Winter tea garden management helps increase tea yields in spring

Tea farmers manage tea plants. [Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]

As temperatures continue to drop in early winter, tea garden management has entered a critical period. Team farmers in Nanlong township, Kaiyang county, have been busy pruning tea trees, weeding, cultivating soil, and fertilizing their tea gardens, laying a solid foundation for increased tea yields and income in the coming year.

Winter management of tea gardens is a vital technical measure to improve tea yields and quality while reducing damage from pests, diseases, and weeds. Li Yongnian, head of a tea company in the township, explained that as temperatures fall in autumn and winter, the growth of the upper parts of tea plants halts and they become dormant. However, the roots become more active.

Thus, management work typically begins in October and continues until the end of December. This ensures the tea plants can survive the winter, enhances tea quality, and boosts spring tea sprouting rates, leading to abundant harvests in the coming year.

In recent years, Nanlong township has seized the opportunities presented by agricultural industrial structure adjustments and benefited from its unique geographical advantages, such as its high and low latitudes and frequent cloud cover, to vigorously develop the tea industry.

The township has developed a total of 29,000 mu (1,933.33 hectares) of tea plantations, including 15,000 mu in peak production, with an annual harvest of over 6,000 metric tons of fresh tea leaves. Its products range from premium teas to bulk teas, achieving comprehensive market coverage.