Pruning in agricultural terms means selectively removing certain parts of the plant, such as branches, buds or roots.

On the tea fields in Assam, during the off-season of December and January, we PRUNE certain sections of the farm to make sure the tea plants remain healthy for the upcoming season. This in turn affects the life of the tea tree and helps increase yield (the amount of tea leaves the tea tree produces).

Only older, more experienced workers are tasked with pruning duties, as it's considered an art that requires time and training to master. We take each pruning season very seriously. It is one of the most important processes during the off-season and needed to produce the world's best Assam black teas.

Tea plucker at Ghograjan Tea Estate, pruning tea trees during off season

 

Tool used for pruning tea trees on tea farms in Assam, India

Pruned vs Unpruned Sections