I have two tea plants in the same pot.
They seem to be from the Assamica variety, but the specific cultivar is unknown.
After taking care of them for about 6 months, I noticed that one of the tea plants had grown much taller than the other one.
Since quicker growth is a desirable trait, I made a cutting of the longest branch and started a new tea plant.
Note that tea plants grown from cuttings are essentially clones. Hence, the new tea plant will be just like the original one.
I hadn’t done this before, so I consulted the Grow Your Own Tea book.
The recommendation is to have a cutting with at least three leaves.
But I didn’t want to risk it so my cutting had more than 10 leaves.
This was a mistake, because later on I read that with more leaves it is harder for the cutting to obtain enough resources as is roots.
The cut itself is done at an angle, and with at least 3 cm of stem.
Actually, I had to remove the lowest leaf to have enough length.
Since the climate here is very mild, I didn’t take any extra steps to protect the new tea plant.
I just planted it in its own pot and left it next to my other plants.
The rooting time lasts from one to three months.
If I’m not mistaken, during that time the tea plant won’t grow much. It will focus on expanding its roots.
It’s been less than a month in my case. But since the tea plant hasn’t withered, the process is probably going well.
This was easier than I expected.
I might try it again when I have the chance.
Update: I already have a second batch of cuttings. Most of them have been sold, since where I live it isn’t easy to find tea plants.
I think that I became better at tea propagation.
