How to Grow Dendrobium officinale? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
Dendrobium is an epiphytic plant, and its host has a considerable influence on its growth. Dendrobium is different from both food crops and other cash crops. Food crops and cash crops absorb water and nutrients from the soil through their main roots, lateral roots, and fibrous roots, whereas Dendrobium absorbs nutrients and water from the air through exposed aerial roots. The carrier for food and other crops is soil, while the carrier for Dendrobium is rock, gravel, tree trunks, bark, or wood shavings, etc.
According to the requirements for texture in different regions, under different conditions, and for different varieties, the plot should first be prepared before planting Dendrobium.
Dendrobium is best planted in spring (March to April) and autumn (August to September), and spring planting is even more suitable than autumn planting. This is mainly to make full use of the golden season of the third month of spring, when the climate warms up, the wind is gentle and the sun is warm, spring rain is as precious as oil, and all things revive. Suitable conditions of temperature and humidity, sunlight, and rainfall help stimulate the axillary buds at the base of Dendrobium stems to sprout rapidly, while also growing aerial roots for the young buds to absorb nutrients and water, achieving the growth goal of roots first and buds afterward. After all preparatory work before planting is completed, the best planting season can be chosen to vigorously develop Dendrobium production.
1. Stone-attached planting method
Choose spots with humus in stone crevices or stone grooves under shady and damp forest, wrap the roots of Dendrobium seedlings divided into small clumps with cow dung slurry, and insert them into rock crevices or grooves. When inserting, make every effort to keep them stable so they do not fall out. Alternatively, place small clumps of Dendrobium seedlings directly into already prepared holes, then evenly press the base firmly with the stone flowers taken out when making the holes, to the degree that wind cannot blow them over, firmly fixing the base and roots in the stone holes. If cultivating on gravel, the method is to lay the seedlings flat on the gravel, then press the middle and lower parts of the seedlings with stones, leaving the base and top exposed, still to the degree that wind cannot move them. If there is lime dust where the seedlings are placed, it should be washed away with water or wiped clean with a wet cloth to help increase the survival rate. To plant Dendrobium around the surface of stones, a small hole can be made with an awl. Beforehand, fresh cow dung should be trampled, and 30:1 phosphate fertilizer can be mixed into the fresh cow dung, with water added and trampled together. The moisture level should be such that when squeezed by hand, no water remains between the fingers. Press the Dendrobium seedlings tightly against the small hole, and with one hand apply the prepared cow dung to the middle and lower part of the Dendrobium seedling stems, so that the seedlings are firmly attached to the stone, with both the top and base of the seedlings exposed.
2. Tree-attached planting method
In high-mountain broadleaf forests, choose evergreen trees with thick trunks, high moisture content, dense crowns, loose bark, and longitudinal fissures (such as yellow barrel, Chinese tallow tree, persimmon, tung tree, oriental white oak, camphor, nanmu, and Chinese wingnut, etc.). On relatively flat and thick trunks or in recesses of branches, or every 30 to 50 cm, cut a shallow slit with a knife, and peel off some bark. Then take the prepared Dendrobium seedlings, fix the base at the slit of the tree with bamboo nails or ropes, and then smear cow dung slurry (made by mixing cow dung and mud evenly) on the roots and the surrounding bark grooves. To prevent wind from moving them and rain from washing them away, generally bamboo nails should be driven firmly or bamboo strips and other ropes should be tied around 2 times to secure them, so as to fix the Dendrobium fibrous roots and plants on the trunk or fork, allowing new roots to grow and closely climb along the tree body. When planting on trees, proceed from top to bottom. Bark that has already decayed is not suitable for planting.
3. Shade shed planting method
Mix small gravel with a small amount of fine sand (burnt mud ash and fine sand) to make a high bed 40 cm wide, 120 cm long, and 17 cm high. After dividing the Dendrobium seedlings into clumps, plant them in the bed, with a density of one clump per 20×20 cm, and cover with 7 to 10 cm of fine sand or small gravel, then press firmly. Build a 1.7 m shade shed over the bed, and hang a straw curtain on the sunny side to help regulate temperature and humidity and allow fresh air circulation, and keep the bed surface moist regularly.
In addition, suitable sites can also be selected for tree planting, wall planting, pot planting, or planting in stone crevices, on rock walls, and in artificial cultivation substrates for Dendrobium cultivation.