What do you know about tobacco stalks?

[3rdgeneration farmer]

Can somebody tell me something about how tobacco stalks compare to real fertilize and around how much nitrogen is actually in the average stalks?

 

[rmcva]

Can somebody tell me something about how tobacco stalks compare to real fertilize and around how much nitrogen is actually in the average stalks?

Never seen the NPK value for tobacco stalks but did see one on tobacco leaves last year. One tobacco co. had a couple million pounds stored in Danville Va. and was taking it to a land fill to get rid of it. Farmers found out that was being done and started hauling it to the farms. Some was flu-cured and some burley. Neighbor sent some for a test. Can't remember the exact figures but it was something like 6-2-4(npk). Folks here always spread Dark tobacco stalks and now they spread Burley since they started growing that here. Just saw some spread in a pasture last week.

I spread 40,000 pounds of the leaf for a friend. I put down 7,000 pounds per acre. The leaf was very dry and spread good. It sifted down in the grass real well. That was in March. Had some rain after spreading and the grass turned very green. He made a better hay crop on those fields(no fertilizer) than the rest did with regular fertilizer. Then came the drought and couldn't tell much after that. Everything dried up.

We finished spreading wood ash(400 tons) about a week before we had 9 in. of rain. Didn't spread ash on the fields where the tobacco was spread(PH was OK there). All the fields are very green now. So it looks like the tobacco leaf is slow release(or the drought caused it to be slow).

All the stalks I've seen spread, they use an old ground driven manure spreader and the whole stalks are thrown out. I would think it would be better if they were chopped up to cover the ground better. But I could be wrong. The stalks are worth spreading. I've seen green streaks in field where they had been spread. I would think the stalk is about the same as the leaf and maybe more. Good organic matter too.

 

[Medic24]

One man's trash is always another man's treasure. Although becoming much rarer these days, in the past i have begged and worked to get stalks to place on my pastures.....I have tried both just tossing them out, and also grinding them up... it seems in the end, no real difference.. so I just toss em out now if I can get em...

and yeah he is right... it does show.... greens up very well for a while......can't beat nearly free fertilizer. :cboy:

 

[Hippie Rancher]

wow that is really interesting. I like learning new things. So does that mean tobacco is hard on ground where it is grown? Does it take up all the nutrients?

 

[rmcva]

wow that is really interesting. I like learning new things. So does that mean tobacco is hard on ground where it is grown? Does it take up all the nutrients?

Bright tobacco/flu cured is grown on poor soil plant food wise not texture wise. The reason is so you can control the growth and quality. Back in the days of Smith Douglas fertilizer we used a 3-9-9 at 2,200 pounds per acre. That's when fertilizer came in 200 pounds sacks. Called guano sacks. Back the then 3-9-9 Smith Douglas Orange (brand name) had Bat guano in it. A top dressing was used after the plants had set roots in the fields after being transplanted and it was called True Ripener 8-0-24. That was applied at 100- 200 pounds per acre. If we had gotten more rain than needed and the color wasn't correct on the plants in the field, we'd drop by hand Champion Bull Dog Soda. This was done to replace any nitrogen loss from to much rain.

Then fertilizer started to change. Higher analysis became the new trend and first came out in 100 pound bags and later in 50 pound bags. The so called high analysis was banded in the bed as was the 3-9-9 but at a lower rate and didn't have to handle as many pounds per acre. I think we used a 12-16-16 towards the end. All the tobacco fertilizer was ammoniated. Folks growing tobacco now mainly use Rainbow ammoniated fertilizer today. I found that most folks that don't grow or did grow tobacco know there's a difference in fertilizer with the same name brand and analysis. The dealers here won't tell you unless you ask either. But ammoniated fertilizer is better on pasture and hay than non ammoniated fertilizer. Ammoniated fertilizer is getting harder to find now. Since Royster Clark was bought out Rainbow is the only ammoniated fertilizer available in this area.

Keep in mind that all I wrote is for the area I live in and the soil type we have. 30 miles south of me I'm sure it was done different. Flu cured has to have the proper soil to grow quality and texture. Climate is a big factor too. I live in the northern edge of the Flu cured belt. 4 miles north across the river they grew dark tobacco. Wasn't suited for our soil and flu wasn't suited for theirs.

Wish we could still get the Bat guano. That's when fertilizer was the real deal. I don't miss those 200 pound sacks though. I sure couldn't lift one today but did lift my share back then. You should've seen the looks on faces around here when a 10 wheel truck pulls up each spring with those 200 pound sacks and they all had to be hand carried in a barn and stacked. Whew! :lol:

Forgot to add that most years you could follow tobacco with wheat and only have to apply nitrogen for a good wheat crop. Then put all the straw back in the soil the next fall for the next tobacco crop.