Xanthi Yaka 18A - suckers or leaf

[SmokeStack]

I have noticed on my Xanthi Yaka 18A plants that small clusters of leaves are emerging on the stalk just above where the "main" leaves are stemming from - consistently above every leaf. I thought that these were suckers so I began to pluck them off. But based on my other plants, it seems that suckers grow randomly on tobacco plants - so I began to think that these leaf clusters may not be suckers since every main leaf consistently has these small leaf clusters.

Another observation: Xanthi Yaka 18A (Yenidje) are supposed to have small leaves, but the leaves on my plants are much larger (in comparison of Yenidje whole leaf that I have acquired - about 4 inches long). So I am wondering if the small leaf clusters are the actual leaves to be harvested and the large leaves are not harvested. Or are these leaf clusters suckers?

I wish I had a better closeup picture, but the following photo is the best I can do at the moment:

The reason why I posted this photo is to illustrate that my Xanthi Yaka 18A plants have large leaves and no small leaves that are typical of Yenidje.

Maybe it is too early and the small leaves will form on the upper part of the plant as it continues to grow.

Anyway, I have two questions:

1. Are these leaf clusters suckers and should they be removed?
2. If I harvest and cure the larger leaves, will they produce quality Yenidje tobacco? Or will they turn out bland and not worth harvesting?

 

[deluxestogie]

Xanthi Yaka, grown on the Rhodope slopes below the town of Xanthi, Greece, is fertilized with the urine of the goats that are pastured on the fields during the early spring. The plants are alloted about 1 sq. ft. each.

If you space them like burley, fertilize them, and water them, then you get ~22 leaves that are up to 14" x 8", on 6'+ stalks. If you space at about 1 sq. ft., provide only initial fertilizer (I used only composted manure, once in the spring), and allow all the buds to form, then the stalks average ~3', same leaf count, but the leaf size maxes out at about 10" x 7", with more smaller leaves, including 4" tip leaves.

What you are suspecting may be suckers are--to put it technically--suckers. The plant is traditionally cultivated to be columnar, with all suckers removed, but with the blossoms allowed to remain. Rumor is that the leaf from such plants is milder and more aromatic than if they are topped. I'm trying this now. The 10 plants (occupying only ~10 sq. ft.!), are looking like the real deal. I'll know in the Winter or Spring how it turns out.

Bob

 

[Tom_in_TN]

This Xanthi plant is about 5'8" tall. This one and several others still have all their flower buds left on the plant. I'll leave a few like this and the rest are suckered already or will be soon. Notice on the ground in the background the blowdowns we got last evening. More crappy weather is about to hit as I write this post.

 

[SmokeStack]

I planted them 3 feet apart in 4 foot rows and they are growing pretty tall now with large leaves. I have already topped some. Next year, I will try again using one square foot per plant and no topping. Live and learn.

 

[deluxestogie]

Marco,
I have yet to know the taste and aroma outcome of my dense Xanthi Yaka planting. It's experimental for me this year--no goats, no Rhodope Mountains (although the elevation of Xanthi is only about 500' above sea level--I'm at 2100', above the Blue Ridge). The widely planted Xanthi last year was aromatic and delicious, more so than the similarly planted Smyrna #9 and Izmir Ozbas (which was excellent!). The Xanthi reached about 6'. I'm hoping the denser planting will make a noticeable difference in more than the height and leaf size.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

I'm thinking of container growing Orientals at my house next year. My dirt there isn't worthy of being called soil, it'll grow pine, scrub oak and crawfish. If I make a semi-inert soil, I can control almost everything that goes into it