The design and depth of drains is especially important in areas with acid sulfate soils. The exceptionally small seed gives weak seedlings of which only a small proportion will survive from a direct seeding into a field. Consequently, seedlings are raised in nurseries and planted out at 10-16 weeks. The first two months after transplanting is a critical phase for the plantation since the seedlings have a poor competitive ability and the survival and vigour of adult plants is dependent on good husbandry during this phase. The two most important factors are weed control and provision of adequate water.
Weed control remains important issue even in established plantations.
The nutritional requirements of tea tree are not well understood. Each harvest removes a large quantity of biomass and some return of nutrients is essential for long-term productivity. Nevertheless, a number of trials have given small or no response to conventional fertilisers, possibly because the tea trees tap into soil nutrients below the rooting depth of previous crops. If so, the lack of a fertiliser response should be viewed as a short-term condition. There are some indications that tea tree requires a slow, steady supply of nutrients as can be obtained from organically bound nutrients.