Shag Belosemyanka Kostova Seeds

Shag Belosemyanka Kostova is a variety of Nicotiana rustica, an annual plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The variety name is kept here exactly as it appears in our catalogue, where it sits in the Tobacco and Shag Seeds category. This page treats it as a garden plant and covers how the seed is sown and how seedlings are raised. Our card does not yet record a height, leaf shape or flower colour for this variety, so those details are left out rather than guessed.

Also known as: Aztec tobacco, mapacho, wild tobacco (names used for the species Nicotiana rustica)

About the plant

Nicotiana rustica is a separate species from the more widely grown Nicotiana tabacum. Botanical descriptions usually give it a branching habit, rounded leaves on short stalks and small greenish-yellow flowers, while N. tabacum is taller with pink flowers. These are species-level traits, and an individual variety can differ from them.

• Species: Nicotiana rustica
• Family: Solanaceae
• Life cycle: annual, started from seed each season
• Variety name: Shag Belosemyanka Kostova, as listed in our catalogue
• Variety-specific height, leaf and flower data: not recorded yet

Sowing the seed

Nicotiana seed is extremely fine, close to dust. Seed of this size is not buried, because it generally germinates only when light reaches it.

• Container and mix: use a shallow tray or small pots filled with fine, moist seed-starting mix. Firm the surface gently so it is level.
• Sowing: scatter the seed thinly over the surface. Mixing it with a pinch of dry sand makes it easier to spread evenly.
• Contact: press the seed lightly onto the mix with a flat board or your palm, and leave it uncovered.
• Moisture: mist the surface or water from below so the seed is not washed into clumps. Keep it evenly damp, never waterlogged. A clear lid or film helps hold humidity until seedlings appear.
• Light and warmth: keep the tray in bright light and a warm place. Cool, dark conditions slow fine seed of this genus.

Our card does not list a germination time or a temperature for this variety, and no seed specifications are saved for it, so we do not quote those numbers here.

Raising seedlings

The first leaves are tiny and growth is slow at the start.

• Thin crowded seedlings, or move them one by one into small pots once they are large enough to handle by a leaf, never by the stem.
• Harden them off over several days before they go outdoors.
• Move them outside only when frost is no longer expected, into a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil.
• Leave enough space between plants for them to branch, since this species is described as a branching plant.

Handling the seed

• Open the envelope over a clean sheet of paper and sow from a folded crease, because dust-fine seed is easy to lose.
• Store unused seed in a cool, dry, dark place, labelled with the variety name and the year.

What is not recorded yet

No photographs, seed specifications or variety measurements have been saved for this listing. For that reason this page does not give a seed count per gram, a viability period, a germination percentage or a mature height.

FAQ

What are the sowing conditions for Shag Belosemyanka Kostova?

Sow the seed on the surface of a fine, moist mix and do not cover it. Give it bright light and warmth, and keep the surface evenly damp until seedlings emerge. Water gently from below or with a fine mist.

When should I sow it?

Annual Nicotiana is normally started indoors several weeks before the last expected frost, so that seedlings are sturdy when nights are no longer cold. The exact timing depends on your climate, and our card does not give a variety-specific date.

How tall does it grow?

No height is recorded for this variety. Plants of Nicotiana rustica are generally described as branching and shorter than N. tabacum, but measure your own plants for a dependable figure.