Other parts If you like the nutty aroma of fresh tobacco, growing some tobacco plants is a good way to enjoy them at home. Although it may be difficult to grow tobacco indoors, the pleasure of gardening and caring for plants faces great challenges. However, do not smoke or chew any tobacco you grow at home, as the nicotine content and chemical composition cannot be determined. Nevertheless, growing tobacco indoors is an interesting way to take your plant growing skills to a new level. They also need a lot of pruning, if you find that the cut plants are restored to treatment, it will be fun!
Part 1 of 3: Germinating Seeds
Place small, shallow seed trays in larger containers. Pick up some small growing containers and place them in rows in a large tray or container. The size of each container is not necessarily important, because once the seedlings have grown, you will want to pot them. Those plastic multi-plant seed trays are perfect for this operation, but you can also use seed jars or ice cream pints and punch holes in the bottom.
Tobacco seeds require a lot of water, and a large container will prevent water loss.
Fill the container with a mixture of planted seeds or starter. Buy any kind of seed mix or starter soil. Fill each small container with soil. After filling the container, do not compact the soil.
If you don’t want to buy a seed planting mix, you can also use a combination of fine soil and sand.
Tobacco tends to be quite resistant and will grow in a variety of soil components. When ensuring plant growth, temperature and lighting are more important.
Spread a thin layer of nitrogen-rich fertilizer on the soil. Obtain liquid nitrogen fertilizer, which is rich in nitrogen and potash fertilizer. Spread a thin layer of fertilizer on the soil and wait for about a week to allow the soil time to absorb the nutrients in the fertilizer.
If the soil you use is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, you can skip fertilizer. Most tobacco grown outdoors does not need it, so if your soil is healthy and rich in nutrients, you will be fine.
Buy seeds from high-quality sources. Tobacco seeds are very small, so you can grow some plants indoors without a big bag. There are many varieties of tobacco, but the most popular varieties are Virginia, Burley and Oriental tobacco. They grow at different times, but you use the same process to grow each species. Purchase seeds from reputable sources.
You may need to buy tobacco seeds from online sources depending on where you live. Some countries, states and regions do not allow the sale of tobacco seeds, but if it is legal to grow tobacco where you live, you can buy it online.
Sprinkle tobacco seeds on the soil so that they cannot be found. Pour a handful of seeds on a piece of paper. Slide a small amount of seeds carefully and slowly onto the soil to spread the seeds on the container. Tobacco seeds are incredibly small, and a small handful can produce as many as 100 plants, so don’t overplant them as the seeds spread.
Tobacco seeds are delicate, and their microscopic size makes it difficult to grow alone. Spreading seeds on the soil is the only realistic way to do this.
Water the soil until the larger container is filled with a small amount of water. Fill the watering can and slowly water the soil. Refill the soil and continue watering until the large container is filled with approximately 1-2 inches (2.5-5.1 cm) of water. Don’t compact the soil, and don’t worry about covering the seeds with topsoil.
Tobacco seeds are very thirsty and require a lot of water to germinate.
Cover the container and keep the area around the seeds at 75–80°F (24–27°C). Pick up a stack of newspapers or clear plastic covers. You can spread the newspaper on top of the large container, or put a plastic cover on it to cover the seeds. This will keep some water in the growing container. Place trash cans or growing containers in an area of your home that is always 75–80°F (24–27°C).
In fact, the area around the soil cannot be lower than 21°C (70°F). If needed, you can place space heaters or grow lights on the soil to keep the area warm. The seed does not need any light, but it will not harm anything.
Keep the soil moist and wait 3-14 days for the seedlings to germinate. As long as the water at the bottom of the larger container does not evaporate, you may not need to water while waiting for the seeds to germinate. Still check the soil daily to make sure it is still moist. If it is completely dry, water the soil a little to keep it moist. Your seedlings will germinate in 3 to 14 days.
If your seeds have not germinated after about two weeks, the temperature of the plants may not be high enough. Empty the container and try again!
Part 2 of 3: Maintaining Tobacco
Discard all seedlings that look unhealthy and straight. A handful of seeds can produce hundreds of tobacco plants, so only seedlings that look healthy and vertical can be maintained. Tobacco grows very tall, so if you keep those skewed plants, they will just fall and die. You may see dozens of roots in the seed tray, so choose 2-10 plants you want to keep.
Unfortunately, these cute little seedlings will eventually grow into a large number of plants. Unless you set up a commercial greenhouse, you can’t really take care of all these seedlings.
Pour each seedling into its own 2 US gallon (7.6 L) pot. Obtain a separate container for each plant you want to grow. Fill the new container with well-drained potting soil and press in the middle of the container with your fingers. Seedling the seedlings gently without damaging the roots, and then put the plants to be preserved in a new container.
If any tobacco seedlings start to tilt or tilt after transplantation, they can be supported by wooden forks or popsicles.
Place your plants in constant growing light for 16 hours a day. Purchase or pull out LED or CFL plant growth lights. Set it so that the light hangs about 2 feet (0.61 m) above the seedlings, and then turn it on. When the seedlings are mature, turn on the light for 16 hours a day.
CFL lamps are much cheaper than LED growth lamps, but LED lamps have a longer lifespan. However, this is entirely a matter of personal preference. Tobacco plants only want light, they don’t necessarily care about the source of light!
If you have an east-facing bay window or a sunny ledge, you can grow tobacco there. However, seedlings need a lot of light to reach maturity, so if you want to ensure plant growth, it is best to use growth light.
Whenever the soil starts to dry out, water the plants. Always keep the soil of the tobacco plant moist. Tobacco is drought resistant, but through a stable water supply, it can indeed grow healthily. At the same time, excessive watering will hinder the growth of tobacco. Check whether the soil is dry every day. If the soil is not wet, please give it a small amount of water.
Never water the tobacco plants directly, but only water the soil. Tobacco seedlings are very sensitive, and if water is poured on the leaves and stems, the plants may be damaged.
Always keep plants between 68–80°F (20–27°C). Obtain a thermostat and place it next to the factory to monitor the temperature. If the growing light is enough to keep your plants warm, or if the plants are in a particularly warm place in your home, don’t worry about the temperature. If the night is very cold, or you store the plants in a well-ventilated place, increase the temperature or set up a space heater to prevent the plants from getting too cold.
Tobacco is very sensitive to temperature. If the weather is too cold, your plants will die. If it is too hot, they will sprout and begin to pollinate. Try to keep the temperature stable at all times.
A little bit cooler at night is fine, but you don’t want the temperature to drop below 68°F (20°C)
Prune smaller leaves and branches to keep the plant healthy. As the plant grows, pay attention to the tiny leaves that grow under the big leaves. Use pruning shears to cut these smaller leaves from the stem to keep the plant healthy. If any secondary stalks fall off the main stalks, please cut them off with scissors. Branching will cause the plant to bend or tilt, which may cause the main stem to break.
Your tobacco should be fully mature within 90 days, depending on the type of tobacco you grow.
Part 3 (of 3 parts): Keep growing plants healthy
Keep the lights on for 16 hours a day to prevent flowering. If the daily light is reduced to 12 hours or less, your tobacco plant will think that the season is changing, so if you want the plant to continue to grow, please turn it on for 16 hours a day. If your leaves start to wrinkle or bend at different angles, it means that the tobacco is “expanding”, which indicates that the tobacco needs to be harvested or cut.
Always wear gloves when handling tobacco leaves, because tobacco leaves transfer a large amount of nicotine to your skin.
Most tobacco is perennial, which means you can theoretically grow them indoors throughout the year. However, this may be a bit unrealistic. Tobacco plants have become absolutely huge, and if you try to keep them alive for more than 6 months, you may be troubled.
Use pruning shears to cut off any yellow leaves or flower buds. After the leaves turn yellow, they need to be removed. Before composting or harvesting them, trim off these leaves by cutting them off the stems. If you see a flower bud, please pull it down with your hands or cut it off with pruning shears. If the top of your plant starts to bloom, cut off the top leaves of the stem to further delay the flowering process.
Remember, you cannot test the nicotine content or chemicals in the leaves. Do not use tobacco plants to make cigars, cigarettes or chewing tobacco.
A single flower bud can produce hundreds of seeds. If you want, you can keep these buds to plant seeds outdoors. However, for a small group of indoor plants, you hardly need so many seeds.
Move the growing light so that it is always 2 feet (0.61 m) above the plant. Tobacco can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 m) high. To make room for the plants, please continue to move the grow lights so that they are always 2 feet (0.61 m) from the top of the plants. Tobacco plants extend towards the light source, so if you put the light on one side, your plants may collapse or break.
In the end, you will either need to use a larger light fixture, or hang the light from the ceiling, or move the tobacco plant outdoors. You can continue to cut them, but if you don’t let them grow tall, the tobacco plants may eventually disappear at some point.
Transfer the plants or continue to cut them over time. Once the plant is too big for your home, move it outside or cut off all the leaves. If you cut off all the leaves, they should grow back in 1-2 weeks as long as the light shines on the soil. If you transplant tobacco plants outdoors, dig a hole in the pot that matches the size of the pot, and then gently lift it from the root. Put the plant in the hole and fill any gaps with potting soil.
When transplanting outdoors, place your plants in rows with 2–3 feet (0.61-0.91 m) between each plant and 3.5–4 feet (1.1–1.2 m) between each row.
If the tobacco is transplanted outside, remove the weeds in the surrounding area and water the plants daily until they mature.
If all the leaves start to turn yellow, cut them back, and then turn yellow again almost immediately, you need to harvest the whole plant.
Placing tobacco plants indoors for long periods of time is a time-consuming process, mainly because you will have to cut a lot. If the plants are transferred to well-drained soil, it is really ideal.
