Topping tobacco plants

[RussianSniperZ]

Hi, I got like 8 tobacco plants I'm growing indoors, some of them have two tobacco plants growing on one root, I got Virginia Gold, Ceremonial Indian, and Habano plants. My biggest tobacco plant is almost flowering my others are still like a foot tall. Its my second time growing tobacco plants. I was just seeing when I should cut the tops off them before they flower so the plant could focus more on growing leaves instead of seeding?

 

[Alpine]

You can top (cut) at whatever height you want. Aggressive topping (lower on the plant) results in thicker leaves, more nicotine and crazy suckering. Hobby growers usually cut the flowering head only, just before the first blossoms begin to open. Some growers let the plants flower, in order to obtain lighter tobacco. Of course, if you want to save seeds you have to bag the blossoms before they open, to avoid cross pollination,
Topping rusticas well... it can be done, but you’ll have to remove suckers literally every day. Maybe with a single plant it can be an option, but usually rusticas have thick leaves and enough nicotine on their own, making topping redundant.

pier

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum, @RussianSniperZ. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Do look through the New Growers' FAQ, and scan the topics in the Index of Key Forum Threads--both linked in the menu bar.

Bob

 

[burge]

How do plants hold up just indoors I don't have the space but curious if they would have any taste.

 

[deluxestogie]

With indoor space exposed to sun, a potted tobacco plant will grow reasonably well. The alkaloids (e.g. nicotine) will not be as robust, because glass windows screen some frequencies of sunlight. Orientals can do nicely, and will grow to a decent size in a 10" pot (1 plant per pot). They can be allowed to sun-cure right on the stalk, without actually cutting it down, since there is no wind or rain to damage the curing leaves. Prilep 66-9/7 would be an excellent choice. Also, Orientals can be allowed to blossom, and are lovely as indoor flowers. Generally, Orientals are columnar in plant form, so they won't be expecting 3 feet of space for their small leaves to spread out.

Bob