Processing tea seeds for future tea plants.

Every fall we collect a large number of seed pods from the tea plants to process them for spring. Starting new plants from seeds is the best way to develop new tea plants as they will develop a long tap root. Tea cuttings will create new plants, but they will not establish the long taproot. The longer the tap root the more drought tolerant the plant is and with every tea plant being an investment of time and product, it is important to develop the healthiest of plants.

Tea plant seeds start out with a very tough outer shell. We will collect a large number of tea seeds and then set them out in the sun for a period of time to dry. The timing can vary depending on how hot it is. Usually, it just takes a few days. Sometimes, in the heat of the south it can take only a few hours.

The heat and sun will cause the seeds to dry and crack open. Inside you will find anywhere from 1 to 7 tea plant seeds.

We then spend some time separating the seeds from their shells and placing them into Zip Lock bags with some holes poked into the bags (we just use a fork to do this).

Then the seeds need to be cold stratified. This is best done at a temp between 50 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. We have actually found that a wine chiller works best, keeping the temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We keep them stored all winter and do not bring them out until all threats of outdoor freezing has passed. 

Once your temperatures are above freezing you can plant the seeds. Tea seeds only need to be be partially covered. We wet them and cover them with plastic to keep the humidity up. 

In about 7-9 weeks they will germinate and you will have the start of a new tea plant.

Thanks for being here with us.

Jason & Timmy

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