When Does the Tea-Oil Camellia Bloom and Bear Fruit? Lifespan and Income Period Explained in One Article

The tea-oil camellia, also known as the tea-oil tree or tea-seed tree, is a fairly common economic crop in our country. Its seeds can be pressed for oil for human consumption, and the seed cake can be used as a pesticide to control pests and diseases, so it is planted in many regions. So when does the tea-oil camellia bloom and bear fruit? How long can it live? How long must it be planted before there is income?

Under normal cultivation conditions, seedling-grown tea-oil camellia trees generally bloom and bear fruit in 4-6 years, while grafted tea-oil camellia trees do so 2-3 years earlier; after afforestation, they begin to set fruit and produce a certain yield in 3-4 years, and gradually enter the full fruit period after 6-8 years. Generally, the average yield during the full fruit period is 600-1500 kg of tea-oil camellia fruit per mu, and superior new varieties yield more than 2500 kg of tea fruit per mu.

The buds of the tea-oil camellia are mixed buds. Flower bud differentiation begins in May after the growth of spring shoots stops and when the temperature is above 18°C. In that year, the plump buds on the spring shoots have more flower bud primordia, and differentiation is fastest at 23-28°C. By mid-June they can already be distinguished morphologically, and by July the main parts of the flower organs can be dissected, but they do not fully mature until September.

The fruit-setting ability of the tea-oil camellia is closely related to the quality and quantity of fruiting branches or fruiting mother branches. The so-called fruiting branch refers to the new shoot that sprouts from a mixed flower bud in that spring; this new shoot can differentiate flower buds and can bloom and bear fruit in the same year.

The full flowering period of the tea-oil camellia in the main production areas of the Yangtze River Basin is from late October to late December, with mid-November as the full flowering period, and the flowering time is usually 9:00-15:00 each day.

After the tea-oil camellia blooms and sets fruit, there is a physiological fruit drop peak during the first fruit enlargement in March. July-August is an important peak period for fruit enlargement of the tea-oil camellia; the increase in fruit volume during this period accounts for 66%-75% of the total fruit volume, and there may also be a second fruit drop peak; August-October is the period of oil conversion and accumulation, among which there are two peaks from mid-August to early September and from late September to before harvest in October, with oil accumulation accounting for 60% of the oil content of the fruit. The “Cold Dew seed” and “Frost Descent seed” types of tea-oil camellia mature in early October and late October respectively.

How long can it live?

The tea-oil camellia is an evergreen small tree with a lifespan of decades to several hundred years. The individual development of the tea-oil camellia is divided into three stages: the juvenile stage, the mature stage, and the senescent stage. In cultivation, corresponding agricultural technical measures can be formulated according to the characteristics of each stage. The tea tree is a treasure from top to bottom; plant it once and benefit for a hundred years. It can be said that as long as the life cycle of the tea tree is, so long is the cycle of its economic and ecological benefits.

1. Juvenile stage: refers to the stage from sowing, starting from the embryo bud until the plant begins to bloom and bear fruit. It includes the embryo bud stage, seedling stage, and young tree stage.

2. Adult stage: includes the growth and fruiting stage and the full fruit stage.

Growth and fruiting stage: tree age 6-10 years; the tree grows vigorously, with extensive branching, and flowering and fruiting gradually increase, with yield in a stage of year-by-year rise.

Full fruit stage: 10-120 years; the period when the tea-oil camellia bears fruit heavily, with reproduction dominant, increased demand for light, water, temperature, and fertilizer, and the fruiting position moving outward.

How long until there is income?

Generally speaking, a single mountain tea-oil camellia can bloom and bear fruit in 3-5 years, enter the full fruit stage in about ten years, and the income after ten years is very considerable. However, the early period is relatively long, so it is not suitable for those who want short-term planting and quick returns, but is suitable for friends who engage in long-term planting.

Attached planting methods:

1. Soil: choose loose, fertile, moist acidic soil.

2. Sunlight: the tea-oil camellia likes warmth, so choose a sunny and warm place for planting.

3. Raising seedlings: there are three methods, sowing, cuttings, and grafting, but sowing and raising seedlings takes too long and returns are slow, so cuttings and grafting are mostly chosen for planting.

3. Fertilizing: fertilize every year, mainly with farmyard manure and organic fertilizer, while also appropriately supplementing with chemical fertilizer.

4. Watering: water frequently in spring and summer; in winter, just keep the soil moist.

5. Pest and disease control: Scale insects: spray with 1000 times diluted dusiben, once every 10 days, 3 consecutive sprays are enough.

Longhorn beetles: use cotton dipped in 2 times diluted dichlorvos emulsion and insert it into the bore hole to kill them by poisoning.