Tobacco As A Decorative House Plant

 Written by moi :)

Today, I further topped my Ontario Light Tobacco​ plant.  These are three of the big leaves taken from mid-plant. That ruler 8 cm's.

She grew about seven feet tall, gave me about a dozen blooms, and the seeds that formed behind that flower.

As of today, I've topped her twice and can already see the double leaf regrowth starting. 

Growing this for fun and beauty kind ​of requires regular check-ins.  She'll communicate her needs in an almost melodramatic way through her big leaves. And then she bounces back again --I've time-lapsed this-- I swear she sings "psych!! I'm back!"

You get used to this communication and become fluent swiftly.  Some plant species communicate better than others. For instance, my Crossandra's leaves will lose their glossy shine and look dull. And my Coffee plant and Loquat plants droop their leaves a few inches at times, then raising up slowly over several hours when given a drinky drink.

I think this is one of the reasons why I enjoy growing this plant. It distracts me. Her beauty can almost put me in a trance sometimes. Right now I have the balcony door open and her leaves are literally dancing. 

The mid leaves on most tobacco plants are oilier but can have less nicotine. They're used as filler to give flavor and combustibility. 

I bought my first tobacco seeds in June 2019 and I've been growing the plant ever since. I have one plant that I germinated the fall of 2019 and she's still alive. Her leaves are so much smaller than they were when she was younger. Multiple toppings have resulted in several apically dominant stems that I hold up and give support to with a bamboo stick. 

And still to this day certain people would say don't touch those leaves. I kiss her leaves and I caress them daily. Dispel the fear with experience and research.