How to grow tea at home

Everyone knows how to grow vegetables and fruits in their garden. But it turns out that you can not be limited to standard products of your own production and arrange a tea plantation in your yard or on the windowsill.

Many have already appreciated the pure tart taste of homemade tea, which cannot be compared with any of the purchased ones. Moreover, tea is a beautiful ornamental plant that gives a fresh and invigorating aroma, especially during flowering.

How to choose seeds

The main problem that everyone wants to grow tea at home is low germination. This feature is not related to defective goods or improper collection of seeds. Therefore, in order to get a sufficient number of shoots, you need to plant not one, but several packs.

The most popular variety of cultivated tea is Chinese camellia, it is precisely its most affordable to buy and easier to grow. If you want more exotic varieties, then look for seeds in Indian or Chinese online stores.

How to plant tea

As a rule, you need to plant tea in the winter season. To start growing it, prepare a flower pot, houseplant soil, soil, sand, glass to cover the soil, sprayer and seeds.

How to plant tea:

• Pour some soil into the bottom of the pot, and then sand.
• Fill it with 2/3 of the earth.
• Put the seeds.
• Pour another 3 cm of soil.
• Put on the windowsill.
• Moisten the earth.
• Cover with glass.
• Spray water on the soil every 2-3 days so that it always remains moist.
• Turn the glass over daily.

The first shoots will become visible after 2 months, maybe a little later. As mentioned above, they are more likely to die, but in their place will appear new, stronger and more durable.

How to care for tea

Pay attention to the humidity and temperature in the apartment. The plant should not be too hot or cold. It is optimal if the room is 22-24 degrees. Do not allow dry air, which is detrimental to the plant. Spray it more often and moisten the soil.

With proper care for the year, the tea tree should grow to 20-30 cm and begin to bloom. When the petals appear, it is better to reduce the amount of watering by 2 times, and then resume normal operation. In winter, leave the plant in the light, and in summer hide from the scorching sun. Tea loves warmth - but only in moderation.

When the plant is strong enough and grows tall, it can be transplanted into a larger pot or on a bed. Do not forget to give the tree a beautiful appearance, this will not only add to its aesthetics, but also accelerate growth. Trim protruding stems and twigs, creating elegant shapes.

When the weather is warm, expose the indoor tea tree to fresh air. Do not be afraid that pests will attack him. One of the advantages of this plant is that midges and other insects do not like the tart smell and stay away from it.

How to harvest

After 24-36 months, harvest the first crop. Carefully tear off the leaves from the upper branches - they contain the most essential oils and nutrients. It is not necessary to prepare tea immediately, it is better to dry it and let it open the whole flavoring bouquet.

After the leaves are collected, feed the tree. To do this, purchase fertilizer for indoor plants and dilute according to the instructions. Before harvesting, it is not worth feeding tea, as a drink made from it will lose its original taste.

How to make homemade tea

To get a delicious and fragrant tea, you need to properly prepare the tea leaves.If you follow the proven method, then soon you will enjoy refined and unique self-grown tea.

How to dry the leaves:

• Rinse the leaves with water and dry.
• Roll them into tubes and remember lightly with your fingers so that the juice comes out to the surface.
• Then put on a baking sheet, cover with cling film and leave for a quarter of an hour.
• Remove the film, put the pan in the oven, heated to 130 degrees.
• Wait for the leaves to dry and remove them.
• Let the tea cool.
• Now you can leave the leaves whole or chop according to your taste preferences.

You can drink pure flavored tea. But if you add other cultivated herbs to it, such as mint, lemon balm, thyme, the drink will become not only tasty, but also beneficial for the immune system and nervous system.

Tea is a plant whose properties have been known since ancient times. By planting it at home, you will get a beautiful ornamental plant from which you can prepare an invigorating and healthy drink of high quality.