I hear growing tea plants can be quite challenging. Looks like I have 6 attempts to figure it out…
I've started by mixing some coffee grounds and some conifer fertilizer into my potting mix in an attempt to lower the pH value. A short pH test says it's still at around 6.0, though, which might still be too high. I'm considering putting a few drops of vinegar into the watering can to lower it even further.
BTW, those are some surprisingly large seeds for that plant.
Update:
After putting them into a glass of water, I found that all six of them float to the top, which some Internet sites tell me means they're not good any more. I will keep on trying, though, because I'm stubborn, but I also did go ahead and order some new seeds from a different vendor.
Given the labeling, I would not plant it and destroy it with fire.
International seed law and phytosanitary requirements require specific labeling. This includes a lot, germination, and some others depending on the location. If it was shipped internationally, it also requires a phytosanitary certificate for most species and countries.
Online seed sellers are constantly violating these rules and spreading all sorts of diseases, weeds and insects.
They were technically shipped internationally, but it was within the EU. The appropriate websites by my own government tell me I don't need a phytosanitary certificate in this case.
Though, to be honest, none of this would have even crossed my mind if you hadn't pointed it out.