What is the best and most resistant variety for the south east US?

[TobaccoGardener]

So far I’ve grown about 8 different varieties. My seeds sourced from Urban Farmer had better results than true leaf market. From what I see Florida 17 and Catteron had the best results and highest yield. There is 2 nice and healthy Virginia plants.

What recommendations would you have for Florida resistant varieties?

My growing conditions (sw Florida):
-very hot(88F +)
- lots of sun (direct sun)
- Crappy soil( basically play sand)
-Rains every other day this time of year
- lots of pests and animals
- strong wind

Problems I’ve encountered:
-stunted growth
- yellow plants (even after fertilizing)
- plants will “sun burn”
- wilting from the sun and heat


Out of 500 seeds I’ve had about 60 viable seedlings, 20 plants that started to get bigger, 10 viable and beautiful plants. I would love to fix these ratios.

 

[Knucklehead]

One of your neighbors has two or three crops a year in grow bags and cypress mulch as growing medium. If you prefer planting in the ground you may need to amend the soil and then get a soil test to determine your fertilizer needs.
Interesting grow blog in South Florida.

Wruk53 2023 grow log

I started 72 cells of tobacco seeds this morning for a spring crop, 36 cells of One Sucker and 36 cells of Thompson. These are both new to me. The One Sucker is a dark variety, the Thompson is a Maryland type. I hope to be able to plant them out by mid-February. I'll probably start some...

fairtradetobacco.com

You should be seeing better results. If they germinate, they should survive.
Are you starting your seed indoors under lights? what is your current setup and process, soil, light, etc?

 

[GreenDragon]

I agree with @Knucklehead if you want to grow in ground you will need to heavily amend your soil. Depending on where you are in FL, your "sandy soil" could be either silica based (in which case it will be acidic) or crushed coral (very basic). Either one will not "hold" water or fertilizer without amendments. Unless you are planning a large crop I think it would be easiest for you to grow in pots or bags.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Be sure to read the New Growers' FAQ, and scan through our Index of Key Forum Threads for topics that may interest you. Both are linked in the menu bar.

Bob

 

[TobaccoGardener]

One of your neighbors has two or three crops a year in grow bags and cypress mulch as growing medium. If you prefer planting in the ground you may need to amend the soil and then get a soil test to determine your fertilizer needs.
Interesting grow blog in South Florida.

Wruk53 2023 grow log

I started 72 cells of tobacco seeds this morning for a spring crop, 36 cells of One Sucker and 36 cells of Thompson. These are both new to me. The One Sucker is a dark variety, the Thompson is a Maryland type. I hope to be able to plant them out by mid-February. I'll probably start some...

fairtradetobacco.com

You should be seeing better results. If they germinate, they should survive.
Are you starting your seed indoors under lights? what is your current setup and process, soil, light, etc?

I grow them directly in the soil. I initially started them indoors in January, nights would dip to the 50s.

 

[TobaccoGardener]

I agree with @Knucklehead if you want to grow in ground you will need to heavily amend your soil. Depending on where you are in FL, your "sandy soil" could be either silica based (in which case it will be acidic) or crushed coral (very basic). Either one will not "hold" water or fertilizer without amendments. Unless you are planning a large crop I think it would be easiest for you to grow in pots or bags.

I’m not sure what kind of sand it is. However the soil doesn’t hold water very well. The best results are from the areas I have mulch and some top soil. I didn’t want to do grow bags because I intitially wanted 50+ plants and that would take a lot of soil and money. Should I get some peat moss or soil and mix it in to help hold water ? My tomatoes would grow pretty well in the sandy soil.

 

[Knucklehead]

I'm growing in grow bags using garden soil. It is more expensive than cypress mulch. I plan on reusing my soil and I started composting table scraps, cardboard, and grass clippings to improve the soil and help make up the losses over time. I have 31 plants in three 4' kiddie pools. Soil cost about $200 but as I said I plan to recycle it and add compost. Its an experimental project.

Knucklehead's 2023 Grow Blog

I plan to start seed 1 Feb for a planting date of 1st week of April. I will have 48 cells of Reams 158 flue cure variety. Four will be backups. My seedling mix is several years old and dry so I went down earlier and dumped a gallon of water in the bag to help premoisten the soil. I struggled...

fairtradetobacco.com

 

[TobaccoGardener]

I'm growing in grow bags using garden soil. It is more expensive than cypress mulch. I plan on reusing my soil and I started composting table scraps, cardboard, and grass clippings to improve the soil and help make up the losses over time. I have 31 plants in three 4' kiddie pools. Soil cost about $200 but as I said I plan to recycle it and add compost. Its an experimental project.

Knucklehead's 2023 Grow Blog

I plan to start seed 1 Feb for a planting date of 1st week of April. I will have 48 cells of Reams 158 flue cure variety. Four will be backups. My seedling mix is several years old and dry so I went down earlier and dumped a gallon of water in the bag to help premoisten the soil. I struggled...

fairtradetobacco.com

I have thought about doing that. I’ll be moving to a new house soon so I don’t want to invest a lot on my current property. That’s why I didn’t buy tons of soil. At my new place I might designate half of the back yard to grow Tobacco. Get 1 ton of soil and mix in some manure and homemade compost so it hopefully will be soil 2ft deep+ . There isn’t any varieties more resistant to crappy soil and heat?

 

[GreenDragon]

Check with your local county/city websites for any recycling centers / programs. Most will give away mulch and compost for free or very cheaply just to get rid of it. Find a friend with a pickup truck and get a few loads.

 

[TobaccoGardener]

Check with your local county/city websites for any recycling centers / programs. Most will give away mulch and compost for free or very cheaply just to get rid of it. Find a friend with a pickup truck and get a few loads.

That is a good Idea, I will definitely have to rent a Home Depot truck and get a few loads when I plan on making my tobacco field.

 

[deluxestogie]

There isn’t any varieties more resistant to crappy soil and heat?

Nicotiana tabacum is a semi-tropical perennial. It needs warmth, moisture and fertile soil. If you grow it in fertile soil with good drainage, it will tolerate a lot of heat. In the tobacco world, the word, "resistance", refers to diseases and pests.

Bob

 

[TobaccoGardener]

Nicotiana tabacum is a semi-tropical perennial. It needs warmth, moisture and fertile soil. If you grow it in fertile soil with good drainage, it will tolerate a lot of heat. In the tobacco world, the word, "resistance", refers to diseases and pests.

Bob

Thanks for the info, I will try to mix soil, peat moss, and wood chips in the sandy soil. Hopefully this will help the soil hold some moisture and fertilizer.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Tobacco grows in rocks and brick spoil.
Just gots to give them some dope.
They get High off Nitrogen Plus some other goodies your soil is lacking.

 

[wruk53]

So far I’ve grown about 8 different varieties. My seeds sourced from Urban Farmer had better results than true leaf market. From what I see Florida 17 and Catteron had the best results and highest yield. There is 2 nice and healthy Virginia plants.

What recommendations would you have for Florida resistant varieties?

My growing conditions (sw Florida):
-very hot(88F +)
- lots of sun (direct sun)
- Crappy soil( basically play sand)
-Rains every other day this time of year
- lots of pests and animals
- strong wind

Problems I’ve encountered:
-stunted growth
- yellow plants (even after fertilizing)
- plants will “sun burn”
- wilting from the sun and heat


Out of 500 seeds I’ve had about 60 viable seedlings, 20 plants that started to get bigger, 10 viable and beautiful plants. I would love to fix these ratios.

I'm kind of late responding to this post, but there are a few things I can suggest. I live in SW Florida also and have been successfully growing tobacco for a few years now. I can't give you much advice on growing in soil, as I only grow using passive hydroponics, but I can give you a few tips that might help. First of all, don't even attempt a crop in high summer, too much rain and too damned hot. For a Spring crop I start my seeds around Jan. 1, inside in a cabinet with a grow light, transplant to the field or containers in early to mid-February. That will allow your plants to mature before rainy season starts. For a fall crop, start your seeds from mid-July to early August and transplant by early September, that way your plants should be mature before the first frost date. You can always take a chance and try for a winter crop, if so, plant some starts in October/November and hope it doesn't freeze before they are ready. These dates are roughly the same as commercial growers follow for vegetables in this area. I live 20 miles east of Naples, if you live much further North than that you may have to adjust your dates accordingly. The first/last freeze dates here are December 28 and February 3, I believe. Good luck!

 

[wruk53]

I have successfully grown the following varieties in SW Florida: Prilep 66 9/7, Trabzon 2, Shirazi, Small Stalk Black Mammoth, Bucak, Thompson and One Sucker. The only fails I've had were Mohawk Rustica and Ahus and both of those were most likely my own fault.

 

[wruk53]

I forgot; I've also grown Little Dutch a few times.