How a cup of green tea is made | Tea farming efforts throughout the four seasons

Introduction

It takes an average of four years from the time tea plants begin to be cultivated until they are ready to be harvested, but even after they are finally able to be harvested, it's an incredibly busy year on the tea farm.

Tea plantations show different faces throughout the four seasons, and delicious tea is produced through the tireless care of the tea farmers.

Here we will introduce in detail the main tasks that take place in tea plantations throughout the year and the characteristic scenery that can be seen during each season.

Spring (February-May): Buds emerge and first tea harvest

Tea plants, which have been dormant since winter, begin to grow vigorously and produce new buds as the warm weather continues in spring.

About two weeks later, the new tea leaves begin to open, and when they have 4-5 leaves, they are picked (harvested). This is the busiest time for tea farmers.

Main work in the tea garden

• Fertilizer: The fertilizer given to tea plants is an important factor that affects the quality of tea leaves. After tea plants have survived the long winter, they are given a balanced amount of inorganic fertilizer that contains a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or organic fertilizer made from sake lees and fish meal, etc., to properly replenish the nutrients in the soil.
• Pruning: Lightly trim the surface of the old leaves that have endured the cold winter to prevent them from being mixed in with the new tea harvest. In addition, it is said that removing the surface leaves in spring reduces the number of buds, which leads to more vigor in the buds.
• Frost prevention: New shoots will wither and die if the temperature drops below -2°C, so measures against "late frost" are essential in early spring. Today, the most common method of preventing frost is to blow down warm air from the sky using a frost prevention fan.
• First buds emerge: As the warm sunshine warms, new buds begin to sprout on the tea plants. This bud-sprouting period is one of the busiest times of the year for tea farmers.
• First tea growing period: This is the time when new buds grow one after another and the tea leaves begin to grow.
• Harvesting the first tea leaves: Harvesting the first tea leaves generally begins in late April. Harvesting begins in earnest around the 88th day after the beginning of spring.

Summer (May-August): Harvesting the second and third crops of tea and maintaining the tea fields

About a month and a half after the first harvest, new, healthy buds start to appear. These are the second harvest.

About a month later comes the third harvest, followed by a period of harvest. During this time, when the heat is at its peak, there are many weeds and pests, so much effort is put into the care and maintenance of the tea fields.

Main work in the tea garden

• Pruning and pruning: Pruning is performed to remove late-stage buds, uniform the growth of new shoots, and prevent old leaves and stems from getting mixed in at the time of harvest.
• Fertilization: During the summer growing season, fertilize regularly to promote the growth of the tea plants.
• Sprouting of second and third crop tea: Second crop tea sprouts about 15 days after the first crop tea is picked, and third crop tea sprouts about two weeks to one month after the second crop tea is picked.
• Growth of second and third crop tea: Because they grow in the hot summer months, the average number of days for the leaves to open is short, and the optimal harvesting period is shorter than for first crop tea. In addition, they tend to grow quickly in hot and humid environments and slow down in cooler regions.
• Harvesting of the second and third crops: After the first crop, the tea plants sprout new leaves again about 45 to 50 days later, and the leaves are harvested. This usually occurs between late June and early July.
• Tea plantation management: Summer is a time when pests and diseases are likely to occur due to the high temperatures and humidity. The types of pests that occur vary depending on the climate and soil of the region, but we suppress the occurrence of pests and diseases by patrolling the tea plantations and spraying pesticides.

Autumn (August-November): Cleaning up the tea fields and preparing for the next year

They are picked several times after that, but as the weather cools in the fall their growth slows and they go dormant in winter.

In conjunction with this, pruning is done in the fall. This involves trimming and smoothing the surface of the tea ridges, so that old leaves and other debris do not get mixed in when the first tea harvest of the following year is harvested. In addition, the spaces between the ridges in the tea fields are cultivated, and the roots are cared for so that they can easily absorb water and nutrients.

Main work in the tea garden

• Harvesting the third crop: After the second crop, the third crop can be harvested 35 to 40 days later, in late July to early August. Some tea farms harvest the fourth crop one month later, in late September.
• Tidying up the tea fields: After the harvest, the old leaves are removed from the tea fields and the fields are tidied up in preparation for next year's growth.
• Autumn fertilization: In autumn, apply autumn fertilizer in preparation for the next year's buds.
• Preparation for winter: In preparation for the cold, we prepare for winter by covering the tea fields.
• Pruning: This is the process of cutting off the branches and leaves that have grown by autumn in the tea field, and arranging the first buds that will emerge next spring evenly. This is an important task that controls the number of buds that can be harvested the following year, and affects the quality and yield.

Winter (November to February): Dormancy and preparation for next year

Tea plants stop growing during the winter and go into a dormant state. To protect themselves from the harsh cold, they shed their leaves and store up nutrients for the spring.

Main work in the tea garden

• Pruning: In winter, tea plants are pruned to keep them in good shape. Unnecessary branches are cut off to encourage new shoots to grow the following year. If there are too many branches, the shoots and branches will become thin and the quality will decline. Another purpose is to keep the plants at a height that makes them easier to pick.
• Fertilization: Apply fertilizer in preparation for bud break in spring.
• Grass mulch: To prevent the soil from drying out, grass is laid on the tea furrows. The grass will gradually decompose and become organic fertilizer.

Tea plantation scenery throughout the seasons

Tea plants are evergreen broadleaf trees. Therefore, they have leaves all year round. However, they do not stay the same green color all year round. Below, we will introduce the scenery of tea plantations throughout the seasons.

• Spring: New green leaves sprout and the entire tea field is dyed in the color of young leaves. The yellowish green tea leaves are very soft and thin.
• Summer: The tea leaves turn a deep green and the tea fields become covered in a green carpet. The leaves are fresh and shiny.
• Autumn: The color of the tea leaves gradually darkens and changes to a deep green. In tea plantations, the tea is cultivated to prevent it from blooming too much, but in reality, white flowers bloom downward from late autumn to early winter.
• Winter: The appearance changes slightly from autumn, turning a deep reddish green with leathery, shiny, hard leaves.