How to Root Tea Cuttings? A Few Practical Tips
China is the birthplace of tea, and tea is the national drink of the Chinese nation, with tea plants cultivated in most parts of the country. We know that tea leaves are the leaves, so what are the methods for rooting tea?
1. What are the methods for rooting tea?
Cutting method: cut branches from the mother plant to make cuttings, with a length of 3-4 cm, and after trimming, insert them into the seedbed. When the tea seedlings grow to 35 cm and the base stem is 0.5 cm thick, they can be lifted out.
Sowing method: before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water for about five days, then take them out, mix them with sandy soil and place them in a greenhouse to germinate. When the seeds show white, they can be sown. After sowing, cover with soil and straw; generally, they will sprout and take root within 10 to 15 days.
2. What are the beneficial components of tea?
1. Tea polyphenols
They are the most abundant type of soluble components in tea and the main substance through which tea exerts its health benefits. The most typical representative is catechins (phenols), which have multiple effects such as antioxidant (eliminating oxygen free radicals), anti-inflammatory, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, preventing cancer, lowering blood lipids, reducing body fat formation, antibacterial, and changing the ecology of intestinal flora. Research shows that half an hour after drinking a cup of tea, the antioxidant capacity in the blood (the ability to fight oxygen free radicals) increases by 41%~48%, and it can remain at a high level for one and a half hours.
2. Tea pigments
They mainly include chlorophyll, β-carotene, etc., and have effects such as anti-tumor, delaying aging, and beauty care.
3. Theanine
It can improve brain function and enhance memory and learning ability. It has preventive effects on Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia), Parkinson's disease, and autonomic nervous dysfunction.
4. Tea polysaccharides
They are a type of mixture with complex components. Tea polysaccharides have anti-radiation effects, increase the number of white blood cells, improve immunity, and can also lower blood sugar. The folk practice of drinking coarse tea to treat diabetes mainly relies on the effects of tea polysaccharides.
5. Υ-aminobutyric acid
It is not abundant in natural tea, but its content increases significantly after tea is processed. The main effect of Υ-aminobutyric acid is to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure, so it can assist in treating high blood pressure. It can also improve cerebral blood circulation and enhance the metabolic capacity of brain cells, which helps in the rehabilitation treatment of stroke (apoplexy), sequelae of cerebral arteriosclerosis, and other conditions.
6. Pyrroloquinoline quinone
A research team from Nagoya University in Japan recently found that the pyrroloquinoline quinone component in tea has the effect of delaying aging and extending lifespan. Pyrroloquinoline quinone was discovered around 1970, and later research showed that it has antioxidant and neuroprotective effects, so it is often used in health products and cosmetics.
Tea has always sold well in China, and growing tea plants is a good project that can bring good economic benefits.