A Complete Analysis of Common Tea Varieties and Key Planting Points

Drinking tea is a tradition in our country, and the history of tea cultivation is also very long, though it was first used as a sacrificial offering. Tea picked according to different seasons can also be divided into spring tea, summer tea, autumn tea and winter tea. Tea has relatively high requirements for the growing environment. Let us take a look below at what common tea varieties there are and what the key planting points are?

I. What common tea varieties are there?

1. Green tea

“Green leaves, green soup.” The production method goes through three processes: fixing, rolling and drying. Longjing tea and Biluochun tea are the most famous. Longjing tea is produced in Shifeng, Wuyun Mountain, Hupao Mountain and Longjing in West Lake, Hangzhou.

2. Yellow tea

The production method has one more piling process than green tea. The treasure is “Junshan Yinzhen”, produced on a small island called Junshan in Dongting Lake.

3. Black tea

The production method is divided into four processes: withering, rolling, fermentation and drying. The most famous is “Qihong” produced in Qimen County, Anhui. It is tight, fine and slender, with a bright red and clear soup color. The aroma resembles fruit fragrance and also floral fragrance. When drunk, it is mellow on the entry, refreshing and lasting, with a rich aftertaste and fragrance within the flavor.

4. Dark tea

The characteristic of dark tea is “leaf color oily black or brown-green, soup color orange-yellow or brown-red.” The production method mainly involves pile fermentation to change color, that is, after the tea leaves are rolled, they are piled for more than 20 hours, making the leaf color become oily black. The outstanding ones among dark teas are Pu'er tea and Liubao tea.

II. What are the key points of tea planting?

1. Tea garden construction

In hilly areas at an altitude above 300 m and below 800 m, with a slope below 25 degrees, in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas, where acid-loving plants such as azalea, masson pine and oil tea grow, and where the soil layer is compact and more than 1 m deep and the groundwater level is below 1 m, tea can all be cultivated.

2. Seedling preparation

If producing black tea, it is suitable to use Zhuyeqi or a better variety; for green tea, it is suitable to use Fuding Daba or a better variety. Seeds are required to be free of insects and mildew, and tea seeds with a germination rate above 75% can be used. Whether raising seedlings oneself or transferring seedlings from elsewhere, the seedling height should be about 25 cm, and the diameter at 3 cm from the root-stem part should reach more than 3 mm.

3. Planting specifications and density

If single-row or double-row planting is used, the row spacing is 150 cm, the hole spacing is 30-40 cm, and 2 seedlings are planted per hole or 4-5 tea seeds are sown.

4. Applying base fertilizer

Generally, trench fertilization is adopted, with a trench depth of 60 cm and a trench width of 50-60 cm. Apply 1-2 tonnes of farmyard organic fertilizer per mu, and 50 kg of tea-specific compound fertilizer or phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, mix fertilizer with soil, cover with soil and level the ground.

5. Planting and sowing

Tea planting is suitable in October, or in early March of the following year. The planting depth is best at 3-4 cm above the root-stem, and the soil around the tea stump should be pressed firmly, watered thoroughly, and covered on the planting row with chaff or film to preserve water and control temperature.

6. Management after planting

After one growth period following planting, thin out and fill in seedlings in late autumn and early winter or before early spring of the following year;

For the management of young tea gardens, according to weed growth conditions, carry out weeding to a depth of 5-10 cm, more than 30 times, and combine with topdressing according to seedling conditions. Once each year in autumn, carry out deep ploughing of 15-20 cm. In the first three years, plant green manure between the rows to improve the soil and build up soil fertility.

For the management of young tea trees, when the seedlings are more than 30 cm high and the main branch is more than 3 mm thick, carry out one shaping pruning, cutting off the upper section of the main branch 10-15 cm above the ground without cutting the branches below the main branch. Shaping pruning must be carried out once every year, so that before the canopy closes the row it is shaped into a flat form and then transitions to an arc shape. The method of first flat and then arc is used for shaping to accelerate the tree's widening, and finally the tree height is controlled at 70-90 cm, with a coverage of more than 80%.

After tea trees are planted, apply base fertilizer once every 1-2 years. After the garden is closed in autumn, open trenches between the rows at the center and apply fertilizer, applying 5-10 tonnes of organic fertilizer per mu, with 50 kg of compound fertilizer and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer being suitable. In March, May and July of each year, apply quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer three times as the main fertilizer. According to the growth needs of the tea trees, foliar fertilizer can be applied as topdressing.