C. Criollo 98 Tobacco Seeds

Cuban Criollo 98 Tobacco Seeds

Price for Package of 50 seeds.

Another very popular Cuban cigar variety. Will grow up to 6-7 ft. tall. Its leaves are longer, more slender and slightly darker than the Habano 2000. It’s cured leaves have a silky texture making it a good covering for cigars. It has a pleasant, mild aroma and taste. Used for cigars and pipes.

Cuban Criollo 98 is one of the most valued strains for Cuban cigars. It originated from a crossing between the varieties ' Havana 92' and `Habana P.R'. Cultivated in the sun it produces from 14 to 16 useful leaves per plant and makes an excellent binder. Leaves average 24 inches in length and 12 inches wide. It is resistant to the Blue Mold, the Blackish Paw, and the Tobacco Mosaic Virus and moderately resistant to the Environmental Necrosis. Specially bred for use in cigar wrappers.

Soil Selection

Tobacco should be grown in a sunny location on well-drained soils. Poorly drained soils could result in poor growth and even death of the plants. Tobacco can be grown on poorly-drained soils if the rows or hills are bedded and ditches or furrows are used to remove excess water. Drought stress could limit growth on excessively drained soils unless irrigation is provided. Lack of sun will result in spindly plants, poor growth and thin leaves. Some types of tobacco such as that used for cigar wrappers are grown under some shade to promote desirable leaf characteristics.

Avoid planting tobacco on soil infested with nematodes and diseases. Grasses would be excellent rotations for tobacco, while tomato, pepper, and similar plants would not be suitable. In addition to soil-borne pests, several virus diseases and insects that attack tomato and pepper also attack tobacco, so try to keep these plants in different areas of the garden.

Soil pH should be about 5.8 for best growth of tobacco. If lime is needed to raise the pH, use dolomite in order to get the magnesium nutrient which is important for plant growth. Poor growth and some growth disorders may occur if the soil pH is about 6.5 or more.

Since tobacco seed are very small (300,000 or more per ounce), they should be sown in a greenhouse or in a protected area. The soil should be free of weed seed and disease organisms. A flower pot would be a satisfactory container if only a few transplants will be needed. Sprinkle the seed on the soil surface, then firm the soil surface to insure good seed to soil contact. Irrigate with a very fine spray, or add water to a saucer under the flower pot. Add water as often as necessary to keep the soil surface moist, but avoid excessive water.

Small amounts of fertilizer will be needed to produce the transplants. A tobacco fertilizer should contain little or no chlorine and most of the nitrogen should be in the nitrate form. Fertilizer manufactured for use on tomato, pepper, and potato should be satisfactory for tobacco.

Seed should be sown about 50-60 days prior to the desired date of transplanting. Transplanting should be after there is no further danger of freezing temperatures. Normally the best transplant is about 6-8 inches in length.