Technical key points for restoring tea production after snow disaster and freezing damage to tea plants

This year, some tea regions across the country experienced severe weather such as heavy snow and low-temperature freezing that had not occurred in decades, causing tea branches to break, leaves to discolor and dry up, and branches to die, resulting in varying degrees of snow disaster and freezing damage. In order to restore tea production as quickly as possible and reduce the economic losses of tea farmers, the following technical key points are proposed according to the disaster conditions.

1. Pruning

1. Mild freezing damage (only leaves damaged): do not prune or lightly prune as appropriate.

2. Moderate freezing damage (production branches damaged) and severe freezing damage (framework branches damaged): prune when the boundary between the frozen-dead part and the healthy part is clear, with the cut 1-2 cm deeper than the dead part. Generally in late February to early March.

2. Fertilizer and water management

1. Fertilization: apply ordinary compound fertilizer (total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients 25%) at 50 kg/mu or high-concentration compound fertilizer (total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients 45%) at 30 kg/mu before the end of February; apply urea at 15-20 kg/mu in early April. Apply in furrows, with a furrow depth of 10 cm.

2. Drainage: after snowmelt, for tea gardens with standing water, open furrows in time to drain the water.

3. Restoring the canopy

After pruning, frozen-damaged tea plants should be appropriately left to grow in order to restore the canopy. For tea plants with lighter pruning, pick normally in the early spring tea period and retain leaves when picking in the later period; for tea plants with severe freezing damage and deeper pruning, retain the spring shoots and pick the summer tea by topping.