How to prune tea tree potted plants

When to prune tea trees

It is best to prune the branches and leaves of potted tea trees in spring and autumn, which is the growing season of the plants. Timely pruning of branches and leaves can reduce nutrient loss and improve the overall ornamental value.

How to prune the branches and leaves of tea tree potted plants

Pruning branches and leaves: When pruning, cut short the branches that are growing too long to make them grow thicker. In addition, comb out the dense branches and leaves, which can enhance ventilation and light transmission, and the internal branches and leaves can also grow as quickly as possible.

Pruning and shaping: For the shaping pruning of young tea tree potted plants, picking can generally be used instead of cutting. At the end of the year, the crown is cultivated by flat pruning. There are two main types of pruning for tea tree potted plants in their prime years: light pruning and deep pruning. There are two main types of pruning for aging tea tree potted plants: heavy pruning and bench cutting.

Tips for pruning tea tree potted plants

1. Shaping pruning: The shaping pruning of young tea trees in potted plants. For single-row conventional tea gardens, pruning usually starts at two full-year-olds, and shaping pruning is done three or four times at two, three, and four full-year-olds.

2. Light pruning: Raise the cut of the previous year by 2 cm each year, and continue this pruning until the crown is at a fixed height. Light pruning can be done once a year or every other year, alternating with deep pruning depending on the crown condition of the tea tree potted plant.

3. Deep pruning: Due to repeated picking over the years, the branches of potted tea trees are becoming more and more dense. Cut off about 10 cm of the crown to control the crown height.

4. Heavy pruning: When the branches on the upper part of the crown are relatively old and the yield has dropped significantly, while the main branches at the bottom of the tea bush are still strong, heavy pruning can be adopted, that is, cutting off about half of the crown and retaining 40 cm of skeleton branches.

5. Crown pruning: When the crown is very old, but the base of the crown is strong and the root system is well developed, the crown can be transformed by crown pruning. After pruning the crown, we will clean up the debris and separate the soil around the root plate to expose the small piles for ventilation to promote the germination of latent buds.

Notes on pruning tea tree potted plants

1. Flat shears are used for shaping pruning of young tea tree potted plants, while arc shears and horizontal shears are commonly used for light and deep pruning in mature tea gardens.

2. The formation of the crown shape begins after the final pruning is completed. Heavy pruning is the same as crown pruning. It is a measure for crown transformation and uses flat pruning just like final pruning.

3. Pruning is harmful to potted tea trees. It consumes a lot of root storage substances. Moreover, because the nutrients are concentrated on the germination and growth of the aboveground part, the growth of the root system will be affected. Therefore, pruning can only be effective when there is sufficient supply of fertilizer and water.

4. In addition, there should be a certain interval between each pruning. Wait until the nutrients produced by the new branches sprouting from the aboveground part are stored in the roots. Only prune a second time when they are rich and accumulated, so as not to cause the tea tree potted plants to wither. If the first pruning of young tea tree potted plants is done too early or too heavily, it will often lead to the death of the entire plant.