Tea Plant at Home and in the Garden

Chinese tea plant (lat. Camellia sinensis, formerly also Thea sinensis) is an evergreen shrub from the tea family (lat. Theaceae). The tea plant is native to southern and southeastern China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and India. Here, this plant is cultivated on extensive plantations up to an altitude of approximately 2000 m above sea level. Tea plants grown at higher altitudes are said to have higher quality leaves than others.

The first written records of tea and tea plant cultivation date back to the 3rd century AD. However, legends praise the tea plant much earlier, even before our era. The popularity of tea quickly spread around the world, people appreciated especially its exceptional taste and beneficial effects. The tea plant therefore began to be cultivated elsewhere than in its homeland. Currently, extensive tea plantations are also found in Japan, Indonesia, in the Caucasus region, in Ceylon. However, tea plant cultivation is not only the privilege of Asia, it is also grown in Europe - in Georgia and on the Azores. Furthermore, the tea plant is cultivated in Java, Sumatra and southern Africa.

Tea plant cultivation on plantations

The tea plant is grown as a shrub or tree, cultivation in the form of a shrub is more common because leaves are more conveniently picked from small plants. Tea plants grown on plantations at higher altitudes have smaller leaves and the overall foliage is poorer, but these leaves are substantially higher quality than others. Young tea plants are obtained from seeds or by cutting. Seeds are sown in special nurseries from which they are transplanted to plantations after approximately half a year. After about two years, the shrubs are pruned for the first time so that they branch out and do not grow too tall. At three years, the tea plants are ready for the first harvest. Leaves from tea plants grown to obtain higher quality tea are picked later.

The tea plant is capable of producing quality leaves for approximately 30 years. The harvest time depends on the type of tea plant and the place of cultivation. It usually adapts to rainfall. Harvesting takes place several times a year. Leaves for lower grade teas are harvested up to 30 times a year, for high-quality teas leaves are harvested only 3 - 4 times a year. The quality of the harvest varies, the first harvest is usually the highest quality. Growers have harvests precisely timed and strictly observe the set deadlines. Harvesting is carried out in most countries by manual picking (by plucking or cutting with scissors). Especially in Japan, special cutting machines have started to be used to increase harvesting efficiency.

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After harvesting, the leaves are processed and depending on the degree of fermentation, one type of tea is created - white, green, yellow or black). All these types of tea are made from a single plant - the Chinese tea plant.

Types of Tea According to the Degree of Fermentation of Tea Leaves

• Black teas have undergone a complete fermentation process, which is why they have a dark color and are very distinctive and full-bodied in taste. The Chinese call this type of tea red, according to the color of the infusion. For the Chinese, true black tea is only the multiple-fermented Pu Erh tea. Black tea is popular all over the world, especially in Europe.

• Green teas are completely unfermented, because immediately after harvesting and light withering of the leaves, the enzymes that cause fermentation are destroyed by heat. This type of tea is very popular and often produced in China and Japan. Green teas are delicate in taste, and the infusion has a green to yellow-green color.

• Yellow teas are similar to green teas. The main difference in the production of this type of tea is in the slow drying process. During drying, additional fermentation occurs. Yellow teas are also very similar in taste to green teas. Even in China, yellow tea is produced very rarely, so we don't encounter it very often here.

• White teas, unlike other types, do not undergo heat treatment, thus retaining most of their original substances. To obtain white tea, only the youngest leaves and top buds are harvested. The harvested leaves are left to wither and then dried directly. White teas are produced almost exclusively in the Chinese province of Fujian and are among the finest.

Botanical Description of the Chinese Tea Plant

The Chinese tea plant is an evergreen shrub that grows up to 8 meters in the wild. On plantations, it is kept smaller through pruning, up to a maximum of two meters in height. The leaves of the tea plant are leathery, alternately arranged, lance-shaped with serrated edges. The underside of the leaf is covered with fine white hairs, which are best visible on so-called tips, which are still undeveloped leaf buds. The flowers of the tea plant have a white or pinkish color and remotely resemble the flowers of our cherry trees. Each flower has 5 - 9 petals growing individually or in groups of 2 - 3 in the leaf axils. Tea plant flowers are cross-pollinated. After pollination, a three-chambered capsule develops from the flowers, containing 3 spherical, brown, glossy seeds.

Sowing Seeds

You can grow tea plants from seeds, which are relatively hard, so stratification of the seeds is carried out through mechanical damage to the hard shell and subsequent soaking in water. Gently damage the hard shells with a knife and place the prepared seeds in a water bath at a temperature of around 20 °C. The ideal soaking time is 2 - 3 days. The second method of stratification is storing slightly damaged seeds in moist peat at a temperature of around 6 - 8 °C. Then sow the seeds in a prepared sowing device.

A suitable substrate is peat with lower calcium content. During germination, the temperature should range between 20 - 25 °C, and the substrate should remain moist throughout. You can achieve optimal temperature and humidity by using a special mini greenhouse. Move the sowing equipment to a semi-shaded location. Gradually accustom the emerged seedlings to normal conditions. Continue to keep the substrate moist, but do not overwater it, as this could cause root rot and destroy the entire plant. Depending on the growth rate, transplant the seedlings into individual pots at the appropriate time. If you want to grow the tea plant outdoors, wait until the young plants are strong enough to survive winter (usually three-year-old seedlings). When the plant reaches about 12 cm in height, you can pinch it for the first time to encourage branching and create a bushy shrub.

Growing Tea Plant Indoors

You can grow the tea plant both indoors and outdoors. Always place it in a semi-shaded location. The tea plant thrives in clay-sandy substrate with added peat, and also grows in pure peat (acidic substrate). Be careful not to plant it in substrate with higher calcium content!!! In such substrate, the plant would die very quickly. Even when fertilizing, read the composition carefully to avoid unknowingly supplying the plant with a substance that the tea plant cannot tolerate. Give plants grown indoors a stay in fresh air during the season - they will greatly appreciate it. Water and fertilize tea plants sufficiently. As autumn approaches, gradually reduce fertilization and watering. In September, move the plant to its winter location, which should be sufficiently bright but without direct sunlight. The ideal temperature for overwintering is around 10 °C. Under these conditions, partially reduce watering; if the environment is dry, you can occasionally mist the plant. During the season, occasionally pinch the plant to encourage bushiness and maintain it at the desired height. More radical pruning is done once a year, either at the end of winter or during the dry period. Repot tea plants grown in pots annually in spring, trying not to disturb the root ball, as the plant tolerates this poorly and often drops leaves after insensitive intervention. Fortunately, the leaves will soon grow back. In our conditions, the tea plant is most commonly affected by scale insects and spider mites.

Growing Tea Plants in the Garden

For growing Chinese tea plants in the garden, choose true Chinese tea plants, as they are more resilient than other cultivars. These tea plants are frost-hardy down to approximately -18°C. Plant three to four-year-old seedlings in a partially shaded location in acidic substrate. Water the plants abundantly in summer, taking care not to overwater them. Support growth with occasional fertilizing. Stop fertilizing towards the end of the season so the tea plant's tissues have time to mature and prepare for winter. The biggest problem during overwintering is severe temperature fluctuations with frequent thawing and freezing. Before winter, you must winterize the plants. Add straw or fallen leaves to the roots of the Chinese tea plant, and shade the above-ground part with protective film designed for plant overwintering. In cold areas, it's possible to create a special low cold frame for the tea plant, which can be covered to protect the plant from excessive frost. Well-winterized tea plants are most reliably protected by a sufficiently thick snow blanket. If frost damages the branch tips, it's not a disaster – the shrub will sprout again in spring from the parts that survived. Overwintering Chinese tea plants in outdoor conditions has its challenges and success depends on the course of winter. Therefore, it's more reliable to overwinter them in a cool indoor environment.