Description of varieties of fragrant smoking tobacco, planting and care in open ground

Growing fragrant, smoking tobacco is widely practiced by gardeners. The plant is famous for its original aroma and varied colors of inflorescences. The smell attracts bees to the garden. There are many varieties of this crop. It is a perennial shrub, but in mid-latitudes it is cultivated as an annual. To successfully grow tobacco, you should familiarize yourself with the information below.

Description and features

Fragrant tobacco is a herbaceous, flowering plant, a member of the Solanaceae family. The bushes grow up to 0.9 meters high. The shoots are straight, the leaf plates are large, the flowers are small, star-shaped. There are glandular hairs on the surface. Inflorescences of various colors, depending on the type and variety: red, yellow, crimson or pinkish. Pale flowers are more fragrant. They open with a diameter of 6-8 cm immediately after sunset.

Pollen occurs in June and lasts until September. In the evening, the aroma of tobacco intensifies, it is similar to the smell of violets, sweetish. The plant has been cultivated since 1867. Tobacco easily tolerates the first autumn cold. It is widely used to decorate the garden and create flower arrangements with it.

Growing tobacco seedlings from seeds

Shallow containers are prepared for sowing tobacco. You should also take care of the soil mixture. It should contain peat, humus and garden soil in a ratio of 1:1:1. Before sowing, to allow the seeds to swell, wrap them in a damp cloth for 2 days. They are carefully distributed over the surface of the earth and moistened by spraying. Cover the container with film and put it in a warm place with an air temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.

The first seedlings will hatch in 1.5 weeks. When this happens, remove the cover and move the containers to a lighted windowsill. The surface of the substrate will need to be loosened regularly. When the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, they can be considered ready for picking.

Sowing dates

Seedlings of fragrant tobacco should be prepared in mid-March and early April.Some summer residents carry out the procedure from February 15, but this is possible in the South. You can plant seedlings in a permanent place in the garden from the end of May or early June.

Picking

On average, picking is carried out on the 20th day. 30 minutes before the event, the tobacco is watered so that the old soil softens. Take out the plants with a lump of earth, holding them by the leaves. Afterwards, carefully trim the rhizome by 1/3. Make a shallow hole in the new container. The recess should not be more than 5 mm from the growth point. Sprinkle the seedlings with soil, lightly tamping it down. Next, moderate watering of the crop with settled water will be required.

There is no need to apply fertilizer in the next week; the seedlings should germinate in a new place without feeding. The plant experiences shock when picked; the procedure must be taken responsibly. You should not move new containers to dark places. You should not wait until the seedlings become very strong. Fragile specimens adapt more quickly to a new location.

After rooting the pricked shoots, pinch off their tops. This will help the formation of a new, lush bush.

Hardening

Seedlings can be taken outside 3 days after moving to new containers. For the first few days, keep the young seedling in the fresh air for 2 hours. Next, increase the period by 1 hour. After 14 days, the plants are outside all day. The air should warm up to at least 15 degrees Celsius.

Planting in open ground

Transplanting tobacco seedlings into open soil requires the method of transferring an earthen clod. They stop watering 3 days before transplanting. The area should be dug up in advance. If the soil is poor, add 1 bucket of humus and 3 buckets of compost 2 weeks before planting.

When replanting, it is worth disinfecting the plant with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is diluted in a ratio of 1 ml per 1 liter of water. This will help prevent the development of rot and fungi on the root system.

Site selection

The plant is not demanding on growing conditions, but it is advisable to plant it in a well-lit place, on the south side. You can plant the crop in partial shade, in a flowerbed, or in rock gardens. The bush grows well in cultivated garden soil.

Soil requirements

The land must be fertile, since the crop does not grow on saline and heavy soils. There are no special requirements for neighbors; they can be any representatives. The same applies to predecessors.

Tobacco planting scheme

Having taken the seedling material out of the pot, place it in a damp hole and pour in 0.5 liters of water. A depression is made in the center and seedlings are placed there. Between individual bushes, maintain a distance of 30 cm. If we are talking about tall bushes, the optimal distance is 80 cm. The rhizome is sprinkled with wet soil, pressing down the new layer. Afterwards, pour out dry soil. This will help retain moisture.

According to experienced gardeners, tobacco can withstand transplanting into open ground in a permanent place even during pollen.

Care

Caring for tobacco is simple; you just need to water it on time, loosen the soil, fertilize it, and treat it against diseases and harmful bugs. Bushes are pruned periodically.

Watering

Tobacco is a moisture-loving crop. For the successful development of bushes and their flowering, irrigation is carried out 1-2 times a week. You should focus on weather conditions. If there is drought, increase the amount of watering. The soil should be constantly moist. It is advisable to irrigate the soil in the morning or evening.

Loosening and weeding

Loosening the soil around the tobacco helps remove weeds and saturate the soil with oxygen. It is preferable to do the manipulation immediately after watering, this will allow you to pull out the weeds with their roots. Dry soil will need to be weeded with a hoe. If there was wheatgrass on the plot, you need to dig it up and remove the rhizomes before planting. Loosening is carried out every time after watering the plant.

Top dressing

Tobacco does not need frequent weeding. Fertilizers are applied 2-3 times during the growing season. Use a standard dose of minerals for flowering plants or nitrophoska.

Feeding stimulates abundant, lush flowering.

Diseases and harmful bugs

Fragrant tobacco is famous for its high resistance to diseases and pests. It contains many phytoncides that repel harmful beetles. If infestations of aphids or other insects occur, the bushes are sprayed with insecticides. Fungicides help against diseases such as powdery mildew.

After flowering

The plant does not require pruning, but faded inflorescences are removed to maintain its decorative appearance. The procedure has no effect on the abundance of pollen.

Types of tobacco

Below are 5 types of fragrant tobacco. Each of them differs in size and appearance. All varieties are grown in the same way.

Forest

The bush grows from 0.8 to 1.5 meters high. The flowers are white, fragrant, and the shoots are straight. The species was first bred in Brazil. It is advisable to use it for growing on the back façade or borders.

Langsdorff

The plant reaches 1.2 meters in height. The inflorescences are dark green, bell-shaped, and smell pleasant. The crop grows in the wild in Chile and Brazil.

Winged

The herbaceous bush is cultivated by gardeners as an annual, its height is about 0.6 meters. The leaf blades are small, lanceolate in shape. On the surface of the bush there is an omission, which consists of glandular hairs. The flowers are small visible, loose, cream or carmine in color. Their length is 75 mm, with a bend with a diameter of 50 mm. Flowers bloom at night, but breeders have developed varieties of winged tobacco that open during the day, and dwarf bushes that do not require staking.

Sandera

The Sander tobacco variety is a hybrid that was developed by crossing winged tobacco and Forget in 1903. The plant reaches 60-100 cm in height. It has large flowers, 7.5 cm in diameter, tubular, star-shaped, without fragrance. They open only during the day; the corollas are collected in a loose inflorescence. The main color of the petals is reddish-carmine, but sometimes it is white. The leaves are large, oval, collected in a rosette.

Mutabilis

The Mutabilis variety is famous for its high growth, which reaches 1 meter. The peduncle is paniculate, with a mass of branches and flowers. The birthplace of tobacco is South America. The bush blooms for 1 season, it is an annual. The leaves are dark green in color, the buds are like a closed gramophone.

Popular varieties

Listed below are the current varieties of tobacco that are cultivated in the CIS countries. They take root without problems in the climate of northern, southern and middle latitudes.

Splash

The low-growing bush reaches a height of 0.6 to 0.9 meters. The inflorescences are light lemon, long, the petals hang down to the bottom.

Evening breeze

The tobacco variety grows up to 0.6 meters tall. The flowers are red-crimson.

Red Devil

The bush is compact, grows up to 0.4 meters in height. The inflorescences do not close during the day; they are dark scarlet.

Crimson Rock

The plant reaches 0.45-0.6 meters in height. The buds are crimson-red. The variety received the Fleuroselect award.

White Bedder

The bush grows up to 0.5 meters in height. The inflorescences are white and open during the day.

Lime Green

Tobacco reaches 0.75 meters high. The flowers are greenish, the variety is widely used as a basic element in garden decoration.

Domino Saman-Pink

The height of the bushes is small, 0.3 meters. The inflorescences are salmon-pinkish.

Sensation

The variety grows up to 60-80 cm tall. Flowers of various colors.

Nicky

The Niki variety is dwarf and grows up to 30 cm tall. The color can be snow-white or crimson.

Havana

The tobacco series is medium tall, grows up to 60 cm. The flowers are fragrant, white, bluish, scarlet or purple.

Avalon

The color of the tobacco variety is different. The bush grows from 15 to 30 cm in height.

Perfume

The bushes reach up to 30 cm in height, the leaves are rich green. Flowers can be of different colors.

Roll

The variety is short, grows up to 15-20 cm. The flowers resemble a corolla in shape. The color is bright, crimson. Emerald leaves.

Tuxedo Samad-Pink

Tobacco reaches 20 cm in height, the leaves are dark green. The inflorescences are deep pinkish, sometimes with light purple petals.

Tuxedo Lime

The bush grows to a maximum of 20 cm. The color of the inflorescences is rich yellow, like a lemon.

Use in garden design

Fragrant tobacco pairs well with low, climbing perennials located behind and behind. Clematis and campsis are widely planted next to the crop. If the tobacco varieties are tall, it is better to place low-growing annuals like ageratums and marigolds behind them. You can combine different varieties, regarding the shade range, focusing on your taste preferences.