Tobacco cultivation in your own garden or on your balcony is more popular than ever. The age-old tradition receives undiminished popularity in view of its convincing advantages. They harvest tobacco leaves without any additives, grow their own favorite variety and save the annoying tax on top of that. Anyone who renounces vice will at least enjoy the magnificent flowers of ornamental tobacco. The following instructions explain how to plant tobacco seeds professionally. Here you will get to know the best varieties for cigarettes, cigars, pipes and hookahs and find out how to grow them successfully.
Varieties
Virginia Helena
A very popular base tobacco for American blends. Low in nicotine, rich in taste and ideal for cultivation in Germany.
- Growth height 100 to 300 cm
- Leaf length up to 50 cm
Burley Bursanica
Historic tobacco with medium nicotine content and a spicy, slightly bitter taste. The mighty plant takes on a Christmas tree-shaped shape. Burley tobacco is also often used as chewing tobacco.
- Growth height 100 to 300 cm
- Leaf length 50-70 cm
Orient Tobacco Xanthi
Thanks to its sweet aroma, oriental tobacco is particularly suitable for use in water pipes. In mixtures with Virginia or Burley varieties, Xanthi is primarily used to harmonize sugar, which particularly suits female tastes.
- Growth height up to 200 cm
- Beautiful red goblet flowers
Samsoun Orient Tobacco
One of the best varieties from the Orient. Popular for water pipes and as a fine-cutting material. Sweet, aromatic and full of flavor nuances.
- Growth height up to 300 cm
- Very high nicotine content for oriental tobacco
Orient Turk
Shisha fans will plant the seeds of this type of tobacco in the garden or on the balcony. The comparatively small leaves contain concentrated essential oils, which are responsible for the mild aroma of the burnt.
- Growth height up to 200 cm
- Slows down rapid burn in Virginia strains
Havana Corojo
The special variety for cigars is also used for spicy cigarettes and pipes. The white-flowering plant impresses with its high resistance to diseases and also tolerates unfavorable weather conditions.
- Low nicotine
- Leaf 4-8 from below suitable as a sand sheet
Baden Geudertheimer
A classic cigar tobacco with a strong aroma. The traditional dark country variety has so far proven to be extremely robust and productive.
- Medium nicotine level
- Can be used as a fine pipe cut
Nicotiana Rustica
Known under the name farmer's tobacco, this variety is characterized by the highest nicotine content. Anyone who consumes the Machorka cigarettes made from it should prefer a strong taste. The plant itself is resilient and robust enough to withstand the local climatic conditions, but only until the first frost.
- Yellow flowers from June
- Average profitability
Japan Orient
High yield, low growth, Japan Orient fulfills these wishes, albeit at the expense of the nicotine content. Ideally suited for cultivation in pots, the small-leaved plant thrives excellently on poor soils and at high altitudes.
- Growth height up to 100 cm
- Pink flowers from July to August
Ornamental tobacco varieties
The following tobacco seeds produce magnificently flowering plants with high ornamental value for beds and balconies. However, the leaves can still be used as a cigar wrapper or filler tobacco.
Adonis
The dark tobacco variety has no significant nicotine content. The sand leaves, on the other hand, are rich in essential oils, so smokers among amateur gardeners also use this ornamental plant as a source for cigar wrappers or chewing tobacco.
- Growth height up to 120 cm
- Pink flowers from June to September
Forest Tobacco
It is only at dusk that an intoxicating scent emerges from the white funnel flowers of this unique type of tobacco. The flowers themselves, however, are permanently open. The scented tobacco preferably develops these decorative attributes in a partially shaded location.
- Growth height up to 150 cm
- Flowering period from June to October
Nicotiana alata
The magnificent tobacco plant came to Europe from Paraguay many years ago. The exotic variety also only develops its scent after dusk.
- Growth height 30 to 120 cm
- Red flowers from June to September
Mountain Tobacco
The variety is also known as giant ornamental tobacco because it can reach an impressive height of 200 centimeters, something that conventional ornamental varieties are usually not capable of. The elegant pendant flowers shimmer silvery-white and develop their unmistakable scent in the evening.
- Flowering period from July to August
- Breaking out the spent main shoot extends flowering until September/October
Classic cultivation
The time window for cultivation by sowing opens in mid/late March. By the time the local climatic conditions meet the requirements of tropical tobacco plants, the tender seeds have developed into strong seedlings. Follow these steps:
- Fill a seed tray or 7 cm pot with potting soil or special Cocobrick soil from specialist retailers
- Press the substrate with your hand or a board and place the containers in a tub
- Mix the very fine tobacco seeds with bird sand and scatter thinly
- Do not sieve the light germinators with substrate, just press them down
Conventional tap water does not meet the requirements of professional irrigation of tobacco seeds. Instead, the seeds depend on the supply of a nutrient solution right from the start, especially if they are grown in a substrate containing peat. Specialist retailers offer adequate products under the product name Mono I nutrient solution. The liquid is administered from below in the seed container by pouring it into the tray. Due to capillary action, the solution draws through the holes in the bottom into the substrate.
Pricking
At a constant temperature of 21 degrees Celsius in a partially shaded location, germination begins within a week. If the substrate dries during this phase, add a little water from below. When the seedlings have reached a height of 1-2 centimeters, they are pricked out. This unusually early time for separation is recommended because the roots, which are still poorly developed, cannot be seriously damaged. This is how it works:
- Small pots half to two thirds full with potting or growing soil
- Make a depression in the substrate with the pricking rod
- Lift each tobacco seedling out of the seed container individually with a spoon and plenty of soil
- Place in the larger pot just below the cotyledons
- Moderately solidify the substrate using the pricking rod and pour from below
Until the seedlings have reached a height of 10 centimeters, the focus of care is on water supply. In order to harden the plants, the temperature should fluctuate around 15 degrees in a partially shaded place.
Tip:
In Germany, the cultivation of tobacco for private use is permitted and is exempt from tobacco tax. Since there is no precise indication of where the border for commercial cultivation is, you are on the safe side as long as there are fewer than 100 tobacco plants in the garden.
Floating cultivation
The extremely sensitive roots that sprout from the tender tobacco seeds have prompted knowledgeable breeders to develop an alternative cultivation method. The result was floating plant cultivation, which results in strong tobacco seedlings with an exposed and at the same time protected root system. The advantage lies in a more robust constitution, which leads to much less damage during planting than with classic cultivation in soil, especially since singling is unnecessary. This is how it works:
- A hole plate with a transparent lid is attached to a tub housing
- Fill the compartments three quarters full with potting soil and insert a tobacco seed in the middle of each one
- Fill the tub with the nutrient solution so that the seed hole plate floats about 1 cm deep in it
The transparent cover creates a warm, humid microclimate in the partially shaded place, which has a beneficial effect on germination. As you maintain the water level in the tub over the following weeks, strong tobacco seedlings will thrive. From mid-May, you can remove the seedling and the substrate from each compartment in order to immediately plant it in the bed.
Conclusion
Don't let their microscopic size stop you from planting tobacco seeds yourself. It is very possible to grow a powerful tobacco plant up to 2 meters high from it. In these instructions you will find out what is important when growing. You can even choose between classic sowing in substrate and floating cultivation, which optimizes your chances of success. Start looking for your favorite type of tobacco now. An overview of recommended breeds would make your choice easier.
