Seedbed

Tea tree cuttings are the primary means of propagating clonal tea seedlings. First, select a good mother garden of tea tree cultivars. During spring planting (February to March) or autumn planting (September to October), prune red-brown, semi-lignified, healthy, pest and disease-free branches with full axillary buds from the mother garden. Cut the branches into short cuttings 3 to 4 centimeters long, each with one leaf and a full axillary bud. Ensure that the cut is smooth and diagonal. (1) Method for Cutting Insertion Thoroughly moisten the seedbed before cutting insertion. Once the surface soil is no longer sticky, draw lines according to the length of the tea leaves. Generally, the row spacing for the cuttings should be 7 to 8 centimeters, and the plant spacing should be 2 to 3 centimeters, ensuring that the leaves do not overlap. Hold the lower part of the leaf of the cutting with your thumb, index, and middle fingers, then insert the cutting straight or slightly diagonally into the soil. The depth should be such that only the petiole is exposed. While inserting, lightly press the soil around the cutting to ensure it is firmly in contact with the soil, which aids root development.…