Does anyone grow tobacco?

[Stvrob]

Does Anyone here grow tobacco? Is it difficult? Is it even legal?

[RootLoops]

i haven't grown any but i'm pretty sure it's legal to grow, i'm fairly certain i remember seeing seeds for sale on the net somewhere. a long time ago a guy sent me some heirloom black stem tobacco seeds, he said they grew beautiful flowers. if you grow it to smoke look into drying and curing and also look into boveda packs, they will help it cure properly

[kurt]

I grow it all the time for a friend that has a cigar store chain here in Miami Fl/Tampa(for display and smoke negating absorption he says).I keep three to four plants out by the enclosed pool area as ornamentals.My renegade nephews use them in lieu of rolling papers for thier social activitys.Dependent on variety they do grow to 9- 10ft.Large 16x 20 inch veins leaves.A pretty crop of flowers(50-100 tulip double bulb)The bottom bulb holds the seeds.When bottom bulb is brown and you remove and shake you can hear ripe seeds(200-300 tiny poppy seed sized).About 4-6 months.Grown in a container,one variety I have is a bamboo shaped type the other is a multi branch .Have fun.

[Stvrob]

Very interesting. I'm interested in chewing tobacco, or maybe making a few cigars, but the curing and aging seems like a lot of work. Is it feasible to actually make a useful product?

[ginger2778]

Imidacloprid is a pesticide made from tobacco. Commonly used in the systemic pesticides that Bayer has on the market. It is an insect neurotoxin. So you could make your own pesticides from the leaves.

Marsha

[kurt]

All I can tell you is the best cigar makers and seeds went to Nicaragua after the overthrow by Castro according to my friend.You can still by the infamous Monte Christos #40(Castros,Orsen Wells, Edward G robinson,Winston Churchills movie/photo cigars)for Americans out of the USA.We still have a embargo.You can see cigars being made in Miami and Tampa if you ever get there.The outside wrap for cigars is different from the filler(I hear a tobbacco called Conneticut Cut)Moisture plays a big role in the production/drying and burning capabilities.I hear best cigars are made at night and if in Panama along with the famous Panama Cane Hat.The temps and moisture play a important role.As for the chewing I hear nothing but negatives and cancer throat/jaw surgerys(removals).Since you really do not inhale cigar smoke I do admit back in the day nothing was better than some single malts/aged rum and a good smoke.

[Cole_Robbie]

I have read that prisoners have committed suicide by collecting a lot of cigarette butts, steeping them in water to extract the nicotine, and then drinking the water.

Tobacco causes cancer because it absorbs so much phosphorous from the soil, it actually becomes radioactive. One of these days, science is going to make a tobacco plant that doesn't do that, and doing so will save about a billion lives.

[kurt]

"One of these days, science is going to make a tobacco plant that doesn't do that, and doing so will save about a billion lives."

That would be a twisted confirmation for the GMO community!

[chiefbeaz]

Haven't grown tobacco in thirty years, but other than the labor involved in cutting and suckering the plants it isnt hard to grow. The goverment does control how much you can grow. New Hope Seed company in Bon Aqua,Tennessee sells tobacco seeds and you could get some information from them. The heirloom tomato named Tidwell German comes from their family farm also.

WWW.NEWHOPESEED.COM

[saltmarsh]

Another source with more information than will fit in your pipe. Claud

http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistN.htm#Tobacco

[mecktom]

As a retired tobacco grower, I can attest to how labor intensive it is...on a large scale. Tobacco was once king in Virginia, NC, Tenn, Ky, and other Southern states. I have many fond memories of the hard work and the people I worked with.