If I Cut the Flower off of My Tobacco Plant Will it Die?

Plant Characteristics

• Tobacco is a fast-growing tender perennial grown as an annual if harvesting the leaves for smoking purposes. It has broad bright-green leaves and grows to 10 feet under optimal conditions. The white flower is borne at the top of the mature plant.

Planting site

• Tobacco grows best in soil with medium fertility. Rich soil with a high concentration of nitrogen adversely affects leaf quality. Tobacco grows best in full sun. The soil location must be well drained so the roots of the plant do not sit in water after a rain. The soil pH for growing tobacco should be between 5.5 and 6.5.

Planting

• Growers start tobacco from seed two months before the planting date in a well-drained container filled with sterile, soil-free potting medium designed for starting seed. Plant the tiny seeds by pressing them into the surface of the moist potting medium. Do not cover, as tobacco seeds need light to assist in germination. Place the containers in a protected brightly lit location where temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, during the germination process. Tobacco seeds germinate in one to two weeks.

  Plant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and the tobacco plants are 6 to 7 inches high. Space plants 3 feet apart. Water the plants thoroughly after planting to avoid transplant shock.

Pruning and Maintenance

• Fertilize tobacco plants by applying a fertilizer that is high in potassium. The last number in the fertilizer ratio, which represents potassium, should be higher than the other numbers, which represent nitrogen and phosphorous. The fertilizer should also contain magnesium. Only fertilize enough during the season to keep the plant green. Excess fertilizer causes fast woody growth. Withhold fertilizer when flowers begin to form. Provide enough water to keep the plants from wilting.

  Prune the tobacco plant by cutting off the flower before it blooms. This will result in larger and higher quality leaves. Also, remove new growth, called suckers, and flowers that form along the stem. It will not kill the plant to remove the flowers or side growth.