4
0

Growing Tobacco


 invite response                
2023 Aug 19, 4:08pm   1,290 views  39 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (59)   💰tip   ignore  

I'm not a smoker, but I've seen tobacco plants in front yards around here, and yesterday I saw one which had gone to seed. The plant was conveniently located right on the street, so I collected some of the copious and very tiny seeds. There were many pods open to the top, and when you tip them, tiny seeds spill out. They are much smaller than poppy seeds.



My hands were sticky after touching the plant, and smelled good, kind of floral. I didn't notice any nicotine effect from that, though I've read it can happen. Today I learned a bit about planting them. I don't have any potting soil, but maybe they will do OK in the shit soil we have around here. Tobacco is said to be a very tough plant which can handle different soils.



I sprinkled seeds in each compartment, watered them a bit, and put some water in the container below as recommended. I then lightly covered that with a plastic bag, leaving some room for air because I read that mold can kill them otherwise.

They should germinate in 7 to 10 days. I plan to keep this thread updated with progress.

Comments 1 - 39 of 39        Search these comments

1   Tenpoundbass   2023 Aug 20, 6:30am  

Cool I always wondered if the seeds were controlled or illegal to privately possess and grow.
2   RC2006   2023 Aug 20, 8:15am  

When I use to go out with my archeology class I I would see them growing wild all over out in the desert. They must be very drought tolerant.
3   Patrick   2023 Aug 20, 8:30am  

I looked it up, and the seeds and plants are legal. You're just not allowed to sell it, or even barter it in some places.
4   just_passing_through   2023 Aug 20, 10:33am  

Because tobacco grows and seeds so quickly and prolifically it's one of the main plants used for genetic experimentation.
5   Patrick   2023 Aug 20, 10:41am  

I'm interested to see if chewing the green leaves will do anything.

I've read that they won't, but I've also read that people get a buzz just from touching the leaves for too long. That seems contradictory.
6   richwicks   2023 Aug 20, 10:52am  

Patrick says

I'm interested to see if chewing the green leaves will do anything.

I've read that they won't, but I've also read that people get a buzz just from touching the leaves for too long. That seems contradictory.


You might want to be careful. Small children have literally died from eating cigarettes.
7   WookieMan   2023 Aug 20, 11:16am  

If it's a cool looking plant then fine, but I wouldn't consume any of it in any form. I smoked cigarettes on and off till I was 32(ish). I don't want anything tobacco related in my life again. I know that was processed with other crap, but I just don't think it's a path worth going down. Anything that gives you a buzz opens the gate to addiction, even just chewing on a leaf.

Tobacco is the main reason I never have tried cocaine. I also know a few people personally that have died from it. Some was probably laced with something else. It's also the reason I don't take pain pills. Doctors are the biggest drug dealers on the planet.

Have fun with it, but I'd avoid consumption.
8   just_passing_through   2023 Aug 20, 11:21am  

just_passing_through says

Because tobacco grows and seeds so quickly and prolifically it's one of the main plants used for genetic experimentation.


I think mustard is another if I recall.
9   mell   2023 Aug 20, 12:05pm  

just_passing_through says

just_passing_through says


Because tobacco grows and seeds so quickly and prolifically it's one of the main plants used for genetic experimentation.


I think mustard is another if I recall.

Yep grows everywhere and has quite pretty yellow flowers
10   Patrick   2023 Aug 20, 1:47pm  

WookieMan says

Doctors are the biggest drug dealers on the planet.


This is clearly true. They get paid kickbacks to push various drugs.
11   Patrick   2023 Aug 27, 3:19pm  

Well, it's been just over a week but I don't see any sprout of any kind. Maybe it's really bad dirt. Or maybe the tobacco seeds are inactive for some reason.
12   mell   2023 Aug 27, 3:51pm  

Did they take the covid "vaccine"?
14   Patrick   2023 Aug 27, 7:53pm  

Thanks, I see "Days to Germination: 7-14 days"

The previous site I looked at said 7 to 10 days.

If there's nothing in another two weeks, I'll give up.
15   just_passing_through   2023 Aug 27, 7:56pm  

Down lower it says "About 7 to 14 days".

I've had to wait up to a month for small seed plants to sprout.

C'mon Chewie! You! Can! Doit!
16   richwicks   2023 Aug 27, 9:52pm  

Patrick says

Thanks, I see "Days to Germination: 7-14 days"

The previous site I looked at said 7 to 10 days.

If there's nothing in another two weeks, I'll give up.


You might just want to write a friendly letter to a tobacco farmer. Seriously.
17   Patrick   2023 Aug 30, 9:01am  

Now there are two very tiny sprouts. Not sure they are what I planted, but maybe.
18   Patrick   2023 Sep 1, 3:16pm  

It's been almost two weeks since planting, and now I have four sprouts. This is the largest of them:



Since they all look like the same plant, I'm pretty sure they are all tobacco. They seem incredibly tiny and fragile, so I'm not going to put them in direct sun yet. They look like they could get dried out in a few minutes with the sun around here.
19   Patrick   2023 Sep 1, 3:34pm  

Ah, I may have the ornamental species Nicotiana sylvestris instead of Nicotiana tabacum, going by flower appearance of the plant where I got the seeds.

Sylvestris flowers:



Tabacum flowers:



Both have nicotine.
20   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 1, 5:19pm  

They Sylvestris look like Datura, highly poisonous. I think that's what put sleeping beauty to sleep?

Anyhow, they aren't Datura so..
21   Patrick   2023 Sep 1, 5:20pm  

It should be pretty clear in a week or two.
22   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 1, 5:21pm  

I meant the flowers..
23   AmericanKulak   2023 Sep 1, 7:28pm  

Poppies are also legal to grow, for ornamentation.
24   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 2, 10:14am  

Similar seeds to what Pat shows and those DO take at least a month to sprout. You've got to toss them in your freezer for a month or so too first.
25   Patrick   2023 Sep 2, 11:15am  

Datura leaves look quite different from tobacco to me:


26   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 2, 11:30am  

Right, I was commenting about how Datura (there are many types) flowers look similar to the Sylvestris flowers you show above.
27   Patrick   2023 Sep 2, 12:00pm  

@just_passing_through Yes, thanks for the warning. Would be bad to try the wrong plant.
28   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 2, 12:03pm  

Oh, lol, not a warning at all. I'm sure you know what you're doing. Just a curiosity is all.
30   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 3, 2:02pm  

Oh, so they ARE related (all nightshades):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N9QWt1bIR8
31   richwicks   2023 Sep 3, 8:42pm  

just_passing_through says

Oh, so they ARE related (all nightshades):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N9QWt1bIR8


Potatoes are nightshades. It's a huge class of plants.
32   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 4, 11:57am  

richwicks says

Potatoes are nightshades. It's a huge class of plants.


Indeed and a lot of them are poisonous, including potatoes if you eat them at the wrong time. Never eat a green potato:

POTATO TOXICITY...
Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine.

Solanine is also found in other plants in the family Solanaceae, which includes such plants as the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana) as well as the potato, eggplant, and tomato.

This toxin affects the nervous system, causing weakness and confusion.

These compounds are generally concentrated in its leaves, stems, sprouts, and fruits.

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber; the highest concentrations occur just underneath the skin.

Cooking partly destroys them. The concentration of glycoalkaloid in wild potatoes suffices to produce toxic effects in humans.

Glycoalkaloids may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and in severe cases coma and death; however, poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely.

The U.S. National Toxicology Program suggests that the average American consumes at most 12.5 mg/day of solanine from potatoes (the toxic dose is several times this, depending on body weight).
34   just_passing_through   2023 Sep 4, 12:01pm  

When the new world was discovered they called the tomato, "The Wolf Peach". Doctors described all manner of awful things that would happen to you if you ate a tomato. I can't find it right now but one doc said it would invert all of your internal organs basically then they'd leak out you end. Some really crazy stuff.

https://www.timesleader.com/archive/399851/news-731266-the-wolf-peach-was-once-thought-to-be-poinsonous
35   Patrick   2023 Sep 4, 12:02pm  

Supposedly someone tried to poison Abraham Lincoln with a tomato. Not sure it's true, but might be.
36   Patrick   2023 Sep 11, 9:02am  

Now first sprout has died for no apparent reason, but there are many more smaller sprouts.
37   AmericanKulak   2023 Sep 11, 9:20am  

All the nightshades have all kinds of Alkaloid chemicals. Tobacco, Tomatoes, Eggplants, Peppers... all the same family of Nightshades or Solanaceae in Latin.

Never spray tobacco juice on tomato plants. While great to keep harmful bugs and fungus down on other plants, it can spread tomato rot.
38   Patrick   2023 Sep 28, 11:02am  

Now it's been more than 5 weeks, and I have lots of little seedlings, and a few large ones.

This is confusing, same situation in the other container. I suppose the large seedlings could be a completely different plant that happened to be in the dirt I used.

None of them are growing very quickly. I put them out in a place they get the morning sun for energy without getting scorched in the middle of the day.


39   Patrick   2024 Jun 3, 7:29pm  

I thought all of my tobacco seedling had died, but my wife pointed out a few that are still alive:


Please register to comment:

api   best comments   contact   latest images   memes   one year ago   random   suggestions