WORK CALENDER

Tea is a perennial crop. In order to have an economic production for a longer period proper planning is
essential. Proper planning will provide an opportunity to sort out the priority items of daily work for its
timely execution in order to achieve higher productivity. The following annual work schedule is therefore,
proposed for the estates of Bangladesh on monthly basis.
MONTHS
January:

OPERATIONS
LP (Light Prune) started in December is to be completed by the first week of
January, if not completed by 31st of December.
Repair the LP bushes and complete clearing out.
Level the depression around the bushes.
Remove perennial weeds and jungle shrubs by the roots.
Complete DSK (Deep Skiff) or MSK (Medium Skiff) started in later part of
December and complete by the end of January.
Start LSK (Light Skiff) in later part of January.
Apply insecticides and fungicides particularly for termite and macrophoma.
Continue irrigation to young tea started in December.
Seed nursery work to be completed in December and their maintenance work will
continue.
Start layout of drains, paths, stakings in replanting/extension area.
Finish sorting, packing and despatch.
Start overhauling of the factory and painting of factory buildings and machinery.
Large factories should start from November as soon the machinery is released.
Start factory fuel collection, if required.
Start collection of seeds of seeds of green manuring crops and shade trees.
Start repairing work of labour huts, staff quarters, etc.
Clear fire lines.

February:

Complete all pruning operations of mature as well as young tea and clearing of
pruning litters from the bushes.

Hand weeding of young tea.

Prophylactic spray against mites, red rust, flush worm, aphids, jassids, etc.
Irrigation to young tea will continue, if there is no rain.
Start drain work, repair of road, bridges, sectional paths, etc.
Complete seed collection of green manuring crop.
Factory overhauling and painting of machinery and buildings work to be
completed by the end of this month.
Fuel collection work to be completed.
Start tipping if the bushes attained desired height.
March:

Thorough search in the sections for pests and diseases such as red spider, red
rust, black root, helopelties, blister blight, etc. And apply insecticides and
fungicides if and where required.
Prepare shade tree nursery.
Start sowing seed of green manuring crops in the proposed replanting/extension
area.
Start planting if there is a reasonable rainfall.
Start weedicide spraying on new growth.
Apply fertilizer if the soil is moist.
Factory machinery to be ready for trail run by the 1st week of March if not earlier.
Tipping/ plucking will continue.
Start sorting, packing and despatch tea.

April:

Application of fertilizer to be completed if the soil is adequately moist and to

bushes flushed to one and a half leaves.
Fertilizer especially in young teas should be applied in a ring around individual
plant slightly away from the collar region.
In hedge planted tea where it is difficult to apply fertilizer around the individual
bush it may be applied in between the rows of tea plants. Plants on steep tillah
should receive fertilizer on the upper ridges.
Manufacturing process will progress in full swing. Sorting, packing and despatch
of tea will continue.

Plucking will continue.

Start V. P. nursery.
Complete primary beds and filling polythene sleeves.
Thin out overhead shade of tea seed nursery.
Planting will start if there is rainfall.
Intensify pests control measures if and where required.
Complete prophylactic spraying against red spider mite.
May:

Plucking and manufacturing will continue. Sorting, packing and despatch will
continue.
Pests control measures will continue.
Planting will continue.
Start infilling in comparatively young tea areas and in young mature tea.
V.P. nursery work will continue.

June:

Planting will continue.

Lopping and trimming green manuring crops.
Attention to drainage work of plantation and nursery.
About 60-70% of labour force to be deployed in plucking.
Processing will continue. Sorting, packing and despatch of tea will continue.
Planting of cutting in nursery to be completed, and mother bushes to be pruned.
Maintenance work of V.P., tea seed and shade nurseries will continue.
Spot application of weedicides if required.
Pests and diseases control measures will continue.

July:

Maximum exploitation of bushes for harvest.

Processing will continue. Sorting, packing and despatch of tea will continue.
Planting of tea and shade trees will continue.
Pests control measures will continue.
Maintenance of drainage work will continue.

August:

Second split of fertilizer application may be considered.

Plucking and manufacturing will continue. Sorting, packing and despatch of tea
will continue.
Collect cuttings from mother bushes pruned in June and start nursery work.
Planting to be completed by the end of this month.
Lopping and trimming of green manuring crops.

September:

Full exploitation of bushes.

Manufacturing work in full swing. Sorting, packing and despatch of tea will
continue.
Complete preparation of primary beds and sleeves filling for October/November
propagation.
Thorough inspection for pests and diseases and take proper control measures.

October:

Plucking will continue in full swing.

Manufacture will continue. Sorting, packing and despatch of tea will continue.
Lopping green manuring crops and side branches of temporary and permanent
shade at the later part of the month.
Nursery work such as preparation of beds for tea seeds will start.
Collect mulch materials and start mulching.

November:

Continue plucking and manufacturing.

Sorting, packing and despatch of tea will continue.
Start collecting tea seeds and start sowing at the end of this month.
Uprooting/clearing work will start for replanting or extension.
Control of pests and diseases will continue.
Raise V.P/ seed nurseries.
Prune mother bushes for subsequent cuttings.
Continue mulching.

December:

Plucking and manufacturing will continue upto 31st December. Sorting packing
and despatch of tea will continue.

Start LP from first week.

Start DSK or MSK at later part of this month.
Start irrigation preferably to young tea.
V.P. and seed nursery work to be completed and their maintenance will continue.
Collect building materials such as sungrass, bamboo, poles, etc.