Tobacco is native to North and Central America. Indians have been smoking tobacco for a long time. In our colder climate, it's grown outdoors as an annual. It can also be kept as a houseplant, in which case it will last for years. The tobacco plant is also known as Aztec tobacco. The tobacco plant is loved for its beautiful, large leaves. Dried, these are used to make tobacco for smoking.
It's also a beautiful houseplant that is especially loved for its beautiful and green leaves. Tobacco plant needs a light, warm and sheltered location. With a minimum of 5 hours of direct sunlight per day. If this plant gets too little sunlight, it will lose its leaves. The leaves may also turn yellow. This may mean that the plant needs nutrition. Brown leaves are a sign that too much or too little water has been given. If the leaves turn grey, it means the plant is suffering from spider mites. Milk sap may be released that can irritate the skin. If children or pets eat the leaves, this can cause bumps on the skin. If the plant suffers from lice, the leaves become sticky. Put the plant outside in summer when it rains, this ensures that the leaves are well-washed. Tobacco plant is mildly poisonous! Non-hardy annual. Height: 25 - 250 cm.
Indoor sowing: March - April
Outdoor sowing: May - June
Germination: 7 - 14 days
Germination temp.: 25 - 30 °C
Sowing dept: shallow
Planting distance: 60 - 90 cm
Distance between rows: 100 cm
Transplanting: after 3 - 4 weeks
Plant position: sunny - sheltered
Harvesting period: July - October
Tobacco doesn't need a specific type of soil to grow. It is a very hardy plant. It does need well-drained soil. The best results are obtained if tobacco is grown in a dry and warm climate. In any case, ensure a very sunny and sheltered spot with well-drained soil. It's necessary to have a period of 3 - 4 months without any frost. There should also be little rainfall during the growing period.
Sow the very small seeds thinly and shallowly on well-moistened sowing soil in trays. Don't cover the seeds as tobacco is a light germinator. Place these trays in a very warm propegator. The germination temperature should be between 25 - 30 °C. Colder than 25 °C makes no sense. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let it drop especially at night. It normally takes between 7-14 days for the seeds to germinate. Keep well warm, light and moist but not too wet. Don't let the soil dry out. Place the trays in a propegator that has some water at the bottom so that the trays are watered from below. Cover the propegator with the lid.
Remove the lid as soon as the seedlings emerge. After 3 - 4 weeks, the seedlings can be transplanted into larger separate pots. Give these young plants some liquid nutrition right along with watering. Take care! If the plants wilt or turn yellow, they need extra nutrition. The soil where the plants will be planted should be sufficiently fertilised and loosened, and remove any stones. Provide a sunny, sheltered spot with good drainage. Tobacco needs a pH of 5.8 - 6.2. Put the plants outside during the day for about 10 - 14 days in early May to let them get used to it. After this, they can be put outside from mid-May, as soon as there is no chance of night frost. The plants should then be about 15 - 20 cm high. Keep a planting distance of 60 - 90 cm. Water and feed adequately. Keep well warm and weed-free.
Remove the tops of the plants as soon as they start flowering. This will make the top leaves grow bigger and thicker. Spray the plants with a pesticide for tobacco. This is to prevent diseases, rot and pests. Don't put tobacco in an area where tobacco has also been growing for the previous 4 - 5 years. This is to prevent diseases and pests from being stored in the soil. After 3 - 4 months after transplanting, tobacco can be harvested. You can remove the whole stem or pick only the leaves. The leaves should be yellow and wilting. If you pick only the leaves, start with the lower leaf and thus pick the whole plant. It's important to keep the leaf whole. Hang the leaf in a dry and well-ventilated room to dry it. The temperature should be between 18 - 35 °C with humidity between 65 - 70 %. Drying can take between 4 - 6 weeks. After drying, the leaf can be pulverised. After this, it can be stored in wooden crates or cardboard boxes with a lid. Store tobacco dry, dark and frost-free. In this way, tobacco can be stored for 1½ - 2 years.
