In order to do a good job in the spring Tea garden management throughout the city in 2023 and ensure high yields and quality of this year's tea production, the City's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau has formulated the following technical recommendations for spring tea garden management.
01. Timely Removal of Winter Protective Materials
For young tea gardens that have been protected with Soil over winter, the soil should be removed promptly to promote normal growth of the tea seedlings. Soil removal is typically done in two stages, with the first stage after the “Spring Equinox,” removing half the height of the plants, and the second stage around the “Pure Brightness” period, removing all the covering soil. For tea gardens protected by plastic greenhouses over winter, ventilation should be adjusted according to temperature changes to prevent leaf scorching; the plastic film can be removed when temperatures rise. For tea gardens using windbreaks, inter-row straw mulching, or canopy coverings, these protective materials should be removed around the “Awakening of Insects” period.
02. Tea Garden Fertilization
Spring fertilization in tea gardens should use tea plant-specific bio-fertilizers, slow-release fertilizers, and foliar fertilizers. After fertilizing, not only will the tea plants quickly regain vitality, but it will also promote the sprouting of new buds and shoots. After removing the winter protective materials, apply spring fertilization promptly, with no more than 12 kg of pure nitrogen per mu for mature tea gardens and no more than 6 kg for young tea gardens. When fertilizing, open trenches outside the Tree canopy, at least 20 cm deep. Avoid using growth regulators to ensure natural growth of the tea plants.
03. Pruning of Tea Plants
Pruning is an effective measure for shaping the canopy and rejuvenating the tea plants. There are five types of pruning: shaping, light, deep, heavy, and coppicing. Therefore, the appropriate pruning method should be selected based on production needs. For young tea gardens, shaping pruning is mainly applied, starting around the “Spring Equinox.” The height of the first pruning for one-year-old tea gardens is 15 cm, increasing by 10-15 cm each year for subsequent years. For tea gardens affected by frost damage, pruning should be conducted between the “Awakening of Insects” and “Spring Equinox,” adhering to the principle of “preferably shallow rather than deep.” Light pruning (3-5 cm deep) is recommended for mild frost damage, deep pruning (7-15 cm deep) for moderate damage, and heavy pruning (over 15 cm deep) for severe damage. After pruning, thoroughly clear out dead branches, leaves, and flowers from the garden to reduce sources of pests and diseases.
04. Timely Watering
After pruning, clear away the pruned branches from the tea garden. Around the “Spring Equinox,” water the tea garden thoroughly to meet the water demand for the growth and development of the tea plants.
05. Shallow Cultivation for Moisture Conservation
As temperatures gradually rise in spring, the evaporation of soil moisture in tea gardens increases. Shallow cultivation not only reduces soil moisture evaporation but also raises ground temperature, promoting early sprouting of the tea plants. Shallow cultivation should be done as early as possible, after watering or rain. Generally, the depth of shallow cultivation is 5-7 cm, and the soil should be finely worked and leveled.
06. Disease and Pest Control
After completing the pruning of tea plants, thoroughly clear out dead branches, leaves, flowers, and weeds from the garden to eliminate sources of pests and diseases and raise ground temperature. In spring, tea gardens may experience black scale insects, green plant bugs, and tea aphids. Physical control methods (sticky traps, insect lights) can be used for prevention, combined with biological pesticides and efficient low-toxicity pesticides to ensure the safety of tea products.
07. Prevention of Frost Damage
1. Smoke Fumigation. The purpose of smoke fumigation is to create a smoky atmosphere above the tea garden, preventing heat radiation and using the “greenhouse effect” to prevent late frosts. The specific method is to set up piles according to wind direction, terrain, and area size when a late frost is expected, and ignite them when the temperature drops to around 2°C to prevent frost damage.
2. Water Spraying. Tea gardens with water sources and sprinkling equipment can use these facilities to spray water when a frost occurs, washing off the frost on the tea plants' buds and leaves. If the temperature is extremely low during a frost event, spraying water should not be used to prevent ice formation on the leaves.
3. Covering. Before the arrival of low temperatures and cold waves, cover the tea plants with rice straw, straw curtains, shade nets, or plastic films to protect them from frost damage.
08. Remedies for Late Spring Cold Snap
1. Promptly prune and remove damaged leaves and shoots. Prune about 3-5 cm below the frost-damaged part to encourage the sprouting of new shoots. For tea gardens that do not require pruning, organize labor to pick off the frost-damaged buds and leaves to prevent them from consuming nutrients and inhibiting the normal growth of healthy buds.
2. Shallow Cultivation and Fertilization to Increase Nutrient Supply. After frost damage, shallow cultivation and fertilization should be performed promptly to raise ground temperature, promote rapid root growth of the tea plants, enhance the vitality of the canopy and shoots, and promote quick sprouting of new buds.
3. Cultivate the Canopy Through Combined Harvesting and Nurturing. For tea gardens severely affected by late spring cold snaps, focus on nurturing the canopy while harvesting as a secondary priority, emphasizing the cultivation of the canopy to ensure the yield and quality of summer and autumn teas.
09. Response to High Winds and Sharp Temperature Drops
In the event of strong winds and sharp temperature drops in spring, the tea garden should promptly reinforce large, medium, and small arch-shaped sheds and cover the tea plants again with various surface covers. For collapsed arch-shaped sheds, damaged films, and detached covers due to strong winds