Detailed Explanation of Tea Plant Pruning Methods and Technical Key Points

Tea plant pruning is a measure carried out on the basis of comprehensive management of soil, fertilizer and water in the tea garden, in which, according to the natural conditions of each area, tree age and growth habits of the variety, the distribution and transport of nutrients in the tea plant body are appropriately controlled and regulated, so that nutrients are rationally utilized and distributed. However, it must be closely coordinated with fertilizer and water management, combined with plucking and leaf retention, and attention must be paid to pest and disease control, so that the tea plants recover quickly and grow well. Formative pruning For the first formative pruning of young tea plants, the height and branch thickness have a close bearing on the strength and number of future branches. According to the branching habits of shrub-type tea plants, when a two-year-old tea seedling is more than 30 cm tall, with a main stem thickness of 3-4 mm, and has 1-2 branches, the first formative pruning can be carried out, and the pruning height should be 15-20 cm above the ground. For tea plants with poorer growth, even if they are two years old, if their vigor has not reached the standard, the formative pruning should be postponed. For some tea plants with deep soil layers and better management levels, if they have reached the standard at one year of age, the formative pruning can also be carried out one year earlier. The first formative pruning must be done carefully, cutting only the main branch and not the side branches; the cut position should be close to the lower leaf, and the stub must not be left too long; the cut should be slanted inward, and the outer bud positions should be retained as much as possible. After the first formative pruning, management must be strengthened so that the tea plants quickly send out vigorous new branches. The height of the second formative pruning can be 15-20 cm above the first cut. The height of the third formative pruning should be about 10 cm above the second cut. In this way, through 3 consecutive formative prunings, the height of the tea plant framework branches can reach 50 cm, forming 4-5 layers of branches together with the main stem; on this basis, light pruning is then carried out, combined with light topping plucking, to further develop the tea plant canopy and plucking surface. Small tree-type tea plants have strong apical dominance, their new shoots grow more vigorously, and their internodes are long, so the formative pruning method for shrub-type tea plants should not be used; instead, the segmented pruning method should be used as far as possible for formative pruning. When tea plant growth meets one of the following three standards, formative pruning can be carried out: first, the main stem thickness is 4-5 mm and the height is more than 20 cm. Second, there are 7-8 leaves. Third, the branches are lignified or semi-lignified. Pruning method: the first formative pruning is still carried out when the tea plant is about 30 cm tall and the main stem thickness is more than 4 mm, cutting at 12-18 cm above the ground; after the first pruning, when the tea plant grows to more than 20 cm and has 2-3 branches, segmented pruning begins, once every 20-40 days, 5-7 times within a year (the same branch can be pruned 2-3 times), each time pruning only 1/3-1/2 of the number of branches that meet the standard. The stub length left on pruned branches should be extended 8-12 cm from the branching fork; the central branch should be pruned heavily, leaving 8-10 cm, while side branches should be pruned lightly, leaving 10-12 cm, suppressing the main branch and supporting the side branches, pruning the strong and nurturing the weak; after two years of pruning, when the tea plant height reaches about 60 cm, prune the tea plant canopy surface once more. After that, only prune the branches with strong apical dominance in the tea plant, while combining this with leaf-retaining plucking and clearing ineffective branches, so that the productive branch layer forms a balanced and relatively dense canopy surface. In the process of developing the canopy of young tea plants, the cultivation of framework branches and the framework layer mainly relies on three formative prunings. In plucking technique, "batch leaf retention" should be implemented, retaining more and plucking less, so as to focus on cultivation and use plucking as a supplement, implementing light topping plucking. In production practice, attention should be paid to two tendencies: first, seeking only immediate benefits, without considering the tea plant's vigor and the basis for achieving high and stable yields, being eager for quick results, and improperly plucking early and heavily, causing early decline of tree vigor, so that yield never rises and the tea plants find it difficult to close rows. Second, not plucking what should be plucked and instead closing the garden to cultivate the canopy, which also fails to achieve the goal. Light pruning Light pruning is shaping pruning carried out on the basis of formative pruning, with the purpose of continuing to develop the tea plant canopy and plucking surface. The cutting position is generally 4-8 cm above the previous year's cut. For those practicing leaf-retaining plucking of spring tea, retain the spring shoots and prune away the summer and autumn shoots. For those not retaining leaves in spring tea but practicing leaf-retaining plucking in summer tea, prune away the shoot positions above the true leaves retained from the summer and autumn shoots. If both spring and summer tea are plucked with leaves retained, then pruning should be based on the net increase in canopy surface height, and the stub should not be left too high. Light pruning uses horizontal shears to cut flat in one pass, and the cut should be smooth. Light pruning should be carried out in late autumn or early spring during the tea plant dormancy period. After pruning, fertilizer and cultivation management in the tea garden should be strengthened. Light pruning every other year or at intervals of more than two years, with leaf-retaining plucking of spring tea, can make spring tea plucking begin earlier, increase spring tea yield, and improve economic benefits. Deep pruning Deep pruning mainly removes chicken-claw branches, redundant branches and dead branches of tea plants, prompting the tea plants to sprout new branches, forming a new productive branch layer, and improving bud-nurturing ability. The deep pruning cycle is generally more than 5 years; after one deep pruning, when the productive branch layer on the tea plant canopy surface again shows signs of aging, deep pruning should be carried out again. Deep pruning cuts deeper, generally lowering the canopy surface by 15-25 cm. Deep pruning is often carried out after spring tea plucking, so that one season of spring tea can be obtained. After deep pruning, plucking must be stopped for that year to cultivate tree vigor, and plucking can begin only after the productive branch layer of the tea plant canopy is re-formed the following year. If deep pruning is carried out in late autumn, then the following year's spring tea should be retained and cultivated for one season, and plucking can begin again in summer. Heavy pruning Heavy pruning is suitable for tea gardens among aged tea gardens where the main branches are still strong, the 1st- and 2nd-order branches are also relatively sturdy, and the upper branches are disordered, thin and weak, as well as for tea gardens that decline before becoming old. The cutting position for heavy pruning is generally about 40 cm above the ground, and after pruning only the main branches and 1st- and 2nd-order branches remain. For particularly aged branches in the tea bush, they can be cut off from the root, and at the same time thin and weak branches among natural renewal branches should also be cut off, retaining robust renewal branches. Heavy pruning is generally carried out during the dormancy period after spring tea plucking, using a sharp knife or collar pruning shears to cut branch by branch; the cut must be smooth, flat and slightly slanted; after heavy pruning, fertilizer must be applied heavily. Collar pruning Collar pruning is mainly aimed at tea plants whose tree vigor is severely aged, cutting away the entire canopy from the root crown (within 5 cm above the ground), so that adventitious buds at the root crown sprout and form a new canopy. The stub must not be left too high, otherwise budding will not be strong and new branches will be slender. Collar pruning uses a sharp knife to cut off branches and a saw to cut through thick branches; damaged stubs should be avoided to prevent rot and effects on development. Some aged tea plants have already sprouted many natural renewal branches from the root crown; if these branches are relatively thick and strong while other branches on the same plant are already very aged, the selective collar pruning method can be used, cutting the old and retaining the strong, and using the retained renewal branches for formative pruning to form a new canopy. Collar pruning should be carried out in spring, so that new branches become lignified through one year of growth, making formative pruning convenient the following year. Collar pruning must be carried out in combination with soil improvement and heavy application of organic fertilizer to achieve the expected results.