Abstract: Tea trees are widely planted all over the world, the survival rate of young tea trees is relatively low due to the influence of ecological environment and variety differences. By artificially covering the sunshade nets were able to increase the survival rate of young tea trees. Sunshade nets are prone to environmental pollution, therefore, maize suitable for ecological shading have came into public view. Maize are suitable as intercropping plants account of their wide planting range, high yield, multiple uses, and the ability to improve nutrient utilization and reduce pests and diseases. In order to screen a maize variety for intercropping maize shading mode in young tea trees and investigate the impact of intercropping on soil and the growth of young tea trees. In this study, afield experiment was conducted with three maize varieties (T162, T231, T228) intercropped with young tea trees and a monoculture of young tea trees as the control (CK), comprising a total of four treatments. The analysis focused on basic physical and chemical properties of the soil, biomass and shading effects of maize, the growth and the incidence of pests and diseases of young tea trees. The results indicated the following: 1) The maize variety ‘Guidan 162’ demonstrated better growth performance when intercropped with young tea trees, with superior plant height, wider plant width, heavier bract weight, shade effect and yield compared to other treatments. Thus, "Guidan 162" is a suitable maize variety for young tea tree shade intercropping. 2) Intercropping maize with young tea trees improved soil moisture content and nutrient availability while reducing soil electrical conductivity and temperature compared to the tea monoculture. 3) The survival rate of young tea trees in three maize varieties intercropped treatments increased by 9.65%–16.67% compared to CK, and the incidence of pests and diseases decreased by 45.49%–47.28%. Among the intercropping treatments, T231 achieved the highest survival rate, while T162 had the lowest incidence of pests and diseases. Additionally, the heights of young tea trees in the T228 and T162 treatments were 20.76% and 18.88% higher, respectively, than those in the CK treatment. In conclusion, initial stage of new tea plantation, intercropping maize as a shading crop can effectively reduce light intensity on the tea plant canopy under hot climatic conditions, mitigating the risk of sunburn and improving survival rates. Moreover, it can enhance soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability. These findings provide a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate crops in intercropping models for young tea plantations.