Growing my own tobacco -I've had it with these prices! (A journal)

6-21-5 | RandallFlagg

[RandallFlagg]

Since I have to get to bed, I'm just going to paste what I placed into the coffinnails.com forum. There's relevant questions inclused that I'll place on this thread if they get answered.

Day one -finally got my seeds!

Them things are SMALL! Sheesh! I had to fuzzy up the end of a Q-Tip to place them into the trays. Before I screw things up, there's a few questions I must ask. The 200 seeds I got are Dark Virginia. I'm doing 16 at a time.

Will the unused seeds keep for a while? I'd like to grow 'em in staggered stages. Will regular tap water work, or will I have to use distilled or rainwater? I have to used that kind for my Venus's Flytraps. Flourescent lighting. Will it work well for staggered stage growing year-round? Humidity? Someone told me that nicotine is a natural insect repellant. Is this true? Has anyone here saved the $$$ they expected to save? That's why I'm doing this. What's the best soil to use?

Luckily, there's a big place near my home called Paulino's Gardens, where I can find almost all the accessories I need for this venture of mine. I'll update on this thread as I go along.

OH! First entry: Got seeds three days ago and placed them on top of potting soil in 16-cube icetray container with holes in the bottom. Placed trays in my carnivorous plant terrarium that uses three 15-watt flourescent bulbs on a 18-hour timer. Sprayed and soaked with rainwater. Crossing my fingers.

Last question for the day: How long should it be before something actually grows?

[FreedomCalls]

Nicotine is a damned effective pesticide and the straight stuff is a very potent toxin.

These things will munch away on the stuff until they have eaten your whole plant up.

[Smokin' Joe]

IIRC, Maryland tobacco was also used in blends with flue cured tobaccos to 'adjust' the burning characteristics of the blend.

It was definitely more dry than processed tobaccos and the roll-your-owns I made from barn trash as a kid were a bit rough...(sure beat corn silk, though!).

[Clemenza]

If only I can find a way to grow Connecticut Shade, with Dominican for the filler indoors, this would be a worthwhile hobby.

[barkeep]

When I was a kid in North Carolina, schoolkids still did "field day" tours of cigarrette factories. At that time, I am told still today, the menthol was spayed on the linig paper of the pack, then those packs were held aside for a few days while the strongly aromatic menthol permeated the cigsrettes

[ChicagoHebrew]

Someone told me that nicotine is a natural insect repellant. Is this true?

Yes. Many narcotic drugs, including nicotine and cocaine, are natural insect repellants. In fact, that's their chemical purpose in nature. The plants don't get "high" off them.

[RandallFlagg]

Mega-BUMP!!

Starting a second attempt tonight. Using peat trays and the same lighting setup as before. Placed twelve in and put in terrarium with light to turn on from 6AM - 8PM.

Crossing fingers (and keeping the tray AWAY from my bungling mother!!!!)

[RandallFlagg]

Stay in touch.

Well, PING, then.
Starting again with twelve tonight and will start another twelve next week.
In case you haven't heard, my Mom accidentally kicked the growing tray over and killed them all last year.

[RandallFlagg]

Sorry-I-missed-you, Calpernia-PING!

SheLion and Gabz, could you please ping your list so I won't forget anyone else? Thanks a bunch!

[RandallFlagg]

YIKES! Sorry for not responding any sooner.

I haven't succeeded as of yet and am starting again as of tonight (actually, last night) with twelve seeds.

Hopefully, I'll be able to answer your question by autumn.

[SheLion]

SheLion and Gabz, could you please ping your list so I won't forget anyone else? Thanks a bunch!

Gladly!

[SheLion]

Well, here is one alternative:

Can't stand the high taxes?

Afraid to order off of the Internet?

Then start rolling your own!!! I find everything but the machine downtown at the local Smoke Shop.  Also, Rite Aid and grocery stores also sell the bags of tobacco and the filtered tubes.

I roll out a beautiful carton for a little under $8 dollars.  Premiums in my state are now up to $45-$50 a carton.  Can you imagine the money I have saved over the past 4 years since I now roll my own?  It's mind boggling.

under $50.00

Check StuffYourOwn for prices on tobacco

$1.99 for 200 filtered tubes

Make your own cigarettes for as low as $6.99 per Carton! Smoke Quality FILTERED cigarettes that you make yourself using cigarette tubes (like a cigarette without the Cigarette tobacco), our cigarette making machines, and our "roll your own" cigarette tobacco.


-Stop Paying High Cigarette Taxes
-So Much Easier than "Roll Your Own" cigarettes!

and

Smokers United

Roll Your Own Tobacco Store

Roll Your Own Magazine

[RandallFlagg]

Thanks.

[Madame Dufarge]

Good luck with the new crop, Randall!

[Calpernia]

Hey thanks for pinging me back here. I lost this thread before I was able to bookmark it.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Lady gone fishing]

Weren't you in a Stephen King movie?
I just found this interesting forum looking for Coffin Nails. I couldn't find them. I did however buy a pack of Virginia tobacco seeds 3 years ago from Coffin nails.com They cost me about $25 bucks and I was horrified at how few seeds I received. I followed the directions carefully and the darn things did grow!We planted them in the garden and they did quite well. We never did cure any to smoke, but we did get many, many seeds. The next year(2005)I planted more but nothing. I had left the seeds in the pods in the green house over the winter and I figured I'd ruined them. This year I said what the heck and sprinkled a pod or 2 of seeds onto a moist tray of seed starting mix, covered with 2 sheets of newspaper and the a sheet of plastic to keep the moisture in. In about a week and a half I took a peek and they were sprouting! I took off the coverings and I now have about a million little seedlings growing I'll them go a while and then transplant into more individual cell trays like how you would purchase plants from somewhere.
Anyway, I was looking for Coffin Nails because I can't find my instructions for curing the tobacco, I'm sure I could go to the Library. We live in Northeast Ohio and the seeds we have should be VERY hardy. If anyone has an idea how I could sell the many extra seeds, it would be good to hear. Thanks for the info on the rolling machines etc..I'll be checking into that. Good luck with your project!
P.S. I quit smoking for 13 years, didn't like it when smokes went to $1.50 a pack! Well, I'm back! The PRESSURE!

[RandallFlagg]

YIKES! I just last week ordered 100 Black Sea Samsun seeds from The Tobacco Seed Company They're really good, but they ship from England. It takes almost a month to get them. They also have pretty detailed instructions.

My luck has been a bit worse than yours. Two of my biggest plants died promptly after transplanting them outdoors into the native soil of my backyard. I'm now keeping the next biggest plant outdoors in a pot filled with moist potting soil. It did well in the hot sun today, but it's only been outdoors for about 36 hours.

I highly recommend this book:

It's got tobacco history, different methods of the process, and tons of other information.

Please keep us updated.

[flying Elvis]

Plus, the DEA takes nightime infrared photos to see who's home lights up. After that, they subpeana your power bill. If it is too high, in their estimate, expect a no-knock raid.

[RandallFlagg]

LOL! I'd have laughed in their faces if they did this to me years ago when I was growing my carnivorous plants.

[pepsionice]

Considering the number of people growing grass...illegally...and not worried about it...I don't think I'd worry much about growing tobacco. If you had 50 acres and 3 x illegals working for you...you could do a fair bumper crop...and then find some characters in major cities to market it to. I can just see some dude pulling his car up to a street corner and some dude in a trenchcoat comes over...stating $8 for a bag...and a tobacco transfer takes place.

Congress has tried to keep tight control over booze and cigs...because if everyone figured out this tax game...and started to manufacture or grow their own stuff..the tax revenues would halt immedately. And its the same way with ethonoyl...eventually we will figure out that a still in your shed...with 80 acres of sugarcane is enough to produce all the fuel you need for two cars a year (50/50 blend of course). This is not the republic that we all know and love...it is a tax state.