A Detailed Guide to Organic Tea Cultivation Techniques and Tea Garden Management Essentials

Organic Tea

The significance of organic cultivation in tea gardens lies in avoiding the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers to produce tea; its purpose is to safeguard the health of cultivators and consumers and to protect the Earth's ecological environment. The method of organic cultivation in tea gardens lies in using organic fertilizers to supply the nutrients needed for tea plant growth, while effectively utilizing agricultural waste as a resource; for pest and disease control, non-pesticide methods must be adopted, including biological control, manual capture, physical control, and cultivation management control; for weed control, non-pesticide methods must also be adopted, such as: mechanical and manual weeding, planting green manure, and ground mulching. Operators of organic cultivation in tea gardens should keep records of all cultivation management operations and participate in certification procedures with relevant agencies or organizations, obtaining the relevant "Organic Tea" product label to facilitate product sales.

Tea produced through organic cultivation can not only be consumed as a beverage but can also be developed into diversified organic tea products such as organic powdered tea, organic tea bags, culinary tea, tea wine, etc., giving consumers more choices and further expanding the tea sales market.

The current guidance for organic tea is outlined below in terms of the implementation guidelines for organically cultivated tea gardens, and the certification and specifications for organic tea:

I. Implementation Guidelines for Organically Cultivated Tea Gardens

(1) Environment: Tea gardens with uncontaminated air, water quality, and soil.

(2) Fertilization:

Purely organically cultivated tea gardens: Synthetic chemical fertilizers or growth regulator materials must not be used; only uncontaminated organic fertilizers or green manure crops may be used, and only after a period of three years or more may the product be called a purely organic tea product.

(3) Pests and diseases:

Purely organically cultivated tea gardens: Synthetic chemical pesticides are completely avoided for pest and disease control. Control methods include biological control: using Trichogramma to control the tea tortrix moth, using Amblyseius womersleyi for predatory mite control, controlling the Kanzawa spider mite, using sex pheromones to control the tea leaf roller, using green lacewings, controlling small pests, and using Bacillus thuringiensis to control tea geometrid moths, tea tussock moths, bagworm moths, inchworm moths, and other Lepidoptera pests. Physical control: Placing yellow sticky boards in tea gardens can be used to control the smaller green leafhopper, spiny whitefly, thrips, and aphids. During drought, high-pressure water spraying facilities can be used for control. Manual capture: Tea tussock moths, bagworm moths, and inchworm moths can be controlled by manual capture to reduce pest density. Cultivation management: Use pruning to remove diseased plants, maintain ventilation in the tea garden, and avoid excessive shade and humidity.

(4) Weed control:

1. Manual weeding:

Weeds whose stems and leaves spread over the tea canopy and hinder tea plant growth, such as Paederia scandens, Mikania micrantha, and Merremia hederacea, should be removed manually. Weeds beside the tea canopy, such as Crassocephalum crepidioides, Imperata cylindrica, Cyperus rotundus, and Bidens pilosa, should be dug out manually including their roots.

2. Mechanical weeding:

Weeds growing in the tea rows that hinder plucking operations and compete for nutrients can be controlled by cultivating and fertilizing at the same time, combining cultivation, fertilization, and weeding.

3. Ground mulching:

Mulching materials such as rice hulls, peanut shells, bagasse, and straw can be selected and spread between tea rows, with a thickness preferably not exceeding 5 cm, to avoid being too thick, which could cause poor soil aeration or waterlogging during the rainy season.

4. Planting green manure crops:

In winter (November to December), interplant lupins (lupine) and ryegrass (annual Italian type) between tea rows; in summer, interplant sesbania to prevent weeds. However, planting lupins is best for tea gardens.

5. Cultivating a vigorous tree canopy can naturally form a shading effect; branches pruned in summer or winter can be spread over tea rows to also prevent weed growth.

6. Appropriately select and retain weeds with short growth periods, low stature, soft stems and leaves, and strong ground-creeping ability with soil and water conservation functions, such as Oxalis and Centella asiatica.

II. Certification and Specifications for Organic Tea

(1) Certification conditions:

1. The production process has undergone technical guidance and investigation by the Tea Research and Extension Station, confirming that cultivation was carried out in accordance with the organic crop cultivation implementation guidelines and field management methods set by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and that complete management records are available.

2. Harvested finished tea is sampled by the responsible personnel of each Tea Research and Extension Station region from trial farmers according to regulations, sent to the pesticide research institute or relevant units for testing, confirmed to have no pesticide residues, and accompanied by test report documentation.

3. The product meets the specifications for organic agricultural products.

(2) Specifications:

1. Appearance tightly rolled and uniform, hemispherical or strip-shaped, with good dryness and no scorched appearance.

2. Bright color, dark green, with a hidden golden edge color on tender leaves.

3. Resistant to multiple infusions, with a honey-green or golden-yellow liquor color, clear and bright.

4. Fresh and elegant aroma, without a raw green taste, smooth and mellow on the throat.

5. Cultivated using quasi-organic or pure organic methods, with no pesticide residues.