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About this seed
Kentucky-15, also written KY-15, is a Nicotiana tabacum variety that the product card describes as a burley type. The card gives an upright plant about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) tall with large, closely spaced, light green leaves, each up to 24 inches (60 cm) long and 12 inches (30 cm) wide. This page sets out what the card says about the plant and how to start it from seed.
Kentucky-15 (KY-15) is the name of this particular variety, and the store lists it as Nicotiana Kentucky-15 (KY-15) Seeds.
Plant at a glance
- Species: Nicotiana tabacum
- Variety name: Kentucky-15 (KY-15)
- Leaf type: burley, according to the product card
- Habit: robust and upright, about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) tall
- Leaves: large, closely spaced and light green while growing, up to 24 by 12 inches (60 by 30 cm)
- Disease resistance: the card lists resistance to Nicotiana mosaic virus, wildfire and black root rot
- Site: full sun, fertile and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0
Growing Kentucky-15 from seed
Nicotiana seed is very fine and needs light to germinate, so it is pressed onto the surface and never buried. The steps below follow the cultivation notes on the product card and are approximate guides, not results measured on a specific seed lot.
Planning space for a large plant
A plant that reaches 1.5 m or more with leaves up to 60 cm long needs room for air to move between neighbours and for light to reach the lower leaves. The product card does not give a plant spacing, so this page does not state one. A sunny bed with fertile, well-drained soil matches the site notes above, and the plants will stand in the ground for a full warm season.
What is not yet recorded
No seed specifications have been saved for this variety yet. For that reason this page does not state a germination percentage, a germination temperature, a time to emergence, a viability period or a seed size. The origin of the variety and its days to flowering are also not documented on the card, so they are left out rather than guessed. The photographs in the gallery have not all been reviewed against this variety, so this text makes no claims about what the plants in them look like beyond the card.
FAQ
How do I sow Kentucky-15 seeds?
Press them lightly onto the surface of moist, well-drained soil and do not cover them. The seeds need light to germinate, so burying them works against the plant.
When should I sow Kentucky-15?
The card recommends sowing indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost in your area. Move seedlings outdoors after the last frost has passed. The card gives no time to emergence, so judge a tray by how the seedlings look rather than by a fixed number of days.
How tall does Kentucky-15 grow?
The product card gives about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m), with large light green leaves up to 24 inches (60 cm) long. Treat these as approximate figures, since light, soil and spacing change the final size.