Thank you for being selfless and making this video! I have a small tea plant that I've unsuccessfully propagated... Your video taught me the right way!
@@tablerockteacompany TBH I don't think this is going to give unfair advantage to competitors; it's not like no one can propagate and as people around the world experiment the best techniques will be found and spread around. Individual producers advantages will be in their local climate, their selection of plants and their skills in processing which I think will be hard earnt through some trial and error. These cuttings are way smaller than I would have attempted (was thinking of air layering also ?) I have 2x 6 year old potted assamicas in my UK back garden and want to pass a cutting to a friend. Getting a few seeds (supposed to be of Darjeeling provinence) to try to pop. This vid was put up in october so assuming thats' the time to do cuts although your climates much warmer than here. Subscribed and liked All the best
It spring here in Australia and my tea plant has some new growth. I was going to buy some more tea plants but I'm going to give your propagation method a go. Thanks so much for the info.
That’s awesome bro! Keep doing what you do, I really appreciate videos like this, I bought my first tea camellia today and I’m super excited, I called 7 big nursery and only one had this plant, I paid 60 dollars for a 2 gallon. Hope I can one day propagate some and fill my yard with them
You are a good citizen, thanks for that. In Brasil we have many types of tea that just grow wild in the yard. My favorite is alfavaca or wild basil. Capim limao or lemon grass is another good one. The flavor of outstanding when fresh.
Thank you very much. I'm about to make Tea cuttings of my own and the original plan was to just follow the successful procedure that worked on the plants of my former project and then take it from there (leaving two leaves on a cutting, but cut the leaves down to size to reduce evaporation).
thank you for sharing. I was surprised that you didn't include several internodes per cutting. Very interesting. I agree, commercial tea, like wine, is a major endeavor but sharing the information promotes tea culture - again, like the us wine biz...more educated consumers purchase local product, new niches arise, ....it's all good. thanks for sharing. ..
You are welcome. In earlier days of tea propagation, people did lots of experiments and found that the success was the same for one leaf as for many, so it just made sense to just do one leaf.
Table Rock Tea Company fascinating. .. I live in Hawaii and have acquired a couple of plants. my concern is that here the plants grow quickly and large so the leaves in the green section of the stem are very large already, 4-5 inches, this means a lot more circulation is required from the cutting to maintain the large leaf...the alternative is to cut more stem per leaf... I'm going to try both...
California Gardening Mom - thanks, and best to you on growing tea! You may also find my book, “How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States, 2nd edition” (on Amazon) helpful
What do you think of honey as a rooting 'hormone'? I don't actually know what's in the commercial rooting hormones. I appreciate that you share the practical info on what works. I think we're up against a huge and pig headed system- the more smaller scale and independent growers there are, of all foods, the better. Ps. Not trying to manipulate for info!
Always happy to share info :). I’ve never tried honey as a rooting hormone but I would suspect you’d want something non-commercial as far as not being homogenized or processed in any way. Worth an experiment though. All the best and happy growing!
Awesome video! I received today a Camellia Sinensis cutting. My cutting has 6 more or less big leaves. Not sure whether my cutting will dry out because of that, that's why I'll try out to cut a few of so the main cutting has more ressources to grow roots. I'm thinking to plant one directly into dirt like you did and to put another one leaf cutting into water. Do you think that's gonna be alright? Also is the size of the leaf important?
I think you have a better chance in soil/sand mix than in pure water but go for it. Personally, I like smaller leaf cuttings - just less initial foliage burden to bear.
Why only create cuttlings from the green part?would it be possible to use some from the browns, or lower leafes of the plants which aren't used otherwise?
That’s just the way it is with the biology. We (and many others) have tried using the woody (brown) portion with almost zero success. You are welcome to try it though :).
You have to keep cuttings humid until they develop roots. Whether you use a dome or frequent misting is up to you depending on convenience and ease of your setup.
Hey Steve! Your videos and your book have been a huge inspiration to me for years. I am a tea specialist looking to get into tea growing and propagation at the small scale. Currently, I only have a single plant. I am hoping to start several more with my most recent pruning, but I am unsure how to go about this pruning. Do you have any tips for getting an ~5 year old Assamica into shape? I love this plant, and I am scared to hurt it, but I also know I need to do it in order to begin harvesting. I live in Zone 6 (upstate NY), and my plant is potted (grow lights in winter, outdoors for the rest of the year). Thank you for any help and advice you may have!
Glad the info helps. The second edition of the book explains technique, but the gist is that you want to make single leaf cuttings from the green stem sometime around early July.
You are most welcome - we hope it helps you in your endeavors. You may also be interested in a book we wrote on how to grow and process tea: www.amazon.com/Grow-Make-Continental-United-States/dp/1530424690
@@tablerockteacompany So glad to know you wrote a book about this! I bought it right away from Better World Books: www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/How-to-Grow-and-Make-Tea-In-the-Continental-United-States-9781530424696
@@pujammbora2595 - it’s on our channel - just have to look through some of the videos. Also detailed in my book, “How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States.”
Thanks Steve for sharing your knowledge. Do you have tea seeds that you can trade for other seeds? I Live in Libya and I have a lot of Mediterranean seeds / cutting that I can swap with you if you are interested.
Osama Mneina - thanks, but we are trying to limit our focus to tea (that’s enough of a learning curve for me :)). I’d bet Libya can grow lots of cool stuff!
M Brooks - loose will work. We just use a flat plastic cover that doesn’t totally seal. It’s hard to keep the right (high level) humidity just open misting
+Piedmont Tea Co. I put my cuttings in kind of a mini greenhouse so I can keep the moisture high. I mist the leaves by hand. My percentage rooting is around 85%, but that should go up once we complete our new greenhouse with propagation room (better control)
I’m sure you have a different climate than we do, so I would not be able to tell you what month. But I would say you can transplant when daily average high temperatures are in the upper 70s F
@@tablerockteacompany means sir...I think summer season might be right...and one question sir...my tea garden plantation was became 9month....can I use round up medicine in the tea farm...bcoz jungle is growing too fast..is there any problem for the tea plant..inform sir
@@biswajitboro2797 you would have to experiment with herbicides like roundup because they can kill tea if in contact with the leaves. Any spray would need to be conducted only on the weeds without touching the tea
Chris Farley - we sell fresh seeds in the Fall (we take preorders in October/November, with delivery in Dec/Jan). We do sell young plants year round but we don’t ship those (farm pickup only).
I found your website, I'll wait till fall to order some seeds :-) -- I have a little tea plant now, that after a year has almost died. Time to try again.
Table Rock Tea Company I am having problems to get my propagations take root. I use clone X . I mist the plant by hand two times a day and put them under a Manson jar to keep the moisture in...in about 2-3 weeks the leaf falls off the stem. the leaf is still bright green color when it falls off. can you help?
I've never used CloneX, but I still somehow suspect that the moisture is not being adequately maintained for the type of soil you might be using. We do not do a lot of cloning here, but when we do, we use a fine, sandier soil.
Douang Lopaying - percentages vary, so that’s hard for me to answer. Start small and perfect your technique. We’ve changed some things here as well - we have had good success making cuttings in July now. Definitely use single leaf cuttings. You can always email me with questions at info@tablerocktea.com
It's not a trade secret, how to take cuttings and propagate. Also, trial and error is good, you just don't want to invest a lot until you know which method works.
did you finally get your tea bag maker? I ONLY drink loose tea but i understand most people prefer bagged tea. I can help you to shop for a tea bag maker from China (where I came from) if you like. i planted 4 tea plants in my yard (Florida). they are doing very poorly:-(
Thanks for asking. We bought 2 more basic bagging machines that are working well for us. As for your plants, it may be a pH issue. They prefer to grow in acidic (4.5-5.5) soils with good drainage and nutrients. If the leaves are yellow and growth is slow, it may be nitrogen deficiency.
Thanks for the video! I'll have to try again this way lol. Been trying to propogate my camellia sinensis' for ages and every single batch of cuttings i've done has died... I've been able to strike everything i've ever tried except my tea plants lol :-(
Hopefully, this will work for you. We still prefer to grow tea from seeds, but this method of making cuttings does work well for us when we need to do it. We do sell tea seeds every year if you decide you need more volume.
Thank you for being selfless and making this video! I have a small tea plant that I've unsuccessfully propagated... Your video taught me the right way!
Excellent! I wish you great success.
@@tablerockteacompany thank you, I appreciate that!
@@tablerockteacompany TBH I don't think this is going to give unfair advantage to competitors; it's not like no one can propagate and as people around the world experiment the best techniques will be found and spread around. Individual producers advantages will be in their local climate, their selection of plants and their skills in processing which I think will be hard earnt through some trial and error. These cuttings are way smaller than I would have attempted (was thinking of air layering also ?) I have 2x 6 year old potted assamicas in my UK back garden and want to pass a cutting to a friend. Getting a few seeds (supposed to be of Darjeeling provinence) to try to pop. This vid was put up in october so assuming thats' the time to do cuts although your climates much warmer than here. Subscribed and liked All the best
Ah your selling a book for US growers too - awsome - we have tea-gardens-of-Scotland pooling info too; interesting times
It spring here in Australia and my tea plant has some new growth. I was going to buy some more tea plants but I'm going to give your propagation method a go. Thanks so much for the info.
Hope it works great for you
That’s awesome bro! Keep doing what you do, I really appreciate videos like this, I bought my first tea camellia today and I’m super excited, I called 7 big nursery and only one had this plant, I paid 60 dollars for a 2 gallon. Hope I can one day propagate some and fill my yard with them
Glad the video is helpful- best to you on your tea growing!
Would I be able to propagate this time of year I stay in Texas ?
@@21gonza21 you could probably get away with it this time of year in TX
You are a good citizen, thanks for that. In Brasil we have many types of tea that just grow wild in the yard. My favorite is alfavaca or wild basil. Capim limao or lemon grass is another good one. The flavor of outstanding when fresh.
Sounds nice :)
I've watched this video several times. Wish I could give it more than one 👍.
Thanks Bro, l'm Dave from Cameroon. I'm a tea farmer and l also do lemongrass essential oils. Your video had been helpful to me.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much. I'm about to make Tea cuttings of my own and the original plan was to just follow the successful procedure that worked on the plants of my former project and then take it from there (leaving two leaves on a cutting, but cut the leaves down to size to reduce evaporation).
Klaas Bakker - let us know how it goes
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! That is very kind of you. I learned some. I got this big tea bush that I'm trying to spread. --wife
Glad it was helpful!
this is a wonderful video thank you so much for making and sharing this video with us
You are welcome. We hope it is helpful. Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for showing this video . I would like to watch and learn more...
Min Thu Rein - you are very welcome. Glad it is helpful
Got to give this a go thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🙏🙏
Happy to share. Have fun with it!
thank you for sharing. I was surprised that you didn't include several internodes per cutting. Very interesting.
I agree, commercial tea, like wine, is a major endeavor but sharing the information promotes tea culture - again, like the us wine biz...more educated consumers purchase local product, new niches arise, ....it's all good.
thanks for sharing. ..
You are welcome. In earlier days of tea propagation, people did lots of experiments and found that the success was the same for one leaf as for many, so it just made sense to just do one leaf.
Table Rock Tea Company fascinating. ..
I live in Hawaii and have acquired a couple of plants. my concern is that here the plants grow quickly and large so the leaves in the green section of the stem are very large already, 4-5 inches, this means a lot more circulation is required from the cutting to maintain the large leaf...the alternative is to cut more stem per leaf...
I'm going to try both...
Have fun experimenting!
thank you for sharing, short, powerful and to the point
john blakley - thanks!
Thanks for spreading knowledge. Right, only the persistent will make anything of it. So many barriers to entry.
Glad to be of help.
Awesome thanks! I'm going to try and propagate some of mine from cutting this year! Thanks for the info! Just subscribed too!
California Gardening Mom - thanks, and best to you on growing tea! You may also find my book, “How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States, 2nd edition” (on Amazon) helpful
@@tablerockteacompany thanks! I'm gonna get it!
Awesome video.. Thanks for this.👍👍💃
Glad to help
Thank you for your sharing 🙏
My pleasure
What do you think of honey as a rooting 'hormone'? I don't actually know what's in the commercial rooting hormones.
I appreciate that you share the practical info on what works. I think we're up against a huge and pig headed system- the more smaller scale and independent growers there are, of all foods, the better.
Ps. Not trying to manipulate for info!
Always happy to share info :). I’ve never tried honey as a rooting hormone but I would suspect you’d want something non-commercial as far as not being homogenized or processed in any way. Worth an experiment though. All the best and happy growing!
I've read that it does help, will maybe try it. Thanks!
Awesome video! I received today a Camellia Sinensis cutting. My cutting has 6 more or less big leaves. Not sure whether my cutting will dry out because of that, that's why I'll try out to cut a few of so the main cutting has more ressources to grow roots. I'm thinking to plant one directly into dirt like you did and to put another one leaf cutting into water. Do you think that's gonna be alright? Also is the size of the leaf important?
I think you have a better chance in soil/sand mix than in pure water but go for it. Personally, I like smaller leaf cuttings - just less initial foliage burden to bear.
Why only create cuttlings from the green part?would it be possible to use some from the browns, or lower leafes of the plants which aren't used otherwise?
That’s just the way it is with the biology. We (and many others) have tried using the woody (brown) portion with almost zero success. You are welcome to try it though :).
Do these cuttings require an enclosed environment to keep them from drying out, like a germination dome?
You have to keep cuttings humid until they develop roots. Whether you use a dome or frequent misting is up to you depending on convenience and ease of your setup.
Cool. Thanks for the quick reply... What kind of success rate have you had with this method?
I've honestly not had great success with cuttings - I prefer working from seeds. That being said, around 75%
Hey Steve! Your videos and your book have been a huge inspiration to me for years. I am a tea specialist looking to get into tea growing and propagation at the small scale. Currently, I only have a single plant. I am hoping to start several more with my most recent pruning, but I am unsure how to go about this pruning. Do you have any tips for getting an ~5 year old Assamica into shape? I love this plant, and I am scared to hurt it, but I also know I need to do it in order to begin harvesting. I live in Zone 6 (upstate NY), and my plant is potted (grow lights in winter, outdoors for the rest of the year). Thank you for any help and advice you may have!
Glad the info helps. The second edition of the book explains technique, but the gist is that you want to make single leaf cuttings from the green stem sometime around early July.
@@tablerockteacompany got it! Thank you so much!
What is the name of the book if you don't mind?
Do you use the actual stem or toss it away? I have never seen leaf propagation before. Interesting.
Randy Wiley - we use the actual stem (but it’s the green stem)
thank you so much for the info I don't have any desire in getting into the tea biz my interest is only of a local gardener and maybe farmers markets
You are most welcome - we hope it helps you in your endeavors. You may also be interested in a book we wrote on how to grow and process tea: www.amazon.com/Grow-Make-Continental-United-States/dp/1530424690
@@tablerockteacompany So glad to know you wrote a book about this! I bought it right away from Better World Books: www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/How-to-Grow-and-Make-Tea-In-the-Continental-United-States-9781530424696
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Eva
You’re welcome
Need a video on tea propagation from seeds
@@pujammbora2595 - it’s on our channel - just have to look through some of the videos. Also detailed in my book, “How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States.”
@@tablerockteacompany thank you so much for the response.
Thanks for the video and I wish you the best.
Thank you!
Can I just put a cutting in plain water and let it root?
M Brooks - I’ve never tried doing that, so go for it! My gut tells me it won’t work, but no harm in experimenting with a few leaves :).
Thanks Steve for sharing your knowledge. Do you have tea seeds that you can trade for other seeds? I Live in Libya and I have a lot of Mediterranean seeds / cutting that I can swap with you if you are interested.
Osama Mneina - thanks, but we are trying to limit our focus to tea (that’s enough of a learning curve for me :)). I’d bet Libya can grow lots of cool stuff!
You rock 👊🏼✨
Can I use only black tea forrooting?
@@casuarinasb5855 - all tea comes from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) - there is no black vs green tea plant.
How long does it take to grow into plant to be able to plant in the ground, basicaly how many months does it take to grow to put in the ground?
Raj K - we give cuttings 2 years before planting
Can I make like a mini green house with a plastic bag over the pot and rooting leaf to keep it moist? Or, not a good idea?
M Brooks - the problem with a plastic bag is that it doesn’t breathe at all - you do want some air exchange.
How about if I keep the bag loose at the opening for some air circulation? Maybe better if I just mist it regularly?
M Brooks - loose will work. We just use a flat plastic cover that doesn’t totally seal. It’s hard to keep the right (high level) humidity just open misting
Nice video! What is your rooting % like? Do you place your cuttings under plastic or intermittent mist?
+Piedmont Tea Co. I put my cuttings in kind of a mini greenhouse so I can keep the moisture high. I mist the leaves by hand. My percentage rooting is around 85%, but that should go up once we complete our new greenhouse with propagation room (better control)
Do you generally mist your cutting daily
Donald Sexton - I do mist daily - sometimes more than once per day
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Sir can you tell me the name of the powder you used for propagation of tea leaves?
It is a rooting hormone powder that we bought from a garden store - nothing special.
Can someone tell me the name of Steve's book, please?
"How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States, 2nd ed."
@@tablerockteacompany thank you.
Would this work at 15°C? (47F)
Camellia sinensis really only "wakes up" around 56F
Hello sir...in india in which month ...can i transplant this tea plant..inform plss
I’m sure you have a different climate than we do, so I would not be able to tell you what month. But I would say you can transplant when daily average high temperatures are in the upper 70s F
@@tablerockteacompany means sir...I think summer season might be right...and one question sir...my tea garden plantation was became 9month....can I use round up medicine in the tea farm...bcoz jungle is growing too fast..is there any problem for the tea plant..inform sir
@@biswajitboro2797 you would have to experiment with herbicides like roundup because they can kill tea if in contact with the leaves. Any spray would need to be conducted only on the weeds without touching the tea
@@tablerockteacompany thank u sir for ur kind information
Do you sell seeds or young trees? I'm having a hard time finding fresh seeds to buy.
Chris Farley - we sell fresh seeds in the Fall (we take preorders in October/November, with delivery in Dec/Jan). We do sell young plants year round but we don’t ship those (farm pickup only).
I found your website, I'll wait till fall to order some seeds :-) -- I have a little tea plant now, that after a year has almost died. Time to try again.
How long do the cuttings take to root? I did this with about 12 cuttings and 2 months later nothing happened except for the plant dying.
Andrew Tran - it should take 3-4 weeks for cuttings to root.
que legal, obrigada por compartilhar seu conhecimento, from Brazil...
My Portuguese is a bit rusty, but I think you are asking if you can legally buy our tea plants/seeds and have them sent to Brazil - is this correct?
Table Rock Tea Company I am having problems to get my propagations take root. I use clone X . I mist the plant by hand two times a day and put them under a Manson jar to keep the moisture in...in about 2-3 weeks the leaf falls off the stem. the leaf is still bright green color when it falls off. can you help?
I've never used CloneX, but I still somehow suspect that the moisture is not being adequately maintained for the type of soil you might be using. We do not do a lot of cloning here, but when we do, we use a fine, sandier soil.
Thanks a lot!
You're welcome!
Thank you
You're welcome
Nice and proper !
Thanks!
This is black tea or onther
All tea comes from the same plant - the difference is how you process.
thanks for sharing.
Most welcome.
Hi Table Rock, How many % effectively grow by this method. how can I access to detail lesson learnt and practices?
Thanks for advice
Douang Lopaying - percentages vary, so that’s hard for me to answer. Start small and perfect your technique. We’ve changed some things here as well - we have had good success making cuttings in July now. Definitely use single leaf cuttings. You can always email me with questions at info@tablerocktea.com
@@tablerockteacompany can you plant the whole branch or it can only work with a single leaf
phong phan - it is customary to only use a single leaf. We have tried 2 or more leaves, but the results are bad. Single node is the standard.
@@tablerockteacompany thank you. Maybe ill try that when my plants are older. Just got 2 that are about 12-14inches tall
Great info thanks
You are most welcome.
Where can I purchase hormone which is used fast root growing
Online or in a home improvement/garden store
I am living in Sri Lanka can you please send me on bottle of hormone and let me know the price
If you are agreed I may send my postal address
It's not a trade secret, how to take cuttings and propagate. Also, trial and error is good, you just don't want to invest a lot until you know which method works.
You'd be surprised how many people try to propagate tea (unsuccessfully) from 2 leaf cuttings
Hope your company is doing well. I am a crazy tea drinker!
Angela Sehr - we are doing well - tough winter this year but rebounding. Thanks!
did you finally get your tea bag maker? I ONLY drink loose tea but i understand most people prefer bagged tea. I can help you to shop for a tea bag maker from China (where I came from) if you like. i planted 4 tea plants in my yard (Florida). they are doing very poorly:-(
Thanks for asking. We bought 2 more basic bagging machines that are working well for us. As for your plants, it may be a pH issue. They prefer to grow in acidic (4.5-5.5) soils with good drainage and nutrients. If the leaves are yellow and growth is slow, it may be nitrogen deficiency.
Thanks for the video! I'll have to try again this way lol.
Been trying to propogate my camellia sinensis' for ages and every single batch of cuttings i've done has died... I've been able to strike everything i've ever tried except my tea plants lol :-(
Hopefully, this will work for you. We still prefer to grow tea from seeds, but this method of making cuttings does work well for us when we need to do it. We do sell tea seeds every year if you decide you need more volume.
i'm in australia lol so wouldn't be able to get them in.
i hope really work for me :$
I hope it will work for you too!
Здравствуй мой друг сможешь мне послать саженцев чая
Better result you will get from straight one
online learning - not sure I understand what you mean by a “straight” one