When is indigo harvested

Cultivating and processing the plant was complex, and planters found other commodities more reliable and easier to produce. In London colonial agent James Crokatt persuaded Parliament in to subsidize Carolina indigo production by placing a bounty of six pence per pound on the dye.

England received almost all Carolina indigo exports, although by the s a small percentage was being shipped to northern colonies. Two varieties of indigo were native to Carolina, Indigofera Carolinians and Indigofera Lespotsepala, but neither produced a reputable dye.

Prices paid for the dye varied with quality. In general dye from French or Spanish colonies sold for more than Carolina indigo, whose reputation for quality was less favorable. The cycle of planting, processing, and marketing indigo began in March, when the fields were prepared for sowing. Planting began in early April, with a first harvest in July and often a second harvest in August or September. After cutting, the plant was carried to the processing site, a work area generally shaded by a thatched roof.

Specialized equipment included three graduated vats set next to each other, in which the plants would be converted to dye. The conversion involved soaking the plants in the first vat, beating the indigo-soaked water in the second vat until thickened grains formed, then draining away that water into the third vat.

I bundled some leaves in silk and steamed the bundle for about an hour. Three days later, however, colour suddenly started appearing. Like Like. I had been taught how to dye using chemical powders and liquids in Uni. This is much easier as I can do this at home and safely. Thanks so much and I want to do mud resist for printing on paper.

Glad I found this site. Joanna Louise Bayles. Montreal, Canada. Thank you for sharing your experience. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email.

Share this: Pinterest Facebook Email Twitter. Like this: Like Loading Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Follow Following. Alex's Natural Dye Pot Join other followers. If I had pre-soaked the seeds it could have speed up the germination process. After six weeks in the greenhouse the roots were mature enough to be transplanted.

I removed the seedlings from the greenhouse and set them outside to harden them off for a couple of days. I transplanted japanese indigo seedlings the first week of March in a square foot garden. For mulch I used burlap sacks sourced from a local coffee roaster they help to keep the weeds down, and retain moisture in the soil.

I hand painted a sign to signify oficial commitment to my project and numbered the rows for record keeping. One month after transplanting, the indigo was fully grown and ready for the first harvest. A month is a faster growing rate than most climates; through my research I had estimated 3 months from transplanting to first harvest. To harvest, the Indigo is cut a few inches from the ground leaving the roots and some foliage on the plant. In a month the plants will grow back, and be ready for another harvest.

The harvested Indigo plants are spread out on a tarp in the sun. The plants are left to dry in the sun for about a day or two. As they dry the Indigo leaves oxidize and turn slightly blue. When they are completely dry It's then time to stomp on them to separate the stems from the leaves. All the stems are removed and the remaining dried indigo leaves are heaped into a pile.

I then bagged the indigo leaves into a breathable canvas bag and stored it in a cool dry place until the fall. After all that hard work I ended up with 5 pounds of dried indigo leaves.

It will be many years until I accumulate enough mass to ferment my own pile of indigo. It is estimated that approximately pounds of dried indio is needed to achieve a successful compost.

Rowland has been working with Japanese Indigo for over 15 years. He got his start in Japan as an apprentice to a Japanese Indigo farmer and a Japanese indigo dyer. Rowland has help me debunk the loads of false publications on Indigo.

My fresh understanding of my resources has taught me to read things on Indigo with a grain of salt. Rowland has explained to me that most of the English-language books available on Indigo contain mis-information, or the majority of what is written is for the hobbyist, the backyard dyer who is doing their dyeing in a ball jar. The reason for this phenomenon is unknown but assumed to be a number of reasons.

Possibly the well-meaning individuals who "researched" Indigo before writing articles and books on the topic may never have had a first-hand practical experience with the process. Or the well-meaning individuals were outright lied to because the crafts people they were talking to wanted to protect their trade secrets. As Rowland suggests, these lies then get put in print, cited in other works, and lead people astray.