How to prune tea leaves

When to prune tea leaves

The best time to prune tea leaves is after the end of autumn tea in late May or early June or mid-October. If you want to use the pruned branches for cuttings, you should choose branches between one and two years old as cuttings, cut off the leaves on them, leaving only one or two leaves, and then directly insert them into a substrate with good water permeability.

How to prune tea leaves

Light pruning : Light pruning of tea trees is to adjust the crown of the plant and cultivate a good picking surface. It mainly involves cutting off 3-5 cm of the canopy surface, as well as small stumps and useless new shoots on the crown surface.

Deep pruning : If the tea tree has been picked and lightly pruned for many years, it is necessary to use deep pruning to cut off a layer of branches and leaves 10-15 cm above the crown, so that the plant can sprout new branches and improve its germination ability.

Tea Pruning Tips

Tea trees need to be pruned in their young stage to make the crown productive. This is usually done four times. The first pruning should be combined with planting at 15-18 cm from the ground.

The second, third and fourth pruning needs to be done 15 cm above the cutting edge of the first pruning, after which the tree has reached 60 cm in height and has 2-3 levels of branching structure.

Notes on tea pruning

Pruning is harmful to tea trees. It consumes a large amount of root storage substances. Moreover, because nutrients are concentrated on the germination and growth of the aboveground part, the growth of the root system will be affected. In serious cases, it may even cause the death of fine roots. Therefore, pruning can only be effective when there is sufficient supply of fertilizer and water.