How to Grow Dendrobium officinale? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Techniques

SummaryTime: generally the two seasons of spring and autumn each year, with spring preferable to autumn. Temperature: the suitable growth temperature is 15-28°C; in summer ventilation must be strengthened, and in winter the plants must be protected from frost damage. Water: in the high-temperature seasons of summer and autumn, the moisture content should be kept at 40%-50%; after entering winter, the moisture content should be controlled within 30%. Fertilizing: topdressing begins in the second year. Pruning: before sprouting and at harvest time, cut away some old branches, dead branches and overly dense stems. Pest and disease control: prevent leaf spot disease.

Dendrobium officinale is a medicinal herb currently in great demand on the market, and growing it is also a good channel for farmers to build prosperity. To grow Dendrobium and obtain good returns, one must not only have good market management skills, but more importantly master the cultivation techniques.

I. Cultivation Techniques for Dendrobium officinale

1. Time

(1) The cultivation time for Dendrobium officinale is generally the two seasons of spring and autumn each year, and spring is preferable to autumn.

(2) In the Zhejiang region, the best time to cultivate Dendrobium officinale is from mid-April to late June each year; during this period the temperature is 12-25°C and the air humidity is relatively high, so the test-tube seedlings after removal from the bottles have a relatively high transplanting survival rate and a longer growth period. The next best period is from mid-September to late October; during this period, cold-resistance and frost-prevention work must be done especially well when transplanting.

2. Water and humidity

(1) Water management is one of the key links in the cultivation of Dendrobium officinale.

(2) Newly transplanted Dendrobium seedlings are most sensitive to water; at this time the moisture content of the substrate should generally be controlled at 60%-70%, and in practice it is best if the substrate feels moist when squeezed by hand but does not drip water.

(3) Within 7 days after transplanting, the seedlings have not yet produced new roots, and the air humidity should be kept at around 90%; 7 days later, the plants begin to produce new roots, and the air humidity should be kept at 70%-80%.

3. Temperature and light

(1) The suitable growth temperature for Dendrobium officinale is 15-28°C. Therefore, in order to create a temperature environment suitable for its growth, when temperatures are high in summer, ventilation and heat dissipation must be strengthened inside the greenhouse, and methods such as shade netting, mist spraying for cooling and ventilation for cooling should be used to regulate the temperature inside the greenhouse within a suitable range.

(2) When temperatures are low in winter, the greenhouse should be well sealed, and if necessary various heating methods can be used to raise the temperature inside the facility to prevent frost damage to the plants.

(3) Dendrobium officinale likes shade, so shading measures should be adopted to reduce light; during the growth period, the shading degree for Dendrobium officinale should be around 60%. When seedlings have just been planted, the greenhouse must be covered with shade netting of 70% shading or more to prevent wilting of the seedlings caused by strong sunlight exposure, which would affect the survival rate.

(4) In summer and autumn with high temperatures and strong light, the greenhouse shade netting must be well and firmly covered, because strong light very easily causes the plants to terminate growth early, so they do not grow tall, affecting yield.

(5) In winter, the shade netting should be properly opened to allow light through and extend the growth period. For those cultivated on trees with host plants, the overly dense branches of the host plants should be properly pruned in winter and spring each year.

4. Points to note

(1) In the high-temperature seasons of summer and autumn, water should be controlled as much as possible, with the substrate moisture content preferably at 40%-50%.

(2) After entering the winter period after November, temperatures gradually decrease; when the temperature is below 10°C, Dendrobium officinale basically stops growing and enters a dormant state. At this time its water requirement is very low, and the substrate moisture content should be controlled within 30%.

II. Field Management of Dendrobium

1. Watering After planting, Dendrobium should be kept in a moist environment so the plants can grow well. In case of drought, water appropriately, but do not water too much, so as to avoid waterlogging and root rot, which would cause the plants to die.

2. Weeding Dendrobium grown on trees rarely has weeds growing around it, while that grown on rocks often has weeds growing in clusters, which should be pulled out at any time; fallen dead branches and leaves should also be picked out.

3. Topdressing Topdressing begins in the second year after planting, twice a year. The first time is in April, using one or several of oil cake, oil residue, pig bristles, bean dregs or human hair together with cow dung, fertile mud, plus calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and a small amount of nitrogen chemical fertilizer, mixed evenly, and after fermentation, spread it thinly around the root zone of the Dendrobium to promote the growth of young shoots. The second time is in early November, likewise spreading the above-mentioned thin mud fertilizer around the roots of the Dendrobium so that it can retain warmth through the winter.

4. Pruning Every spring before the Dendrobium sprouts, and at harvest time, some old branches, dead branches and overly dense stems should be cut away to promote the sprouting of robust new stems. For those planted on trees, overly dense branches should also be pruned to allow moderate light penetration.

5. Pest and disease control: Leaf spot disease often occurs in early summer; blackish-brown spots appear on the tender leaves, with yellow around the spots, gradually spreading to the entire leaf, and finally the leaf turns yellow, withers and falls off. During the occurrence period, spray with 1:1:150 Bordeaux mixture or 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution for control.

III. Main Producing Areas of Dendrobium

(1) Dendrobium is produced in Taiwan, China, southern Hubei (Yichang), Hong Kong, China, Hainan (Baisha), western to northeastern Guangxi (Baise, Pingnan, Xing'an, Jinxiu, Jingxi), southern Sichuan (Changning, Mount Emei, Leshan), southwestern to northern Guizhou (Chishui, Xishui, Luodian, Xingyi, Sandu), southeastern to northwestern Yunnan (Fumin, Shiping, Cangyuan, Mengla, Menghai, Simao, the Nujiang River valley, the Gongshan area), and southeastern Tibet (Motuo).

(2) It is distributed in India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

IV. Processing Methods for Dendrobium

(1) Processing methods differ according to producing area and species; apart from being used fresh, it can generally be dried over a heated kang or sun-dried.

(1) In Sichuan, it is generally harvested in winter. After removing the leaves and fibrous roots of the Dendrobium, pile it up centrally, cover it with straw or straw mats, spray water once every 2-3 days, and compost it for 15-20 days. After rubbing off the sheath membrane on the stems with rice husks, dry it over a heated kang. When drying over the kang, the fire should be even and not too strong; cover with straw mats and gunny sacks, turn it once when half dry, and continue drying over the kang until completely dry.

(2) In the Guangxi region, during processing, it is first scalded with boiling water, then while sun-drying or drying it is rubbed repeatedly while hot and sun-dried until completely dry. To process “Xifengdou”, mainly the thick, short parts of plants such as Dendrobium officinale are selected, softened over a gentle fire, rubbed into a spiral or spring shape, then roasted again, and so repeatedly rubbed and roasted several times until the shape is fixed, and finally roasted until completely dry. During processing, the excess fine roots must be removed, leaving only two roots known as the “dragon head”, while the fine tips at the ends of the stems must be kept intact, known as the “phoenix tail”.

Growing Dendrobium mainly requires following the growth rules of Dendrobium and meeting its growth needs. Once Dendrobium has been planted and harvested, it needs to be processed; only after processing can Dendrobium of excellent quality obtain better sales returns on the market, so the processing of Dendrobium is particularly important.