After the Start of Spring, tea farmers should implement six measures—fertilization, Pruning, Soil cultivation, moisture conservation, cold protection, and early picking—to manage their tea gardens and increase the yield and quality of Spring Tea.
1. Apply Early Bud-Stimulating Fertilizer. Root fertilization is typically carried out around the Start of Spring, by opening shallow trenches outside the Canopy in the rows of tea plants, applying 12 to 15 kg of urea per mu, followed by covering the soil to prevent nutrient loss.
2. Prune Frozen and Diseased Weak Branches. For tea gardens affected by winter or early spring Frost, pruning is necessary to remove frozen branches. For gardens not pruned before winter, early pruning should be conducted to cut away thin and diseased branches. Pruning stimulates bud sprouting, but when doing so, it is important to preserve robust woody branches as much as possible to boost spring tea yields. Pruning should be done around the time of Awakening of Insects.
3. Cultivate Soil and Clear Ditches. Spring soil cultivation in tea gardens should be completed by early March, with a depth of 5 to 10 cm. Its primary benefits include loosening the soil (which helps retain moisture during dry springs and improves temperature in wet springs, both advantageous for tea plant growth), controlling weeds, and preventing waterlogging by clearing ditches in gardens prone to flooding.
4. Moisture Conservation and Temperature Maintenance to Stimulate Bud Growth. In years with prolonged winter and spring drought, insufficient soil moisture can hinder timely sprouting of spring tea and reduce the yield of high-quality tea. In such cases, active measures like irrigation should be taken, along with soil cultivation and mulching with plastic film or crop residues to minimize surface exposure, prevent moisture loss, and increase ground temperature.
5. Prevent Late Spring Cold Spells. Late spring cold spells can severely damage emerging buds and new shoots, reducing yield and quality. Before cold snaps in spring, protective measures like mulching, watering, and fumigation should be implemented to shield buds and new shoots from low temperatures, enhancing the output of early spring premium teas.
6. Timely Early Picking. The earlier spring tea is available on the market, the higher its price. Early picking is also an effective way to prevent damage from late spring frosts. Therefore, spring tea should be picked appropriately early and frequently, avoiding premature picking before buds meet the standard. In Ziyang, the typical picking period is around the Vernal Equinox, when 8 to 10% of the buds have reached the picking standard, the garden can start harvesting. Frequent picking encourages the emergence of axillary buds, increasing the production of high-end premium teas and improving the garden's profitability.