Youn
Well-Known Member
Beautiful leaves, pretty colors… I want the same successful color-curing!!
Photo of my tobacco - OldDinosaur
- Thread starter OldDinosaurWesH
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OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Fresh Photos from today.
Photo 1, today's pickings. 61 leaves Bolivia Criollo Dark. I haven't picked any leaves for a week or so. I've been waiting for leaves to mature. More picking to come this week.
Photo 2, Burley 9 (photo cropped to exclude excess detail) 8' 2"x2" board (stick?) included for scale. These were a surprise, the seed catalog doesn't say anything about height, they are pretty uniformly 7' and still growing. I've only recently seen the first flower heads. They also make some pretty large "Horse Blanket" leaves
Photo 3, Izmir Ozbas (Photo cropped) w/ 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. This individual is the tallest of this type that I have, it is a little over 7' Most of these are over 6'.
Photo 4, African Red peeking over the back fence. 8' 2"x2" board included to give scale. Most of these are 8', tallest @ ~ 8'3".
Photo 5, Bolivia Criollo Dark. (Photo cropped) 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. This one is a little over 7' & are just now starting to show flower heads.
Photo 6, Ternopolskii 14, (Photo Cropped) 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. These are pretty uniformly around 8'. I grew Ternopolskii 7 last year, and it made good cigarette tobacco. It also is a good producer, with easy air curing. Ternopolskii however, is a very tall variety, which has it's down side. Nearly every one of these has a heavy wooden stake that had to be pounded into the ground to keep them from falling over. I don't know how you would ever grow these under field conditions.
More photos etc. later.
Wes H.
I should use a ladder next time. You can't get a proper perspective standing on the ground.
Photo 1, today's pickings. 61 leaves Bolivia Criollo Dark. I haven't picked any leaves for a week or so. I've been waiting for leaves to mature. More picking to come this week.
Photo 2, Burley 9 (photo cropped to exclude excess detail) 8' 2"x2" board (stick?) included for scale. These were a surprise, the seed catalog doesn't say anything about height, they are pretty uniformly 7' and still growing. I've only recently seen the first flower heads. They also make some pretty large "Horse Blanket" leaves
Photo 3, Izmir Ozbas (Photo cropped) w/ 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. This individual is the tallest of this type that I have, it is a little over 7' Most of these are over 6'.
Photo 4, African Red peeking over the back fence. 8' 2"x2" board included to give scale. Most of these are 8', tallest @ ~ 8'3".
Photo 5, Bolivia Criollo Dark. (Photo cropped) 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. This one is a little over 7' & are just now starting to show flower heads.
Photo 6, Ternopolskii 14, (Photo Cropped) 8' 2"x2" board included for scale. These are pretty uniformly around 8'. I grew Ternopolskii 7 last year, and it made good cigarette tobacco. It also is a good producer, with easy air curing. Ternopolskii however, is a very tall variety, which has it's down side. Nearly every one of these has a heavy wooden stake that had to be pounded into the ground to keep them from falling over. I don't know how you would ever grow these under field conditions.
More photos etc. later.
Wes H.
I should use a ladder next time. You can't get a proper perspective standing on the ground.
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Congratulations on an excellent crop.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Fresh photos from today
Photo 1, today's pickings. They pretty well cover up a 265 gallon oil barrel. 122 leaves Harrow Velvet, 54 leaves Kentucky 17, and 18 leaves Bolivia Criollo Dark that I missed from yesterday's pick.
Photo 2, freshly picked leaves ready to string and hang. Wire spool & end-cutters in view, as well as this morning's coffee.
Photo 3, Kentucky 17 well on the way to color curing. These were starting to get a little sweaty, so I put them out in the woodshed to dry out a little before re-hanging them indoors. Sweaty tobacco makes for mold which makes in turn makes trash. I have plenty of trash without adding my tobacco to it! Note well cured Douglas Fir firewood. Our local Douglas Fir is a lot more red colored than the kind grown in western Washington. The extra wet climate in Western Washington makes for a different color and density of wood. (If you are into that kind of thing.)
Photo 1, today's pickings. They pretty well cover up a 265 gallon oil barrel. 122 leaves Harrow Velvet, 54 leaves Kentucky 17, and 18 leaves Bolivia Criollo Dark that I missed from yesterday's pick.
Photo 2, freshly picked leaves ready to string and hang. Wire spool & end-cutters in view, as well as this morning's coffee.
Photo 3, Kentucky 17 well on the way to color curing. These were starting to get a little sweaty, so I put them out in the woodshed to dry out a little before re-hanging them indoors. Sweaty tobacco makes for mold which makes in turn makes trash. I have plenty of trash without adding my tobacco to it! Note well cured Douglas Fir firewood. Our local Douglas Fir is a lot more red colored than the kind grown in western Washington. The extra wet climate in Western Washington makes for a different color and density of wood. (If you are into that kind of thing.)
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
More Photos from today.
Photo one, today's pickings. 28 leaves Ostrolist 6 (left bottom). 25 leaves Common Smoking Tobacco (center bottom). 37 leaves Burley 9 (lower right). 53 leaves Golden Burley (lower center right). 114 leaves Gold Leaf 939 (upper center).
Photo two, pile of Gold Leaf 939 ready to string (114 leaves).
Photo three, Kentucky 17. The color change is noticeable in only one day. (Maybe not so much in these photos. Noticeable to the naked eye any way.)
One more day & I'll have this round of picking done.
More later.
Photo one, today's pickings. 28 leaves Ostrolist 6 (left bottom). 25 leaves Common Smoking Tobacco (center bottom). 37 leaves Burley 9 (lower right). 53 leaves Golden Burley (lower center right). 114 leaves Gold Leaf 939 (upper center).
Photo two, pile of Gold Leaf 939 ready to string (114 leaves).
Photo three, Kentucky 17. The color change is noticeable in only one day. (Maybe not so much in these photos. Noticeable to the naked eye any way.)
One more day & I'll have this round of picking done.
More later.
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ArizonaDave
Well-Known Member
Very nice!
It's good to see that you're not getting that sticky old tobacco on your nice, clean firewood.
Nice leaf.
Bob
Nice leaf.
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
That's why the wood shed is out and as far away from the house as possible. To keep the bugs and dirt out there and not in the house. This is also why I have two wheel barrels. The firewood never touches the floor inside. It goes from the wheel barrel directly into the stove. Any carpenter ants or other creepy-crawlies that might have taken up residence get a nice crispy end. It's a good idea to use gloves when handling firewood, we have both the Black Widow, and the Brown Recluse around here. And the Carpenter ants hitch a ride in the wood. Pesky things!
The nice thing about the wood shed as a temporary harbor for overly wet tobacco strings, is that it is covered. The tobacco isn't directly exposed to the sun, and gets good air circulation in our (fairly normal) 30-35% humidity. You have to keep an eye on this process as it is easy to get a little too crispy!
The nice thing about the wood shed as a temporary harbor for overly wet tobacco strings, is that it is covered. The tobacco isn't directly exposed to the sun, and gets good air circulation in our (fairly normal) 30-35% humidity. You have to keep an eye on this process as it is easy to get a little too crispy!
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Photos from today's activities in the tobacco garden.
Photo one, leaf piles ready for stringing.
Photo two, Leaf piles strung up. 81 mid level leaves from Ternopolskii 14, third picking (upper center). 33 lower leaves from African Red, first picking (upper right) 98 mid level leaves from Costello Negro, second picking (all around the others).
Photo three, three leaves from Costello Negro. 29", 30", and 32 inches in length. Exceptional for this variety, and the longest individual leafs I have picked this year. I have two other varieties that are alleged to reach 36" but I have yet to see any. Just because it says so in the seed catalog doesn't make it so. Kind of like "low suckering".
Photo four, I can start to see some daylight, but it is still pretty dark in there.
I am now pretty well caught up on the priming. I won't be picking any significant numbers of leaves for another week or two.
Wes H.
Photo one, leaf piles ready for stringing.
Photo two, Leaf piles strung up. 81 mid level leaves from Ternopolskii 14, third picking (upper center). 33 lower leaves from African Red, first picking (upper right) 98 mid level leaves from Costello Negro, second picking (all around the others).
Photo three, three leaves from Costello Negro. 29", 30", and 32 inches in length. Exceptional for this variety, and the longest individual leafs I have picked this year. I have two other varieties that are alleged to reach 36" but I have yet to see any. Just because it says so in the seed catalog doesn't make it so. Kind of like "low suckering".
Photo four, I can start to see some daylight, but it is still pretty dark in there.
I am now pretty well caught up on the priming. I won't be picking any significant numbers of leaves for another week or two.
Wes H.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Re: Sunshine or lack thereof.
I am attaching some photos from my tobacco garden illustrative of how the amount of available sunshine effects tobacco growth.
Photo one, three rows of 36 total plants of Harrow Velvet. These look like a bell shaped curve distribution. They are in actuality uneven in height purely based on the amount of sunshine each gets. The plants near the center are more than a foot taller than the outside plants. Early on in the season, these were beautiful even and uniform in size. As the season wears on the differences become more pronounced.
Photo two, plot four of five. Looking north, you can see the tobacco on the left (west) is shorter and less robust than the tobacco on the right (east). Again, this is entirely based on the amount of available sunlight. One of the varieties in this picture is Bolivia Criollo Dark. The BCD on the left are only 5' tall. The BCD on the right are 7+ feet and growing taller. Normal for BCD is about 8'. The individuals in the more sunny area will make that 8' height. The plants on the left will never make that height or luxurious growth.
Photo three, not everything turn to gold! These are Connecticut Shade planted in my front yard. They are about 16" tall & don't get anywhere nearly enough sunshine. They will never amount to anything. Just proving the theorem that "Not everything turns to gold!
Photo four, my rhododendrons like the low sunlight conditions!
Wes H.
I am attaching some photos from my tobacco garden illustrative of how the amount of available sunshine effects tobacco growth.
Photo one, three rows of 36 total plants of Harrow Velvet. These look like a bell shaped curve distribution. They are in actuality uneven in height purely based on the amount of sunshine each gets. The plants near the center are more than a foot taller than the outside plants. Early on in the season, these were beautiful even and uniform in size. As the season wears on the differences become more pronounced.
Photo two, plot four of five. Looking north, you can see the tobacco on the left (west) is shorter and less robust than the tobacco on the right (east). Again, this is entirely based on the amount of available sunlight. One of the varieties in this picture is Bolivia Criollo Dark. The BCD on the left are only 5' tall. The BCD on the right are 7+ feet and growing taller. Normal for BCD is about 8'. The individuals in the more sunny area will make that 8' height. The plants on the left will never make that height or luxurious growth.
Photo three, not everything turn to gold! These are Connecticut Shade planted in my front yard. They are about 16" tall & don't get anywhere nearly enough sunshine. They will never amount to anything. Just proving the theorem that "Not everything turns to gold!
Photo four, my rhododendrons like the low sunlight conditions!
Wes H.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
I've never sent a sample out for testing, if that's what you mean. I have a pH meter, for what that's worth. Periodically, I give them Sulfur and Miracid which seems to keep them happy. Our soils are naturally a little on the acidic side anyway. Most important I water the heck out of them which keeps them from dying. Rhododendrons have shallow fibrous root systems that only go down about 16". Rhododendrons are native in the woodlands of western Washington and Oregon where the natural rainfall is above 40" and it rarely gets either very cold or hot. Some years we get well below zero and you have to account for that when you buy nursery stock. Most of mine are rated for at least 20 below. If the tag doesn't say. Don't buy it. The biggest most luxuriant Rhododendrons I've ever seen were at a nursery on the west side of Hood Canal. We used to have some pretty big ones around Olympia when I lived there (Annual rainfall ~ 50") Mine won't get anywhere nearly that big. Our climate is too harsh for that. Without substantial human intervention, Rhododendrons can't exist here at all. The picture I included in my last post is of a shrub that is probably 50+ years old. There used to be a lot more of them on the property, but my mom in her later years wouldn't take care of things and a lot of them died. Just like tobacco, you have to take care of them or they won't prosper. That little Island where I planted the failed Connecticut shade looks like the perfect spot to plant a couple of new ones. I've got a hankering for a purple one. And maybe a pink.
But, I digress. This is supposed to be my tobacco blog.
Wes H.
I've never sent a sample out for testing, if that's what you mean. I have a pH meter, for what that's worth. Periodically, I give them Sulfur and Miracid which seems to keep them happy. Our soils are naturally a little on the acidic side anyway. Most important I water the heck out of them which keeps them from dying. Rhododendrons have shallow fibrous root systems that only go down about 16". Rhododendrons are native in the woodlands of western Washington and Oregon where the natural rainfall is above 40" and it rarely gets either very cold or hot. Some years we get well below zero and you have to account for that when you buy nursery stock. Most of mine are rated for at least 20 below. If the tag doesn't say. Don't buy it. The biggest most luxuriant Rhododendrons I've ever seen were at a nursery on the west side of Hood Canal. We used to have some pretty big ones around Olympia when I lived there (Annual rainfall ~ 50") Mine won't get anywhere nearly that big. Our climate is too harsh for that. Without substantial human intervention, Rhododendrons can't exist here at all. The picture I included in my last post is of a shrub that is probably 50+ years old. There used to be a lot more of them on the property, but my mom in her later years wouldn't take care of things and a lot of them died. Just like tobacco, you have to take care of them or they won't prosper. That little Island where I planted the failed Connecticut shade looks like the perfect spot to plant a couple of new ones. I've got a hankering for a purple one. And maybe a pink.
But, I digress. This is supposed to be my tobacco blog.
Wes H.
Parts of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina and southwest Virginia pass through tunnels of natural rhododendrons. I would guess those stands are over 20 feet high. They tend to persist in peat bogs at higher altitudes.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
So I understand. What does "altitude" mean?
Wes H.
Wes H.
Elevation above sea level. These rhododendron stands, though often occurring within drainage valleys, are also found up high, where the geology has captured a portion of the watershed in a high peat bog. There are huge patches of rhododendrons near the summit of Mt. Rogers, at about 5600 to 5700 feet.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize that there was anything that tall in that part of the world. I looked at Blacksburg on google maps & it says elevation 2,080 feet. Interesting...
Wes H.
Wes H.
Appalachian Mountains. Before continental drift split us apart, the Appalachians were continuous with the Highlands of Scotland.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
That means you are not that far from the mountains of western North Carolina. A major gem and mineral collecting area. A place I would like to get to some day. Too bad it's so far away. Probably a good 2 months by Camel. (An expression we use to indicate great distance, ie; "three days Camel ride.") Don't they grow tobacco all throughout this region? Or is that more at lower elevations?
Wes H.
That means you are not that far from the mountains of western North Carolina. A major gem and mineral collecting area. A place I would like to get to some day. Too bad it's so far away. Probably a good 2 months by Camel. (An expression we use to indicate great distance, ie; "three days Camel ride.") Don't they grow tobacco all throughout this region? Or is that more at lower elevations?
Wes H.
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OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
It's that time of year. Insect romance. Photo taken by my brother yesterday. This morning, my brother said the female was still there. Presumably, the males have moved on to "greener" pastures. Or does she eat the males like some other species? I don't know much about the Mantis life cycle. This is also a good illustration of "Sexual Dimorphism" the biologists talk about. Note the size difference.
Wes H.
Wes H.
They were pretty effective in demonstrating that in the Aliens movies.
Bob
The Virginia tide-water area and south-side (Martinsville, Danville, South Boston) are all part of the "Old Tobacco Belt", famous for flue-cured Virginia tobacco.
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