Tea bushes on a hillock, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

The tea bushes are tended carefully throughout their life in the tea estates. The plants have their tops pruned parallel to the ground. Regular weeding of the soil is done. Proper drainage of rain water is done. Fertilizer is applied regularly. Fungicides and insecticides are used liberally. All this is done to the plants, grown from selected parents and is done by vegetative propagation. All this attention is done to produce the two leaves and the bud which goes into the making of green or regular tea. The rural villagers take these leaves, pound them in a mortar (Van-gedy) and dry it in the sun. They use it as a home brew and call it 'Vangedy-The'.