Permaculture Tips For Growing Tea Plant (Camellia Sinensis) In The Edible Landscape

Tea plants are said to be native to (tropical) jungles so, let’s mimic that environment. What I mean by that is that you need to keep your Camellia Sinensis moist, by the roots and by the leaves, in a soil with good nutrition that is also (relatively) loose.
Let’s get into the details of how to make that happen in order to maximize your Tea Plant growth and get to harvesting tea leaves as soon as possible.

Tea plants are said to be native to (tropical) jungles so, let's mimic that environment

What I mean by that is that you need to keep your Camellia Sinensis moist, by the roots and by the leaves, in a soil with good nutrition that is also (relatively loose). Let's get into the details of how to make that happen in order to maximize your Tea Plant growth and get to harvesting tea leaves as soon as possible. 

Tea plants thrive in high humidity environments

This is what I mean by "keeping the leaves moist". If you are currently growing the Camellia Sinesis and not seeing any substantial growth, increasing the humidity might be just the thing that you've been missing out on. 

But how does one increase the humidity in a permacultur-y way when you're growing tea bushes outdoors? By adding more plants, companion planting, and adding shade. All plants with leaves release a bit of water into the air that adds to the humidity. Having more shade means more leaves and less sun to evaporate the moisture that is being released into the air. 

Excellent options for shading and increasing the humidity for your Tea Plants include: elephant ears, taro, grapevines, sugar cane, and asparagus. These plants will grow throughout the summer months to improve the humidity to help your tea plants thrive, and of course, they are also perennials and easily propagated.

How do I know if my tea plant is in need of shade or additional humidity?

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Tea plants can be sensitive to sunburn. So by looking for leaves that are crisping up and brown, you'll be able to check your tea plants for signs that they are getting too much direct sunlight or otherwise do not have enough shade. 

How To Go About Fertilizing Your Camellia Sinensis For Optimal Growth

The Camellia Sinensis is a plant that can and will grow quickly given optimal conditions, so it is important to provide it with adequate nutrition to do so in order to not stunt its growth. This can be done in a relatively low effort manner by simply mulching your tea plants with a thick layer of leaves. Leaves tend to be a lot more airy than a chipped tree mulch which will allow more air to reach the roots of your tea plants, which they need to grow. However, by using some lovely companion plants to help your tea plants along, you can increase the amount of air available to the roots of your tea plants, grow more food in the same amount of space, and create a system that adds continually adds nutrients to the soil to feed your tea plants. 
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