Tea is one of the most popular beverages that are being consumed all over the world. There are two variations in which this beverage can be taken, hot tea and iced tea. Growing tea requires sufficient amount of work and there is additional level of work that must be incorporated to harvest it. There are various kinds of tea such as black tea, green, oolong tea that can be obtained from real tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The making of different varieties of tea mainly depends upon plucking and rolling, spreading, storing process. Various process that are involved in tea growing such as pruning, fertilizing, harvesting, processing and many other steps that are involved are illustrated.

Growing conditions- weather and soil

Picture of a small cup of tea

Tea is a crop that grows predominantly in higher altitudes, which will be providing chill climate constantly throughout the year. The presence of region that will be providing almost the same temperature all over the year will be best suitable. It is also possible to grow these plants in greenhouse environment. This crop will show predominant growth in soil that is well drained and it also required that the soil is little higher in acidic side. The plant will be growing up to 1 to 2 meters upon pruning and this will be maintained as a short bush for the ease of plucking leaves. The crop produces light fragrance white budding that will be spreading delightful and sweet scent throughout the place. When left free, this plant is capable of attaining maximum height of 17 meter. Zone 8 climatic condition in the united sates will be most suitable for the growth of these plants.

Pruning

Pruning can be achieved in two methods in tea plants, pruning in immature plant and matured plant. Pruning is an essential process that stops the vertical growth of plant and makes it possible to achieve extended growth in horizontal manner. This will make it easier to harvest tea leaves and buds in an easy manner. There will also be superior branched patterns that will be attained by plant that makes it possible to produce more amounts of leaves and buds. It is essential to identify all dead leafs, dead buds and remove them in an effective manner. It is also essential to remove unproductive wood from the plant. The whole process requires good level of work to cover all regions of plant and shape it in an efficient manner to stimulate the hormone that is responsible for vegetative growth of plant.

Tea harvesting

Harvesting tea requires substantial amount of work that determines the quality of tea that is being produced. For generating higher quality tea, it is essential to pluck only second, third leafs along with the buds. It will also be better to prune mature leaves before heading for harvesting procedure. The above method of plucking is called as fine plucking and there are great chances that tea that is being produced in this manner will taste great. If the leaves are plucked along with first leaf and with more number of leafs than bud, this is called as coarse plucking and quality of tea that is being produced through this plucking technique will be lesser. Thus you should choose appropriate harvesting procedure based on the factors- quantity and quality. For quality tea production, fine plucking will be suitable manner and those people who require more quantity, coarse plucking will be an appropriate method. Based on the processing method, it will be possible to produce green tea, white tea, black tea or oolong tea.

Plant protection

Tea collectors from India

For plants that are being grown through pots, it is essential to maintain them in dry manner and should be watered very sparingly. The potted plant should be brought inside home and placed in a dry place with good shade. The plant will experience very less problems due to pest attacks. When you find this plant being attacked by pests, usage of very low concentration pesticides will provide effective solution.

Processing tea at home

Potted tea plants should be subjected to processing procedure after harvesting leafs. This will be making it possible to use leafs whenever you require it. The first step in processing step is to place leafs and buds in sunny location and dry them for two or three days. It should also be subjected to heating process by placing them in pan and set stovetop to high conditions. Continue heating for about 15 minutes and continuously stir them using wooden stir to prevent leafs from getting burned. Finally, you can place the leaves on oven and set it to 240 degrees Fahrenheit such that moisture from leafs will be removed and you can now place these tea in air tight container. This is ready to be used whenever you feel like having cup of tea.

Fertilizers

Plants that are being planted in pots will be better served through a uniform layer of mulch. This will be supplying plant with all kinds of nutrients. Placing sphagnum moss around the tea plant will be providing better results since there will be reduction in weed count. The above process will also be of good use in retaining moisture in plant. You can buy plant seeds from local store that is very near to your home

The above process will surely help you to achieve high quality tea growing in an effective manner. You will surely be satisfied by quality of tea that is being produced through above process.

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Latest National Resource Inventory for Non-Federal Lands shows significant reduction in soil erosion on cropland and dramatic increase in developed acreage

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2010 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that soil erosion on cropland declined by more than 40 percent during the past 25 years, while more than one-third of all development of U.S. land occurred during the same period. The information was contained in the latest National Resource Inventory (NRI) for Non-Federal Lands, which was released at an event marking the 75th Anniversary of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the agency charged with ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges.

“The NRI results are significant because they provide a scientifically-based snapshot of the nation’s natural resources and the ability to track trends in natural resource use and condition,” Merrigan said. “The NRI provides a wealth of information that can be used by agricultural and environmental policymakers to make informed decisions about the nation’s natural resources.”

Key findings from the 2007 NRI include:

* Total cropland erosion (sheet, rill and wind) declined by about 43 percent, from more than 3.06 billion tons per year in 1982 to about 1.72 billion tons per year in 2007. The reduction reflects NRCS’s emphasis on working with producers and landowners to reduce erosion. Most of the soil erosion reductions occurred between 1987 and 1997.

* Cropland acreage declined from 420 million acres in 1982 to 357 million acres in 2007, a 15 percent decrease. About half of this reduction is reflected in enrollments of environmental sensitive cropland in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program.

* About 40 million acres of land were newly developed between 1982 and 2007, bringing the national total to about 111 million acres. More development occurred in the Southeast than in any other region. For the NRI, developed land includes rural transportation corridors such as roads and railroads as well as urban and built-up areas which include residential, industrial, commercial and other land uses. The findings on development are important because development isolates tracts of former farmland, which degrades wildlife habitat and makes agricultural production inefficient.

* There were 325 million acres of prime farmland in 2007, compared to 339 million acres in 1982. The acreage of prime farmland converted to other uses such as development during the 25-year period is greater than the combined area of Vermont and New Hampshire and almost as large as West Virginia.

* The total area of developed land in all states, except Alaska and Hawaii, is approximately equal to the combined surface area of Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. Land that was newly developed between 1982 and 2007 covered an area slightly larger than Iowa. The largest increase in development was 10.7 million acres between 1992 and 1997.

NRI provides scientifically-based, statistically accurate estimates of natural resource status, conditions and trends on non-federal U.S. land-private, tribal and trust lands as well as land controlled by state and local governments. The data are suitable for national, regional and statewide analyses and are comparable across the time period 1982 – 2007. NRCS conducts the inventory in cooperation with Iowa State University’s Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, a respected scientific partner.

The NRI will assist USDA in its efforts to complete its Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA) appraisal. RCA guides future USDA soil, water and related resource conservation activities on non-federal lands, while considering both the long and short-term needs of the nation. USDA is scheduled to complete the RCA appraisal by January 2011.

For additional information about NRI, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri.

NRCS is celebrating 75 years helping people help the land in 2010. Since 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests. President Franklin Roosevelt created the agency on this day in 1935 to help farmers and ranchers overcome the devastating effects of drought, especially in the Midwest and Northern Plains regions.

Meet farmers, educators and beginners like yourself. Great way to see and learn!
Join us on April 14 as we discuss how fertilizer-saving and soil quality-enhancing cover crops can also be an excellent source of high-quality forage from mid-summer late into the fall and extremely early in the spring! This event begins at 3:00 p.m. just east of the intersection of Plains Road and Tuttle Road in Mason, MI. We will have an interactive tour of a replicated cover crop research plot that was established in wheat stubble in August of 2009. Species in these plots include:
Radish
Annual ryegrass
Crimson clover
Fall rye
Oats
Austrian winter peas
Field (spring) peas
Spring and fall triticale
Grass pea
Turnips
& Various combinations of the above
Cost: $5 per person or $10 per farm, whichever is less. RSVP!

To register, please call Connie at 517-676-7207 or e-mail cvernon@ingham.org
Presented by Ingham County MSU Extension

Before we know how to grow lentils we must know about the biology of it. This is important on deciding the conditions that are favourable for the growth of lentils. It is very much similar to that of the beans in most of the characters since both belong to the same family of legumes. Legumes are have high proteins content and are preferred by many people all over the world for its nutrient content.

Appearance and nutrient content of lentils:

The lentils are plants that grow throughout the year with the suitable conditions provided. They have seeds that are in the shape of the lens. These seeds grow in pods which remains a characteristic of the legumes. They also have a rich supply of iron which is very important in the formation of the haemoglobin. As a major characteristic of the family, it also has high contents of protein in it making an important meal. The advantage that one has with growing the lentils is that since the plant grows round the year, once the proper conditions are known anyone can grow it in their house for their domestic uses. The conditions also include proper temperature, climatic conditions, and also the nature of the soil.

Things needed for growing lentils:

Lentils

The most important thing that will be very useful in this process is a pH tester that helps one determine the pH of the soil in which the lentils are desired to be grown. The pH is a very important property one has to keep in mind before planting any plant. The range for every plant differs widely and hence the range for the lentils must be known beforehand. In order to make the soil lose and easy to dig, a garden spade may also be used.

Procedure:

With the help of the pH tester, the pH of the soil is measured. It is preferred to be between 6 and 8. This gives a neutral growing condition for the lentils. Once the soil is known to be fit, decide the location based on the drain system. It is good if there is a slope so that the draining is effective. The apt period to sow the seedlings is in beginning of the spring. This can be done by using the spade. It is necessary the soil is moist when the seeds are planted. The temperature is also an important factor here, since warm conditions always stimulate more growth than cold conditions. It must be made sure that the soil is slightly warm and moist. The seedlings that are used for plantings must be planted in such a way that it is about one inch below the soil. The soil should not be wet but one moist. If the soil and the location is properly drained, they can be planted little deeper also. One must observe a growth periodically. It generally grows to about two and a half feet. It also produces pods that contain 2 seeds. The advantage of the lentils is that they have slight tolerance to the drought and hence can survive a period without water. But during the growing season it requires rain not less than six inches.

Thyme is a kind of perennial hardy shrub that grows to an extent of 20 to 40 cm. There are many different types of thymes that are available. Thymes can be used for many purposes ranging from cooking to medicinal application. There are also many other benefits of this herb since they can be used as a source for aromatherapy due to the wonderful scent that it spreads in the air. If you are interested and desperate in growing thyme in your garden then it is essential to identify your purpose of growing this herb. The growing method should be well adapted to promote the growth of the plant to a full extent such that the quality of herb is of the top range. Wonderful information about the requirements to grow thyme given have been listed here

Best environmental conditions for Thyme

To enable this plant to grow in a wonderful manner it is essential to grow this plant with environmental conditions that is conducive with this plant. The growth of this plant will be very good if the plant is exposed to full amount of sunlight and there should also be good amount of warmth. This does not mean that the plants will not be growing in the winter periods. It will be better if there are some techniques incorporated to boost the growth of plants. Some of the methods that can be employed includes greenhouse farming or by planting this herb in a movable pot. The above methods will ensure that there is continuous harvest even during the winter season. There are many people who have been able to greatly increase the harvest due to the implementation of greenhouse farming technique which will be supplying the plant with extra warmth that is required.

Favorable soil conditions

Thyme

Like many other herbs thyme prefers soil that is well drained. The best type of soil that will be providing well drained condition is sandy soils. If the soil holds too much of water then there is a risk of plats dieing. The best composition of soil that can be used for this purpose includes a combination of sandy soil, potting soil, dirt and lime. Thus the soil which will be draining excess amount of water and at the same time holding good level of moisture will be of great use. The moisture that is present in the soil will be of good use to feed the roots with desired water requirements.

Pruning of thyme

The pruning procedure that is employed for thyme is much different from the pruning procedure that is being used for other purpose. There should be less level of pruning that should be performed in this plant to obtain robust level of leaves. The stems which are at the bottom portion of the stem should be cut off to support the growth of plant. There should also be special attention that should be presented to the stems that are much thicker.

Thus growing thymes at home will be a wonderful option due to their flexible use I various purposes such as cooking, medicinal purpose and aromatherapy.