A Detailed Guide to Tea Seedling Planting Techniques and Cultivation Management Methods

Tea is one of the most favorite beverages of people. In our country, the area planted with tea trees is very large. How to grow good tea requires a certain level of skill. Today we will learn about the planting techniques for tea seedlings.

Tea Seedling Planting Techniques

1. The selected tea garden requires an abundant water source and convenient irrigation; a slope of 30° or less; deep soil layers (more than 1 m) and a low groundwater level (below 1 m); loose soil texture and sandy loam with good aeration, permeability and water-holding capacity. If these requirements are not met, improvement is needed.

2. The best time to plant tea should be chosen when temperatures are relatively high, the aboveground part of the tea plant has stopped growing, and the root system is relatively active, in autumn and winter (mid-to-late October to early-to-mid November) or early the following spring (mid-to-late February to early March). Choose an overcast day or a day after rain when the soil is moist and the air humidity is relatively high.

3. Tea seedlings should be planted immediately after being lifted. For tea seedlings transported from elsewhere, after unloading, place the roots downward in a cool place, avoid direct sunlight, do not stack or press them, and cover them with wet straw to preserve moisture. During lifting and transport, the roots of tea seedlings will inevitably be damaged. Therefore, before planting, the injured and broken roots should be cut off.

4. They can be planted in a single row or double rows. Plant large and small seedlings separately. Before planting tea seedlings, dip their roots in mud slurry. The standard for the slurry concentration is that it coats the roots of the tea seedlings while allowing the lateral roots to spread out. Dipping in slurry can ensure a tea seedling survival rate of more than 95%.

5. Use the trench planting method to establish tea seedlings, creating a good soil environment conducive to the deep extension of the root system. Therefore, when planting, first dig a 10 cm deep planting trench on the prepared ridge or in the opened shallow trench, then place the tea seedling into the trench. The original posture of the root system should be maintained so that the roots spread out. Cover with soil while pressing firmly, then water thoroughly to settle the roots.

6. A new seedling garden has a large exposed area. Film can be laid, or straw can be spread in the wide rows, or green manure can be planted to reduce weeds between rows and soil moisture evaporation, thereby increasing the survival rate of tea seedlings.

7. Cut off the part more than 15 cm above the ground to reduce water evaporation from the upper part, which is beneficial to root growth and the sprouting of side branches and increases the survival rate.

8. In dry conditions, water promptly. Especially within two months after planting and during high-temperature drought in the dog days, water promptly. In rainy weather, drain promptly. Tea plants fear waterlogging most.

9. Formative pruning helps thicken the plant and produce new branches, promoting the rapid expansion of the canopy diameter. The first formative pruning is carried out after the transplanted cuttings are planted. In the first formative pruning, cut off the main branch 15 cm above the ground and retain the side branches; in the second formative pruning, raise the cut 15 cm above the first pruning cut, cut off the main branch and retain the side branches; in the third formative pruning, raise the cut 15 cm above the second formative pruning cut, cut off the main branch and retain the side branches.

10. When the tea seedlings survive and new tender roots have grown 3-5 cm, choose a suitable foliar fertilizer for foliar spraying to promote the growth of the tea seedlings and root system and improve the survival rate. In the second year after transplanting, apply topdressing 2-3 times: the first in mid-to-late April, applying 20-25 kg of compound fertilizer; the second in mid-July, applying 15 kg of urea; the third in mid-October, applying 40 kg of compound fertilizer and 10 kg of urea.

Planting tea seedlings requires careful tending and timely pest and disease control, and supplying water and fertilizer well at each growth stage. In this way, tea leaves of good quality will certainly be produced.