Where is the Best Place to Grow Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of Camellia sinensis, prepared and cured by various methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from such cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water and the colloquial name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself.

What do you know about tea quick quiz?

1. Where can you grow some varieties in the United States?

2. How much rain is needed to grow tea?

3. How much of top of the mature plant is picked?

4. What is the height most plants are kept at?

5. What is the chief criterion for the classification of tea plants.

Answers

1. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant that grows mainly in tropical and sub-tropical climates. However, some varieties can also tolerate marine climates and are cultivated as far north as Cornwall on the UK mainland and Seattle in the United States.

2. In addition to zone 8 or warmer, it requires at least 50 inches of rainfall a year, and prefers acidic soils. Many high quality tea plants grow at elevations up to 5,000 ft, as the plants grow more slowly and acquire a better flavor.

3. Only the top 1-2 inches of the mature plant are picked. These buds and leaves are called flushes, and a plant will grow a new flush every seven to ten days during the growing season.

4. Tea plants will grow into a tree if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking.

5. Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). Leaf size is the chief criterion for the classification of tea plants. Based upon this criterion, tea is classified into (1) Assam type characterized by the largest leaves, (2) China type characterized by the smallest leaves and (3) Cambod characterized by leaves of intermediate size.

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