There is at least 4 types of tobacco, I will give you the run down on what I know, dark air cured. Alot of this has changed some in the last 10 years, I think I am down to where I only handle each plant 13 times. Granddad would roll over in his grave at all my short cuts.
Lime in the fall to get ph to 6.6 or higher.
Early to mid march seed and float steamed trays in a green house.
Early April move to out door float beds covered with canvis. (some skip this step but I don't have enough to have a green house so I buy the plants started at this stage.)
March-April when ever it dries out enough, turn ground with a plow.
Work down ground when ever it is dry enough, most of the time something like 2 passes with a disk, 1 pass chisel, 1 more pass with a disk, 1 or 2 passes with a field cultivator, and a last pass with a cultimulcher. (some passes can be skiped if it was not sod to start with or if the ground is kinda sandy and it's dry)
Some where in there (hopefully before it's chiseled) you put fert down. You put p and k down acording to soil test now, used to say a maintance application was 200lbs p and 150 k but that was when they were cheap.
People who are set up for NH3 put down 300 units about the same time as P and K. People who use urea or Amonium Nitrate (yes some die hards think it's better and will jump the hoops) put it on just before the last pass with a disk, or they side dress at first cultivating (called plow'n here).
Apply Command and spartin just before you go over it with the cultimulcher. Be very carfull not work it in too deep!!
May 10-June 15 set the plants with a setter. Apply admire pro with the setter water for lice (aphids) and tobacco beatles
Walk over the ground and re set by hand after the first rain.
Cultivate at least 2 times before it gets knee high.
Spray with a rotation of orthene and dipel for worms as needed. (or every 10-14 days if you don't want to go look for'm)
When it starts to flower out (heres where I short cut big time!!) spray with a half rate of Butralin and 2 gallons of off shoot T. The next day walk thourgh and break out every top and break off any suckers that are more than 1" long. 3-4 days later spray half rate of Butralin again with half rate of MH30. Week later spray with another half rate of MH30. Anywhere in here if worms are presant mix in orthene or dipel.
If you have any funky fungal stuff show up use quadris rotated with some other stuff I can't recall the name of.
5-6 weeks after topp'n is done you start cutting. You cut every plant with little light weight hatchet type knife. Let it wilt for a few hours or over night. You can not cut too much at a time or it will "sun burn", get too hot and turn black. If you don't let it wilt you will break all the leaves off hand'l it. Once it is wilted you "spike" the plants on a tobacco stick (4' long 1"X1.5" hicery stick) and load them on the wagon. Leave them on the wagon long enough for it to start to yellow(makes'm alot lighter) and hang the skick with 5 plants on it in a barn that has tiers. This is where it cures.
End of October start striping.
Take the sticks out the barn, put them back on the wagon and take them to where ever you strip. Some have room built in the side of a barn, some use a big shop (BEST WAY IF YOU GOT ONE), some (me) use an old house. Take the sticks in the old house and lay them in a pile and cover with plactic so it don't dry out. Slide the stalks off the stick and put the stalks one a table. You have to sort the leave into at least 3 grades, Lug (ratty look'n stuff, bottom 2 leaves) Seconds (off color stuff, next 3 up) and leaf ( the good red stuff where the nicotine is). If you have any sun burnt or just cured up green stuff you have to make a fourth grade for it and sell it to forein buyers for $.50/lb.
Bale the leaves as you grade them. Make bales in wooden boxes. Bales are about 2.5' high, 3' wide, and 1.5' deep and will go 80-100lbs.
When you have enough for a load you place on a trailor, loose leaves on 4' round baskets, about 3' tall, 400lbs (my 16' trailor will haul 8 baskets, plus 3 on the flat bed. Has to be delivered by the end of January.
Did not mean to rite a book, belive it or not I left out some.
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