Newsletter  




Tobacconist University
Tobacco College

Tobacco College: Growing, Nurturing, & Harvesting

 
OCTOBER & NOVEMBER

Transplanting: Seedlings are carefully and meticulously transplanted to the tobacco fields. The following video shows a large field of shadegrown Corojo 99 in the Dominican Republic (DR) just after transplanting. It will take a couple of weeks for the plants to adapt, perk up, and start growing.






Growth & Maturation: The whole growing process will vary for different seed varietals. In general, Cuban seeds take from 85 to 90 days while Dominican varietals take 90 to 110 days to grow from seed to mature plant. After transplanting, the plant maturation process takes another 45 to 70 days. The tobacco plants will be visited every day to inspect for and remove any parasites or fungi. The following video shows a crop of sungrown Criollo 98 in the DR approximately 38 days after transplanting.






The next video shows a crop of sungrown Criollo 98 in the DR about the same age as the previous, but they are much taller and more inconsistent in size. This crop came from traditional semilleros so they have been exposed to more sun and have grown more aggressively.






Irrigation: While too much rain can ruin a tobacco crop, too little rain can be just as destructive. Cigar tobacco growers use several methods to water their plants. The most effective, yet expensive, way to water the plants is through Drip Irrigation. Drip Irrigation uses porous hoses running next to the plants to deposit just the right amount of water. Spray Irrigation uses giant sprinkler systems to spray the plants with water, but this method loses a lot of water due to evaporation. The most traditional and labor intensive method to water plants is through Canal Irrigation. This back-breaking method soaks the soil and roots with water, but must be carefully executed in order to avoid saturation and rotting: Canal Irrigation must be seen to be fully appreciated.






Pruning & Topping: As the plants reach maturity, the pruning and selection process continues. Smaller and underdeveloped leaves are removed in a process that is called deshijar, or deshijando. Upon reaching the desired height (5 to 6 feet), the plants’ flowers will be “topped”; in Spanish the term for topping is desbotonar. Topping (or desbotonando) allows the plants' focus and nutrients to flow directly to the leaves.






The tobacco plants pictured below with a red string tied around them have been spared from the topping process. They have been selected because of their favorable traits to father a future crop or to breed a new hybrid.

Growing: October






Certified R&D Tobacconists: United States

Showing 3 of 71 view all



WebsiteWebsite
 
FacebookFacebook
 
TwitterTwiter
 
InstagramInstagram
 
R&D Cigar DealerR&D Cigar Dealer
 
FeaturedDisplay on Homepage
  

Tabetha Bryant, CRTOld Virginia Tobacco Co.
Arlington, VA - United States
(703) 415-5554
Map It! GET DIRECTIONS


WebsiteWebsite
 
FacebookFacebook
 
TwitterTwiter
 
R&D Cigar DealerR&D Cigar Dealer
 
FeaturedDisplay on Homepage
  

Jorge Valdes, CRTSabor Havana Cigars
Doral, FL - United States
(305) 436-8860
Map It! GET DIRECTIONS


WebsiteWebsite
 
R&D Cigar DealerR&D Cigar Dealer
 
FeaturedDisplay on Homepage
  

Thomas Burwell, CRTHavana Tranquility
Punta Gorda, FL - United States
(941) 347-8177
Map It! GET DIRECTIONS



Facebook   linkedin   YouTube   Instagram



Categories



Cigars 101

TU Campus

Puro Integritas

Facebook   Linkedin   YouTube   Instagram