A Comprehensive Guide to Growing Burley Tobacco

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A Comprehensive Guide to Growing Burley Tobacco
It is a light air-cured tobacco that is mostly
used to make cigarettes because it has a light
taste and color. From choosing the seeds to
harvesting and drying, every step of growing it
needs to be done with great care. This guide goes
into great detail about the different steps
needed to grow Burley tobacco, so both new and
experienced farmers can get a good
crop. Selecting the Right Seeds Picking good
Burley tobacco seeds is the first thing that you
should do to make sure your crop is healthy. Look
for seeds from reliable sellers that offer
varieties that are resistant to disease and give
you a lot of food. TN90, KY14, and VA359 are some
famous types of Burley tobacco. Make sure the
seeds are certified and kept in the best way
possible to keep them alive. Soil Preparation It
grows best in rich, well-drained soils with a pH
level between 5.8 and 6.2. Do a soil test to find
out the pH and amount of nutrients in the earth
before
you plant? If you need to change the pH, add
lime, and then use a balanced
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fertilizer based on what the soil test says. For
a fine, hard seedbed, deep plowing and harrowing
are the right ways to prepare the
soil. Planting It is more common to transfer
burley tobacco than to direct-seed it. Around 6
to 8 weeks before the last frost date, start
seeds in a greenhouse or seedbed where they will
be safe. Keep the soil constantly moist and the
temperature between 70F and 75F (21C and
24C). Plant plants outside when they are 6 to 8
inches tall and there is no longer a chance of
frost. Plant the seedlings in rows 40 to 42
inches wide, 18 to 24 inches apart, in the yard.
Make sure that each plant has enough room to grow
and gets enough sunshine. Fertilization Burley
tobacco needs a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium because it grows quickly. When moving,
use a starter fertilizer to help the roots
grow. Add nitrogen fertilizer to the soil on the
side as needed during the growing season based on
plant growth and soil test results. Be careful
not to fertilize too much, as this can cause too
many leaves to grow and bad tobacco
quality. Irrigation For Burley tobacco to grow,
it needs to stay moist. The plant needs about 1
to 1.5 inches of water every week, which can come
from rain or watering. Set up a regular
irrigation plan, especially during dry times, to
keep the soil evenly moist without being too wet.
Most of the time, drip irrigation or ceiling
sprinklers are used. Pest and Disease
Management Pests and diseases that like to eat
burley tobacco include aphids, hornworms, blue
mold, and black shank. Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) is necessary
to keep damage to a minimum. Check the fields
often for signs of pests and
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diseases, and use the right methods to get rid of
them, like pesticides, fungicides, or biological
controls. Pests and diseases can also be kept at
bay by rotating crops and keeping fields
clean. Topping and Suckering Topping, which
means taking off the flower head, helps the
leaves grow and makes the tobacco better. This is
usually done when the flower head shows up, which
is usually 60 to 70 days after the plants were
transplanted. Along with topping, you should
regularly remove suckers, which are side shoots
that you dont want. Chemical sucker ides can be
used to cut down on the amount of work that needs
to be done by hand. Harvesting The leaves of
Burley tobacco are ready to be picked when they
are fully grown and turn a pale green to
yellowish color. This normally happens 70 to 90
days after the transplant. When the plant is
harvested, it is usually cut off at the base and
speared onto sticks to dry. About six plants can
fit on each stick. Curing Curing is an important
step that changes the taste and quality of Burley
tobacco. Burley is air-cured, which means it is
dried naturally in barns with good air flow. Hang
tobacco plant sticks in the barn with enough
space between them so air can flow. The leaves
slowly turn brown as they lose water over the
course of 6 to 8 weeks, which is called
drying. Keep an eye on the drying area to make
sure it stays at the right temperature and
humidity levels (65-75). Too much humidity can
make mold grow, and too little humidity can dry
out the leaves too fast and make them
break. Grading and Marketing To grade the leaves
based on color, texture, and quality, they are
taken off the
stalks after they have been dried. To get the
best market price, you need to
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grade your goods correctly. Sort the leaves and
then bundle or bag them to sell. Burley tobacco
is mostly bought and sold at auctions or through
deals with tobacco companies.