It’s a little hard to see in this picture, with the macnut husks and the dappled light, but i recently mulched all the tea plants in the ground with a ring of goat manure (at a distance of a few inches from the plants, to avoid ‘burning’ them).  The manure mixed with straw is a gift from the very nice people at the Ahualoa Goat Farm.
The tea is growing so slowly, it’s kinda frustrating.  I can only hope that it is taking its time to build nice roots, and will pick up speed as we head into summer.