco barn) can add up in a hurry. My suggestion is to increase the size of your grow slowly, year by year, so you can develop the methods that are most efficient for you.

The number of commercial tobacco growers in the US has been steadily declining, due mostly to the difficulty of breaking even financially. And these are folks who already have tractor-pulled planting wagons, harvesting wagons, existing tobacco barns, bailing equipment and ready access to specialty soil amendments and Extension Service advice.

Just some thoughts to consider, before you take the plunge.

Bob