Nicotiana tabacum or tobacco, a native of Tropical America is the plant that is cultivated as the principal source of tobacco. Tobacco has been cultivated since pre-Colombian times. Plants will reach 3-10 foot in containers and is quite showy when in bloom.
Blooming Time: In the greenhouse setting tobacco will bloom all year long. The pink flowers are 11/2 inches long by 1 inch wide.
Culture: Nicotiana tabacum needs a well drained, rich soil mix with full sun to partial shade. We use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. The soil should be kept evenly moist for optimum growth. They do not tolerate drought in containers. The plants are fertilized weekly throughout the year with a balanced fertilizer used at full strength. Spent flower heads should be removed to keep the plant blooming; they can become weedy if this is not done and ultimately die off.
Propagation: Nicotiana tabacum are propagated from seed. Seed germinates in 7-14 days at 65° F.
Nicotiana tabacum was featured as Plant of the Week June 22-28, 2001.
Guide to Past Plants-of-the-Week:
Cal's Plant of the Week was provided as a service by the University of Oklahoma Department of Microbiology & Plant Biology and specifically the late Cal Lemke, who used to be OU's botany greenhouse grower and an avid gardener at home as well. If the above links don't work, then try the overview site. You may also like to look at the thumbnail index. ©1998-2012 All rights reserved.