The latest prices for Dendrobium officinale seedlings and growing methods explained in one article

Dendrobium officinale, also known as black-joint grass, Yunnan Dendrobium, iron-stem Dendrobium, etc., is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Dendrobium in the orchid family. It is distributed in Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and other parts of China, growing on semi-shady, damp rocks in mountainous areas. As a medicinal herb it has the effects of promoting body fluid and nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and tonifying the kidneys, and improving eyesight and strengthening the waist. Now let us take a look at the prices of Dendrobium officinale seedlings and the growing methods!

How much does a Dendrobium officinale seedling cost per plant?

The price of Dendrobium officinale seedlings is about 3 to 5 yuan per plant, but prices vary greatly depending on the quality of the seedlings, the place of origin and the market. When purchasing Dendrobium officinale seedlings, you should choose seedlings produced by manufacturers with reliable seed sources, pure varieties and solid technical standards. You must never choose seedlings without a specific name or with an unknown seed source, and you should not focus solely on whether the seedlings are cheap, because in the production process a pure variety is what matters most.

Propagation methods for Dendrobium officinale

1. Seed propagation: Take unopened seed pods of Dendrobium officinale, remove the seeds and disinfect them first, place the seeds in a culture medium, then adjust to a suitable growing environment, and after one to two weeks they will germinate into seedlings.

2. Tissue culture: Take part of the roots or stems of Dendrobium officinale as explants, place them in a tissue culture dish and culture them for a period of time, then transfer them to test tubes to become test-tube plantlets, which are then obtained through procedures such as acclimatization and planting out.

3. Division propagation: Take robustly growing Dendrobium officinale with relatively many stems, cut off dead branches, broken branches, old branches and overly long fibrous roots, split the clump and divide it into small clumps, each clump with 5 to 7 leafy stems is enough for planting.

4. Cutting propagation: Take one whole Dendrobium officinale plant and divide it into multiple independent single plants, plant them on a suitable substrate, and once the roots grow to three to five millimeters, transplant the seedlings.

Growing conditions for Dendrobium officinale

1. Substrate: For growing Dendrobium officinale, a substrate with good air permeability and good water filtration should be used as the growing material; generally a mixed material of wood shavings + bark + wood chunks is used for growing.

2. Temperature: Dendrobium officinale stops growing and begins dormancy below 5 degrees, and also stops growing when the temperature exceeds 35 degrees. The most suitable growing temperature is around 25 to 30 degrees.

3. Light: The native environment of Dendrobium officinale is generally under tree shade and in shady places, with a light intensity of around 20,000 lux. When sunlight is strong, it should be shaded from direct sunlight, and a shade shed can be set up.

4. Humidity: For Dendrobium officinale it is best to keep humidity above 60%. In rainy weather, when humidity is above 90%, ventilation should be strengthened to prevent bacterial and fungal diseases.

Growing methods for Dendrobium officinale

1. Transplanting time: The best time for Dendrobium officinale is from mid-April to late June each year. During this period the temperature is 12 to 25°C and the air humidity is relatively high, so test-tube plantlets after being taken out of the bottles have a higher transplant survival rate and a longer growing time. The next best time is from mid-September to late October.

2. Growing substrate: Large-scale production of Dendrobium officinale requires growing substrate materials that are easy to obtain and convenient to handle. In production, the main materials used are bark, sawdust, or a mixture of bark, sawdust, crushed stone and organic fertilizer, in which the bark is crushed into particles of 2 to 3 cm or less.

3. Growing conditions: Cultivation of Dendrobium officinale requires a greenhouse. The greenhouse must be built to provide ventilation, shade and rain protection, and insect-proof netting, and according to the growth habits of Dendrobium officinale, natural factors such as light, temperature, humidity and ventilation of the site should be considered.

4. Host-tree cultivation: Dendrobium officinale is an epiphytic plant, so under artificial breeding and cultivation conditions it can also be planted by simulating natural environmental conditions. According to the different characteristics of the host, artificial host cultivation of Dendrobium officinale can be divided into three forms: tree cultivation, rock cultivation and humus soil cultivation.

Cultivation management of Dendrobium officinale

1. Temperature management: The suitable temperature for Dendrobium officinale is 15 to 28°C. When summer temperatures are high, ventilation and heat dissipation in the facility greenhouse must be strengthened. When winter temperatures are low, the facility greenhouse should be well sealed, and if necessary the temperature inside the facility can be raised by heating to prevent the plants from freezing.

2. Light management: Dendrobium officinale prefers shade. When seedlings have just been planted out, the greenhouse must be covered with shade netting of 70% shading or more. In summer and autumn with high temperatures and strong light, the greenhouse shade netting must be well and securely covered. In winter, the shade shed should be appropriately opened to allow light through.

3. Water management: For newly transplanted Dendrobium officinale seedlings, the substrate moisture content should preferably be 60 to 70%. Within 7 days after transplanting, the air humidity should be kept at around 90%; after 7 days, the air humidity should be kept at 70 to 80%. In summer and autumn, the substrate moisture content should preferably be 40 to 50%, and in winter the substrate moisture content should be within 30%.

4. Overwintering management: Overwintering management of Dendrobium officinale is mainly about keeping warm, with measures such as adding a second layer of film, smoke frost protection and artificial heating. Before winter begins, Dendrobium officinale should be hardened against freezing and humidity should be appropriately reduced, spraying water once every 15 days, and the temperature should preferably be kept above 0 degrees.

Pest and disease control of Dendrobium officinale

1. Soft rot

[Harm] It easily occurs in high-temperature and high-humidity environments and develops quickly; in severe cases the whole plant rots and disintegrates into a wet rot.

[Control] In the early stage of the disease, using 77% Keshade 101 wettable powder at 2000 mg/kg gives the best control effect.

2. Black spot

[Harm] It damages leaves, causing them to wither, and generally occurs from March to May.

[Control] It can be sprayed 2 to 3 times with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim.

3. Anthracnose

[Harm] It damages leaves and fleshy stems; affected leaves develop brown or black lesions, and it generally occurs from January to May.

[Control] It can be sprayed 2 to 3 times with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim or a 1000-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl.

4. Snails

[Harm] They damage young stems, tender leaves, flower buds and young fruits.

[Control] They can be controlled by manual capture, poisoned bait trapping, or spreading lime or tea seed cake.

5. Pinnaspis pseudaspidistrae

[Harm] They parasitize the edges or undersides of plant leaves and suck sap, with late May being the peak hatching period of damage.

[Control] They can be killed by spraying a 1000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or a 1000-fold dilution of 50% malathion.