Growing Non-GMO Connecticut 49 Tobacco Seeds

Complete Tobacco Seed Growing Guide

• Latin Name: Nicotiana tabacum
• Tobacco Leaf Type: Wrapper (damaged leaves filler, binder)
• Hardiness Zone: Annual 6-12 (Perennial 9-12)
• Days to Harvest: 60-70 days
• Days to Germination: 7-14 days
• Seeding Depth: Press without covering
• Plant Spacing: 24-36 inches
• Row Spacing: 48-60 inches
• Plant Height: 72-84 inches
• Growth Habit: Tall broadleaf upright
• Soil Preference: Consistently moist, light, sandy loam, well-drained
• Temperature Preference: 65-85 °F
• Light Preference: Partial sun
• Connecticut 49 Color: Cures to a dark espresso-black wrapper
• Connecticut 49 Flavor: Sumatra-style leaf with a profile of leather, chocolate, and espresso

How to Grow Connecticut 49 Tobacco from Seed

Sow tobacco seeds indoors in flats, trays or small pots 6-8 weeks before transplanting. Fill trays approximately 3 inches deep with a fine starting mix soil or potting soil. Pack soil very lightly. Potting soil should be screened to remove any large chunks. Thoroughly soak the soil and let drain before seeding. Do not use garden soil.

Sprinkle 2-3 tobacco seeds in each pot on top of the moistened soil. Do NOT cover the seed. Mist the seeds lightly with a spray bottle and cover the tray loosely with a plastic dome or sheet of clear light plastic film. Do not seal tightly. Leave a corner propped up to allow some air exchange.

Place in a well-lit area near a window or under grow lights where the temperature is a constant 70-80 degrees. Do not exceed 85 degrees. Mist the trays daily and keep the soil surface moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7-14 days. Tobacco seed germination is very temperature dependent. Lower temperatures will greatly delay germination.

Once established, tobacco requires little water. Fertilize lightly at planting and again in 4-6 weeks only if needed.

Uses for Connecticut 49 Tobacco Leaves

Connecticut 49 tobacco leaves have more spice and flavor than other Connecticut tobaccos because it is nearly a century-old hybrid specifically crossed with more exotic shade tobaccos believed to have superior flavor. Connecticut 49 tobacco can be used as a dark wrapper, binder, or filler.

Connecticut 49 seeds are popularly grown to produce a wide and flavorful wrapper from premium cigar rolling. Leaves must technically be at least 9" wide to be classified as a "wrapper". Damaged and low-quality leaves from the Connecticut 49 are also traditionally used for fillers and binders.

Broadleaf cigar-type tobacco leaf was first grown in the Connecticut River Valley by the earliest colonial settlers as a response to the booming popularity of cigars over pipes, replacing the much thinner "shoestring" variety which was the preferred cultivar of pipe tobacco.

Harvesting Connecticut 49 Tobacco Leaves

The lowest tier leaves of the Connecticut 49 tobacco plant are ready to be harvested as early as 60-70 days from transplanting. Similar to cut-and-come varieties of leafy greens, the youngest tobacco leaves on the bottom of the plant are harvested first since they are the first to turn golden yellow and ready to cure.

The entire Connecticut 49 plant may be harvested at once, but growers will generally need to wait longer than 60 days for the entire plant to be ready for curing.

Leaves may be easily harvested with a knife, scissors, clippers, or gardening shears. Removing by hand may stress or damage leaves prior to curing.

Be careful to not damage, blemish, or bruise leaves when harvesting Connecticut 49 because only the most pristine leaves make for premium wrapping leaves. Each 9-14" wide leaf should provide enough surface ara for about 8 rolled cigars. Damaged Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco is generally used as binder and filler, still providing premium flavor.

About Connecticut 49 Tobacco Seeds

Nicotiana tabacum. (60-70 days.) Premium Wrapper.

Non-GMO Connecticut 49 comes from a long history of shade-style tobacco plants grown in the Connecticut River Valley as a response to the flavorful Sumatra tobacco imports arriving stateside. Native to the humid and shaded tropics of Inodnesia, Sumatra-style tobacco plants demand a completely different set of sun conditions than the Connecticut River Valley has to offer.

Connecticut 49 was developed to replace the standard at the time Connecticut 15, which was said to lack the flavor, elasticity, and complexity of Cuban and Sumatra-style leaves.

The Connecticut 49 is a hybrid strain crossed with the most flavorful Cuban and Sumatra varieties to produce the most reliable shade-style tobacco leaf able to be grown in Connecticut and the surrounding valleys.

The leaves have good elasticity, fine veins and a good smoking taste. It is a tall pyramid shaped plant reaching 7 feet in height. Can be either grown as a shade tobacco to produce an even finer leaf or a standard full-sun crop. Connecticut 49 is a broadleaf type tobacco grown specifically as a premium wrapper, but damaged leaves also make for an ideal filler and binder.

Heirloom Connecticut 49 tobacco seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on orders over $75.

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