pruning work
For mature tea gardens that have not been pruned before spring, heavy pruning should be completed by mid-May. Before pruning, quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be applied, typically 10-15 kg of urea per acre for mature tea gardens, applied by trenching between rows at a depth of about 10 cm. The pruning height should not be too low, maintained at 40-55 cm above the ground. For mature tea gardens that have already been pruned before spring, light pruning can be performed after the spring tea harvest, with a depth of 3-5 cm, removing weak, diseased, or dead branches to ensure proper ventilation and air circulation between tea rows.
Weed removal and control
Weed promptly, ensuring at least one weeding session is completed before the rainy season. For young tea plantations, increase the frequency of weeding based on weed growth. After clearing weeds, employ mulching techniques to suppress their growth. Mulching materials such as straw, weed barriers, or biodegradable plastic film can be used, with straw mulch thickness maintained at 8-10cm and 6-8cm for highly clayey soils. For grass-based weed suppression, select varieties like white clover or ryegrass. After weeding the plantation in the previous autumn (September-October), sow grass seeds in rows or broadcast, then lightly rake and cover with soil. White clover requires mowing with a lawn mower to maintain a height of 5-8cm when the grass layer exceeds 20cm.
Pest and Disease Control
By pruning and hanging insect traps in a timely manner, we can lure and kill adult thrips and small green leafhoppers, reduce the number of insect populations in tea gardens, and alleviate the harm of pests such as small green leafhoppers to the first round of summer shoots; The insect attracting color board is hung at a rate of 25 pieces per acre, with the bottom edge of the board 20cm from the surface of the tea tree canopy. Summer is a high incidence period for small green leafhoppers, tea orange gall mites, and thrips. Biological pesticides such as matrine and mineral oil can be used to control pest damage. When the population is too large, chemical pesticides such as pyrethroids, imidacloprid, and imidacloprid can be used for prevention and control. When picking tea gardens, attention should be paid to safe intervals.
Preventing and responding to meteorological disasters
In recent years, extreme weather events such as ultra-high temperatures, persistent droughts, and heavy precipitation have occurred frequently in tea producing areas throughout the province in summer. It is necessary to strengthen meteorological dynamic monitoring and scientifically prevent disaster risks.
(1) Measures to cope with high temperature and drought
Actively cooling down and drought resistance. When it is sunny for more than 5 consecutive days and the temperature is above 35 ℃, and the high temperature and no precipitation weather will continue, it is necessary to actively carry out cooling and drought resistance in tea gardens. Irrigation is the most direct and effective measure, and it is necessary to make full use of the water sources around the tea garden. Spraying, drip irrigation, or taking measures to irrigate limited water sources into the tea garden should be carried out in the morning or evening. Covering with shade can effectively reduce the impact of high temperature sunburn. Mature tea gardens with conditions can use shading nets and other coverings to provide shade. Young tea gardens should be covered with shading nets in a timely manner, or leave grass between rows or spread grass to cool down and prevent drought. When high temperature and drought are severe, tea garden management operations such as pruning, weeding, fertilization, and spraying should be avoided to avoid exacerbating drought and heat damage.
Carry out post disaster recovery. Timely pruning is necessary for tea trees with only mature leaves showing discoloration, withering, or partial leaf shedding, while the top branches can still grow. Pruning is not necessary to maintain tree vigor and restore growth. For tea trees with a large number of dead branches on the canopy, pruning should be carried out after the end of high temperature and drought weather, with the cut 1-2cm below the dead area. For tea trees with a large number of mature branches that have dried up or died as a whole, they can be pruned or replanted in autumn or the following spring. Reasonable fertilization, after the end of high temperature and drought weather, combined with rainfall or irrigation, apply urea or foliar fertilizer once more, with a urea application rate of about 10-15kg/mu. In addition, apply base fertilizer in autumn in advance, and open trenches to apply 30-50kg/mu of tea specific fertilizer+120-150kg/mu of rapeseed cake, or pure organic fertilizer of 250kg/mu or more, to restore tree vigor. Timely replanting, if young tea trees have tea seedling death, tea seedlings should be replanted around mid to early October or early March of the following year to avoid plant shortage and breakage.
(2) Countermeasures for heavy storm
Take preventive measures before disasters. Inspect and reinforce tea garden sheds, shading nets, reservoirs, and other facilities to prevent damage from strong winds. Clean up the drainage ditches and culverts inside and outside the tea garden to ensure smooth drainage and avoid waterlogging. Young tea gardens and other tea gardens with large exposed surface areas can reduce soil erosion by covering tea rows and other methods.
Post disaster recovery measures. Repair damaged infrastructure such as ditches, dams, and sheds, remove sediment from drainage ditches, and promptly drain accumulated water in tea gardens and nurseries. Low lying areas with accumulated water can be drained by digging trenches. Damaged leaves and branches need to be pruned and removed from the tea garden in a timely manner. In flooded tea gardens, shallow tillage and soil loosening can be combined with topdressing of 10-15kg/acre of urea to increase soil permeability and help restore tree vigor.