Tea Leaf PlantCamellia sinensisHeight: 10' average mature height Zones: 7-8 Find my zone Aspect: mostly sun to mostly sun, full sun in cooler climates Watering: needs regular irrigation, about once per week during hot weather Maximum Water: tolerates occasional winter flooding but needs drier soil in the summer Habit: single stem or trunk Flowers In: November Foliage: evergreen Growth Rate: slow
Size Availability
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species.
The Tea Plant, Camellia sinensis, is grown throughout Asia and harvested for its tea leaves which are used in making both green and black teas. It is cold hardy to around 0 degrees but because it grows well in a container it can be grown outdoors during the spring, summer, and fall while being kept inside during the winter in colder climates. Ideally plants kept indoors during the winter should be kept cool (below 50 degrees most of the time) and in a bright location - in a garage next to a window is usually sufficient. Use a well drained potting mix as Tea Plants like free draining soil, and fertilize each spring with a slow release pellet like Osmocote.
For those in warmer climates the plants can be grown outdoors as a lovely evergreen shrub with fragrant white flowers in early summer. Plants will grow to 10-15 feet tall on their own but are typically kept pruned shorter to make harvesting the leaves easier. Plants prefer dappled sun in most environments but will take full sun in cooler climates. Leaf and flower production are optimal when plants are grown in fertile soil that is kept evenly moist. Fertilizing the plants each spring is very beneficial, but use half rates for plants in the ground.
Harvesting Tea Leaves
Leaves are harvested for making tea when they are very young, typically in the spring and through the summer only the top two leaves of each new stem are harvested. For optimal plant health typically harvests don't start until the new growth in the spring has reached 5 to 6 leaves before harvesting starts, allowing 3-4 new leaves to grow on each stem that are not harvested. After clipping the top two leaves from each new stem the plant will branch from the cut and produce new stems which can again be harvested later in the season. Harvests after the first one each year only need to leave one leaf behind on the new growth instead of three to four, so harvest can begin as soon as the new stem has three leaves. A healthy tea plant can produce a large volume of harvested leaves each season.
 Young growth on Tea Plant
Source: Commons
 White Tea flower opening
Source: Commons
 White and yellow tea flower
Source: Commons
 White and yellow tea flower
Source: Commons
 White and yellow tea flower
Source: Commons
 New growth after an earlier harvest
Source: Commons
 Tea fields on the side of a steep mountain
Source: Commons
 Tea plants pruned short for easy harvest
Source: Commons
 New growth emerging shortly after an earlier harvest
Source: Commons
 Leaves ready to be harvested
Source: Commons
Packing Plants For ShippingWe pack our plants depending on the needs of each species and size, most plants ship best with the roots packed in moist sawdust or bark fines but some species don't like root disturbance and are shipped in a soil-less growing media. Excess soil is washed from the roots in preparation for shipping (18-24" White Pines)  Plants are bundled together to fit in boxes  Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes. Plant Sizes 3 gallon Dawn Redwood  Standard quart shrub  Standard 14-18" multi-stem tree size  Standard deep plug pine tree Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their ContainersBamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.  1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed. Unpacking Bare Root PlantsYou will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top. A bundle of trees. What if I am not able to plant right away?You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.For longer term storage of plants you can pot them up or plant them in rows close together temporarily and then pull them out later in the spring to be planted again. This keeps the roots moist while allowing for air flow to the tops. The roots should have good contact with the soil to ensure they have access to adequate moisture. |
Size Availability
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species.
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Red Panda Nursery