Q&A for How to Grow and Process Tobacco

No. You only need to take out the flowering bud as soon as you see it. If you cut back the plant, it only reduces the size of the leaves.

You get menthol crystals and dissolve them in water. Then get a spray bottle and spray the saturated water on the tobacco.

No, it is not illegal to grow tobacco in the UK or US or the EU. However it is illegal to sell without a license and tax.

No. Tobacco and hemp plants are two different things.

No, Grass hoppers will not bother tobacco; however, if you have very large brown moths in your area, they will lay their eggs on the plants and hatch horn worms. If you see holes in your tobacco leaves, you have horn worms. You must remove them from your plants or, as the worms grow, they will devour one tobacco leaf per day and will soon devastate your tobacco plants.

To put it plainly, no. There are different "strains" of tobacco plants, but there are not "flavors." Instead, think of different kinds of tomato plants, some grow cherry or small yellow tomatoes, while some grow big deep red tomatoes. There are differences in how the different strains of tobacco plant leaves smoke, and there are differences in taste, similarly to comparing different roasts of coffee.

It's illegal to grow tobacco in Australia for personal or commercial use without an excise license.

In my experience, yes. It saves money and produces higher quality tobacco.

Cut leaves into about 1" wide strips, then soak them in warmed molasses. Since I use plug tobacco, I made a metal box that is 2" x 3" and about 3" deep out of 1/8" steel, just a rectangle shape and one piece that fits inside cleanly and another piece that is a little bit oversized for a bottom. Fill the box with saturated leaves, tamping them down a bit. Put the lid piece on top and, with a couple of small C-clamps, compress the leaves. (It's a bit messy because you'll be squeezing out some of the molasses.) Then take the clamps off and push the plug through the box, remove the lid and bottom piece that's stuck to it. You can then wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer.

You can grow tobacco anywhere. Just be aware of your environment and surroundings.

Florida is a prime location for growing tobacco. The only catch is that when drying the leaves, you have to monitor the humidity. If the leaves are too moist while drying, they will mold in 3-4 days depending on the humidity.

Yes. Pick the lowest and largest leaves first. As the plant matures you can keep harvesting the large leaves. And save the seeds for next season.

If you want to maintain humidity to a certain level, you'll have to keep them in a container. It'll need some ventilation, but you don't want to overdo it. You can get a humidity gauge at the pet store. Spray a fine mist as needed to maintain your desired humidity level.

Yes and no. Non-fermented tobacco can be used as a repellent for bugs on other plants. If you want to smoke without fermenting, it is not advised. The fermenting process is done because the green leaves contain much nutrients, ammonia and so on. After fermenting, these products are heavily reduced or not at all in the leaves anymore.

You can buy what's called a Hydrostone, which is used for putting moisture back into tobacco. The stone is made from a clay type material which you soak in water for a little while then pat dry with a paper towel and place with the tobacco. An airtight container or bag is best and after 24 hours the tobacco should be moist again. Some people say spray with water but this is a much better option.

You will need to find a variety of tobacco that is low in nicotine. All varieties vary in the amount of nicotine they contain and a lot of commercial tobacco's are a blend of different ones to obtain the desired strength and flavor. I'd recommend finding some very low nicotine varieties and maybe try blending it with something stronger to give it the desired strength/flavor.

Yes, it will. Any universal fertilizer with a lot of nitrogen and without chlorine can be used.

It could be too dry or too finely cut. Try adding some moisture, and make sure you pack it tightly.