Tobacco Yayladag Seeds

Yayladag is a variety of Nicotiana tabacum, the cultivated tobacco species, listed in our catalogue as Tobacco Yayladag. Our records for this variety are short. They confirm the species and the variety name, but not its height, leaf size, flower colour or origin. This page therefore describes what is true of the species as a whole and leaves variety-specific traits out until they are documented.

Also known as: common tobacco, cultivated tobacco, tambaku (Hindi), tabaco (Spanish/Portuguese), tabac (French), Tabak (German), tütün (Turkish)

About the plant

• Variety: Yayladag, a form of Nicotiana tabacum.
• Family: Solanaceae, the same family as tomato and petunia.
• Habit: a leafy, upright herbaceous plant that most gardeners grow as a warm-season annual.
• Frost: tender, so it goes outdoors only after the last frost has passed.
• Not yet recorded for this variety: final height, leaf shape, flower colour and days to maturity.

Because the size of Yayladag is not documented, plan for a large plant until you see it for yourself. Give it open ground and keep smaller plants away from its sunny side, so that broad leaves do not shade them.

Growing

Nicotiana seed is very fine, almost like dust, and it needs light to germinate. It is therefore placed on the surface of the growing mix and left uncovered. Fill a tray with fine, moist mix, level it, scatter the seed thinly over the top and press it down lightly so it makes contact with the mix.

• Sowing: press the seed onto the surface and do not cover it.
• Mix: fine, moist and free-draining, with a level surface.
• Warmth: keep the tray in a warm, bright place, because cold slows germination.
• Moisture: mist the surface or water from below, so the fine seed is not washed around.
• Timing: start the seed indoors some weeks before the last frost date in your area.
• Transplanting: harden the seedlings off gradually, then plant out once frost is over.
• Site: full sun, in fertile, well-drained soil.
• Spacing: allow generous room between plants until you know how large Yayladag grows in your garden.

Planning the season

Two dates matter: the indoor sowing date and the planting-out date. Find your own last frost date first, then count back from it. In a cool climate with a late last frost, the indoor sowing date falls later in the year than it does in a mild one.

Seedlings of Nicotiana are small and slow at first, so a bright windowsill or a light shelf matters more than extra feeding. Once the first true leaves have formed and the plants are sturdy, they can be moved to individual pots and then hardened off for outdoor planting.

Keeping records

Since this variety has little documentation, a short growing diary is useful. Note the sowing date, the date the seedlings emerged, the height at planting out, the leaf shape and the flower colour. Those notes tell you more about Yayladag than any general description can, and they make the next season easier to plan.

FAQ

How do I sow Yayladag seeds?

Scatter the seed thinly on the surface of fine, moist growing mix and press it in lightly without covering it, because Nicotiana seed needs light to germinate. Keep the tray warm and bright, and mist the surface instead of pouring water over it.

When should I sow Yayladag?

Start the seed indoors some weeks before the last frost date in your area, and move the seedlings outdoors only after the last frost. The calendar date depends on your local frost dates, which differ from one climate to another.

How tall does Yayladag grow?

The height of this variety is not recorded in our catalogue, so we do not give a figure. Plants of Nicotiana tabacum differ from one variety to another, and many grow large. Plant in full sun with generous spacing and measure the plants as they develop.