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Tea farming guide for India
Tea estates depend on high water inputs and good slope drainage across large areas.
Key numbers
- SeasonPerennial (plucking rounds year-round)about 365 days
- Water over the seasonabout 2000 mmrain and irrigation together
- Soil pH4.5 to 5.5NPK guide 100:50:50
- Main riskBlister Blightsee the watchlist below
Typical values for India. Your soil test and your local KVK's advice come first.
When and where tea is grown
Tea is grown as a Perennial (plucking rounds year-round) crop in India: June-July or September planting.
Leading states: Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu. Soil moisture is best kept around 60 to 85% of capacity for most of the season.
What to watch on your field
What a weekly satellite and weather view of your own field shows at each stage, and when to walk the field.
Before flowering
Many orchard crops are deliberately kept dry before flowering to induce bloom. A falling water signal in this window is expected, not stress.
Flowering
Bloom-time weather largely decides the season's crop: watch for heat, frost, rain and long humid spells.
Fruit development
Steady moisture now reduces fruit drop and improves size; a block that loses greenness faster than the rest deserves a visit.
After harvest
Recovery feeding and irrigation rebuild the tree for next season's bloom.
The main risks for tea
Most of these follow the weather. A risky week is a reason to inspect the crop, not to spray by default.
For any spray or dose, ask your KVK or an agronomist. VarshaKrishi's free Watch plan never names a product.
- Blister BlightThe main risk for this crop in India.
- Blister blightCool misty weather.
- Red spider miteHot dry spells.
Watering tea well
Basin or drip irrigation tuned to the crop's stage, including the dry period some orchards use to induce flowering. Weekly field monitoring helps tell deliberate stress from real stress.
Crop water use follows the FAO-56 method: the weather sets a reference demand, and the crop's stage sets how much of it the crop uses. That is why the same field needs different amounts in different weeks.
A weekly message about your own tea field.
Watch is free for any field in India: what changed on your field this week, the weather for your village, and a clear note when the satellite cannot see. Decide opens crop by crop after an agronomist reviews each crop model.
1.2 km × 0.9 km · each square 10 m
- Your own field, every week.The squares inside your boundary, compared with your field's own history.
- A clear note when it cannot see.Cloudy weeks and very small plots are named, not guessed.
- Free on Watch.In Marathi, Hindi or English, on WhatsApp.
How each message is made, from which satellites and with which limits: methods and evidence. A real field's year of Sentinel-2 readings, free to download: open data.
Tea: common questions
What soil pH does tea need?
Tea grows best at a soil pH between 4.5 and 5.5. A soil test before the season is the reliable way to know your own field.
How much water does tea need?
About 2000 mm over a season of roughly 365 days, from rain and irrigation together. The real need changes with the weather, the soil and the crop's stage, which is why it helps to track your own field week by week.
What is the main disease or pest risk for tea?
Blister Blight is the main risk. Most risks follow the weather, so a risky week is a reason to inspect the crop. Ask your KVK or an agronomist before any spray.
When is tea grown in India?
Tea is grown as a Perennial (plucking rounds year-round) crop: June-July or September planting.
Which states grow the most tea?
Leading states include Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu. VarshaKrishi's free Watch plan covers any field in these states: you need WhatsApp and your field's location, nothing installed in the field.