Cultivation & Growth
To ensure good growth, the tea plant requites:
an average annual temperature of at least 18°C, but nor exceeding 32°C or falling below 4°C.
 By comparison: the average annual temperature in Bremen
   is 9°C
an average daily sunshine of at least 4 hours
precipitation spread evenly across the year of at least
1,600 mm
 By comparison: the average annual rainfall in Bremen is
   715 mm
deep nutrient-rich loose soil, that is moisture retentive, but not waterlogged.
  Resistant and high-yielding hybrids dominate in modern tea cultivation

Generative breeding
Until about the 1960s, young plants were predominantly raised from tea seeds.

Vegetative breeding
Nowadays, cuttings are taken from selected mother plants and raised in dedicated nursery beds.

Once they reach a height of 40-50 cm, i.e. after about a year, the tea plants are planted out in prepared fields within the tea plantation. Image pflanze11.jpg

From then on, the plants are pruned in such a ways that they retain their bushy shapes and not grow into trees. The year of planting out is generally referred to as "year 0".

In the 1st and 2nd year, the plants are not picked – in the 3rd year, the yield is about 12%, rising to as high as 40% in the 4th year. From the 5th year onwards, the yield is about 50% – the plant is now fully mature. (Some plants in China reach maturity after only 2.5 – 3 years.

It is the declared aim to retain the plants for between 15 and 18 years, after which time the yield drastically decreases. Regular pruning of the bushes to a height of about 1 m stimulates the plants continuously to produce new sprouts and also makes it easier for the pickers.

The mature plant is pruned in a 3-4 year cycle; the best time for that is November. The plant is permitted to form around five new leaves, before it is pruned back to about two.

As soon as the plant has again produced five leaves, it is pruned back in such a way that it forms a carpet (picking platform) and can be harvested again. This process takes about 18 months. In the pruning season, the pruned leaves and branches are left in between the plants to encourage humus formation.