Dendrobium is one of the four great ornamental exotic flowers. How do you grow it at home?

Dendrobium has an elegant form, and when it blooms it gives off a light, delicate fragrance. It has high ornamental value and is known as one of the “four great ornamental exotic flowers”, and many people grow it as a bonsai. So, how do you grow dendrobium at home? Let's learn about it together!

1. Pot selection

For potted dendrobium, choose a pot with a slightly larger diameter and holes in the bottom or around the sides. The pot you pick should have good breathability and good drainage. Dendrobium does not tolerate waterlogging, and a pot with poor breathability that easily collects water can easily cause root rot in dendrobium.

2. Growing medium mix

The growing medium for potted dendrobium is different from that of ordinary flowers, because dendrobium is rather special and cannot be grown in soil. It is best to use a medium with good water retention and good ventilation and breathability, such as sphagnum moss, crushed stone, melon seed shells, peanut shells, moss, coconut husk, pine bark, wood shavings, charcoal, and wood chunks.

3. Division propagation

Dendrobium is mainly propagated by division. When dividing, choose 1-year-old or 2-year-old plants that are tender green in color, robust, have many new shoots, well-developed roots, and no pests or diseases as the stock plants. Cut off dead branches, broken branches, old branches, and overly long fibrous roots, cut the clump apart into small clusters, with each cluster having 5-7 leafy stems, and they can then be planted.

4. Care environment

Dendrobium likes to grow in a warm, humid, semi-shaded, semi-sunny environment. Therefore, potted dendrobium should be grown in a cool, moist environment with good air circulation. It needs to be placed somewhere with fairly sufficient light, but direct sunlight should be avoided. For example, it can be placed under a windowsill or on a coffee table in the living room.

5. Planting technique

After sifting the growing medium, place it into the pot layer by layer from large to small. You can press down lightly, but it must not be too compacted. Three to four layers of medium are enough, and leave about 3 cm of space at the top for placing the dendrobium seedling. The dendrobium plant needs to be placed in the center of the pot. During placement, be careful not to damage the new shoots or new roots. When planting a dendrobium bonsai, try not to bury the stem base of the seedling in the medium; it is enough for the medium to cover most of the roots. Sprinkle some other medium into the pot, such as fine wood shavings, to make sure the plant will not loosen. After planting, water thoroughly once.

6. Reasonable watering

The suitable humidity for potted dendrobium is 60-80%. When the moisture is only 30-40% remaining, it should be watered. Generally, in summer water once every 1 day, watering thoroughly each time; in spring and autumn water once every 2 weeks, watering thoroughly each time; in winter water once every half month, watering half-thoroughly each time.

7. Timely fertilizing

After planting is complete, evenly sprinkle orchid-specific slow-release fertilizer around the dendrobium roots, then cover it with a small amount of bark, and water once more. After that, fertilizing once a year is enough to meet the fertilizer needs for dendrobium growth.

The above are several key points for growing potted dendrobium. Have you mastered them all? If you like it, go buy a pot and start growing it!