Tropical Tea Plants to Grow at Home

Plant Characteristics

• All tea plants have glossy, deep green leaves and white to yellow blossoms around 1¼ inches in diameter. Although evergreen, the Camelia Sinensis tea plant is dormant in winter, putting out new growth in spring. Camelia Assamica, a tropical tea plant, can be picked almost year round, Left unpruned, the plant can grow to 60 feet, but in plantations they are pruned to 3 feet for ease of picking. The largest tea plant known is in Yunnan Province, China, standing at over 100 feet, and is 1,700 years old.

Propagation

• Tea can be propagated from both seeds and cuttings; both techniques take about 15 months. The cuttings produce clones of the parent plant. In tropical conditions, the broad-leafed Camelia Assamica produces the best results. Seeds require a temperature of 59 degrees F to germinate; the seedlings or cuttings should be kept a year in a shade house before transplanting.

Growth

• Tea grows well in soil with a pH of 4.5 to 7; if the plant is to be grown in a pot, check the pH of the potting mixture. The tea plant doesn't require a lot of fertilizer, but benefits from an acidic mulch such as pine needles. Plants grown in tropical zones can be subject to mildew if there is too much moisture, and should be placed in an sheltered location if in a pot, or have a rain cover erected over them if in the ground. Tips of the leaves can be picked at any time during the growing season.

Harvesting and Making Tea

• Once harvested, tea is not simply dried, but treated in a number of ways before it becomes a beverage. The tea leaves may undergo withering, steaming, rolling, fermentation and drying, but not necessarily all of these steps. Of the four tea types -- black, oolong, green and white -- white tea is the simplest to prepare. It is not withered, but steamed to soften the tips and dried. Black tea requires the most processing, being withered, steamed, rolled and fermented before the final product is dried.