Newbie question on leaf mold

[Davo]

Hey y’all

sorry about the potentially stupid question. I have been looking through the posts and have found lots of awesome tips and knowledge.

i have attached some pics of my primer leaves. They have been hanging for a few months now. I’m fairly certain they are VA judging by the bright yellow they went before turning brown, and i detect the sweetness on the char light before the raw flavour takes over... but all of our seedlings got mixed up with transplanting so I could be wrong

my query is in regards to the black/dark brown colour that is taking over now.

Is this mould? Is this good/bad?

Also, once colour cured, are there noticeable differences between leaving to hang for a year (space is not issue) or pressing and ageing for a year? Either way, I will wait as I am a fussy pipe smoker lol.

cheers

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Doesn't look like mold to me. The second photo is focused on the wall several feet behind the tobacco, so it is hard to say for sure. Black mold is three dimensional and you should be able to wipe some of it off--not enough to make it smokeable--but enough to say it is an organism growing on the surface of the tobacco.
As for the yellow color, most tobacco turns yellow if you let it stay on the plant long enough, so I wouldn't count on that as a diagnostic. It must be fairly humid where you are if it hasn't dried completely in two months.

 

[Davo]

Doesn't look like mold to me. The second photo is focused on the wall several feet behind the tobacco, so it is hard to say for sure. Black mold is three dimensional and you should be able to wipe some of it off--not enough to make it smokeable--but enough to say it is an organism growing on the surface of the tobacco.
As for the yellow color, most tobacco turns yellow if you let it stay on the plant long enough, so I wouldn't count on that as a diagnostic. It must be fairly humid where you are if it hasn't dried completely in two months.

Haha sorry about my camera skills. Will try a better close up tomorrow. I could be wrong, but i feel as though the leaf had dried and it is now changing colour - maybe recent rains rehydrated it? It’s hanging under a clear light roof and back wall, But is open to weather on front. I will try wiping off black tomorrow as well, I didn’t attempt this at first as leaf felt too brittle.

 

[Davo]

So I took the worst affected leaf down for close up pics. Yeah pretty sure it’s mould. Especially since the other leaves I have hanging in more sheltered positions are not blackening.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Oh dear. Do not smoke that. Pretty sure it's mold.

Good photos though.

 

[Davo]

Don’t worry it won’t be going anywhere near my pipe. I did light a bit and it smelled beautiful too
We had some heavy rain at the end of summer so I think it got too wet and then too dry too quickly?? I’m not too worried (too many toos?) as we deliberately hung leaf in different locations so we could monitor which was best. This wee fellah is doing much better

 

[deluxestogie]

The black, icky stuff looks like Aspergillus niger. If you suck on it (e.g. cigar wrapper, smokeless), it can cause permanent liver damage. The smoke from burning it apparently contains little if any of its toxin (aflatoxin), but it may affect the aroma adversely. If tobacco stays damp for too long (days to weeks, depending on the variety, the priming level, and leaf thickness), mold will grow.

Bob

 

[Charly]

I confirm, the first leaves are VERY moldy (I had the same kind of leaves when I left some leaves for too long in a humid place... nothing to save, all garbage).
On the last picture, the leave has a nice color ! BUT you should check if there is no mold on the stem (there seem to be some small black spots along/on the stem).

 

[deluxestogie]

Stems are more hygroscopic (water attracting) than leaf lamina, so they mold more easily. A small amount of mold on the stem is not an issue, so far as your using the leaf in any way you like. You will be discarding the stems. But it does serve as a warning sign that the conditions are precariously close to those that favor leaf lamina mold.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

The black, icky stuff looks like Aspergillus niger. If you suck on it (e.g. cigar wrapper, smokeless), it can cause permanent liver damage. The smoke from burning it apparently contains little if any of its toxin (aflatoxin), but it may affect the aroma adversely. If tobacco stays damp for too long (days to weeks, depending on the variety, the priming level, and leaf thickness), mold will grow.

Bob

I had an Aspergillus niger ear infection. Be sure to wash your hands.

 

[deluxestogie]

These mold are ubiquitous. They can appear on dried legumes (beans, etc.), corn, wet pavement, drywall, bread, damp wood, lawn furniture in a shady spot, baseball caps left damp, etc. If your ear canal (or your nylon backpacking tent) remains too damp for too long, and there is anything that serves as a growth medium (there usually is), various molds will grow, regardless of how you attempt to prevent transfer. I would consider mold spores as a fixture on every surface, and just attend to average humidity. Sunshine is also a preventive measure.

Bob

 

[Davo]

I’m just wondering if I should be moving where I am hanging the bulk of the crop to cure. It is in a similar location to the black leaf (left hand side of pic) except with more sun, a concrete pad underneath and less exposed to elements as it is inside this structure (doors open). The other difference is that I am stalking the crops for ease rather than priming.

cheers for all of the feedback, feeling very welcomed to the community

 

[deluxestogie]

Leaf does not mold while it is alive. Stalk-harvested plants will keep the leaves alive longer. Once the leaf has color-cured, you can just dry it to low case, and store it. Or was that a real estate question?

Bob

 

[FrostD]

@Davo How has this progressed? I'm excited to see how much has changed in 8 months! It would be awesome to see any updated pics! I assist with drying/ curing rooms for work and may be able to help provide some opinions, options, or perspectives perhaps.