The Camellia Gardener Blog — grow your own tea

This is the question I’ve frequently been asked as a grower.  A simple yes or no is what many people want, but the answer is quite complex.  I usually respond with “it depends on many factors”.  Overall Plant Preferences Camellia sinensis can produce growth for harvesting in 80-90°F temperatures.  When dormant, they could tolerate mid 20’s with precautions.  Your Location Your location will be a big factor in determining if Camellia sinensis can grow outdoors during cold weather.   You can refer to the climate zone map on page 12.   Usually, zones 8 and 9 are well suited for growing tea.  ...

Camellia sinensis can be successfully grown in containers as long as you follow some guidelines!   The most important thing to remember about Camellia sinensis Tea Plants is that they will absolutely not tolerate wet soils or soils that do not drain properly.  Make sure you pay close attention to the recommendations we have for potting soils. Growing in Containers—tips Choose a container that is about twice as large as the root mass of your plant. AVOID containers that are too large or you could have uneven water and nutrient distribution which could lead to trouble with your plant. Keep...

Caemllias and Tea Plants, like to be moist but not wet.  They do not need to be dry, and they especially do not need to be wet. Tea is more sensitive to very wet conditions than most other species of camellias, and Tea Plants can’t survive if the conditions are very wet. The easiest and most common way to kill Tea plants is to keep them too wet. Whether the Tea Plants are in the ground or in containers, if the soil retains too much water, your Tea Plants are going to die and die quickly. We can’t emphasize this...