強い茶樹を作るため編み出した技術「台切り」

A technique devised to make strong tea plants - Selective pruning

下窪さんの畑に足を踏み入れると、茶樹1本1本の力強さに驚かされます。幹が太く、葉に張りがあり緑が濃い。その源のひとつは、柔らかいバネのようなしなやかさを持つ土です。土壌診断を頻繁に行い、米ぬかなど使ったオリジナルの肥料で時間をかけて上質な土を作っています。もうひとつが独自に編み出した「台切り」の技術。通常の茶園では3年～5年に一度茶樹の枝を大きく刈り落とす「中切り」を行いますが、下窪さんは地上15cmほどで枝を選んで切り落とす事で、残された1本1本の枝を力強く育てています。

When you step into Mr. Shimokubo's field, you will be amazed at the strength of each tea tree. The trunk is thick, and the leaves are firm and dark green. One of its sources is the soil, which is flexible like a soft spring. They frequently perform soil diagnosis, and spend time creating high-quality soil with original fertilizers such as rice bran. Another unique technique is the “selective pruning”. In a normal tea garden, the branches of tea trees are trimmed to a large size once every 3 to 5 years. At Mr. Shimokubo's tea gardens, they select branches about 15 cm above the ground and cuts them off, so that each remaining branch grows vigorously.