this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2026
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Any tips for growing tea plants from seed? (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by waigl@lemmy.world to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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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.

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[–] Wahots@pawb.social 3 points 4 days ago

No recommendations here other than online advice. I believe we have a Russian version of that plant or a similar tea plant that absolutely loves our 9b region. It's become a voracious bush and needs to be whacked back yearly, or it will overtake the other plants in the garden bed.

Also, those seeds look like chocolate drops and I have an overwhelming urge to put them in my mouth, lol.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

It's possible, but it is TRICKY. Most nurseries propagate via cuttings because of this. I tried to find a non-slop guide that is close to how I've done it before, and this is as close as I could find.

The one thing I see missing there is stratifying for 60 days prior to planting, and making sure the seed hills crack a bit after soaking.

Once planted, I'd keep them in a hothouse environment, which you can achieve by just putting plastic wrap over the starter seed bed, and keeping near a sunny window indoors.

[–] chickenf622@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

I have no advice to offer (sorry), but if I was high enough I would try to eat that seed thinking it was a chocolate candy. Good luck I'll keep an eye out for any updates if you post them.

[–] wordmark@mas.to 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

@waigl yes put them in a tropical climate but do not water too much

[–] waigl@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Well, I've only got the climate right here to work with, which is very much not tropical… but I suppose I can just bring them inside once it gets a bit chilly.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

It's not all that hard. Most my plants are tropical and Kansas is far from that. Just water appropriately, make sure they get their sun, and during the cold season you can either water and mist them or keep them in an aquarium to keep humidity up.

[–] zane@infosec.pub 2 points 4 days ago

Ive done it once. Soaked the seeds for 72 hours first. That helped a lot.

[–] DarkSirrush@piefed.ca 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If you do manage to get it growing, make sure you post pictures! I wanna see a baby tea tree.

And make sure you do regular updates on the 6 month, 1 year, 3 year, 5 year, 10 year, 25 year, 50 year and 100 year milestones!

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

!remindme 100years

[–] The_v@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] waigl@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

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.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

I see the flowering version all over the PNW, climate 8, so there must be a variety of the tea plant that wouuld thrive in non-tropical weather. Did you choose a certain variety? Maybe your local university would have something on it too:

https://vegetables.wsu.edu/documents/2025/07/growing-tea-in-the-pacific-northwest-care-and-maintenance.pdf/