Are flowers bad for tea production?

Let's explore if tea flowers hurt tea production.

In the photos we have tea plants (Camellia Sinensis) without flowers and with flowers, same genetics (cuttings) in the same field but two years apart in planting so in different phases of production.

When do tea flowers start blooming in Mississippi?

Tea flowers start blooming in September. This is the first step to seed production for the tea plants. It is also the first sign that tea production and harvesting is about to come to an end.

Are tea flowers bad for tea production?

People ask us all the time, "I have read that flowers are bad for tea production because they take needed resources from the plant. Do you pick them off when you see them?"

The answer is, "You train the plant not to flower”.

In the first few years when you are training them up, they will flower, but we will slowly train away from that habit.

Sadly, for our Tea Blossom Honey fans, that means we can only provide honey for a short time before our fields phase out of flowering.

The plant only flowers when it has ended a vegetative state and entered reproductive state (example: it knows it may die and wants to reproduce).

With proper pruning and nutrient management, you can keep the plant in a vegetative state and it won't flower.

Growing tea is a slow process sometimes which takes years to do properly, but the rewards are shown after it is done properly.

Is this the same in other countries that grow tea?

No, it is not the same. Because other countries may have different growing conditions. Where they don't have to worry about the tea having to go dormant.

Plants in general, especially Camellia's, that is their trigger, when they start to go dormant that is when they start to flower. Dormancy is when the plant has a non-growth period. This is caused by temperature, light hours and light intensity. At the farm we will probably never get our plants to completely stop flowering. Our problem is that we do have dormancy unlike other growing regions, so it triggers natural habits to produce a flower. In other countries they can get their plants to stop flowering through the pruning process. Basically by pruning the plant and keeping the plant from growing up into a tree, it tricks the plant into thinking it is in a juvenile state. 

Can tea flowers be used in tea?

Yes they can. The preservation process is very complex and they do not really offer any flavor benefits. When you harvest them they brown. If you pick the ones that have not opened they are not completely dry. You have to do an acid wash to stop it from browning. They also lose their pollen in that process, which many people want the benefits that come from bee pollen.

Do tea flowers offer any flavor benefits to tea?

No, not really. The flower itself doesn't have a fragrance. Most people can't even smell them.

What are some other uses for tea flowers?

Tea flowers and seeds are pressed to extract tea seed oil (not to be confused with tea tree oil). This oil is used in cooking and cosmetics in some cultures.

So how does The Great Mississippi Tea Farm use their tea flowers today?

Mainly for honey. These flowers still provide bees with great honey making properties which result in our Tea Blossom Honey.

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