How to Grow Tobacco

Hello everyone I'm a first-time grower here in Central Florida. I'm originally from North Carolina, so tobacco growing should be in my blood. I can remember as a small boy waking up to the smell of tobacco from the warehouses in my hometown of Winston-Salem. I would like to hear from anyone who smokes pipes in this forum on how to flavor tobacco have some that's hanging and has dried out to a nice golden color. I'm a little confused as to what to do after it has dried in his hot humid climate, should I continue to let it hang or do I packet into some kind of bundles for a finish curing as I have read on this forum. would like to hear from anyone who has a good formula for maybe a cherry flavoring for a pipe tobacco.That's all for now, let's all keep growing by. Dave.

Hi --

Dave, always glad to meet someone defying the tobacco taxman!

Pipe tobacco will benefit from fermenting too. You have many choices on how to do that. You can hang it for months. You can sweat it. You can build a kiln.

As far as flavoring, I've done pretty well just spraying 50% molasses/water on it till it's soaked, let it dry and load up the pipe!

Bob

Hey Dave,

Pleasure to me you! I am currently living in Southern CA and working on my first season of crop. Girlfriend got a new gig back in FL, so we'll be heading back 'home' end of September. We'll be in the NE/E Orlando area. It would be great to meet up, share ideas, seeds, etc.

Not in Orlando, but I am here in Central Florida... Titusville to be exact.

Maybe we'll swap clones or something.

I'm also in Titusville.
Small world,

Do you happen to be Mr. cherry tobacco from Harry Smooth's the other day? If so, I obviously followed your advice and signed up here!

I thought that I was the only grower in this area and now I see there are other growers in polination distance!
I live in Port St John (4 mi south of Titusville)
I'd like to hear how you guys preped your soil.
My plants grew huge but with small leaves.
Next year I will read up on things and try again.
Ted

Oh very cool. I drive through there all the time to go down to the flea market on the weekends.

Right now I'm using Miracle Grow Moisture Control... Of course my babys JUST popped out of their seeds a few days ago, and I'm still germing others.

I know it's way late in the season, but I'm determined to make something happen here...

Hi --

uncleted, what kind of plants did you grow? Some tobacco does have smaller plants, but I'm going to guess it's more likely a fertilizer issue.

Bob

I got Virginia Gold and Kentucky Burley from e-bay.
I preped the soil with mulch and horse manure. For 3 months I watered every day and fertilized once a week with Miracle Gro
18-18-18.
The plants are now 9 feet tall! The biggest leaves are only a foot long. As they turn yellow I pull them and hang them.
After that I am trying a sweat cure.
I topped them but they continued to grow and a couple put out buds (after topping)
I've smoked a couple cigs --- They are OK but nothing great.
New Subject: I drew a cigarette pack in MS Image and printed one. I would put it on this site but I don't know how.
Has anyone else made their own pack?
For a warning on the side I said "Warning! Raising taxes can cause cancer".
Ted

Hi --

I think you need to reduce the phosphorus and potassium lot. When I lived in Florida, we had plenty of phosphorus in the soil I think. Depends on what you have where you live, I suppose. But I would think that too little nitrogen ratio to the other nutrients could cause smaller leaves and big stems.

Also, we've found that Miracle-Gro uses chlorides in their formulation that isn't good for tobacco. You'll want to switch from that kind of liquid fertilizer to a granular form incorporated in the soil pre-plant and banded after. I'd consider something like 21-8-8 or even 35-0-0, way more nitrogen ration.

Symptoms of chloride excess in the soil include off-flavors and slow burning tobacco. Search the forum for chloride and I think you'll find the recent discussion easily enough.

Bob

Thanks for the info Bob
I'm making notes for next year. I will try to get a soil analysis done. As you probably know Florida is mostly beach sand.
Some of my plants have stalks the size of a baseball bat!
Ted