Detailed Guide to Gastrodia Planting Time and Required Conditions

When to plant gastrodia? What conditions are needed to grow gastrodia?

Suitable planting time for gastrodia: early November to March of the following year is the best planting time.

Suitable planting conditions. Gastrodia has no roots and no leaves and cannot carry out photosynthesis; it relies on Armillaria mellea to supply nutrients for growth and reproduction. Therefore, the first step in planting gastrodia is to cultivate a certain amount of high-quality Armillaria mellea material, and the second step is to purchase gastrodia seeds and plant them together with the Armillaria mellea material in time.

Suitable planting range. Hybrid gastrodia has stronger adaptability than traditional vegetatively propagated subcultured gastrodia. Any area where potatoes can be planted is suitable for growing it. Its method is as extensive and simple as planting potatoes, and it does not compete with crops for land, fertilizer, or labor.

Suitable planting environment. The suitable temperature for gastrodia growth is 10°C to 30°C, the relative air humidity is about 80%, the soil moisture content is 50% to 55%, and the pH value is 5 to 6, that is, a slightly acidic ecological environment.

Fungal material cultivation. Armillaria mellea can grow throughout the year. Generally, 90 days before sowing gastrodia, purchase high-quality Armillaria mellea test-tube mother spawn, and after expansion, transplantation, and culture, cultivate it into Armillaria mellea material. The process is: mother spawn (grade 1 spawn) → original spawn (grade 2 spawn) → cultivated spawn (grade 3 spawn) → Armillaria mellea material (gastrodia growth medium), then purchase hybrid gastrodia seeds and plant them together. Farmers can also purchase high-quality Armillaria mellea cultivated spawn 40 days in advance to directly cultivate fungal material. The cultivation of Armillaria mellea material can be carried out fully in the open, with no technical difficulty.

Product sales. The most reliable sales channel for harvested commercial gastrodia is local self-sales nearby, or delivery to the local medicinal materials purchasing department. First-time growers should investigate the local medicinal materials market conditions and demand on the spot to avoid economic losses caused by sales difficulties.