Detailed Explanation of Key Tea Plant Cultivation and Management Techniques for August

1. Judging the plucking of third flush tea

This year's spring tea was slightly later than usual, so a somewhat delayed growth of the third flush tea is within expectations. For third flush tea plucking, if the tree vigor is strong and growth is good, plucking can begin in early August.

A delay in the timing of third flush tea plucking means that the autumn buds at the time of autumn pruning cannot harden sufficiently, causing reduced yield and income for next year's spring tea.

Thirty days after new leaves unfold, leaf area reaches its maximum, after which they fully harden; this process takes about 90 to 100 days. In tea gardens where the third flush is not plucked, remove excessive vegetative shoots by early August; at the time of autumn pruning, the branches will then be mature and strong, which helps next year's spring tea buds to sprout strongly and evenly, increasing spring tea income.

2. Deep tillage

Deep tillage loosens the soil layer between tea rows, improves soil aeration and water permeability, and promotes root development.

Recently, the interval between tea tree renewals has become shorter and shorter, and branches and leaves from autumn pruning and the like are returned to the tea garden, so organic matter is often seen accumulating between tea rows. In tea gardens with much such accumulated branches and leaves, soil amendments such as magnesia lime (MgO) can be mixed with the organic matter between the tea rows to correct acidic soil, which helps promote the decomposition of organic matter and improves the absorption and utilization of fertilizer.

(1) Timing of deep tillage

Deep tillage cuts roots, so it should be carried out before autumn, when tea trees are vigorous in nutrient absorption, to help the regeneration of new fine roots. Therefore, mid-August to early September is the optimal period for deep tillage. In mountainous areas where autumn comes early, and in high-mountain tea gardens, it should be done earlier.

(2) In the case of drought, root cutting during deep tillage has an extremely great impact, and new fine roots are difficult to regenerate, so deep tillage should be stopped and replaced with shallow tillage.

(3) In tea gardens where deep tillage has not been carried out for many years, many roots are distributed near the surface, and a large number of roots will be cut during deep tillage. Such tea gardens should be deep-tilled in alternate rows.

3. Drought countermeasures

Pay attention to weather forecasts, and prepare drought-prevention measures early as soon as there is a tendency toward drought.

Tea trees absorb water through their roots and release it through their leaves to regulate body temperature. Normally, during high temperatures in summer, the amount of water evaporated from a tea garden each day is about 7 mm. With excessive drying, the tea tree's water absorption stops, so leaf temperature rises and causes leaf scorch.

Tea gardens susceptible to drought are often young tree gardens with shallow effective soil layers, inconvenient irrigation, and shallow root distribution.

The drought countermeasures are:

(1) Where water conservancy conditions are good, irrigate 25 to 30 tons (25 to 30 mm) per 1000 sq m of tea garden at one time, generally once within an interval of 7 days. Irrigation is necessary when the soil moisture PF value is above 2.3. Irrigating earlier, before tea trees show drought symptoms, gives better results.

(2) To prevent water evaporation from the soil surface, methods such as straw mulching or covering with plastic film between tea rows can be used. Young tree gardens especially require careful and attentive management.

4. Management of cutting beds

In seedbeds for summer cuttings, rooting begins 20 to 30 days after insertion, and the first roots form after one and a half months.

Once the first roots have all emerged, prevent the seedbed from drying out and irrigate promptly. Fertilization begins when the second and third roots form, around early August. Excessive fertilization will cause fertilizer injury, and coverings should be removed before mid-September on a cloudy day.