Tea plant 'Zairai'

Plant in acidic loose soil. Potting soil is ok as long as it does not have peat moss (this causes root rot). I have used a mix of aged pine bark and top soil, but any medium is fine as long as it drains quickly and does not hold on to water.

Try to plant in a location that enjoys partial sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Zairai is thought of as hardy, so Zairai will tend to go dormant or grow slowly over the winter months. Zairai requires a sandy soil with a ph of 4.6 - 7.5 - it grows best in moderately acidic soil to weakly alkaline soil.

Store in fridge in plastic baggie with a moist paper towel. When you are ready to plant soak in water for 5-10 minutes. Separate floaters and sinkers, the sinkers sprout better/strong/first. You can still plant the floaters but they may take longer and may be weak.
Plant in a warm area after danger of frost, should be in full to deep shade with protection from the wind.
The warmer and milder the weather the sooner they will most likely sprout.

Look to ensure a distance 1.95 feet (60.0 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least 0.49 inches (1.25 cm) deep. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 4°C / 39°F to ensure good germination.

Once they have a few true leaves they can slowly be moved from full shade to partial shade, but be careful as they can burn easily. Once you feel they are big enough you can move them to full sun, but allow them to transition slowly.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Zairai is a hardy plant.

You can Harvest the Fruit (seeds) and leaves

Expect harvests to start to occur in mid spring.

This is called “wild tea”, It is a catch all name for potentially cross pollinated seeds (example Yabukita X sae midori). Unless seeds are hand pollinated and isolated they are automatically assume to be Zairai.

Camellia Sinensis V. Sinensis C. Zairai, Japanese Small leaf tea, Tea camellia, Ocha,