Technical Service Information for Tea Plant Frost Resistance and Post-Disaster Recovery

I. Remedial measures for tea plants after a disaster:

1. Scientific pruning: Because tea gardens with different varieties, different altitudes, and different slope aspects have different degrees of frost damage to their tea plants, generally tea gardens with large-leaf varieties, high altitude, and north-facing slopes suffer more severe frost damage to the tea plants. Timely and reasonable pruning should be carried out according to the degree of frost damage. After the temperature rises and stabilizes, observe the frost damage to the tea plants. For lighter frost damage, use light pruning, that is, cut about 3 cm below the leaf surface. For more severe frost damage, carry out deep pruning, cutting off 1/2-1/3 of the plant. For particularly severe frost damage, carry out heavy pruning or collar pruning to rebuild the canopy.

2. Shallow tillage and topdressing: After pruning frost-damaged tea plants, water and fertilizer management should be strengthened, which can help the tea plants quickly regain vitality, improve resistance, promote tea bud germination, and rebuild the canopy. When the temperature rises above 10°C, in combination with shallow tillage and weeding in early spring, apply quick-acting fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate and urea, along with a certain amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, in small amounts and multiple times.

3. Reasonable picking: Because after tea plants are frost-damaged, a large number of leaves fall off and post-disaster pruning is carried out, the chlorophyll layer is reduced or completely cut away, and the canopy needs to be rebuilt. Therefore, attention should be paid to reasonable picking. For tea gardens that have undergone deep pruning or collar pruning, spring shoots should be retained and allowed to grow, and summer tea should be picked by tipping, with the main focus on cultivating the canopy.

II. Rescue measures for frostbitten tea seedlings:

1. For seedling breeding bases, measures such as building greenhouses and covering with shade nets, agricultural film, and rice straw should be taken to protect the seedlings and ensure they safely avoid the cold.

2. For tea seedlings that have already been frostbitten, apply organic fertilizer and spray foliar fertilizer to improve the plants' cold resistance and help them recover as quickly as possible.