How to Grow Dendrobium officinale in Pots? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Care Techniques

Dendrobium officinale is also known as Heijiecao, Yunnan Tiepi, Tiepidou and so on. It is a herbaceous plant of the genus Dendrobium in the orchid family. Its stems are erect and cylindrical, and the raceme usually emerges from the upper part of the old leafless stem. The column is yellow-green, and the flowering period is from March to June. Its stems are used as medicine; among tonic medicines it belongs to the yin-nourishing category, benefiting the stomach and promoting body fluid production, nourishing yin and clearing heat. Now let us take a look at how to grow Dendrobium officinale in pots!

Ecological Habits of Dendrobium officinale

Dendrobium officinale prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment and is not cold-tolerant. The suitable growing temperature is 18-30°C; during the growing period, 16-21°C is more suitable, during the dormant period 16-18°C, and the nighttime temperature is 10-13°C. A temperature difference kept at 10-15°C is best. Daytime temperatures above 30°C have little effect on growth, but in winter the temperature should not be lower than 10°C, and seedlings are easily frozen below 10°C. It dislikes dryness and fears waterlogging. It is relatively light-loving; in summer and autumn, 50% shading is suitable, and in winter and spring, 30% shading is suitable. If the light is too strong, the stems will swell and turn yellow, and the leaves will be yellow-green, but sufficient sunlight produces good flowering and a large number of flowers. For the soil, use well-drained, airy broken fern roots, sphagnum moss, charcoal crumbs, broken tile pieces, perlite, etc., mainly broken fern roots and sphagnum moss.

Propagation Methods of Dendrobium officinale

1. Division: When dividing Dendrobium officinale, choose 1-year-old or 2-year-old plants with tender green color, robust growth, many sprouts, well-developed roots and no pests or diseases as stock plants. Cut off dead branches, broken branches, old branches and overly long fibrous roots, cut the clump apart into small clumps, with each clump having 5-7 leafy stems, and they can then be planted.

2. Cuttings: For cuttings of Dendrobium officinale, choose pseudobulbs that have not flowered and are well grown, cut them from the base, then cut them into sections of 2-3 nodes each, and insert them directly into peat moss or wrap the base of the cuttings with sphagnum moss. Keep them moist at a room temperature of 18-22°C. After insertion, they can root in 30-40 days; when the roots are 3-5 cm long, pot them.

3. Tissue culture: Tissue culture propagation of Dendrobium officinale often uses stem tips and leaf tips as explants, but before cultivation the tissue-cultured seedlings should first undergo 14-21 days of hardening. The specific measure is to move the tissue-cultured seedlings to a hardening room so that they gradually adapt to the natural environment in an open and changing environment. When the leaves of the tissue-cultured seedlings are dark green, they can be taken out of the bottles and planted.

How to Grow Dendrobium officinale in Pots?

1. Flower pot: For potting Dendrobium officinale, choose a pot with a slightly larger diameter and holes at the bottom or around the sides, requiring good air permeability and good drainage. You can also do without a flower pot and directly fix the Dendrobium onto rotten wood.

2. Medium: Dendrobium officinale cannot be grown in soil. It is best to use media with good water retention and ventilation and air permeability, such as sphagnum moss, gravel, peanut shells, moss, coconut bark, pine bark, wood shavings, charcoal, wood blocks, etc.

3. Environment: Dendrobium officinale is suitable for growing in a cool, humid and well-ventilated environment, so we should not place it directly in the sun for care like other flowers and plants; pay attention to shading.

4. Planting: When planting Dendrobium officinale, be careful not to bury the stem part of the seedling into the substrate as much as possible. It is enough for the substrate to cover most of the roots. After planting, water thoroughly.

5. Care: After planting Dendrobium officinale, place the potted Dendrobium in a well-ventilated, semi-shaded environment, such as a windowsill with good light, a balcony without direct sunlight, or inside a shade shed.

Note: When the potted Dendrobium is kept in an open environment, it should always be placed below large-leaved plants on the balcony. The large-leaved plants block excessive light for the Dendrobium. The grower usually only needs to water it, and in rainy weather the new shoots of the Dendrobium grow rapidly.

Pest and Disease Control of Dendrobium officinale

1. Soft rot: Soft rot is prone to occur in high-temperature and high-humidity environments and develops quickly. In severe cases, the whole plant rots and breaks down into a wet rot. In the early stage of the disease, using 77% Keshade 101 wettable powder at 2000 mg/kg gives the best control effect; 12 days after spraying, the control effect can reach more than 78%. At the same time, strengthen management in the shed, paying attention to ventilation and light transmission and reducing humidity in the shed.

2. Black spot: Black spot harms leaves, causing them to wither, and generally occurs from March to May. It can be sprayed 2-3 times with 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution.

3. Anthracnose: Anthracnose harms leaves and fleshy stems. Affected leaves develop brown or black lesions, and it generally occurs from January to May. It can be sprayed 2-3 times with 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution or 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000-fold solution.

4. Snails: Snails are a common pest, damaging young stems, tender leaves, flower buds and young fruits. They can be controlled by manual capture, poisoned bait trapping, or spreading lime or tea seed cake.

5. Pinnaspis aspidistrae: Pinnaspis aspidistrae parasitizes the edges or backs of plant leaves and sucks sap, with late May being the peak hatching period of damage. It can be controlled by spraying 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate 1000-fold solution or 50% malathion 1000-fold solution, or by burning the old branches where Pinnaspis aspidistrae are concentrated.

6. Red spider mites: Red spider mites can be controlled by clearing weeds from the surrounding environment or spraying 800-1000-fold low-toxicity acaricides, such as 40% dicofol.