Growing smoking tobacco from seeds as a business. Smoking tobacco: growing from seeds, collecting and storing

Many gardeners, in love with the aroma of cigar smoke, often think about trying to grow tobacco on their plot. You can kill two birds with one stone - we get a clean product for smoking, without chemical resins, and significant savings on the family budget. Contrary to concerns about the complexity of the process, it is no more difficult than planting and caring for other garden crops. And for those who like to experiment with exotic plants technology for growing tobacco at home It will seem completely simple.

The main thing, when deciding to grow tobacco, you need to remember that its taste very much depends on the condition of the soil. It will grow on almost any soil, but its composition will certainly affect the aroma of the final product. Externally this will be expressed by the size, color and texture of the leaves. Dry soils and a small amount of mineral salts give the plants large size, pale color and almost complete absence of aroma. Tobacco grown in silty and clayey areas will have small, but fleshy, bright, fragrant leaves.

A film about growing tobacco from A to Z. From dawn to dusk.

Growing tobacco from seeds at home

For tobacco, the classic system of growing from seeds to seedlings with further planting in open ground is used. Depending on the region, seeds begin to be sown at the end of February (in the south) or beginning of April (northern regions). Tobacco seeds are very small and so that they are distributed evenly, they are mixed with fine dry humus. For one square meter of area, 0.4 g of seeds is enough.

The optimal temperature for the emergence of friendly shoots is 28 0 . Further it is recommended to reduce it to 18-22 0. Seedlings that “live” indoors for about two months need plenty of light and high humidity – up to 80%. The dry period is established for plants only a week before removal into the ground. It is recommended to cancel watering two to three days before transplanting.

For planting in fresh air, it is recommended to choose plants that have reached 13-15 cm and have at least seven leaves (including cotyledons). The land intended for growing tobacco must be prepared in advance. It will be good to add humus or rotted compost about two months before planting. The location of the future “plantation” should be inaccessible to northerly winds.

Tobacco can be planted after night frosts are practically eliminated. But to be on the safe side, it is better to do this in two stages. During planting, the stem of the plant is buried in the ground by about 4 cm, while making sure that the growing point is on the surface. Planting patterns vary for different varieties of tobacco. Large-leaved plants are planted according to a pattern of 30*70 cm, small-leaved plants - 15*60 cm, medium-leaved plants - 25*60 cm. Before transplanting, the bed needs to be watered: light soil - a few hours, clay soil - a day. Established plants need to be watered abundantly - within 10 liters of water per 1 m2. Next, moisture is increased - water should penetrate into the soil at least one meter.

Tobacco is fertilized with standard organic matter - compost, chicken manure, manure, green manure. In the first half of development, plants need nitrogen (but not in excess), and it is recommended to periodically add potassium and phosphorus throughout the entire growth period. The condition and color of the leaves are a good indication of a deficiency or excess of one or another element. A lack of phosphorus makes the lower leaves droop, and its high content leads to early aging and scorching of the leaf. A lack of potassium gives the plant a bluish tint, the leaves begin to turn yellow, bulge and die.

In the care of tobacco plants, they practice topping - the removal of side shoots that tend to grow from the leaf axils. How extensive the procedure is to carry out depends on the soil of the tobacco plantation, the weather and the type of tobacco.

The leaves are considered ripe when they begin to turn slightly yellow. The ripening period for different varieties varies from 72 to 108 days. Ripening occurs in stages, starting from the lower leaves. They are broken out in the morning or evening, evenly strung on twine, then simmered and dried.

If you decide to growing tobacco at home, you can easily find more detailed information about care methods and how to properly process raw materials. Technology for growing tobacco at home if followed correctly, it will allow you to stock up on smoking materials for the whole year.

You might also be interested

The constant rise in cigarette prices stimulates the interest of many smokers in growing tobacco on their land. In the pre-revolutionary years and especially during the revolutionary devastation in Russia, one of the most unpretentious types of tobacco was grown everywhere.

Currently, you can purchase seeds of the most exquisite varieties. Knowledge of how to grow tobacco for smoking in the garden will probably inspire many lovers of quality cigarettes.

Varieties

Growing smoking tobacco is an exciting activity for a cigarette lover. It is impossible to compare the taste of fresh fried fish with canned fish, or the taste of squash with a fresh vegetable stew. Thus, the taste and aroma of real tobacco cannot be compared with what is included in cigarettes.

Tobacco is a plant from the nightshade family, annual, tall, with large veined leaves and a tap root.

The plant is an industrial cultivated species of hybrid origin. This species has not been found growing wild anywhere.

A plant that belongs to a different species, well known in our country, is shag or samosad. They belong to the alkaloid plants containing nicotine, nicotine, nicotine, nicotelline, cornicotine.

There are over 70 types of tobacco that grow in temperate and southern regions of America, Australia, China, India, Turkey, and Polynesia. Smoking tobacco is used to obtain raw materials in the tobacco industry.

Tobacco began to be grown in Russia in large quantities during the revolutionary events, when its supplies from other countries were stopped. Country tobacco, that is, shag, grew well not only in the southern regions, but even in the Urals region.

During Soviet times, many varieties of tobacco were developed for cultivation in the Krasnodar region and on the Black Sea coast. After all, this plant is very heat-loving, and, in addition, all varieties have a long growing season, more than 100 days.

Currently, the State Plant Register of the Russian Federation lists 17 varieties of tobacco, including domestic selection:

  • Burley;
  • Virginia;
  • Large-leaved;
  • Holly;
  • Ruby;
  • Samsun;
  • Trapezond;
  • Anniversary.

You can purchase foreign varieties in online stores:

  • Kentucky Barley;
  • Maryland;
  • Havana;
  • Orinoco;
  • Perique;
  • Herzegovina Flor;
  • Sumatra;
  • Dubek.

Important! Each variety has its own unique aroma and taste, nicotine content, and absorption qualities.

Even shag has numerous varieties:

  • Mopacho (Peruvian);
  • Moscow;
  • Yeletskaya;
  • Turkish;
  • Crimean;
  • Khersonsky-7.

This type of tobacco, which is called country tobacco, although inferior in taste to American varieties, is the most unpretentious and frost-resistant.

Shag has a different taste, it is more aromatic than real tobacco and much stronger. Some fans collect wonderful collections of 70 varieties and offer seeds that can be grown on your own plot.

There are no industrial plantations of this plant in Russia today. The agricultural technology of once cultivated varieties has been forgotten. Amateurs cultivate tobacco on their own plots. Cultivation and care are not very different from the cultivation of other nightshades.

It is easy to make cigarettes from home-grown tobacco using a machine for cutting dried leaves and rolling cigarettes. These devices are inexpensive - 500 rubles each. If you take into account the cost of a pack of cigarettes, then with your own raw materials you can significantly save your budget.

Landing

Culture requires a lot of time and labor. Seeds are used to grow tobacco. They are very small, and the shelf life reaches 15 years, like tomatoes.

Planting tobacco begins with growing seedlings. Sowing dates depend on the region; for the middle zone it is mid-April.

Important! The duration of growing seedlings is 45–50 days, another 40–60 days pass from transplanting into the ground to budding, and 90–120 days before harvesting the leaves.

The question of how to plant tobacco and how to grow it arises for everyone who has not encountered this plant. The technology for preparing seedlings includes several standard points:

  • landing at a certain temperature;
  • watering and fertilizing;
  • crop protection;
  • hardening.

Growing from seeds begins with planting seedlings. The seeds are laid out superficially in a small container with soil, without covering them with soil.

Which soil do you prefer? It is better to choose a universal soil for vegetables without excess fertilizer. After sowing, the container is covered with polyethylene or a lid.

How to properly care for crops before germination

The container should be in a warm environment at +26–30 °C; the lid over the seedlings for air circulation can be slightly opened twice a day for five minutes. On the 3rd day we leave the lid over the crops slightly open by 0.5 cm, on the 7th day we remove it completely. Tender seedlings will get used to dry air and will not die. At this time, we do not water the seedlings; the soil is already moist.

On days 7–10, we begin watering through the pan. After 2 weeks, we combine watering with fertilizing with a weak infusion of onion peels. When mold appears on the ground, it must be loosened with a match and a little potassium permanganate should be added to the water for irrigation.

If there are not many plants, you can pick them up and plant them in individual cups. Picking is carried out at the moment of growth of two true leaves, 3 weeks after planting.

Before planting in the beds, the seedlings are hardened off. That is, she should be accustomed to being in the sun. 1.5 weeks before transplantation, we begin to expose the container with seedlings to the sun. On the first day - for 20-30 minutes, on the second - for 40-60 minutes and so on.

At the end of hardening, the seedlings should stand outside all day without experiencing stress. In this case, you need to monitor the soil moisture.

Planting tobacco seedlings in open ground begins from the time the plant produces 4–5 true leaves and reaches 10–15 cm in height.

When to plant seedlings in the garden? Like all nightshades - after establishing positive temperatures above + 14 ° C in the soil at a depth of 10 cm. At an air temperature of +4 ° C, tobacco dies. Therefore, it is important that there are no return frosts after planting.

Care

To grow tobacco in open ground, you first need a temperature suitable for the plant. It is better to plant tobacco in an open, sunny place protected from the wind. This crop is demanding on soil fertility, but for a tobacco plantation it is better to choose poor lands.

Important! The poorer the land, the better the tobacco tastes.

Tobacco care involves carrying out the following work:

  • weeding and loosening;
  • watering and fertilizing (usually no more than 2 times per season);
  • plantation protection;
  • removal of stepsons;
  • finishing

The scheme for planting tobacco in the country is 50 cm between plants, 80 cm between rows. For those growing several varieties of tobacco, it is worth installing signs with the name of each variety.

Agricultural technology is similar to that of tomatoes. In open ground, the first few days the tobacco is watered daily. Once the plant has established itself, it does not need watering.

If there is a drought and the leaves of grown tobacco become wilted in the morning and evening, then the plantation should be watered. Drooping leaves in the daytime do not cause concern.

Important! The more moisture, the weaker the tobacco.

Diseases

Smoking tobacco is affected by some infections, and the most common is tobacco mosaic. Infection occurs through sucking insects. Therefore, immediately when planting seedlings, you can water each hole with Prestige.

Dilute 15 ml in 10 liters of water and pour 200 ml under the plant. That is, the planted plant is watered with 1 liter of water, then 200 ml of the drug solution, and then another 0.5 liter of water.
Other tobacco diseases include:

  • bronzeness;
  • mottling;
  • burnt

Diseases are mainly transmitted through insects, so it is worth treating the plantation with an insecticide several times. The diseases themselves cannot be treated; at the first manifestations, the diseased bushes should be removed along with the roots.

If crop rotation was observed on the site and tobacco grew where there were no nightshade crops before, then the risk of infection is minimal. After 3-4 weeks, it is recommended to tear off 2-3 lower leaves. This allows the plant to be better ventilated and to protect against disease and mold.

Top dressing

At the end of 2 weeks of growth, the first and only feeding is carried out with Fertika or Kemira Lux. It is enough to dilute 1 matchbox of fertilizer in a bucket of water.

Water 1 liter of water under each plant, then 1 liter of fertilizer and again 1 liter of water.

There is no need to feed more, especially with nitrogen fertilizers. They make the taste of tobacco unpleasant, it hurts and burns the throat. Phosphorus fertilizers are applied during autumn digging. Potassium fertilizers are sprinkled during spring digging of the soil.

Trimming

At the end of the second week, the plantation begins to become overgrown with weeds. They should be weeded out and the soil loosened. Weeding can be done a couple of times, when the tobacco grows to 50 cm, its huge leaves will drown out all the weeds.

In adult plants, the procedure is to remove stepsons that have grown to 3–4 cm. This must be done periodically, as new stepsons grow.

When about 40% of the flowers bloom, a topping procedure is carried out - the flowers are torn off with the upper leaves. This procedure accelerates ripening; the plant spends a lot of energy and nutrition to ripen the seeds. After all, tobacco takes a long time to grow and does not always have time to ripen. The same procedure for shortening the stem is typical for many pumpkins so that its fruits have time to ripen.

Collecting seeds

To stock up on your own good seeds, you have to try. To collect smoking tobacco seeds, 1–3 plants with central peduncles are left, the lateral inflorescences are torn off. To preserve the purity of the variety, you can put an agrospan bag on them before flowering begins.

It is also necessary to regulate the number of seed pods on the bush. Leave no more than ten large boxes. On a seed bush, the leaves are picked off only 2-3 times.

The seed pods ripen gradually. Each is picked at the moment of full ripening. The boxes are laid out in a sunny place on a sheet of paper for 2 weeks. Then the seeds are selected from them, sifted from debris through a sieve and placed in small plastic bags, signing the name of the variety and the year of harvesting.

Procurement of raw materials and fermentation

While caring for a tobacco plantation is not at all difficult, preparing high-quality raw materials for making cigarettes is not easy. Even in summer cottages, where you can grow absolutely nothing a large number of large plants, for drying leaves you need to equip a special place - a dryer.

The production of smoking tobacco from raw materials takes place in several stages:

  • collection (breaking);
  • languor;
  • drying;
  • laying down;
  • fermentation;
  • slicing.

Important! The leaf matures gradually along the stem, in tiers. Leaves are removed from one plant in 4–8 approaches.

40–45 days after planting, they begin to break the leaves in the lower tier. This occurs at approximately the same time as the appearance of flower buds. After 40–45 days from the start of harvesting the lower tier, the leaves on the upper tier begin to break.

The ripe leaf is very dense, lumpy and sticky, curls down, and the color changes to pale green with yellowish tint. The matured sheets click when assembled.

Drying

Drying is one of the main operations for obtaining real raw materials from leaves. The leaves are torn off by hand when they are 90% yellowed, strung on ropes in stacks and spread apart to the width of a finger. After which they are hung for several days in wooden sheds or attics to languish. They weigh in the dark, without sunlight, at a temperature of +25–35 ° C and a humidity of 80–90%.

Important! The leaves change color, becoming yellow or red-brown, but do not completely dry out. And they also acquire a specific smell.

Drying usually lasts 3-4 days for light green leaves and a week for dark green leaf tobacco. Hang bunches of leaves to a height of about a meter.

The second necessary operation for preparing raw materials is drying. Bundles of leaves for drying can be hung higher to make room for the next batch to simmer. It needs to dry for at least a month. In a well-dried leaf, the central vein breaks with a crunch, but does not bend when folded.

After going through the full manufacturing process, any tobacco needs rest - resting. Dry leaves are placed in a box, where they lie for 3–4 months.

Important! The taste and aroma of collected and properly prepared tobacco after resting becomes more refined and noble.

Fermentation

The fourth operation is fermentation. Fermentation technology at home is different. It is developed by the gardener himself, who must be satisfied with the taste of the tobacco resulting from this process.

To start the fermentation process, a heat source is needed: stove, oven, radiator, microwave, special cabinet, solar heat. The easiest way to ferment is using an electric oven:

  • completely dry and yellow leaves are slightly moistened with a spray bottle on both sides and placed in a pile for a day, covering them with polyethylene;
  • disassemble the leaves and remove the central vein;
  • using a noodle cutter, the leaves are cut into strips 1–2 mm thick;
  • place the slices in glass jars, filling 2/3 of the volume, and close with an airtight lid;
  • The jars are placed in a cabinet and turned on at +50 °C, leaving them there for 5–7 days.

Important! During the fermentation process, condensation should not form on the glasses.

As a result, the leaf acquires its usual dark brown color, the herbal smell gives way to a specific tobacco aroma, bitterness is lost, and flammability increases.

It is worth saying that some types of tobacco are not fermented: New Jubilee 142 and Kentucky Barley.

When growing tobacco, it is still worth remembering the folk wisdom: “Smoking is harmful to health.” But everyone is free to choose for themselves what to do.

However, tobacco leaves can be used for more than just smoking. This is a very valuable means of protecting many crops from pests. Tobacco is also used for medicinal purposes, in the treatment of:

  • rheumatism;
  • gout;
  • dropsy;
  • epilepsy;
  • as an anthelmintic;
  • for leg diseases.

Conclusion

Growing tobacco plants in the garden for smoking is a fun activity. 17 zoned varieties of Soviet selection are registered in the State Plant Register of the Russian Federation; several dozen foreign varieties can be purchased in online stores. And each one has its own unique taste and aroma.

Growing tobacco in the garden can be a very interesting hobby, no worse than winemaking or growing exotic and rare plants.

Avid gardeners grow whatever they grow in gardens and summer cottages. An unexpected option is smoking tobacco. Why not? For a gardener-smoker, this is a good way to stock up on your own.

How to grow tobacco for smoking in the garden

Features of the growing process

The main feature of tobacco is the wide variety of varieties. They differ greatly in the methods of planting, care and harvesting. For example, shag is the most unpretentious option. If you grow ordinary tobacco in your garden, you will have to put in a little more effort. He loves warmth more, less water.

IMPORTANT! To grow tobacco in the garden, it is better to find out in advance which variety is suitable for a particular area.

In general, tobacco is planted, processed and fed like many other plants. For example, the process of transplanting smoking tobacco seedlings into the ground is extremely similar to planting tomatoes. It follows that anyone can grow tobacco in a garden.

Tobacco seedlings in separate pots

Planting by seeds

In order to get tobacco seedlings, you need to sow the seeds. Tobacco is quite capricious and heat-loving, so it requires proper care and knowledge of the process. At the first stage of interaction with it, it is recommended to plant a small number of units of the plant in order to understand the principle of its cultivation.

Tobacco seeds have some features:

  • size. They are so small that they look more like dust. Hence the peculiarities of planting tobacco seeds for smoking: they can simply be “scattered” over the surface of the ground and only slightly pressed;
  • germination. Tobacco seeds retain their germination properties long time. This means that fairly old seeds can be sown;
  • quantity. To obtain a result equal to a smoker’s annual supply, a quarter of a gram of tobacco seeds is enough. Such a small amount of material produces a decent amount of harvest.

Tobacco seeds - photo

Due to these features, a specific landing is required. Tobacco seeds are not planted deep. The maximum depth for planting them is up to 1 cm. To do this, simply scatter them on the surface of the soil and only slightly press them into it. After this, carefully pour a thin stream of water. If the pressure is too strong, the seeds will easily be washed out and spread over the surface, going beyond the allotted limits.

ATTENTION! Tobacco seeds can be planted slightly germinated, this will speed up the process of seedling germination. To germinate seeds, you need to soak them in water 4-5 days before planting.

An important factor influencing the rate of seed germination is temperature. It should be within 25-28 degrees, otherwise the seeds may not sprout at all.

Video - technology for planting tobacco seeds

Planting seedlings in open ground

How to understand that tobacco seedlings are ready to move into the open ground of the garden? There are a number of signs for this:

  • seedlings have a height of about 15 cm;
  • leaves have formed on it, there are about 5 pieces on each plant;
  • the root system has developed sufficiently;
  • frosts have passed and the likelihood of their occurrence is minimal. This factor is extremely important, since any sudden drop in temperature can destroy the entire crop.

ATTENTION! Before transplanting into open ground, tobacco plants must be hardened off. Otherwise, they will not be able to adapt to changed conditions.

The essence of hardening is to reduce the frequency of watering and periodically remove the seedlings to the open air. This will help strengthen the plants and make them a little more resilient to the elements.

The process of planting in the ground does not differ much from the standard one. Each bush is planted in separate holes, after pouring plenty of water into it. In addition, it is worth planting tobacco with a small amount of soil so that the root system is not severely damaged. This will help the plants survive the stress of replanting more easily and “get over it” faster.

Planting tobacco seeds in open ground

Care and feeding

Tobacco care involves regularly performing the following actions:

  • weeding from weeds is necessary as they appear;
  • loosening the soil around the plant. This helps oxygen saturate the soil and nourish the tobacco root system;
  • feeding It is similar to what is made for tomatoes;
  • watering. Tobacco does not like abundant watering; it is better to water it rarely, but abundantly. Just during the summer (not very hot) 3-4 times are enough.

When to harvest and how to dry it?

Growing tobacco is not as important a process as harvesting and drying it. The result directly depends on the correct implementation of these actions. Improper drying or fermentation can ruin all efforts to grow tobacco for smoking.

Tobacco drying is a critical step in the process of growing tobacco.

Tobacco that has changed the color of the leaves should be removed. If at first, at the stage of maturation and growth, they are green, then when they are ready for harvesting, they are closer to yellow. If the same bush has leaves of different colors, then they should be collected when ready. Hence, the harvesting process sometimes drags on for a long time.

Tobacco drying takes place in several stages:

  1. Hanging leaves. After harvesting, the leaves are hung in a room that must be ventilated and sufficiently humid. This is necessary so as not to dry out the leaves.

    Hanging tobacco leaves

  2. Direct drying. It will take about a month for the tobacco to dry to the desired level. During this period of time, all that remains is to wait and monitor the maintenance of conditions in the room.
  3. Preparing for fermentation. Sufficiently dried leaves are evenly moistened by spraying water on them. They should soften a little. After that, they are stacked on top of each other and covered with film.
  4. Fermentation. The prepared leaves are placed in jars or other containers. This is necessary to regulate the strength of tobacco and change its taste.

    The process of drying tobacco in the attic

Pests and diseases

To protect the crop from pests, it is worth knowing which ones threaten tobacco.

Peach aphid Pest attacking plant leaves Threatens complete destruction of the crop or a significant reduction in the quantity
Mosaic Appears as the name suggests. Some leaves remain green, some turn yellow Lack of treatment threatens plant destruction
Blackleg The plant lies down, the stem becomes thinner, withers Destruction of a plant
Black rot Plant wilting, drying out Death of the crop
Powdery mildew White-yellow coating in the form of a cobweb on the leaves, gradually completely covering the plant Reduces yield, negatively affects the quality of tobacco

Diseases can completely cover the entire plant and spread to neighboring ones. Treatment is carried out in the same ways as for other plants. Copper sulfate and other means are well suited for treatment, depending on the degree of damage to the plants.

Video - step-by-step instructions for growing tobacco in the garden

Thus, it is possible to grow tobacco for smoking in the garden. To do this, it is enough to care for it in approximately the same way as other plants. Tobacco does not like abundant watering, but loosening should not be neglected. In addition, air temperature is important. After harvesting, it is important to properly dry and ferment it. It’s a shame to lose the harvested tobacco crop at the last stage, so the drying process should be treated with special responsibility.

In our country, cigar or cigarette tobacco can be grown in open soil exclusively in the southern regions. As for the northern and central regions, they will need greenhouse structures for this. But shag has become widespread throughout Russia (with the exception of the Far North, of course).

Growing tobacco at home

Once growing tobacco at home for the purpose of its further sale was considered a common activity for many families, and samosada, as it was called, was a common product in the markets. This was largely due to the high cost of tobacco products, but later, when cigarettes became noticeably cheaper, this type of business began to decline. Be that as it may, even today shag has a lot of admirers, so the question of how to grow it on your site is still relevant.

Growing smoking tobacco – is it worth it?

Let's say you are a smoker and live somewhere in the southern part of the country. You have several acres of land on which you would like to grow tobacco. In this case, you should start with simple calculations: one cigarette contains approximately 1 g of tobacco (the lower the quality, the less), which means there is about 20 g in a pack. On average, a smoker needs one pack of cigarettes per day or from 6 to 8 kg of tobacco annually. If conditions are favorable, then one plant can produce up to 30 g of tobacco, while 6-7 specimens can be planted per 1 m². If the variety is large-leaved, then the planting density should be 30x70 cm, and if we are talking about shag or plants with medium leaves, then 20x70 cm. It follows from this that in total it is necessary to plant from 270 to 300 plants, which will require about 40 m² . Moreover, the tobacco itself in this case will be extremely strong, so it will have to be diluted with stems. If this suits you, if you consider everything quite appropriate, or if you plan to sell the products, then proceed according to the step-by-step instructions given in this article.

All parts of plants contain nicotine

Note! All parts of plants contain nicotine, a powerful cardio- and neurotoxin that leads to short-term euphoria (the most of this substance is in the leaves - from 0.75% to 2.8%).

Step-by-step instructions for growing tobacco

This article will talk about how to grow ordinary tobacco. If you prefer Nicotiana rustica (this is the scientific name of shag), then you will not need most of the tips presented, since this variety is less heat-loving and easier to care for. In the regions of the middle zone, it is sown in May in open soil (under film or any other covering material) so that it has time to develop and produce a good harvest.

Growing tobacco on site

Traditionally, work should begin with the selection of planting material. There are many tobacco varieties, but you should only choose local ones.

Table. Tobacco varieties zoned in the CIS

Note! There is also Kentucky Burley, which has the advantage of having a low sugar content, as a result of which the leaves do not ferment. Immediately after drying, the leaves are steamed and crushed for consumption.

Stage one. We germinate the seeds

The technologies for breeding tobacco and shag are similar in many ways, but the main difference is the same ripening period. Thus, shag ripens in 75-80 days, and tobacco, therefore, in 105-120 days. You also need to remember that the seeds in in this case are not grown in the garden, i.e. in open soil - this should be done in a greenhouse or, alternatively, at home, using pots or seedling boxes.

Step 1. First, prepare the previously purchased seeds - 2-3 days before sowing, soak them in a solution of tartaric acid (proportions - 3 ml per 1 g of grains) for 24 hours. The air temperature during this time should fluctuate between 25-30°C. This simple procedure will ensure earlier ripening of seedlings (approximately 7 days) and increase germination by 20%.

Tobacco seed

Step 2. After 24 hours, remove the seeds from the solution, dry them a little and place them in a ceramic/enamel bowl in a 3-centimeter layer.

Step 3. Keep the material in this form for several days, moistening and stirring at least 5-6 times daily. As for the air temperature, it should already be 27-28°C.

Stage two. Preparing the greenhouse

Due to the fact that it is more expedient to grow tobacco seedlings in a greenhouse, we will focus on this option. So, take care of a nutrient layer consisting of humus and sand in a ratio of 3:4. Fill the greenhouse with the resulting mixture in a layer 10 cm thick.

The greenhouse must be filled with humus and sand.

Seeds should be sown in late February or early March, so make sure that the greenhouse structure is heated. The area of ​​the structure will be small, so this will not cause any particular difficulties.

Stage three. We sow seeds and grow seedlings

Step 1. Immediately before sowing, moisten the nutrient layer (water consumption when watering should be 1 l/m²). Over time, by the way, the watering rate will have to be increased to approximately 4 l/m².

Step 2. Sow tobacco grains superficially, scattering them evenly over moist soil. The consumption should be 4 g/m² (if you sow shag, then 20 g/m²).

Step 3. After sowing, carefully press the seeds into the soil about 0.3 cm (for shag this figure is 0.7 cm), then water. Water with extreme caution, otherwise the grains may go too deep.

Step 4. Reduce the air temperature in the greenhouse to 20°C.

Sowing tobacco seeds for seedlings

Further care of seedlings consists of meeting several important requirements.

  1. Regularly feed the plants with a solution prepared from potassium salt, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate (20 g, 50 g and 30 g, respectively, for every 10 liters of liquid).
  2. The consumption of the finished solution should be approximately 2 l/m² of soil.
  3. You can also use organic fertilizer - chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:7.
  4. 7 days before the expected transplant date, reduce the frequency and abundance of watering. Moreover, the tobacco seedlings do not need to be watered at all for the last three days.
  5. Hardened and high-quality plants should have an elastic stem that does not break when bent.
  6. A few hours before transplanting, water the plants with plenty of water - this will make it easier to remove them from the soil.

Tobacco seedlings ready for transplanting

After 40-45 days, when the height of the stems reaches 15 cm, thickness - 0.5 cm, and each plant already has several true leaves, transplant the seedlings into open soil.

Stage four. Transplanting seedlings

During transplantation, the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm should rise to about 10°C (the specific indicator depends on the climate zone).

How to properly transplant tobacco seedlings

Step 1. Make shallow holes first. The distance between them should be from 25 cm to 30 cm, and the row spacing should be at least 70 cm.

Step 2. Pour 0.5-1 liters of water into each well.

Step 3. Remove the plants one at a time and replant them in the holes. In essence, the technology is almost the same as when planting tomatoes. However, remember that any transplant is a shock to the seedlings, so try to preserve the soil in which the plants grew on the root system.

Step 4. Before planting, dip each plant in a special mixture consisting of clay and cow dung.

Step 5. Fill the holes with soil and compact it carefully.

Grown tobacco seedlings in open ground

Stage five. Further care

In the future, regularly weed and loosen the rows, and also apply fertilizing. During the entire growing season, tobacco should be watered no more than 2-3 times (water consumption should be 8 liters per bush). Also periodically perform pinching (removing side shoots) and topping (breaking off inflorescences).

Tips for growing and caring for tobacco

Possible diseases

There are two most common problems with tobacco. Let's look at how to deal with them.

  1. Aphid. To fight it, use Rogor-S.
  2. Downy mildew. It can be defeated with a 4% suspension of zineb, added in a proportion of 5 l/10 acres, or with a 0.3% solution of polycarbacin.

Downy mildew of tobacco

Features of harvesting

Step 1. As soon as the leaves turn yellow, you can remove them, always starting from the lower tiers. It is important that each leaf is undamaged and dry.

Step 2. Transfer all these leaves to the shade for 12 hours, carefully laying them in a 30-centimeter layer. During this time they will become quite accustomed.

Step 3. Next, put the leaves on cords and hang them to dry. If you will dry it in the open air, then choose a suitable place for this, protected from rain and wind. If the weather is sunny, the leaves will dry faster, and the process will take no more than 2 weeks in total.

Drying tobacco leaves

Step 4. Take 5-6 cords with foliage, folded four times, and hang them on a special hook. A similar design is also known as a gavanka.

Step 5. Move one or more havankas indoors for subsequent drying, hanging them on the crossbars.

Drying tobacco after harvesting on the havanka

Step 6. When fall arrives, remove the leaves, smooth them out carefully, and stack them. That's it, the tobacco is ready for use!

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in growing tobacco; the main thing is desire, as well as compliance with all the tips given in the article.

Video - How to remove and dry tobacco

Video - Film about growing tobacco from A to Z

Video - Features of growing tobacco

It is not difficult to grow tobacco or shag; these crops have no more secrets than vegetables. True, you will have to tinker with the post-harvest processing of tobacco - fermentation so that it becomes fragrant. But it's no more difficult than canning cucumbers. If you smoke, feel free to follow the path of the ancient Indians, from whose “homesteads” tobacco came to us.

If shag grows everywhere: from the south of Russia to the Arctic, then tobacco is more heat-loving. It works well south of 55° north latitude; approximately this line passes through Ryazan, Smolensk, Ulyanovsk, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo.

Tobacco varieties for growing

It is better to choose zoned varieties. Thus, Trepezond Kubanets and Trepezond 162 are recommended along with the North Caucasus for the West Siberian region. Cigarny 17 and Bryansky 91 are considered the best for the Central, and Trepezond 15 for the Central Black Earth region. Most varieties have been created and zoned for the North Caucasus, where tobacco is a traditional crop.

On a personal plot, I advise you to plant Trepezond 15 and Trepezond Kubanets. They ripen in 100 days, a month earlier than many other varieties. Plastic - quickly adapt to different climatic conditions, maintaining good smoking properties.

Tobacco beds and seeds

The average smoker smokes up to 8 kg of tobacco per year. Based on this, we will determine the planting area so that we don’t have to look at a tobacco kiosk for a whole year.

Under favorable conditions, you can get about 30 g of smoking tobacco from one plant, and six to seven plants can be placed per 1 sq.m. The planting density for large-leaved varieties is 70 x 30 cm, and for tobacco with medium-sized leaves and shag - 70 x 20 cm. It turns out that you need to grow 270-300 plants, occupying approximately 40 square meters. m. plot.

The seeds of the crops in question are as small as dust. In one gram there are about 12.5 thousand pieces of tobacco seeds, shag - 4 thousand pieces. To get the annual “norm” of a smoker, you need to sow only a quarter of a gram of tobacco seeds or three-quarters of a gram of shag seeds.

Sowing and planting tobacco

Tobacco and shag are grown through seedlings, with or without picking. The seedlings are 40-45 days old. It works well in a greenhouse, greenhouse, on a sunlit window sill in a room - in a flower pot or wooden box, where nutritious soil is poured in a layer of 8-10 cm.

It is easier to sow dry seeds, but it is better to sow sprouted seeds. In this case, 4-5 days before sowing, the seeds in a cloth should be soaked in warm, clean water; you can add a few drops of tartaric acid or a few crystals of potassium nitrate to it. Soaking time is 24 hours. This accelerates seed germination and reduces the time of forcing seedlings by 5-7 days. It develops better and yield increases.

Then rinse the seeds, remove excess water and place for germination in an enamel or earthenware container in a warm place, preferably not covered. Moisten the cloth periodically. Usually on the 3-4th day the seeds hatch: white “dots” appear. You should not allow the formation of a sprout longer than the seed: such sprouts easily break off. When two-thirds of the seeds have sprouted, they must be dried until they flow, mixed with well-disinfected fine sand or crushed humus. If the germinated seeds cannot be sown immediately, they can be stored for a day or two at a temperature of plus 1-2° in the refrigerator.

Important! The seeding depth is no more than 0.3-0.5 cm for shag, 0.7-0.8 cm for tobacco. Sprinkle the seeds with humus and sand (3:1). Water the soil before and after sowing through a thick strainer.

Watering small-seeded crops is a delicate matter. It is impossible to over-water or over-dry the seedlings. It is better to water a little almost daily. Before the “cross” phase (cotyledons and two true leaves growing transversely), they usually spend only 0.5 liters of water per sowing box; keep crops where it is warmer +23+25°. Then it is advisable to reduce the temperature to 20°, and double the watering until the “ear” phase (3-4 true leaves usually stick up). It is better to pick seedlings at the “ear” stage.

Sprinkle the seedlings two or three times with fertile soil and feed them with a solution of mineral fertilizers (30 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of potassium sulfate or chloride per 10 liters of water). You can use an infusion of chicken manure: pour 1 kg into 10 liters of water, leave for 10-12 days to ferment, stir from time to time. Strain the fermented mass and add 4-5 parts water to 1 part liquid.

Seedlings are planted with a height of 14-16 cm, having 5-6 developed leaves, not counting the cotyledons, a stem 0.3-0.5 cm thick and a well-developed root system.

7-8 days before planting, seedlings need to be hardened off, reducing watering and accustoming them to the open air. 2-3 days before planting, completely stop watering unpicked seedlings. 2-3 hours before planting, water the seedlings generously.

Planting in the ground begins when the danger of spring frosts has passed, and the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm rises to 10°, from approximately April 20 to May 25. Make holes along the previously prepared furrow, pour 0.5 liters of water into them and spread out the seedlings. Use a peg to deepen the hole with your right hand, place the seedlings vertically in it with your left hand, press wet soil to the roots, and sprinkle dry soil on top so that the moisture evaporates less. It makes sense to plant elongated seedlings deeper - additional roots will grow.

During the growth period, regularly loosen the soil, remove weeds, feed and water. You can feed based on the fertilizer rates for tomatoes. Usually they limit themselves to two or three waterings per summer, spending 6-8 liters of water per plant. It will tell you: if the leaves are slightly wilted, watering is needed. But it is better to underwater than to overwater.

In flowering plants, break off the inflorescences (topping) and regularly remove side shoots (pinching).

S. Cherkasov, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences. Magazine "Homestead farming".

Growing tobacco, video

  • Video.

Unfortunately, in Russia there is a huge percentage of people who smoke. People just can’t give up their bad habit, which harms not only the person who smokes, but also those around him. According to VTsIOM, about 1/3 of all Russians smoke. 75% of men and 21% of women smoke regularly. This is a terrifying statistic. The worst thing is that in recent years the percentage of women who smoke has increased.

We urge you to quit smoking. This is a habit that is killing you from the inside.

This article is dedicated to smokers who cannot quit smoking. Those who have already tried to quit several times and tried all the ways. There is a wonderful solution for you - growing tobacco at home. This business is extremely exciting and interesting. If all growing rules are followed, the finished product is of very high quality. This cannot be compared with what we buy in stores under the guise of tobacco and cigarettes.

Tobacco companies openly poison smokers by adding toxic chemicals to cigarettes in order to reduce the final cost of the product. At the same time, the price of tobacco products in stores increases every month.

For reference. The cost of 1 pack of cigarettes ranges from 1 to 5 rubles per pack.

From all this we can draw a conclusion. Tobacco companies poison smokers for huge amounts of money, making simply fabulous capital!

A little math. In 2016, the average price for a pack of cigarettes is 75-80 rubles. The average smoker smokes 10-20 cigarettes per day (0.5-1 pack). 80*365=29200 rubles. That is, the average smoker spends on cigarettes per year 15-35 thousand rubles. But this money can be spent with considerable benefit.

Benefits of growing tobacco at home.

Growing and processing tobacco in the garden does not incur any costs (except for the initial costs of purchasing seeds). After you have received your first harvest, you no longer need to buy cigarettes in the store every day, spending a lot of money on it. You yourself will have a very large amount of tobacco, which will not only be enough for yourself, but you can also treat your friends.

But the most important thing is that the product will be natural, and therefore not so harmful.

Growing tobacco is a hobby during which a person relaxes. There is something sacred in this. You will feel like a Cuban tobacco baron. In this article we will tell you everything about growing tobacco, you will learn the whole process - from A to Z. Everything will be accompanied by visual videos, it will be very easy to understand.

Where to start growing tobacco in your garden?

Where to start growing tobacco in your garden? This is a question asked by many novice tobacco growers. Let's try to figure it out. It is necessary to decide on the variety, prepare containers for planting seedlings, and prepare soil for planting seedlings.

Choice of variety.

First of all, you need to decide which variety or varieties to grow in your garden. There are a huge number of different varieties. For beginning tobacco growers, universal varieties such as Virginia 202 or Herzegovina Flora are best.

Virginia 202.

Tobacco Variety: Virginia 202

Description. Virginia 202 is a very common tobacco variety that grows well in Russia in various climatic zones. The advantage of this variety is the low content of various harmful resins. At the same time, it has a very pleasant sweetish taste. Virginia 202 tobacco is one of the most common varieties in the world and is cultivated everywhere. It was bred in Russia, in the Krasnodar region. Read more: Virginia 202 tobacco.

Tobacco Herzegovina Flora.

Photo: Tobacco Herzegovina Flor.

Tobacco Herzegovina Flora is Stalin's favorite tobacco variety. Joseph Vissarionovich himself spoke about this while smoking his pipe. Herzegovina flor is a very common variety. It has very good taste and aroma qualities. The leaves are moderately strong. Perfect for growing for beginners.

Planting tobacco seeds for seedlings.

The birthplace of tobacco is South America. The plant is heat-loving and ripens quite late. Therefore, in Russia, tobacco should be planted first as seedlings. The timing of planting seedlings is early spring. Tobacco seedlings can be planted throughout March.

Seeds should be planted in small containers. Disposable cups are very suitable for these purposes. A hole is made in the cups from the bottom to create drainage. Place a small layer of small pebbles or eggshells on the bottom.

After preparing the container, it is necessary to prepare the soil. Tobacco grows well only in fertile soil. It is advisable to buy a special universal soil for seedlings in the store. With this soil you need to mix ordinary disinfected soil from the garden in a ratio of 1 to 1. Add a little wood ash to the resulting mixture. The earth must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Will go directly to the agricultural technology of planting. There are several points here. Tobacco seeds are very small and difficult to work with. You need to be very careful. Before sowing, water the soil well in a glass with warm water. Then carefully, straight from the bag, pour the seeds evenly into the container. Sprinkle a layer of earth no more than 1 millimeter on top.

Cover the container tightly with polyethylene and place in a warm place. Tobacco germinates within 3-5 days. As soon as the first bores begin to appear, the film must be removed and placed in a bright place, for example on a windowsill.

Caring for tobacco seedlings.

Let's talk about caring for tobacco seedlings at home.

Care before picking.

Before picking, caring for tobacco seedlings is extremely simple. Immediately after the first shoots appear, you need to remove the film and place the container with seedlings on a light windowsill, preferably on the south side. If this is not done, the seedlings will become very elongated and will grow very poorly.

You must constantly monitor the soil moisture; as soon as it is dry, you should water it with settled water at room temperature. It is highly recommended not to water the plants cold water.

Periodically, containers with seedlings need to be turned to the sun on the other side. This will ensure even growth and prevent stretching.

Picking tobacco into separate cups.

Tobacco picking

Tobacco picking- This is the process of planting seedlings at a normal distance from each other.

Growing tobacco without picking is simply impossible. The seeds are very small and plant sprouts are very frequent. Tobacco grows quite quickly and the seedlings begin to interfere with each other’s growth. As a result, the seedlings turn out to be very weak and elongated.

It is best to pick tobacco into separate containers. For these purposes, it is best to use plastic disposable cups. They are spacious for tobacco seedlings; plants will grow better in separate containers. It will then be convenient to plant seedlings in open ground from plastic cups. Read more in the article: Picking tobacco.

Care after picking.

Tobacco seedlings need to be plucked when 2-3 true leaves appear. By this time, the plants will grow crowded in one container. Plants are planted in disposable cups, 1-2 pieces per cup.

Photo

After picking, it is advisable to water the tobacco every day until it is accepted in a new place.

Photo

2 weeks after picking, tobacco seedlings should be fed. You can use both organic and mineral fertilizers. The most important thing is that they contain a lot of nitrogen. Liquid chicken manure is excellent. Use it in proportions of 1:10 with water. If the growth of the seedlings does not satisfy you, then you can make another feeding with chicken manure a week after the first. If there is a risk that the seedlings will outgrow, then a second feeding is not necessary.

Photo: Growing tobacco for smoking

Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be hardened off a little. First, just open the window in the room with the seedlings more often, and a week before planting, take them out to the balcony or veranda. Do not water for a week.

Growing mode of tobacco seedlings

Tobacco is a fairly heat-loving crop. Therefore, when growing, you should adhere to a certain temperature. The ideal temperature is 18-24 degrees. It should be adhered to.

Planting tobacco in open ground.

Photo: Growing tobacco from seeds in the garden for smoking

An important procedure is planting tobacco in open ground.

Tobacco seedlings are grown on window sills until the threat of frost has completely passed. Then it needs to be planted in a permanent place. Tobacco seedlings are planted either under a film or directly into open ground. When planting, it is very important to follow all agricultural practices so that the plants take root and immediately begin active growth.

The first thing you need to do is decide on a place. It is best to make the bed on a slight slope to avoid excessive accumulation of water. The place should also be protected from strong winds.

If you have a small plot and it is not possible to allocate a whole bed for tobacco, then you can plant the plants right along the fence in one row. The result will be a kind of living fence that will look very beautiful.

It is absolutely not necessary to plow the soil for tobacco. The area just needs to be well cleared of weeds and loosened a little with a Fokin flat cutter.

The area for tobacco needs to be fed first. Rotted compost is best suited for these purposes. Apply 0.5-1 bucket of compost per 1 square meter of area.

After selecting and preparing the site, you can proceed directly to planting in open ground. Tobacco is planted at a distance of 20-50 centimeters from each other, depending on the variety. You need to dig holes in the garden bed. They should be quite deep - 20-30 centimeters. Pour a little rotted compost onto the bottom and water it very generously with warm water (at least 0.5 buckets of water per hole).

Now we very carefully remove the plants from the containers, put them in the hole and cover them with soil. It is better to plant the tobacco a little deeper than it grew in the glass. It is advisable to mulch the ground around the plant (although this is not necessary). All that remains is to water the planted tobacco with warm water. Read more in the article: Planting tobacco in open ground.

Watering tobacco in open ground.

Watering after planting in open ground. Immediately after planting the seedlings in open ground, the tobacco is watered generously with warm water. Then water about once a week.

Watering, a month after planting. Plants become most demanding of moisture a month after planting in open ground. It is after this time that the very active formation of organic plant tissue begins. During this period, tobacco needs to be watered every 3-4 days at the rate of 10 liters per 1 square meter of land.

Watering 2 months after planting. From this time on, watering should be minimized. Moisture becomes less important, and the weather outside becomes wetter, especially at night. Water only when the soil noticeably dries out.

These tips are not universal, they are just general recommendations. You should always focus on the weather conditions and climate of your area.

Read more: Watering tobacco in open ground.

Fertilizing tobacco in open ground.

Fertilizing tobacco after planting in open ground should be done with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Plants immediately after planting need a large amount of nitrogen in order to begin to grow a large amount of green mass, and this directly depends on the yield. It is very important not to miss this growth phase and feed on time.

Tobacco is fed 7-10 days after planting in open ground. Any complex fertilizer with a priority nitrogen content can be used as a fertilizer. Urea is perfect for these purposes. To feed, 1 tablespoon of fertilizer is mixed in 10 liters of water and watered under the root.

Read more in the article: Feeding tobacco in open ground.

Growing and topping of tobacco.

Photo: Topping tobacco in the garden

Stepchildren grow between the leaves. As a rule, a stepson grows between each leaf. They should be removed when they grow by about 1.5-2 centimeters. If you perform this procedure earlier, there is a high probability that they will grow again. There is no need to do double work, especially if you have planted a lot of plants.

The most convenient way to remove stepsons is with scissors.

Tobacco usually begins to produce stepsons from the moment it starts flowering. You need to watch and not miss the moment.

Topping tobacco is the removal of flowers at the bud stage. This procedure is also done in order to obtain more product sheets. Due to topping, tobacco leaves become much stronger and the nicotine content in them increases.

Peduncles should be removed at an early stage of budding.

Read more: Growing and growing tobacco.

Tobacco harvest.

Photo: Mature tobacco leaves

Determining the ripeness of a tobacco leaf is very simple. The central vein turns white. The edges of the leaves become slightly yellow and the middle becomes a dull green color. It is very important not to miss this period and pick the leaf, otherwise it will become overripe and its quality will greatly deteriorate.

The tobacco crop is harvested from the bottom up as the leaves ripen.

Read more: Harvesting tobacco.

Growing tobacco in the garden for smoking is a very interesting and exciting activity. Having received the harvest once and tried it, you will no longer want to buy poison in the store.

Video: Growing tobacco from A to Z. A very visual video about growing tobacco at home from seeds:

This is an entire film dedicated to growing tobacco.

Another video:

It is not difficult to obtain tobacco on your site.

The method of growing tobacco for smoking or processing vegetables is almost no different from the technologies for cultivating other nightshade crops.

There are two varieties of this culture:

1. Tobacco– plant up to 3 m tall with pink inflorescences. Real tobacco loves heat very much, for this reason it develops well in hot regions;

2. Common shag- a plant no more than 120 cm tall, with yellowish inflorescences. It contains half the nicotine content compared to regular tobacco.

Photo - shag

From one bush, under suitable conditions, you can collect approximately 30g of dry tobacco; 6-7 bushes are grown per 1 m2. Varieties with large leaves are planted according to a 70x30 cm pattern, and shag and varieties with medium leaves are planted according to a 70x20 cm pattern. If you have grown tobacco that is too strong, you can make it weaker by mixing in ground stems.

Types of tobacco for smoking

There are many varieties of this plant. As with growing vegetables, it is better to sow locally selected varieties.

They were popular in the former USSR:

T Rapezond Kubanets. This variety has a growing season from sowing the seeds to the time of the last leaf breaking of 103-134 days;

Trapezond 92. Resistant to viral diseases and various plant-damaging factors. The variety has a short growing season; leaves break off after 95-100 days;

Samsun 85. Refers to mid-season, fast-growing varieties; leaves are broken at the age of 105 - 110 days;

Anniversary new 142. An early ripening variety, 78-82 days pass before the leaves break. The variety has complex resistance to various diseases;

Holly 316. Late ripening variety, leaves develop intensively. The plant contains little nicotine, the period before the end of withdrawal is 120 days.

Seeding tobacco for smoking

Tobacco seeds are very small, so very little is needed. A gram of shag contains about 4,000 seeds, and tobacco about 12,000.

In addition, you won’t need to buy them any further; 2-3 plants will provide enough seeds for a hectare. The seeds of this crop remain viable for a long time; seedlings can also be obtained from old seed, of course, one must take into account that their germination will decrease.

Growing tobacco for smoking is done using seedlings; it can be obtained even on a southern windowsill.

The required age for planting seedlings in the ground is 40-45 days.

If a lot of tobacco is needed, then in the southern regions sowing is done directly into the ground or seedlings are grown in greenhouses and greenhouses. The seeds are sown superficially; I simply scatter them on pre-moistened soil.

Attention! The sowing depth of the seeds of this crop should not exceed 7 mm (for shag 3 mm). Having scattered the seed over the surface, press it slightly into the soil and carefully moisten it so that the seeds do not sink into the soil.

You can sow seeds that have already hatched; to do this, they are soaked for 4 days and laid out on a damp cloth; this method will reduce the germination time by 7 days. For germination, the optimal temperature ranges from 25-28 degrees. You should not water tobacco seedlings heavily; it is advisable to moisten them a little every day.

Planting seedlings

The seedlings are planted in the garden bed after they have risen 15 cm (5-6 leaves have formed).

Tobacco seedlings die from spring frosts; the soil must warm up to a depth of 10 cm. 7 days before planting the seedlings, you need to harden the plants, accustoming them to the open air.

Watering is stopped 2-3 days before, thoroughly moistening the soil only 2-3 hours before planting in the ground.

Seedlings are placed one in each hole, after pouring 1 liter of water into them in advance. Replanting is a shock for a young plant. For this reason, it is necessary to preserve and not destroy the earthen ball on the roots.

Tobacco care

During plant development, it is necessary to systematically loosen the soil, water, feed the plants and remove weeds.

they are fed with the same frequency and in the same quantity as tomatoes. Water infrequently, 6-8 liters per bush is enough, with 2-3 waterings per summer.

A well-developed tobacco bush has a root system that has grown several meters; experienced tobacco growers claim that watering adult plants of this crop is harmful.

In bushes with formed inflorescences, they are torn off and the plants must be pinched.

Soil for plants

Tobacco is best grown on fresh soil; it is planted after winter crops or fallow. Tobacco cannot be planted after potatoes and beets.

Sandy loam soil, which contains a lot of nitrogen and potassium, is best suited for this crop.

It is best to fertilize tobacco with cow manure; bird droppings are a good fertilizer for it.

In areas with high acidity, lime the soil; it has a positive effect on plant growth and the completeness of combustion of the final product.

Harvesting begins when the leaves change color.

Since leaves of different colors can be found on one bush, their harvesting takes several weeks.

Major diseases

Blackleg. The seedlings begin to lie on the ground, after which they die, the stem above the soil turns black and becomes thin.

Mosaic. Diseased bushes have leaves with alternating light and green areas. After some time, the light spots die off, infection occurs from the remains of diseased plants.

Bacterial grouse. Weeping or oil stains form along the edges of seedling leaves. With high humidity they begin to rot and spread throughout the bush. The causative agent of the disease is found on tools, tobacco dust or on leaves.

Drying and fermentation

Responsible work when preparing tobacco is drying the raw materials and subsequent fermentation. After harvesting, the leaves are hung in a ventilated area; it is necessary to place a container of water nearby to increase humidity. The leaves will dry for about a month.

After this, the dried tobacco leaves are moistened with a spray bottle and placed in piles, placed in a plastic bag and kept for 24 hours until completely moistened. As a result, they should not be raw, but only moist. Next, they are placed in glass jars in which fermentation will take place.

Fermentation is a process that takes place for several weeks at a temperature of 50 degrees. This operation with raw materials is carried out to reduce the content of tar and nicotine, improve the taste and reduce the strength of tobacco. This process can be carried out in an electric oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. It is often more convenient and easier to dry not whole leaves, but pre-crushed raw materials.

Ready-made tobacco is used to process plants, in smoking pipes, and is used to roll cigarettes (cigarette paper and special machines can be purchased in special stores). You can even make a cigar from it - this is an interesting and fairly simple job.

Unfortunately, in Russia there is a huge percentage of people who smoke. People just can’t give up their bad habit, which harms not only the person who smokes, but also those around him. According to VTsIOM, about 1/3 of all Russians smoke. 75% of men and 21% of women smoke regularly. This is a terrifying statistic. The worst thing is that in recent years the percentage of women who smoke has increased.

We urge you to quit smoking. This is a habit that is killing you from the inside.

This article is dedicated to smokers who cannot quit smoking. Those who have already tried to quit several times and tried all the ways. There is a great solution for you - growing tobacco at home. This business is extremely exciting and interesting. If all growing rules are followed, the finished product is of very high quality. This cannot be compared with what we buy in stores under the guise of tobacco and cigarettes.

Tobacco companies openly poison smokers by adding toxic chemicals to cigarettes in order to reduce the final cost of the product. At the same time, the price of tobacco products in stores increases every month.

For reference . The cost of 1 pack of cigarettes ranges from 1 to 5 rubles per pack.

From all this we can draw a conclusion. Tobacco companies poison smokers for huge amounts of money, making simply fabulous capital!

A little math. In 2016, the average price for a pack of cigarettes is 75-80 rubles. The average smoker smokes 10-20 cigarettes per day (0.5-1 pack). 80*365=29200 rubles. That is, the average smoker spends on cigarettes per year 15-35 thousand rubles . But this money can be spent with considerable benefit.

Benefits of growing tobacco at home.

Growing and processing tobacco in the garden does not incur any costs (except for the initial costs of purchasing seeds). After you have received your first harvest, you no longer need to buy cigarettes in the store every day, spending a lot of money on it. You yourself will have a very large amount of tobacco, which will not only be enough for yourself, but you can also treat your friends.

But the most important thing is that the product will be natural, and therefore not so harmful.

Growing tobacco is a hobby during which a person relaxes. There is something sacred in this. You will feel like a Cuban tobacco baron. In this article we will tell you everything about growing tobacco, you will learn the whole process - from A to Z. Everything will be accompanied by visual videos, it will be very easy to understand.

Where to start growing tobacco in your garden?

Where to start growing tobacco in your garden? This is a question asked by many novice tobacco growers. Let's try to figure it out. It is necessary to decide on the variety, prepare containers for planting seedlings, and prepare soil for planting seedlings.

Choice of variety.

First of all, you need to decide which variety or varieties to grow in your garden. There are a huge number of different varieties. For beginning tobacco growers, universal varieties such as Virginia 202 or Herzegovina Flora are best.

Virginia 202.

Tobacco Herzegovina Flora is Stalin's favorite tobacco variety. Joseph Vissarionovich himself spoke about this while smoking his pipe. Herzegovina flor is a very common variety. It has very good taste and aroma qualities. The leaves are moderately strong. Perfect for growing for beginners.

Planting tobacco seeds for seedlings.

The birthplace of tobacco is South America. The plant is heat-loving and ripens quite late. Therefore, in Russia, tobacco should be planted first as seedlings. The timing of planting seedlings is early spring. Tobacco seedlings can be planted throughout March.

Seeds should be planted in small containers. Disposable cups are very suitable for these purposes. A hole is made in the cups from the bottom to create drainage. Place a small layer of small pebbles or eggshells on the bottom.

After preparing the container, it is necessary to prepare the soil. Tobacco grows well only in fertile soil. It is advisable to buy a special universal soil for seedlings in the store. With this soil you need to mix ordinary disinfected soil from the garden in a ratio of 1 to 1. Add a little wood ash to the resulting mixture. The earth must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Will go directly to the agricultural technology of planting. There are several points here. Tobacco seeds are very small and difficult to work with. You need to be very careful. Before sowing, water the soil well in a glass with warm water. Then carefully, straight from the bag, pour the seeds evenly into the container. Sprinkle a layer of earth no more than 1 millimeter on top.

Cover the container tightly with polyethylene and place in a warm place. Tobacco germinates within 3-5 days. As soon as the first bores begin to appear, the film must be removed and placed in a bright place, for example on a windowsill.

Caring for tobacco seedlings.

Let's talk about caring for tobacco seedlings at home.

Care before picking.

Before picking, caring for tobacco seedlings is extremely simple. Immediately after the first shoots appear, you need to remove the film and place the container with seedlings on a light windowsill, preferably on the south side. If this is not done, the seedlings will become very elongated and will grow very poorly.

You must constantly monitor the soil moisture; as soon as it is dry, you should water it with settled water at room temperature. It is highly not recommended to water plants with cold water.

Periodically, containers with seedlings need to be turned to the sun on the other side. This will ensure even growth and prevent stretching.

Picking tobacco into separate cups.

Tobacco picking

Tobacco picking- This is the process of planting seedlings at a normal distance from each other.

Growing tobacco without picking is simply impossible. The seeds are very small and plant sprouts are very frequent. Tobacco grows quite quickly and the seedlings begin to interfere with each other’s growth. As a result, the seedlings turn out to be very weak and elongated.

Care after picking.

Tobacco seedlings need to be plucked when 2-3 true leaves appear. By this time, the plants will grow crowded in one container. Plants are planted in disposable cups, 1-2 pieces per cup.

After picking, it is advisable to water the tobacco every day until it is accepted in a new place.

2 weeks after picking, tobacco seedlings should be fed. You can use both organic and mineral fertilizers. The most important thing is that they contain a lot of nitrogen. Liquid chicken manure is excellent. Use it in proportions of 1:10 with water. If the growth of the seedlings does not satisfy you, then you can make another feeding with chicken manure a week after the first. If there is a risk that the seedlings will outgrow, then a second feeding is not necessary.

Photo: Growing tobacco for smoking

Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be hardened off a little. First, just open the window in the room with the seedlings more often, and a week before planting, take them out to the balcony or veranda. Do not water for a week.

Growing mode of tobacco seedlings

Tobacco is a fairly heat-loving crop. Therefore, when growing, you should adhere to a certain temperature. The ideal temperature is 18-24 degrees. It should be adhered to.

Planting tobacco in open ground.

Photo: Growing tobacco from seeds in the garden for smoking

An important procedure is planting tobacco in open ground.

Tobacco seedlings are grown on window sills until the threat of frost has completely passed. Then it needs to be planted in a permanent place. Tobacco seedlings are planted either under a film or directly into open ground. When planting, it is very important to follow all agricultural practices so that the plants take root and immediately begin active growth.

The first thing you need to do is decide on a place. It is best to make the bed on a slight slope to avoid excessive accumulation of water. The place should also be protected from strong winds.

If you have a small plot and it is not possible to allocate a whole bed for tobacco, then you can plant the plants right along the fence in one row. The result will be a kind of living fence that will look very beautiful.

It is absolutely not necessary to plow the soil for tobacco. The area just needs to be well cleared of weeds and loosened a little with a Fokin flat cutter.

The area for tobacco needs to be fed first. Rotted compost is best suited for these purposes. Apply 0.5-1 bucket of compost per 1 square meter of area.

After selecting and preparing the site, you can proceed directly to planting in open ground. Tobacco is planted at a distance of 20-50 centimeters from each other, depending on the variety. You need to dig holes in the garden bed. They should be quite deep - 20-30 centimeters. Pour a little rotted compost onto the bottom and water it very generously with warm water (at least 0.5 buckets of water per hole).

Watering tobacco in open ground.

Watering after planting in open ground. Immediately after planting the seedlings in open ground, the tobacco is watered generously with warm water. Then water about once a week.

Watering, a month after planting. Plants become most demanding of moisture a month after planting in open ground. It is after this time that the very active formation of organic plant tissue begins. During this period, tobacco needs to be watered every 3-4 days at the rate of 10 liters per 1 square meter of land.

Watering 2 months after planting. From this time on, watering should be minimized. Moisture becomes less important, and the weather outside becomes wetter, especially at night. Water only when the soil noticeably dries out.

These tips are not universal, they are just general recommendations. You should always focus on the weather conditions and climate of your area.

Fertilizing tobacco in open ground.

Fertilizing tobacco after planting in open ground should be done with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Plants immediately after planting need a large amount of nitrogen in order to begin to grow a large amount of green mass, and this directly depends on the yield. It is very important not to miss this growth phase and feed on time.

Tobacco is fed 7-10 days after. Any complex fertilizer with a priority nitrogen content can be used as a fertilizer. Perfectly suited for these purposes. To feed, 1 tablespoon of fertilizer is mixed in 10 liters of water and watered under the root.

Growing and topping of tobacco.

Stepchildren grow between the leaves. As a rule, a stepson grows between each leaf. They should be removed when they grow by about 1.5-2 centimeters. If you perform this procedure earlier, there is a high probability that they will grow again. There is no need to do double work, especially if you have planted a lot of plants.

The most convenient way to remove stepsons is with scissors.

Tobacco usually begins to produce stepsons from the moment it starts flowering. You need to watch and not miss the moment.

Topping tobacco is the removal of flowers at the bud stage. This procedure is also done in order to obtain more product sheets. Due to topping, tobacco leaves become much stronger and the nicotine content in them increases.

Peduncles should be removed at an early stage of budding.

Tobacco harvest.



Random articles

Up