workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
It worked opposite of what I thought. Kinda like the leaf was the weakest link and the stalk was the strongest. When there is no water the stalk pulled it from the leaf or so it seemed.
Squeezyjohn's 2013 UK Grow Blog
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squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
Just been out to check the baccy and reckoned the rustica was about ready for harvesting - I don't think my rustica shows any yellowing or wilting sign of ripeness like regular baccy - but the leaves get very thick and rubbery.
Here they are strung up on their stalks behind my Yellow Twist Bud which is colour curing nicely:
The great thing about this Rustica is that even having cut the main stalk - nearly every plant had developed a sucker crop from the very bottom of the stalk which is not at all ripe - but another set of lovely big rustica plants. 2 for the price of one!
Here they are strung up on their stalks behind my Yellow Twist Bud which is colour curing nicely:
The great thing about this Rustica is that even having cut the main stalk - nearly every plant had developed a sucker crop from the very bottom of the stalk which is not at all ripe - but another set of lovely big rustica plants. 2 for the price of one!
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
If your growing season allows those will get nearly as big as the original plants.
BarG
Founding Member
I have the most trouble curing the first primed lugs. I had a lot this year with green spots. Thats usually when its a very hot dry spell, They are usually the ripest also. 2nd and third primings cure better [more rains and humidity] and I have never had a problem with stalk curing. The stalk curing gives a nice even cure as fast as the primed leaves.
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
I reckon I've got about another month or maybe up to 2 if it's like last year with a nice long indian summer. The problem will be colour curing them in November though! It turns cold and damp very quickly in our autumn and I don't have anywhere with climate control of any kind!
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
Look at the "cozy can" thread. Cheap climate control.
Read the last couple of pages of ne3go's grow blog. He had the opposite problem with low humidity high heat. He solved the problem by shrinking his environment to a controllable size. You can do the same thing, but instead of introducing moisture, you will need to introduce heat and air movement. A kiln, a plastic tent, etc. would only require a small heat source and fan to lower humidity and raise heat. Perhaps even a light bulb or two could raise the temps. enough. Just draping plastic over your strings of tobacco with heat at the bottom of the opening could be enough to save your crop. Think redneck. Use what you have on hand.
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
Thanks knucklehead ... I am thinking redneck ... but a redneck off grid. I simply have no electricity supply where I'm curing (no mains water either for that matter), I tried a propane powered greenhouse heater last year and am sure the exhaust fumes interfered with the flavour of the leaves - propane refills are also really expensive here in the UK.
I need to get über-redneck in order to get this curing sorted out using only the resources I have at the allotment ... I am toying with an air-circulation method that uses solar power like this example of a self-heating heat sink greenhouse:
I need to get über-redneck in order to get this curing sorted out using only the resources I have at the allotment ... I am toying with an air-circulation method that uses solar power like this example of a self-heating heat sink greenhouse:
Where is your green house? Is it at home?
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
My greenhouse is at the end of the garden (which is very very long) - It is currently a jungle of tomatoes, physalis, cucumbers and peppers and I'm not sure there's room to cure leaf in there at the moment.
Being out there at the allotment do you think there's much chance of people swiping your cured leaf?
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
I don't think 99.9% of people here in the UK have any clue what tobacco leaves look like unless they're in a cigarette or a packet with tobacco written on them 
My shed is locked - but if anyone got in there they'd be more likely to steal my tools ... my only worry is arson which can be a problem on allotments when bored teenagers find them - but that's normally only a problem in the cities.
My shed is locked - but if anyone got in there they'd be more likely to steal my tools ... my only worry is arson which can be a problem on allotments when bored teenagers find them - but that's normally only a problem in the cities.
I guess sometimes ignorance IS bliss. GRINI don't think 99.9% of people here in the UK have any clue what tobacco leaves look like unless they're in a cigarette or a packet with tobacco written on them
My shed is locked - but if anyone got in there they'd be more likely to steal my tools ... my only worry is arson which can be a problem on allotments when bored teenagers find them - but that's normally only a problem in the cities.
squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
ha ha - 100% of them have never heard of GRIN!
Maybe smile then or giggle?
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
Tie a Mastiff to the door knob. It works for me.
Question -- Is a "bull" mastiff a breed variation or simply a male of the breed line?Tie a Mastiff to the door knob. It works for me.
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
It's a 60/40 split Mastiff and English bulldog. They are much more aggressive than mastiffs. All deep chested dogs are descendants in one way or another from mastiffs, mostly Tibetan.
Since even some first-time tobacco growers aren't quite sure of what to do with green leaf, or cured whole leaf, I would think that theft is a lower risk than vandalism.
Bob
Markw
Well-Known Member
Ha looking good there squeezy.. The Solar fan is a good idea, try to get a couple of 12v fans out of a computer or you can pick them up on fleebay you can stick it on one of those car battery top-up solar panels they work fine. I am stork harvesting the Bursa and the Ottomon this year I have got them hanging up in the cherry trees in the shade and they are doing fine, lets hope the weather stays fine.
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