Tea Cultivation - Planting

Planting Selection of site When site for establishment of new estates are to be selected, the climatic requirements is the first consideration because these have great influence on growth, yield and quality of tea plant. Suitable sites for construction of buildings such as factory, workshop, housing should also be kept in mind at the time of site selection. The accessibility to the field is also important. The pattern of roadways should be designed to ensure easy accessibility to all parts of the land, transportation of green leaf, processed tea, plants, manure and personnel throughout the year. Preparation of land Virgin forest is usually the most suitable land for tea cultivation. Grassland and areas which have grown other crops can also be used. The area intended for planting is first cleared of all kind growth. In general burning of forest growth is not advocated as it makes the soil alkaline. Trees if any should be killed in advance and possitively ring-barked or frilled. It minimise the risk of root disease. Pits created while uprooting the roots should be filled up with soil. Trees and other unwanted materials should be moved off the field. These operations generally should be carried out in dry season. When land is cleared for planting, leguminous cover crops may be sown before rains. Soil conservation measures After clearing land, soil conservation works should be the major concern and must be put in hand as early as possible. Soil should be adequately protected from erosion. The top soil is valuable for growth of plants and conservation is therefore necessary. The important soil conservation measures consists of terraces, contour wall, micro-catchment etc should be carried out wherever necessary before the tea is planted. Terraces The construction of terraces in sloping land is must for minimization of rapid loss of surface soil. Terraces should follow the contour of the slope and the upper surface of the terrace may slope slightly towards the hillside to prevent soil wash. Growth of grass may be allowed along the edges and side of the terraces. Cover crops When land is cleared and after earthworks, leguminous cover crops such as Mimosa invisa may be sown before rains. The growth of cover crop can act as a barrier to protect the soil of the newly opened land against erosion. It also suppress weed growth, improving soil structure and fertility, and helpful in keeping down the soil temperature during summer months. Cover crop can be grown in between the tea rows and in walking rows. Seeds can be sown 45 cm from tea rows. Drains In Darjeeling, both surface water logging and high water table due to lateral spring are observed. The surface waterlogging is the result of localised depression formed near the bushes. Waterlogged plants exhibit certain symptoms such as scanty shoot production, yellowing of leaves and premature defoliation, dieback in plucking points and poor recovery after pruning, infection by violet root rot and red rust diseases, loss of vigour etc. To cope with this situation it has become necessary to provide artificial drainage facilities to drain excess water below the root zone.
	Planting distances Planting density is however an important determinant of yield. For high yield, complete ground cover is important. In recent years, the trend all over is to go for closer spacing in order to acheive high yield. Generally, close spacing yield a high crop in early years and expedites recovery of the heavy cost of planting operations notwithstanding better conservation of soil and reducing the cost of weed control. The main disadvantages are suppression of overall growth of the plant and restricted development of root system.There are some otherfactors also which have a bearing on spacing.
Nowadays, single hedge and double hedge system of planting are very common. The double hedge planting is recommended for flat or gentle sloppy area and it should be avoided in steep land where plucking would be difficult. In Japan, both single and staggered double. Planting hole It should be of adequate size. Planting hole of 45 cm wide and 75 cm depth are better for establishment of young plants. Time of planting While planting, it should be kept in mind that the young plants must have the longest possible time to establish themselves before adverse weather sets in. In general, a cool, humid climate and moist soil are favourable for high success after planting. Planting is commenced in Darjeeling with the onset of pre-monsoon showers during the month of May. Infilling Infilling is the replacement of dead plants by new one and it should be persisted with until the stand of young tea is completely filled. Vacancies encourages growth of weeds in the gaps and its presence a significant number reduces overall production. Infilling of vacancies is better done in the first two years when the young plants have not spread much so that the infills will have more space to grow freely and therefore a better chance of survival. After planting of infills, the ground should be mulched with any suitable vegetative material in order to reduce the loss of soil moisture and add organic matter to the soil.
	Uprooting, rehabilitation of soils and replanting In Darjeeling, the traditional method of replanting is manual uprooting which is not only expensive but also leads to top soil erosion and turning over of sub-soil resulting in poor establishment of new plants. Further, mechanical uprooting is not possible because of the steepness of the slopes. The traditional method can be substituted by minimum tillage or progressive replanting technique. The Guatemala grass (Tripsecum laxum) and Pusa Giant Hybrid Napier (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) have been used extensively as rehabilitation crops in many tea areas of the world including Darjeeling hills.
Shading The young plants require protection form the bright sun and dry wind. It has been observed in Darjeeling hills the ambient temperature never becomes lethally high, therefore direct effect of air turbulance in reducing leaf temperature is rather minimal. Under these conditions, it is suggested that shade is required upto an elevation of 700 m particularly on southern and south-west slopes. Albizzia chinensis grows well and comparatively free from canker. Where establishment of A. chinensis is difficult, A. lebbek (L.) Benth., A. stipulata (DC.) Boiv. and Dalbergia sericea G. Don. can be grown. Indigofera teysmanii Miq. and Melia azaderach L. (Bakain) are very popular temporary shade species.
	Irrigation Tea is usually a rainfed crop. In Darjeeling hills, plants also suffer from drought during April - May and where possible sprinkler irrigation systems are used for irrigating tea field.
Training of young tea The early management of young tea is aimed at modifying and training it to form a low bush of good spread and of appropriate height for plucking. Therefore, it is most important to establish a well developed primary frame and branch system ensure a complete ground cover as early as possible. These objectives can be achieved either by decentering and pruning, or by bending or pegging or by a combination of decentering and bending.