Nicotiana
sylvestris
Woodland Tobacco
This wonderful plant is
a good example of how a Saturn
herb can be poisonous and attractive at the same time. The beautiful
elongated trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in summer and at dusk give off a
luxurious jasmine-like scent, which some say gives evidence of an Air of Venus aspect.
This versatile magickal herb is also used for Fire and is an
ingredient in some Mars
incense. This plant is a great way to grow tobacco for
workings but still have something ornamental (on the level of
scent) for your garden. And it's a wonderful addition to the
Moon garden.
Woodland tobacco is an
annual in temperate zones and a perennial in areas without a winter
freeze. A bold plant, it gets 3-5ft/.9-1.5m feet high with
leaves up to 18in/45cm across. It becomes sticky with resins
and catches mosquitoes. It is pollinated by moths and self-sows easily.
This has much more nicotine than commercial tobacco types, and so it is
not good for smoking. Nicotine makes a great pesticide, but
don't get it on you, as it's poisonous. Plant this by your back door
and be enveloped by its scent on the way out to the yard on summer
evenings. Top
How to grow Nicotiana sylvestris:
If you can grow tomatoes, you can grow this plant.
Sprinkle the tiny seeds on wet Jiffy-7 pellets and just
lightly pat in with the tip of your finger. Use bottom
watering. They germinate in 5-15 days at 70-80F/21-27C.
Transplant out on a cloudy day or at dusk when the leaves are
2in/5cm long. Plant in partial shade or sun. It
likes moist, rich soil (no standing water). Tobacco is a
heavy feeder, so make sure the soil is enriched with plenty of compost,
especially if it is heavy clay (sticks together when you squeeze it),
and spray the plant with kelp and fish emulsion regularly.
Tobacco gives a lot, but it takes a lot too, whether as an
herb or as a citizen of the garden. General
growing info Top
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Nicotiana
sylvestris
Woodland Tobacco
100 seeds $3.50
Uses
in Witchcraft & Magic:
Saturn Herb
Fire Herb
Baneful Work
Moon Garden Plant
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