When is the flowering and fruiting period of the tea plant?
Tea seeds are the fruit formed after the tea plant flowers, undergoes pollination, and grows to maturity. But tea seeds are divided into oil-tea seeds and tea plant seeds; the tea oil they contain can be extracted for consumption, and the remaining tea residue can be ground into powder to make natural tea seed powder. So when does the tea plant flower, and when does it bear fruit?
Because the roots and new shoots of the tea plant have a balanced demand for carbohydrates, its growth shows an “alternating root-shoot” pattern. The more developed the root system, the better the tea plant grows. Among them, the large-leaf tea plants of Yunnan have more developed root systems than medium- and small-leaf varieties, and in different seasons, each of their parts is affected by factors such as climate, soil and water sources, so there is a certain difference in the growth of the tea plant.
The root of the tea plant is its nutritional organ. The reason it is said that the older the tea plant, the richer the tea quality contained in its leaves is closely related to its root system. The older the tea plant, the more developed its root system, and the more nutrients it draws from deep in the soil, providing abundant nutrients for the growth of the tea plant. For tea plants with better growth, such as the 500-year and older tea trees of Jingmai Mountain, after their fresh leaves are made into tea, the spring tea shows a sweet, full-bodied taste, and the autumn tea shows a highly aromatic, clear and sweet taste.
The flowering period of the tea plant, from beginning to end, lasts a rather long time, usually requiring 7 or 8 months. From the time the flower buds begin to grow and differentiate in June to the time the flower buds truly take shape, one month is needed, that is, the period from June to July is when the flower buds take shape. The peak flowering period is from late October to mid-to-late November, and the flowering period generally ends in late December. But the flowering time of the tea plant is affected by tree species and climate; large-leaf varieties flower later than small-leaf varieties. If a cold wave occurs, flowering will be earlier, and under short-day weather conditions, flowering will also be earlier.
After the flowering period, the tea flowers that have undergone pollen fertilization continue to grow and bear fruit. The tea fruit takes about 18 months to grow and mature. The tea fruit is green when unripe, and brown and reddish-brown when mature. After the fruit skin splits open, brown tea seeds are revealed. They can be used to press oil for consumption. Tea seed oil has effects such as regulating blood pressure, lowering blood lipids and resisting oxidation, and is an ideal dietary therapy product for people with cardiovascular diseases such as the three highs.
During the flowering and fruiting period of the tea plant, the growth of the root system and the shoots shows different states. Among them, the vigorous growth period of the root system is from the end of June to early July and from mid-October to the end of November. During this period, the root system stores abundant nutrients for the growth of the tea plant. The shoots grow from August to September, also called autumn shoots. With the growth of the shoots, the buds and leaves begin to sprout, and by October and November, the buds and leaves have grown, and buds and leaves of better quality are picked to make autumn tea. After November, entering December, the temperature is relatively low, the tea plant shoots do not send out new shoots, and at the same time, part of the nutrients produced by photosynthesis in the tea leaves is stored in the thick stems, and part is transported to the tea roots, promoting root growth. When the weather warms up, after a few spring rains, new shoots grow, accompanied by the sprouting of buds and leaves, that is, spring tea.
In summary, the growth of the tea plant is a cyclical process, and the growth of its roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits occurs at different times. The tea plant flowers from early June all the way to the end of December, accompanied in between by the growth and maturation of the tea fruit; by mid-October, the tea flowers that were pollinated earlier begin to bear fruit. After the fruit matures, the skin is peeled off, leaving brown tea seeds. These are used to press tea seed oil for people to consume. After the tea seeds are pressed for oil, the tea residue can be ground into powder; the tea seed powder made from it is a natural cleaner.