Tea plants are perennial economic crops, and the construction of tea gardens significantly impacts the management efficiency of the gardens for decades to come. The value of temperature-sensitive White Tea is based on harvesting fresh leaves with good whitening characteristics. Therefore, when establishing a Tea Garden, one should choose an ecological environment that promotes whitening as much as possible and create a foundation for the garden that meets and enhances whitening.

### Tea Garden Conditions

The conditions required for temperature-sensitive white tea gardens must not only meet the basic ecology necessary for tea plant growth but also fulfill the conditions required for ideal whitening performance, including natural elements such as temperature, light, soil, and water. Among these, temperature is the decisive factor. When planning the layout of tea areas, one must also consider conditions related to quality and safety, economic factors, and the optimal canopy models for different varieties.

#### (1) Climatic Conditions

Among the four major tea regions, the suitable areas for temperature-sensitive white tea are mainly concentrated in the North River tea region, the northern part of the Southwest tea region, and the central and northern parts of the South River tea region. The expansion areas are distributed in the southern part of the Southwest tea region, the southern part of the South River tea region, and the northern part of the South China tea region. In terms of annual active accumulated temperature, areas above 6,000°C are unsuitable, those between 5,500°C and 6,000°C are expansion areas, and those below 5,500°C are suitable areas. For areas with an annual active accumulated temperature below 4,000°C, protected winter cultivation is required.

#### (2) Soil Conditions

The sensitivity of temperature-sensitive white tea to soil is second only to temperature, especially in soils with high clay content and high nitrogen fertilizer supply, which often result in a decrease in whitening or premature greening.

When selecting sandy soil for cultivating white tea, the pH value should be less than 6.5, and the soil depth should be more than 80 cm, with sufficient water sources available. Cultivation should include increased fertility supply to ensure robust tree vigor. Loamy soil is also suitable for white tea, and one should choose appropriate types of fertilizers, especially reducing the use of fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers in mature tea gardens. One should avoid planting white tea in silty soils as much as possible.

#### (3) Topographic Conditions

Tea garden topography includes altitude, slope, and aspect, which involve light, temperature, water, soil conditions, and production operations. When establishing high-quality tea gardens, the suitability of the terrain should be fully considered.

The principle for selecting altitude is opposite to the geographical location and light and heat conditions, i.e., within suitable areas, the further south, the higher the altitude and the lower the light and heat area should be chosen; the further north, the lower the altitude should be chosen, to meet the light and heat conditions required for the growth of white tea. Slopes with a gradient of less than 15° are ideal sites for tea planting; slopes with a gradient of 15° to 25° should be terraced tea gardens; and according to relevant national laws, areas with gradients greater than 25° are strictly prohibited from planting tea trees. In the warm and humid southern regions, one should choose north-facing tea gardens with less sunlight and relatively low temperatures; in the north and high mountainous areas prone to frost, southeast-facing warm hillsides should be selected to open up tea gardens.

### Cultivation Techniques

#### (1) Garden Planning

##### 1. Drainage and Irrigation Ditches

Generally, a cross ditch should be set every 10 to 14 rows of tea plants, with a depth of 20 cm and a width of more than 30 cm. In mountainous terraces, the lateral level ditches in terraced tea gardens are primarily drainage ditches on the inside of the garden, focusing on preventing excessive groundwater levels from affecting the growth of tea plant roots. The depth of the water ditch should be at least 30 cm. Diversion ditches are generally set in valleys or low valleys, connected to interception ditches, and deeper than cross ditches. In areas with steeper slopes, diversion ditches should be in an “S” shape or stepped to slow down the flow of water. Regardless of whether it is an interception ditch or a diversion ditch, a water accumulation pit should be set every 3 to 5 meters to deposit sediment and buffer the water flow.

If conditions permit, multiple water reservoirs should be built in mountainous tea gardens, which will play a significant role in future tea garden irrigation. At the confluence of water ditches, a water reservoir should be built for every 20 to 30 mu of tea garden.

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##### 2. Windbreak Forests

Windbreak forests are planted outside the isolation ditches around the tea garden, along the ridgelines and valley lines of the tea garden, alongside the main roads and channels, and on one side of the secondary roads. They can also be planted at the head of the road and between the rows depending on the situation. For tea gardens on mountains and along highways, 2 to 4 rows of windbreak forests are generally planted around them. For particularly frost-prone, windward slopes at high altitudes, the width of the windbreak forest segments should be 20 to 30 meters. For low-altitude areas that are not severely affected by frost or for aesthetic purposes, the planting density can be reduced, with 1 to 2 rows planted.

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#### (2) Garden Reclamation

Garden reclamation includes initial reclamation, building retaining walls, and re-reclamation. Building retaining walls should be done after initial reclamation and before re-reclamation, applicable to mountainous terraced tea gardens. For barren mountains or old tea gardens and orchards, initial reclamation and re-reclamation are generally performed twice, while arable land only requires initial reclamation once after removing the remaining crops.

##### 1. Initial Reclamation

For gentle slopes, full reclamation can be carried out from bottom to top. For steeper slopes, strip reclamation should be carried out layer by layer and row by row from the base line according to the contour lines. The initial reclamation depth should be more than 40 cm. During reclamation, tree stumps, grass roots, and stones should be cleared to the soil surface. After leaving enough material for building retaining walls, they should be cleared from the garden. The soil does not need to be broken up too finely, but all impurities must be removed completely.

##### 2. Building Retaining Walls

Building retaining walls, also known as building terraces, comes in three types: stone retaining walls, suitable for steep slopes with severe soil erosion; piles of tree stumps, grass blocks, and stones, suitable for gently sloping multi-row wide terraces that are not level; and stacking turf layers on the outer side of the retaining wall to form simple mud terraces, supplementing sections with soil loss in strip reclamation. This method is suitable for areas with heavy soil adhesion and abundant turf (such as Bermuda grass).

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##### 3. Re-Reclamation

The depth is generally controlled around 30 cm. Re-reclamation often involves arranging the tea rows and preparing the row trenches (when using organic fertilizers as base fertilizers), and should be carried out after building retaining walls and terraces in slope tea gardens.

#### (3) Seedling Planting

The quality of planting directly affects the survival rate of tea seedlings and the speed of garden establishment. The following points should be focused on during planting:

##### 1. Planting Time

White tea seedlings are all clonal seedlings, and the planting time is closely related to the survival rate. Generally, there is autumn planting (late October to late November) and spring planting (early February to early March). Which period is better depends on the local climate and interannual climate. The focus of the local climate is the extreme temperature. Areas with an annual active accumulated temperature below 4,500°C and a minimum temperature below -5°C are not suitable for planting before winter. Interannual climate depends on weather conditions. Spring planting is recommended when the winter is dry and the spring is wet, and autumn planting is recommended when the winter is wet and the spring is dry. The earlier the autumn planting, the better. Planting in early September allows the tea seedlings to continue growing after planting, especially beneficial for root development, which can significantly increase the survival rate and growth momentum the following year. Spring planting should be done as early as possible, not too late, to avoid drought after planting, leading to planting failure.

##### 2. Variety Selection

The