Tobacco self sown

[chuditch]

Just an inquiry to the more expert members of the group.

Last year was my first season growing tobacco and did so many things wrong.

Like not taking off the suckers not taking off all the flowers.

I only grew two types of cigarette tobacco and carefully wrapped the seed heads flowers of samples of both so I knew would get true strain.

But as I say I didn't remove every flower as I had neglected to take off the side shoots had lots of flowers happen.

Now this year I didn't rip up the beds like last year but did spray with glyphospate.

Now this seasons plants are moving along quite nicely although did have lots of seedlings succumb to the rather hot spell we had and I think they were to small when I put them in.

Now the thing of interest to me is there seems to be a hundred or more little plants starting in the two beds I used last year, and in the gravel path ways between the beds which have received no watering at all.

They are taking off like weeds unlike the plants I have nurtured and tended from seed raising beds inside to pots to hardening off then planting out.

Is this an indication that I have a good location to grow tobacco?

Is this a hint by nature that this is the time of the year I should be putting my plants in the ground rather than earlier?

It almost seems like I should decide on a bed I will use for which variety and just bash the seed pods on the ground and let them do their own thing when they are ready to.

Does anyone else have this self sowing of seeds and them taking off like this. I read all the time of how everyone nurtures, grow lights, hot houses, removing parts of first leaves and so on and here are these just growing like a weed as I say.

So I am carefully tagging the plants that I put in their by type and will bag the flower heads but interesting to see how these self seeded ones go.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I have only seen self seeded seeds twice. We get cold winters here and I till the garden so that's probably why I haven't seen more of them. As for the self seeded tobacco growing like weeds in the gravel look up the works of Phil Calahan. He has published several books on Paramagnetism. Certain rocks have a very tiny magnetic field. Some rocks more so than others. The higher the magnetic field, the more vigorous the plants will grow. A few companies in the States sell "Rock Dust" and they will list the paramagnetic reading on the bag. It is an interesting topic/field to study.

 

[chuditch]

We get cold here as in minus 6C but only that low occasionally with regular minus 1C over winter so a frost but never snow or anything like that. The gravel is the red iron oxide so yes it is magnetic.
Was just so impressed that after all my babying and caring for and worrying over seed getting it to grow here is the seed developing quite happily on its own.

I have only seen self seeded seeds twice. We get cold winters here and I till the garden so that's probably why I haven't seen more of them. As for the self seeded tobacco growing like weeds in the gravel look up the works of Phil Calahan. He has published several books on Paramagnetism. Certain rocks have a very tiny magnetic field. Some rocks more so than others. The higher the magnetic field, the more vigorous the plants will grow. A few companies in the States sell "Rock Dust" and they will list the paramagnetic reading on the bag. It is an interesting topic/field to study.

 

[Hasse SWE]

Wrong

 

[Hasse SWE]

Yes we have self-sown tobacco even in Sweden. In a place named Ifo (whit 2 point over the O) I have collected a Rustica for example. Problem with it is you can't know which of all N.Rustica it is..
In the farms around the place it have grown 5-10 rustica varieties have been growing back in the days.

I have also got some self grow tobacco but always try to not let em grow-up. They are self-pollinated and I don't like it.

 

[Smokin Harley]

chudich, if it grows , let it . See what becomes of it full grown ,just don't forget to top it . Might just be the best grow you've ever had. The genetics of the result wont be predictable at all.

 

[Hasse SWE]

Wrong

Hope you ain't thinking I believe it's wrong to grow em, just say that you don't know anything about the tobacco ju got out of it.

I was trying to explain but just a bit of the text got posted..

 

[chuditch]

No worries the only types they can be or a cross of is Cowboy light and Golden light. One has large smooth leaves and the other large rough leaves. Mixed them both when was drying, fermenting and shredding in no particular percentage and they made the best cigarettes my wife and I have ever had. So going to let them grow and see what they look like and may even bag a couple of the flower heads to save the seed. I am a believer in trying to keep varieties of plants pure to strain but I guess some where along the line cross breeding of plants happens to give us new varieties and some will be good some not so good and some bad.
Again it is the tenacity of those little seeds to sprout and grow when I think of the effort I put in with seed raising mix, trays and the pampering for them to do it all of their own accord.

 

[Hasse SWE]

Nope that's ain't true. Thing is: Just as much you can win just as much you can lose genetic. That's the reason I separate my seed. Thing always changes whit tobacco but if you let em grow and take "things" from. The ones beside you can get fantastic tobacco, but how do ju know about everything you don't see?
-But let em grow and if you give away seed just tell the story you have one it.. "possible cross between xxxx-xxxx-xxx". That's the best..

 

[Smokin Harley]

Not starting an argument but I have a degree in horticulture and unless you're intentionally crossing two plants of the same genetics,the result is not in any way predictable for the offspring. You can take a good guess but the results thereafter are a crap shoot.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I'm in agreement that it will be tobacco and it can be good. Could quite possibly the best tobacco you've ever had. But ,since it was randomly crossed on its own you can't very well reproduce it again easily or plant the seed from that and get a predictably same plant. Is it possible. Yes. Probable ,big maybe. This is why when intentional crosses are done the results are not deemed pure or predictable until a vast majority of the offspring many generations from the original have the same exact and stable characteristics.

 

[Hasse SWE]

I ain't thinking it's a bad thing to keep grow em. Just the thing that it take time and easy mixes up whit "clean seeds".
And that thing have happens historical all the time. Alot of Havana seams to been made that way.
In here. We have alot of interesting things how have or could have been made that way...
take a look in this if you want:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89098836687;view=1up;seq=1;skin=mobile

I have some Havana#501 if any one would like to grow em..

 

[juan carlos]

Last summer I drove through the Tobacco Mountains in SE Montana. I thought "what an odd name for mountains here, doesn't tobacco grow out east in Virginia, at a much lower, wetter, warmer location?
As I drove around i paid attention and sure enough i saw what appeared to my untrained eye to be tobacco plants, right at the side of the road. little gaffers, maybe 3' or so tall with the biggest leaves being maybe 6x9" this was in late June, so i imagine they would be young.

I had no idea that tobacco would form a volentary crop and grow like a weed on the highway. it was one of two different events that woke my interest in rolling some cigars last year.

I wonder what this leaf would be like? is there any expert out there in MT that knows if thats what i actually saw? I'm betting if it is actually a tobacco variety that it would be stong and hardy, it was pretty rugged place to be found. natural selection there would have to be a bitch on any species.

 

[chuditch]

Fully understand what your saying there and accept it completely my main comment on the plants is how they started all by them selves with out my tender loving care fussing over them and from your expert stand point is that an indicator to the seed or the climate and soil combination. Is it something that your aware of happening readily with any of the tobacco varieties?
My saved seed from last year and will from this year be from flower heads that I shall bag.
Again from your expert stand point do the tobacco varieties readily cross if unbagged or its the occasional potential to cross and produce a non true to type.
With your degree in horticulture I am more than happy to accept what you say as the font of knowledge.
I know experience counts in the knowledge stakes but you cant beat the grounding obtained in study from the basics up coupled with that experience.
I am finding this all interesting and informative many thanks for your input.

Not starting an argument but I have a degree in horticulture and unless you're intentionally crossing two plants of the same genetics,the result is not in any way predictable for the offspring. You can take a good guess but the results thereafter are a crap shoot.

 

[chuditch]

Accept this completely

I'm in agreement that it will be tobacco and it can be good. Could quite possibly the best tobacco you've ever had. But ,since it was randomly crossed on its own you can't very well reproduce it again easily or plant the seed from that and get a predictably same plant. Is it possible. Yes. Probable ,big maybe. This is why when intentional crosses are done the results are not deemed pure or predictable until a vast majority of the offspring many generations from the original have the same exact and stable characteristics.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

The thing about tobacco coming back on it's own is generally it's because there were maybe hundreds of thousands of seeds there and life will find a way. I also have rustica varieties that grow wild near my garden now. They might have been the strongest or the luckiest and with each successive generation are certainly more suited to my climate but a wild tobacco will rarely match the productivity and yield of one that's been babied.

What you might consider doing is transplanting the strongest looking seedlings into your garden and taking care of them, that might result in a wonderful landrace for you over the years. If you are in a cold climate that might only work for rustica, since the season is so short only they will finish.

 

[chuditch]

Makes sense there were masses of tiny seeds in some of the pods so these that are coming up will be less than 1% of the total that went onto the ground when I pulled out the previous crop last year. And understand about them shall we call it changing/mutating to suit the environment and by doing so will or may loose productivity, leaf size and taste with succeeding generations if left to their own devices. So this lot I will let grow for the fun of it and know that next year I will spay any that emerge that were not from my carefully tended and worried over seedlings (Just bought a new hot house for next years)

The thing about tobacco coming back on it's own is generally it's because there were maybe hundreds of thousands of seeds there and life will find a way. I also have rustica varieties that grow wild near my garden now. They might have been the strongest or the luckiest and with each successive generation are certainly more suited to my climate but a wild tobacco will rarely match the productivity and yield of one that's been babied.

What you might consider doing is transplanting the strongest looking seedlings into your garden and taking care of them, that might result in a wonderful landrace for you over the years. If you are in a cold climate that might only work for rustica, since the season is so short only they will finish.

 

[DGBAMA]

You are not out anything to let them grow, except for time to harvest and cure. I would let them run. If the result is good, enjoy it. I would top them all though, with no attempt to save seed. Any resulting seed would not yield exactly the same plant next year. Enjoy your one time bonus crop it it comes out good.

 

[chuditch]

Doing exactly that and the wife is out there watering them at the moment. Transplanted them into a couple of empty beds and they mostly have survived and growing strongly. Moved them into empty beds so no mistaking them have everything else with a plant tag at the base. Have started to bag the heads on a couple of varieties. I know the ones that are self sown are going to be Cowboy Light or Golden Light or a cross of the two and they both went through the cigarette process in no particular percentages last year so I am expecting them to be similar to those so quite ok in our cigarettes. Now the cigar varieties so looking forward to them And this year right onto of sucker growth.

You are not out anything to let them grow, except for time to harvest and cure. I would let them run. If the result is good, enjoy it. I would top them all though, with no attempt to save seed. Any resulting seed would not yield exactly the same plant next year. Enjoy your one time bonus crop it it comes out good.

 

[chuditch]

Well my season is moving along nicely for me.
Started off the first lot of tobacco in the kiln so 6 weeks time have my first cigar tobacco.
Besides the cigarette tobacco have put in NB11, Izmir, Rot Front, Samsun Maden and Adonis.
This is my second season so have a few more varieties and more care being taken of the plants.
Have been totally amazed at the NB11 the leaves are like elephant ears huge and what a lovely colour when they have dried. The look the perfect cigar tobacco colour that tan colour.
The Rot Front is another huge variety so nice to see the huge leaves in comparison to the small leaves I had last year.
The Adonis, Maryland, Thompson and Caterton also have huge leaves so impressed.
The Cowboy Light and the Golden Light have produced much better and bigger leaves for me than I grew last year.
It must have been the perfect growing season for me here this year the self sown tobacco has grown fantastic and some are true to type by the leaves and some I can easily identify as hybrids.
There are still more and more little self sown plants happening is amazing growing like weeds.
Have been carefully bagging flower heads and topping plants and all the saved seeds are coming from plants I have put an identification tag at the base so organised there.The Florida Sumatra and the Dominica apparently don't like being in the sun and the only ones that have thrived are the ones growing in the shade of the sunflowers.So learning curve is swinging upwards.
Dont leave flowers on to develop and drop seeds randomly, make sure I take the suckers off, that has made a huge difference this year. Don't be in a rush to plant out wait for the soil temperature to get up there and the transplants took off.
My wife used to smoke about 5000 cigarettes a year at a 100 a week being the norm. This last year smoking our own cigarette tobacco with us both smoking them we only smoked 2500 between us.(the number of tubes we used for the year) So looking forward to doing a bit of blending this year.
What a great hobby