Growing chaya or tree spinach in your garden can be a valuable source of food for your family.
Growing chaya is very easy as the plants do not require much care and maintenance and they are widely grown in Mexico and Central America.
Haya (Knidoskol akonitifolius) is actually a large, fast-growing perennial leafy shrub believed to be native to Mexico.
It is also known by other names such as wild spinach, kikilkchai, chaikyoken, chai kol, chickaskill, etc.
Like spinach, chaya is a popular leafy vegetable in Mexican and Central American cuisines. But the difference with regular spinach is that “you can’t eat raw tea leaves”.
Because the raw leaves contain a large amount of poisonous hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, the leaves should be cooked before eating.
However, growing tea organically in your garden can be a great way to enjoy this vegetable.
Growing chaya is very easy and the plants suffer fewer insects or other problems. And tea leaves contain much more nutrients than spinach leaves.
How to start growing tea
Growing chachau or tree spinach organically in your garden is quite easy. The plants are easy to grow and can also grow in the shade under fruit trees or palms.
And one or two plants will be enough to provide enough tea for the family. However, here we tell you all about growing teas in your garden.
Buy cuttings
Like many other garden vegetables, chayas are not grown from seed. Rather, they are grown by propagating from woody stem cuttings.
So buy cuttings from any nursery near you. Or collect the cuttings from your friends or any gardener in your area.
The best time to cultivate the chai
Chaya is cold sensitive and does not grow well in the cold season. You should therefore plan the planting and cultivation of teas for the warmer months.
Soil preparation
Chaya plants can be grown in almost any type of soil. But they do very well if the soil is rich in organic matter.
Therefore, when preparing the soil for growing chaya, work the soil thoroughly and add enough organic matter (like well-rotted manure or homemade compost) to the soil.
planting
As we mentioned earlier, “Chayas are not grown from seed, but are actually propagated from stem cuttings.”
You should take a cutting 6-12 inches from the woody part of the stem and make sure the cutting has at least a few nodes.
Then remove all the leaves and let the cut air dry for 2-3 days (this will allow the cut ends to stick together, making them less prone to rotting). If you have raised moringa before, the process will be the same.
After preparing the cuttings, place them in the ground 1-2 nodes below the ground and keep the soil moist. But do not overwater, otherwise the cuttings will rot.
You can also plant them in starter pots or buckets first and then transplant them later. It takes time for the chai to grow. But you can prune and harvest in about a year.
tea tree care
Chaya plants do not require much care after the cuttings are planted. Although additional care will ensure good plant growth.
- Chaya grows well in shady places, especially under fruit or nut trees.
- Add seasoned manure or compost to the planting hole so nutrients can soak in.
- If the soil is constantly moist, the chaya grows well. So, water your plants regularly. While chaya plants tolerate heavy rains, they also have some drought tolerance.
- Tamp the soil firmly around the haya seedlings and mulch the seedlings. This will help retain moisture in the soil and eliminate most garden weeds.
- Chaya is less prone to pests and diseases. In fact, growing chai in your garden is a big plus.
- Chaya plants can grow up to 6 meters tall, but the plants are usually cut back to around 2 meters to make picking the leaves easier.
Harvest
You can expect to harvest leaves from the second year after planting the cuttings.
And the leaves can be harvested continuously as long as no more than 50% of the leaves are removed from the plant (which ensures healthy growth of new plants).
Chai is one of the most productive green vegetables. Some varieties have stinging hairs and you will need gloves to pick up the leaves.
Young chai leaves and thick, tender stem tips are sliced and boiled like spinach. It is a delicious vegetable with an exceptionally high content of protein, iron, calcium and vitamin A.
In fact, chiaya leaves contain 2-3 times more nutrients than any other above-ground leafy green vegetable. And tea leaves can have an anti-diabetic effect.
Although you cannot eat raw tea leaves. You must cook the leaves before eating them (for example, 20 minutes). And baking for about 20 minutes or more will make the leaves safe to eat.
These are common ways to grow chai organically in the vegetable garden. Hope you enjoyed this guide! Happy gardening 🙂
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