Virginia tobacco: a description of the smoking variety 202, how to plant and a scheme for growing at home

Virginia Tobacco is considered to be a very common variety found in almost all pipe mixes. It is also used for hookahs and cigarette rolls. At the same time, this plant can be grown independently in your summer cottage. To get a good harvest, it is important to provide the culture with quality care. It should include timely watering, fertilizing, weeding.

Description and characteristics of the variety

Virginia 202 is considered an undemanding variety. Because it is grown in many countries of the world.

The prevalence of the variety is associated with a low content of nicotine, which is less than 3.5%. It also contains a lot of sugar. This number reaches 20%.

The main types of tobacco of this variety include:

1. Bright Virginia is a classic variety with reddish leaves and a distinct taste. Light Virginia is suitable for smoking in its pure form and with various impurities.
2. Yellow Virginia - has a yellow tint, and there are pronounced lemon notes in the taste. This tobacco is used as a base for other blends.
3. Gold Virginia - This sweet, golden tobacco is often paired with the Cavendish variety, which has a darker hue and a bitter aftertaste.
4. Orange Virginia is a savory variety that has a rich red color with reddish undertones.
5. Dark Virginia - has a rich dark brown hue, which is achieved through fermentation for 1 year.

Advantages and disadvantages of Virginia tobacco

Many smokers prefer to grow their own tobacco. The following advantages are characteristic of the Virginia variety:

• high quality;
• minimum nicotine content;
• large amount of sugars in the composition;
• medium strength;
• rich and bright taste.

At the same time, the variety has some disadvantages:

• the need for strict adherence to the rules of cultivation;
• risk of damage to bushes by diseases and pests;
• heat instability.

Features of cultivation

For tobacco growing to be successful, it is important to strictly adhere to the rules of agricultural technology.

Outdoor

In central Russia, tobacco seeds are recommended to be planted in open soil in May - at the stage of stabilization of warm weather. Furrows for sowing should not be deep. At the same time, planting seeds on the surface is also not recommended, as birds can peck them.

When growing tobacco, you need to follow the planting pattern. The distance between the holes is 30 centimeters, the row spacing is at least 70.

At home

Smoking tobacco can be grown in seedlings. During the germination of seeds, it is important to ensure that they do not release very large sprouts. If you plant such seeds in the soil, they can break. Seedlings should be systematically watered through a fine sieve.Several times they need to be fed with mineral preparations or use an infusion of chicken manure.

Rules of care

To grow a plant successfully, it is important to water and feed it in a timely manner.

Irrigation

Plants need to be watered infrequently. This is done 3 times during the growing season. For 1 bush it is recommended to use 8 liters of water. Mature plants have developed roots, so they do not need watering at all. In this case, the soil must be moistened a few days before harvesting.

Feeding

During the growing season of plants, it is important to adhere to the order of fertilizer application:

1. The first feeding is carried out 10 days after the seedlings are moved to open ground. In this case, it is recommended to use a composition of 1 tablespoon of urea and 10 liters of water.
2. The second time fertilizer is applied 2 weeks after the first. At this stage, a complex of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen is required. Tobacco takes organic supplements well. Therefore, you can use a solution of chicken manure. It should be mixed with water in a ratio of 1:7.
3. The third feeding is carried out 1 week after the second.

Weeding

Weed grass must be disposed of even before planting seedlings in the soil. It is also recommended to weed the beds during the entire growth period. The fact is that unwanted vegetation causes disease and leads to the reproduction of parasites.

Protection from diseases and pests

If the rules of agricultural technology are violated, tobacco can suffer from such pathologies:

1. Peronosporosis, or downy mildew, is the most common fungal disease of tobacco. It most often develops in warm, humid weather. In this case, the foliage is covered with yellow-green spots and twists down. With the defeat of seedlings or young bushes, the probability of plant death is high. Also, the disease reduces yield by 30%. For prevention, it is recommended to use Zineb or Polycarbacin. The same remedies are used at the first symptoms of pathology.
2. Powdery mildew - is a fungal infection, which is accompanied by the appearance of a white coating on the foliage. As the disease progresses, the leaves become dirty brown. To destroy fungi, you need to use Zineb. It is also required to reduce the intensity of watering. A week before harvest, watering should be completely stopped.
3. Tobacco mosaic - in this case, the foliage is covered with light green spots and twists up.After some time, the spots are transformed into dark dead areas. Even drying the leaves does not get rid of the viral infection. This disease negatively affects the quality of the product. To prevent tobacco mosaic, you need to spray plantings with a solution of boric acid.

Tobacco crops can also suffer from pests. Most often, plants are attacked by the following insects:

1. Peach aphid - is considered the most harmful parasite. These small green insects absorb the juice of tobacco leaves and pollute the bushes with waste products. Aphids also spread dangerous diseases - white moth and cucumber mosaic. To prevent pest attacks, it is important to remove weeds in a timely manner. When parasites are detected, plants are treated with Metation or Rogor.
2. Tobacco thrips are small yellowish insects that absorb the juice of tobacco leaves and damage their outer layer.This leads to a decrease in yield and a deterioration in the quality of raw materials. Affected leaves ferment poorly and dry unevenly. To prevent pest attacks, it is important to remove weeds in time. When plantings are infected, insecticides should be used.
3. Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle. They infect the root system and make holes in the stems of young bushes. Dealing with pests is extremely difficult. For prevention, before planting tobacco seedlings, it is worth using hexachloran dust. When a wireworm appears, the crops should be pollinated with the dust of metaphos.

Tobacco collection and processing

When tobacco leaves turn yellow, they can be harvested. You need to start the process from the bottom. In this case, it is important to avoid damage to the sheet plates. Drying is required in the shade or under a canopy. Then the raw material must be strung on ropes and hung for further drying.

Virginia tobacco is a common variety that has excellent taste and pleasant aroma. To grow a crop successfully, it is important to follow a number of rules.

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