Typical Cultivation and Harvest Practices for Field Grown Plants

It is important that teas that are newly planted are free of weeds while they are in their beginning stages. When weeds pop up it is recommended that they get done by hand. Plants should be pruned to encourage growth of lateral branches. Throughout the plant’s life, pruning should always be maintained. Clippings from the plant can be left on the centers of rows to act as mulch. Tea plants are usually fertilized 2-3 times per year. The act of harvesting tea is called plucking. Fine plucking is when the bud and two leaves are removed and course plucking is when the bud and three leaves are removed. The benefit of fine plucking is higher quality tea but course plucking increases production. Plucking is done by hand. The proper way is by grasping the plant between your thumb and forefinger and then pulling.