What are the propagation methods for Dendrobium? A detailed guide to the common techniques

Dendrobium, also known as diaolan, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the orchid family and a precious Chinese medicinal herb; it is divided into Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium officinale, Dendrobium fimbriatum and Dendrobium loddigesii, and Dendrobium officinale is called the "first of China's nine great immortal herbs."

Dendrobium is used medicinally as fresh stems or dried stems; it has the functions of benefiting the stomach and promoting fluid production, and nourishing yin and clearing heat, and is mostly used for conditions such as damage to yin with depletion of fluids, dry mouth and excessive thirst, poor appetite and dry retching, deficiency heat after illness, and blurred vision; it is also a sacred medicine widely used in traditional Chinese medicine from ancient times to the present for treating various syndromes of kidney yin deficiency.

The propagation methods of Dendrobium are divided into two major categories: sexual propagation and asexual propagation. At present, asexual propagation is mainly used in production.

Sexual propagation

Dendrobium seeds are extremely small, with about 20,000 grains per capsule, appearing as a yellow powder-like substance. They usually do not germinate, and can only sprout and grow under environmental conditions with sufficient nutrients, suitable humidity and moderate light, and generally need to be cultured in a tissue culture room.

Asexual propagation is divided into three types 

1. Division propagation:Carried out in spring and autumn, with late March or early April before Dendrobium sprouts being best. Select 1-2 year old plants with good growth, no pests or diseases, well-developed roots and many sprouts as stock plants, pull them up together with the roots, remove dead branches and broken branches, cut off overly long fibrous roots, keep the old roots at about 3 cm, and divide them into several clumps according to the number of stems. Each clump must have 4-5 stems, and can then be used as seed stems.

2. Cutting propagation:Carried out in spring or summer, with May to June being best. Select robust 3-year-old plants, take their plump and rounded stem segments, keep 4-5 nodes per segment, about 15-25 cm long, insert them into limestone or river sand, with the depth just enough that the stems do not fall over, and wait until the axillary buds on the stems sprout and grow white aerial roots, then they can be transplanted. Generally, when selecting materials, upper stem segments are mainly used, because they have apical dominance, so the survival rate is high, the number of sprouts is large, and growth and development are fast.

3. High bud propagation:Mostly carried out in spring or summer, mainly in summer. For Dendrobium plants over 3 years old, axillary buds (also called high buds) sprout on the stems every year and grow aerial roots, becoming small seedlings. When they grow to 5-7 cm, they can be cut off and transplanted.