How Do You Harvest Camellia Sinensis Plants?
Camellia sinensis, or tea plant, grows as a 15-foot-tall dense and round shrub. Its mature foliage is about 5 inches long and dark green. White fragrant flowers bloom in autumn. The Chinese have used the Camellia sinensis’ dried leaves for tea preparation for 3,000 years. In fact, both green tea and black tea are made from this plant. From early spring to fall, harvest tea leaves by hand or with shears. Hand-pick the leaf buds, and the second and third leaves on the terminal shoots in the early morning. This method is known as fine plucking and produces tea with a light and sweet flavor. Pluck the leaf buds and the two leaves on the terminal shoots, but also gather older leaves growing neat the main stem. This option is called coarse plucking. The mature leaves make a strong-flavored tea. Select the buds and the leaves you want to harvest. Prune their stems with shears before plucking the leaves by hand. Incorporate trimming into the harvest to keep your Camellia sinensis shrub product
