Tobacco Shag Stalingradskaya Seeds

Stalingradskaya is a Nicotiana rustica variety offered here as seed for growing the plant. The product card describes a compact, bushy plant up to about 1 m tall, with dense foliage, thick stems and broad leaves. The leaves are described as thick, velvety and deep green. The store lists it as Tobacco Shag Stalingradskaya, and the card calls it a mahorka type. This page keeps to what the card states and to general facts about the species.

Also known as: Aztec tobacco, mapacho, wild tobacco

These are common names of the species Nicotiana rustica, not names of this particular variety. Stalingradskaya is the variety name as it appears in the catalog. Nicotiana rustica belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and is a different species from common tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, so seed labelled for one should not be mixed up with the other.

Plant at a glance

• Species: Nicotiana rustica
• Variety name: Stalingradskaya
• Habit: compact and bushy, with dense foliage
• Height: up to about 1 m, according to the product card
• Stems and leaves: thick stems, broad leaves; leaf surface described as velvety and deep green
• Site: full sun and fertile, well-drained soil
• Soil pH: slightly acidic to neutral, 6.0 to 7.0, as given on the card

Growing Stalingradskaya from seed

Nicotiana seed is dust-fine and needs light to germinate, so it is placed on the surface and never buried. The points below come from the product card unless marked as general advice. No measured germination figures are saved for this variety, so treat the timing as a guide rather than a promise.

• Sowing: scatter the seed on the surface of moist soil and do not cover it.
• Timing: start the seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last expected frost.
• Watering (general advice): because the seed is so small, mist the surface or water from below so it is not washed into the soil.
• Soil: fertile and well drained, with compost or other organic matter worked in, at a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
• Light: full sun once the plants are outside.
• Water: moderate, with consistent moisture through the growing season, as the card describes.
• Transplanting (general advice): move seedlings outdoors only after the last frost, and harden them off for several days first.

A plant of this size and bushy habit needs room for air to move between the leaves, but the card gives no spacing figure, so none is stated here. Check how wide a neighbouring plant spreads and leave a gap that lets each one stand in full sun.

What is not yet recorded

No seed specifications have been saved for this variety yet. For that reason this page does not state a germination percentage, a viability period, a seed size, a germination temperature or the number of days to emergence. The origin of the variety, the date it flowers and the flower colour are not documented on the card either, so they are left out rather than guessed. The photographs in the gallery have not all been reviewed against this variety, so the text makes no claims about what the plants in them look like beyond the card.

FAQ

How do I sow Stalingradskaya seeds?

Place them on the surface of moist, fertile, well-drained soil and leave them uncovered. The card states that the seed needs light to germinate, so burying it works against the plant.

When should I sow Stalingradskaya?

The card recommends starting the seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost in your area. Seedlings go outside after the last frost has passed. Because no emergence time is recorded for this variety, check the tray regularly instead of relying on a fixed number of days.

How tall does Stalingradskaya grow?

The product card gives a height of up to about 1 m, with a compact, bushy habit and broad leaves. Treat this as an approximate figure, since light, soil and spacing change the final size of a plant.