Tobacco is not difficult to grow, knowing some secrets. It will be more difficult with its post-harvest processing.
This article will discuss how to grow and ferment tobacco at home.
Varieties of tobacco for home cultivation
Consider the most famous varieties of tobacco for smoking, the cultivation of which is easy to implement at home:
- "Trapezond" - resistant to diseases. The growing season is short - after 100 days after planting, leaves can be collected.
- "Virginia" - is an early ripe grade which well gathers strength and a smell. It is considered disease resistant and tolerates bad weather conditions. The leaves contain a large amount of carbohydrates.
- "Holly" - there is less nicotine than other varieties. Ripening time - up to 120 days.
- "Anniversary" - the crop ripens in 80 days after disembarkation. Resistant to many diseases.
- "Samsun" - the variety matures in about 110 days. Is high-yielding - one plant can give up to 50 sheets.
- "Dubeck" - This variety is from Turkey. Suitable for cultivation in very warm climates.
- "Country tobacco" - frost-resistant. It can be grown in open ground or on a loggia or window.
Did you know? Tobacco belongs to the family of the bouillon. His relatives are potatoes and peppers.
Growing up
Consider how to grow tobacco at home. First you need to germinate the seeds, grow seedlings and prepare the soil.
Soil preparation
Loose and fertile land is considered the best option for tobacco growth. Seedlings grow well in the greenhouse. The soil before sowing seeds prepared, clearing from weeds. And also cover the nutrient layer with a thickness of 10 cm of sand (4 parts) and humus (3 parts).
Seed germination
Seeds are best used sprouted. Therefore, approximately 4 days before sowing, they should be soaked in warm water in a fabric. It is recommended to add tartaric acid or potassium nitrate and leave for a day. Due to this, the seeds germinate faster, and also increases the yield. 
After that, the seeds are washed, removing excess water, and put in a warm place to germinate. Use enameled utensils, which are not recommended to cover. The cloth must be moistened periodically. Approximately on the 4th day, the seeds begin to peck. Make sure that the sprout is not longer than the seed - they can break. After the majority of the seeds have been applied, they are dried to a friable state, mixed with very fine sand or humus.
Important! If it is not possible to sow germinated seeds immediately, then they can be stored for 1-2 days in a refrigerator at a temperature of + 1-2 ° С.
Sowing seeds
Seeds that have already germinated, it is recommended to use for growing seedlings of tobacco. They can be planted in pots and put on the windows in the apartment. Or sow them in a greenhouse.
This procedure is as follows:
- Before sowing, it is necessary to moisten the top layer using 1 liter of water per square meter.
- Seeds must be sown superficially. It is important to scatter them evenly - 4 g per 1 square meter.
- Next, you need to gently push the seeds into the nutrient layer by about 3 mm.
- Then you should water it. This should be done carefully so that the seeds are not too deep in the soil.
- The temperature in the greenhouse should not exceed 20 ° C.
Growing seedlings
Growing seedlings, you should look after her:
- regularly seedlings should be fertilized with a solution of superphosphate (50 g), potassium salt (20 g) and ammonium nitrate (30 g) diluted in 10 liters of water - 2 liters of liquid should be used per 1 square meter;
- You can also feed bushes with chicken droppings that need to be diluted with water 1: 7;
- water the seedlings should be regularly, as the soil dries, using 4 liters of water per 1 square meter;
- about 7 days before transplanting, reduce the frequency of watering. And for 3 days, hydration is stopped;
- weed should be removed around the bushes;
- Before transplantation, it is recommended to water the seedlings plentifully - thanks to this it will be easier to get it out of the ground.
Quality seedlings should have a resilient stem that does not break during folding. After 45 days, when the bushes reach 15 cm in height and there will be several true leaves on them, they can be transplanted into the ground. 
Transfer
The temperature of the upper layer of the earth (10 cm) for transplanting tobacco into open soil should not be below +10 ° C.
Transplant plan:
- It is necessary to make small holes, adhering to the distance between them of about 30 cm, and between the rows - not less than 70 cm.
- In each hole should be poured about 1 liter of water.
- Each plant before planting is recommended to dip into a mixture of clay and cow manure.
- Then the plants are carefully placed in the hole, keeping the earthy clod in which they grew.
- Further we fall asleep them with earth, slightly condensing.
Care
Tobacco does not require specific care. But still it is necessary to take care of him.
Watering
During the entire growing season, tobacco is moistened about 3 times, using approximately 6 liters of water per bush. Orientation is necessary for the appearance of plants: yellow and slightly wilted leaves indicate that they need to be moistened.
Important! It is not necessary to water the tobacco often, since it may die from an overabundance of moisture.
Top dressing
After 7-10 days after landing in the ground, it is necessary to feed the tobacco so that it can actively increase the green mass. For this it is recommended to use urea - 1 tbsp. l diluted in 10 liters of water and watered the plants at the root. And you can fertilize chicken droppings.
During the ripening of tobacco, it is necessary to produce three supplements using fertilizers with a high content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The first time they fertilize the plants at the beginning of the ripening period, the next feeding is carried out 15 days later, and the third - 7 days after the second.
As a top dressing, you can use banana peel, nettle, yeast, ammonia, boric acid, iodine, onion peel, potato peel, egg shells, whey.
Pruning
Tobacco trimming includes clipping and pinching.
Upscale - This is the removal of inflorescences. Due to this nutrients will not be spent on flowering, and will go on the development of leaves.
After removing the flowers, additional lateral processes begin to actively grow. They must also be removed (pinching).
Diseases and pests
This plant can hurt or be affected by insects:
- thrips - these insects eat leaves, which is very dangerous for tobacco. For the prevention of the appearance of thrips, it is necessary 30 days before planting tobacco, to treat the soil with Hexachlorane dust. Also, 3 times per season should be processed bushes "Rogor" or "Metiation";
- aphid - sticky discharges appear on bushes. To fight this pest is necessary "Rogor" or "Aktellik";
- root rot - seedlings are mostly sick, but adult bushes can also be affected. The leaves wither and dry, and the roots die off if the disease is neglected. It is necessary to water the land with "Benlat" at the first symptoms of the disease. And for the prevention of the soil is treated with this drug immediately after the planting of tobacco;
- black leg - the main stem is thin and dies. The disease manifests itself at high humidity and with an excess of nitrogen in the ground. In order to prevent seedlings sprinkled with 80% solution "Zineba";
- powdery mildew - white scurf appears on the leaves, the leaves turn brown and their aroma is lost. Colloidal sulfur helps with this disease;
- mosaic - the color of the leaves changes, greenish specks appear on them. Then the affected places die off. The cause of infection is the remains of plants that were not removed before planting tobacco. This is a viral disease that does not have a cure, therefore, infected plants should be destroyed and the soil should be disinfected.
Did you know? At the beginning of the 20th century, doctors recommended pregnant women to smoke so that they would not gain excess weight.
Harvesting
Harvest is necessary from the bottom leaves. They must be whole, dry and yellow. They need to spread out under the roof layer of 30 cm and wait 12 hours. This is done so that the leaves wilted. Then they need to be strung on the ropes and hung out for drying in a place where the wind does not blow and it does not rain, but there will be a lot of light. The sun's rays help evaporate moisture from the leaves.
This can last up to two weeks. Next, a garland of dry leaves should be folded fourfold and hang on the hook-port. Then these structures should be placed on the crossbars in the room so that the leaves dry further. In the fall, dry tobacco leaves must be stacked to smooth all folds.
Preparation of tobacco for use
Consider how to ferment tobacco at home. This procedure is carried out in order to give a special smell to tobacco. To do this, dry leaves should be placed in a special container and raise the temperature to 50 ° C, and humidity - up to 65%. So the leaves should be 3 days.
Further throughout the week, the humidity should be raised to 75%, and the temperature should remain the same. Then, for 2 days, the temperature should be reduced, and the humidity should be raised to 80%. Completion - cooling the leaves to ambient temperature, and the humidity should be about 15%.
After the procedures, the leaves need to lie down for 30 days. Then they are cut into strips of 0.5 mm. To fill a cigarette with a length of 8 cm and a diameter of 8 mm, 1 g of tobacco is required.
As you understand, growing tobacco is not difficult. The main thing is to have the desire and abide by the rules for the care of this plant.
