Ripe Vs Short On Nutrients

[dogfish858]

Hi all:

I'm wondering what the difference is between ripeness and lack of nutrients. I have lug leaves yellowing on some plants planted May 25. That's about 50 days of growth on Virginia and Burley. At our latitude we've been getting about 18 hours of daylight and this year anyway about 30C for most of May and June. Bit cooler in July with more rain. Plants are two feet tall with ~18 inch leaves on heavy clay manured alkaline loam with a side dress of MAP. They look a bit like skunk cabbage.

All that said, would the leaves be running out of jam or is it possible that they are ripening, bearing in mind that most tobacco-producing regions do not have the long days we do? They are yellowing but no lizard skin.

 

[deluxestogie]

Photo please.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Hi all:

I'm wondering what the difference is between ripeness and lack of nutrients. I have lug leaves yellowing on some plants planted May 25. That's about 50 days of growth on Virginia and Burley. At our latitude we've been getting about 18 hours of daylight and this year anyway about 30C for most of May and June. Bit cooler in July with more rain. Plants are two feet tall with ~18 inch leaves on heavy clay manured alkaline loam with a side dress of MAP. They look a bit like skunk cabbage.

All that said, would the leaves be running out of jam or is it possible that they are ripening, bearing in mind that most tobacco-producing regions do not have the long days we do? They are yellowing but no lizard skin.

Have the plants flowered and did you top them?

 

[dogfish858]

They appear to be just about ready to top.

I'm inclined to think the lower leaves are running short but don't want to add more nitrogen at this point as we usually get a frost at the beginning of September so I want it ripe by then.

 

[Knucklehead]

True mud lugs are usually just left to die on the plant. They are low quality. Its pretty cool to roll a puro cigar from one right off the stalk after they have dried or rip one off to stuff in your cob to smoke while you are tending your patch. I kept mine this year but I kept them separate. They grew on my concrete driveway so they were not torn up or tattered but they are curing really, really thin. They will be weak in flavor and nicotine. I'm going to kiln them separately and determine whether they are worth keeping. In years past when I grew in field in the dirt, I would usually just scrap them.

They usually always turn yellow first, regardless of nutrients.

 

[dogfish858]

Good to know. I ran out end of May! Hoping to get a couple usable leaves here pretty quick.