Tobacco Chilean Seeds

Tobacco Chilean is the name this listing carries for a Nicotiana seed offer. The product card does not describe a single named cultivar. Instead it describes three Nicotiana species side by side: Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco), Nicotiana rustica (Aztec tobacco) and Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco), which is the species recorded for the listing. This page is written for gardeners and plant collectors who want to grow Nicotiana from seed and compare how these species look and behave in a garden bed.

Also known as: common tobacco, cultivated tobacco, tambaku (Hindi), tabaco (Spanish/Portuguese), tabac (French), Tabak (German), tütün (Turkish) for Nicotiana tabacum; Aztec tobacco and mapacho for Nicotiana rustica; tree tobacco for Nicotiana glauca

The three species named on the card

• Nicotiana glauca, tree tobacco: described as a perennial shrub with a tall stature and yellow tubular flowers. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun.
• Nicotiana rustica, Aztec tobacco: described as a traditional variety of the genus. It prefers fertile, well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight.
• Nicotiana tabacum, common tobacco: described as adaptable to different soil types and climates, needing moderate care.

The three species are different plants. Nicotiana glauca is described as a perennial shrub, while the card gives no habit or height figures for the other two. Because the listing does not name one cultivar, this page does not claim a leaf shape, flower colour or final height for the plants you will raise, apart from the tall habit and yellow tubular flowers that the card gives for tree tobacco.

Growing conditions from the product card

The card gives one set of cultivation guidelines that applies to all three species. They are general conditions, not a sowing schedule.

• Soil: well-drained and fertile, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
• Light: full sun.
• Watering: keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
• Care: Nicotiana tabacum is described as needing moderate care and tolerating different soil types and climates.

Well-drained soil matters most. A soil that stays wet for long periods works against the advice on the card, so a raised bed, a sandy loam or a large container with drainage holes is a sensible choice. A sunny, open position suits all three species named on the listing.

Planning the bed

Since the card describes tree tobacco as a tall shrub, give it more room than you would give a small annual, and place it where taller plants will not shade the others. If you grow more than one species from this listing, label each one at sowing so that you can compare them later. Keeping notes on sowing date, position and watering will tell you much more about how each plant responds than a general description can.

What is not yet recorded

No seed specifications have been saved for this listing yet, and the card does not give a sowing depth, a germination temperature, a germination time, a transplant date or a plant spacing. For that reason this page does not state a germination percentage, a viability period, a seed size or a sowing calendar. The photographs attached to the listing are also still waiting for a check against the exact species, so use them as general illustration rather than as proof of a particular leaf or flower form. When these details are verified they can be added here.

FAQ

What conditions do these Nicotiana plants need?

The card names full sun and well-drained, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, kept moist but not waterlogged. It gives no germination temperature or sowing depth for this listing.

When should I sow them?

The card does not give a sowing date for this listing, so no calendar is stated here. Check the conditions above and plan the sowing around the last frost date in your own area.

How tall do they grow?

The card describes Nicotiana glauca as a perennial shrub with a tall stature and yellow tubular flowers, but it gives no height figure for any of the three species. Final size depends on the species, the soil, the light and the space each plant has.