Wilting and color curing

[johnny108]

Industry growers who stalk harvest their crops often cut the plants down and leave them to wilt in the field for a while, before bringing them into the curing barn.
This is done to make moving the plants easier (less leaf breakage), and to save on weight that needs to be carried and hung in the curing barn- less water weight.

As a hobby grower dealing with (smaller) container plants, I just cut down and immediately hang them up.

I am STILL color curing some Ligero leaf!
It’s now so cold that this has slowed to a crawl. Just in the last week, the plants have finally gone limp, and I’ve noticed that after wilting, some seem to be coloring faster, despite the cold. But since I haven’t tracked it (bad note keeping. Yes, I’m bowing my head in shame), it could just be a perception on my part.

My question is: does wilting speed color curing on the stalk?
What have been all your experiences?

 

[deluxestogie]

Wilting cut stalks in the field is usually used for burley, but not for other varieties. The risk of wilting in the field is sun-scalding more delicate leaf prior to its being able to color-cure.

Bob

 

[johnny108]

I’m capable of wilting in the shade.
I’m still wondering if leaf senescence is sped up by a wilting phase…

 

[Sergey Ukraine]

Industry growers who stalk harvest their crops often cut the plants down and leave them to wilt in the field for a while, before bringing them into the curing barn.
This is done to make moving the plants easier (less leaf breakage), and to save on weight that needs to be carried and hung in the curing barn- less water weight.

As a hobby grower dealing with (smaller) container plants, I just cut down and immediately hang them up.

I am STILL color curing some Ligero leaf!
It’s now so cold that this has slowed to a crawl. Just in the last week, the plants have finally gone limp, and I’ve noticed that after wilting, some seem to be coloring faster, despite the cold. But since I haven’t tracked it (bad note keeping. Yes, I’m bowing my head in shame), it could just be a perception on my part.

My question is: does wilting speed color curing on the stalk?
What have been all your experiences?

This year I cut several varieties of orientals into bushes. I hung them in the shade, as for me, they turned yellow faster and more evenly. The weather was about 40 degrees Celsius and dry, and it hadn't rained for about a month.

 

[WillQuantrill]

Just my .02, stalk curing takes longer than priming and hanging. If I was in your situation up against the climate I would try to make a warmer controlled environment to finish the cure.

 

[Havok]

If you’re in a dry climate, stalk curing slows the drying process and can help prevent drying green.

As for the orientals in the shade, you may want to try stalk curing those in the sun. They will dry faster, but the sun will break down the chlorophyll faster, and hopefully before they dry. This should also help to lock in the sugars and sweetness sought after in the orientals.

That is, at least, the approach I took this year in my fairly dry climate. It was the easiest color cure I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried many methods that resulted in far greater loss (little Dutch was a tough sun cure here!).

 

[johnny108]

It looks like wilting first, followed by hanging to stalk cure, will help the color curing:
Document Pg.72 (PDF page 74):
“A tobacco plant will have a moisture content of approximately 86% when cut.
Therefore, of the 11.7 tons of total weight per acre, 10 tons will be water or about 2,400 gallons. If this tobacco is allowed to wilt completely in the field, but not sunburn, it will lose up to 18% of its initial green weight. This loss will amount to 2.1 tons. Removing this water helps in handling and hanging the tobacco. However, it also helps in the curing in that the plant will begin the dying process quicker. It will begin to yellow faster and also reduces the chance of soft rot and houseburn in the barn.”

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/2021-03/TheCultureofMDTobacco.pdf

I’m actually going to be able to grow in-ground next year, and it looks like wilting in the field is definitely going to help.

At least, with any Maryland I grow.