Golden Thread Orchid Cultivation Technical Tutorial: Detailed Explanation of the Latest Cultivation Methods

Golden thread orchid on the market is in short supply, with prices remaining high. Moreover, the golden thread orchid has strict requirements for growing conditions, grows slowly, and its seeds do not germinate easily. Coupled with heavy harvesting by people, consumption by animals, and other reasons, the wild resources of golden thread orchid are currently becoming increasingly endangered and, to a large extent, can no longer meet market demand. Therefore, artificial cultivation of golden thread orchid has broad prospects. The cultivation techniques for golden thread orchid are introduced below.

Biological Characteristics

There are more than 30 species of plants in the genus Anoectochilus, which are terrestrial orchids. The plant height is 10-18 cm. The rhizome is soft, the stem is cylindrical, the tip is upright, and the stem nodes are obvious. The leaves are alternate and stalked, elliptical, glossy on the surface, with golden leaf veins and a pale purplish-red underside. The flowers are complete flowers, and the raceme has 1-6 loose flowers, covered with soft hairs, with pale purple bracts that are ovate-lanceolate. They are generally distributed in hilly areas or broad-leaved forest lands at an altitude of 500-1000 m. Golden thread orchid is a shade plant with a low light saturation point and prefers a cool, humid, shaded, weak-light or diffused-light ecological environment. It especially likes to grow in moist areas with loose soil along ditches and stone walls near evergreen broad-leaved trees. It most dislikes direct strong light around noon. It requires little light heat, about 1/3 of normal sunlight. The most suitable growing temperature is around 18-25 degrees Celsius, and the relative air humidity is above 80%.

Golden thread orchid likes soil conditions that are loose, breathable, and good at drainage and water retention. Under appropriately shaded environmental conditions, it grows rapidly, with fresh tender leaf color, thick stems, and large leaves.

Cultivation Techniques

1. Scientific site selection

When artificially cultivating golden thread orchid, the planting site should be selected in a cool, shaded place by a forest stream ditch at a relatively high altitude. This is the key to successful cultivation. An altitude above 400 m is required, near broad-leaved forest or mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest zones. The average temperature in January is required to be 10 degrees Celsius, the average temperature in July 25 degrees Celsius, the relative air humidity 70%, with little or no wind, light transmittance of about 30%, water sources nearby, and good soil structure, preferably weathered yellow loam that is neutral or slightly acidic (pH=4.5-6.5).

2. Scientific planting

Golden thread orchid should be planted shallowly rather than deeply. After planting, it is best to cover it with clean, dry moss. The plant and row spacing is 5-10 cm * 5-10 cm. After planting, water immediately to settle the roots and ensure the survival rate. In mountainous areas at higher altitudes, it is suitable to plant in spring from April to May, which can accelerate growth and allow harvest in the same year. On flat land and low hills, planting should be chosen in autumn from August to September, which can avoid the peak period of high summer temperatures and the occurrence and spread of pests and diseases, thereby improving the survival rate and yield.

3. Field management

The quality of field management of golden thread orchid directly affects its survival rate, growth, and yield. The growth cycle of golden thread orchid requires little light heat, and it especially dislikes direct strong light around noon, so a shade shed should be set up on the cultivation site to regulate light transmittance. Golden thread orchid needs water but should not be waterlogged, so the amount of watering depends on the development status of the seedlings and their growing environment. For golden thread orchid after planting, the types of fertilizer applied should mainly be slow-release organic fertilizers, such as diluted liquid after fermentation of soybean cakes, pig manure, cattle and horse manure, and other farmyard manures. It is even better if foliar fertilizer can also be sprayed. Usually, a small amount of ferrous sulfate is added to every 100 kg of fertilizer liquid to promote a deep green and glossy leaf color.

During the growing season of golden thread orchid, every half month a solution of 0.3% urea plus 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be sprayed once, for 4 consecutive sprays. When fertilizing, never contaminate the leaves of golden thread orchid. If contamination occurs accidentally, spray clear water immediately. The factors harming golden thread orchid and the occurrence of pests and diseases are mostly caused by high temperature, poor ventilation, and unclean light and cultivation sites. Therefore, efforts should be made to overcome these adverse factors and remove weeds.

4. Harvesting

After golden thread orchid is planted for 4-5 months, when the plant height is above 10 cm, with 5-6 leaves and a fresh weight of 1-2 g, it can be harvested. At harvest, pull it up with the roots (or cut the stems and keep the roots for regrowth), shake off the soil, and place it in the sun to dry or dry it over fire to make the dried product.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Insect pests

① Mollusks: snails and slugs. They eat the soft tissues of golden thread orchid such as root tips and tender buds, seriously affecting growth.

② Red spiders and mites. Adults and nymphs suck sap on the leaves, causing small yellow spots on the damaged leaf surface. In severe cases, the leaves turn yellow, wither, and scorch until they fall off, and the plant dies.

④ Mole crickets. They bite and feed on the roots and stems of seedlings in the soil, causing messy, broken ends and seedling death, and make many raised tunnels in the surface soil, separating seedling roots from the soil, causing dehydration, drying, and death.

2. Diseases

① Damping-off. It is mainly caused by Fusarium. Yellow-brown water-soaked lesions appear on the stem base of diseased seedlings and quickly develop to encircle the stem for one round. The diseased tissue rots, dries, and constricts into a thread-like shape. The disease develops rapidly, and the seedlings quickly lodge and die, showing damping-off.

② Soft rot. It is a bacterial disease, mainly harming the inner stem of the middle and lower parts and the petioles of leaves near the ground surface. It is difficult to detect in the early stage. In the middle stage, brown necrotic spots appear on the epidermis about 3 cm from the stem base, and brown wet rot appears on the leaf veins. The leaves in the middle and lower parts of the plant turn yellow and appear wilted under high temperature. In the later stage, the whole plant wilts and dries but remains upright, and breaks easily when gently bent by hand.