Can You Have, Grow & Drink Your Own Green Tea Leaves?

Description

• Camellia sinensis is part of the same family as Camellia japonica, a popular blooming shrub in the southern part of the United States, according to Dr. William C. Welch of Texas A&M University. C. sinensis is often called the China type tea plant. It is a dwarf evergreen shrub with dark green serrated leaves. Flowers bloom in singles or in clusters, are 1 1/2-inches in diameter and are typically white but can have a pink tint.

Planting

• Tea plants can be planted either in the ground or in containers. Selecting a healthy tree is the first step to success. Large trees may have outgrown their containers and have roots that won't stand transplanting. Inspect the trunk and make sure it is free of nicks or blemishes. Inspect the plant for signs of disease or pest infestation. Tea plants grow best in well-drained, neutral to acidic soil. They prefer full sun to part shade and, even though they are dwarfs, need space to spread out. Don't plant them too close to buildings or other trees. For container gardening, choose a large container at least 22 inches in diameter and fill it with a soil mixture of half sphagnum peat moss, one-quarter sand and one-quarter compost.

Care

• Water regularly during hot weather, keeping soil moist but not soaking. Fertilize with dry fertilizer containing a mix of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and magnesium. Young plants should get 1/8 to 1/4 lb. of fertilizer every other month, increasing to 1 to 2 lbs. as the plants grow. Maintain a layer of mulch 2 to 6 inches thick around the tree to maintain moisture and control weeds but keep mulch away from the trunk about 6 to 8 inches.

Harvesting and Preparing Tea

• A single tea plant will yield about half a pound of tea, so plan accordingly. If you're going to need more, you may want to plant a few in your yard. Harvest leaves just before flower buds open. Only the two to three terminal leaves and terminal buds are harvested. This means that just the bud on the end of a branch and the two or three leaves under it are all that are used from the entire bush. After harvest, leaves are placed in a pan and heated to between 480 and 570 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. The pan must be in constant motion to avoid burning the leaves. They are then put in a dryer for 10 to 15 minutes at between 212 and 302 degrees. Leaves are then cooled and stored in a sealed container.