1. Harvesting the calyx of sour tea

The first fruits of sour tea are ready to harvest 3 weeks after flowering. The fruits should be collected before any woody tissue appears in the calyx, at this stage the calyxes are thin, twisted and fleshy and the capsules are easily separated. The calyxes reach their maximum size about 40 to 50 days after the petals fall. Sepals should be separated from the capsule and dried in the shortest possible time, otherwise mold will grow quickly and cause the calyxes to rot (59). The fruits ripen continuously from the bottom to the top, in other words, the inflorescence ripens from the bottom to the top. Fruits are easier to harvest in the morning than at the end of the day. If harvesting is delayed, the flower stalks will harden and gardening shears should be used (60). Flowering begins from September to October, and the calyxes are harvested in November and December. The time of harvesting the calyxes coincides with the ripening of the seeds. The freshly wet red sepals are harvested after the flowers have fallen and before the seed pods dry and open. How to plant and harvest the sour tea plant

2. Sour tea foliage

To use the sour tea plant foliage for animal feed, the foliage of this plant is cut in three stages, the first stage starting 6 weeks after transplanting and the stem is cut from a height of 7.5 to 10 cm. The second stage is done 4 weeks later and the third stage of cutting the stem is done about four weeks later. Then the cut plants are thinned and the remaining plants grow and the fruit is harvested as a secondary crop (31 and 59). After the cut plants, 2 rows of 3 are removed and then the remaining plants are allowed to grow and the fruit is harvested as a secondary crop. How to plant and harvest the sour tea plant

3. Sour tea fiber

The best quality fiber is produced from sour tea during flowering, which is obtained about 3 to 4 months after planting. The stems are picked from the ground and soaked in water in regular bundles, and then the fiber is separated from the stem by hand or machine. The fibers in the skin are ready for the next step. How to plant and harvest the sour tea plant

4. Harvesting Sour tea seeds

Harvesting sour tea seeds takes place when the fruits located in the inflorescence axis from the bottom to the middle are fully ripe. After cutting the bushes, they are left for several days to dry, and then the operation of crushing and separating the seeds is carried out.