How to propagate Renanthera? Detailed introduction to propagation methods

Renanthera likes a sunny environment and is cold-tolerant; in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, its corms can overwinter in the open ground. Renanthera has high horticultural value and is deeply loved by orchid (detailed introduction) enthusiasts. Artificial propagation of Renanthera can be done by division and cuttings. Let me introduce these two propagation methods for Renanthera; friends who like it can learn about them together.

Renanthera

I. Division

Carry it out after flowering or in spring and autumn. Cut off the new shoots naturally sprouting from the mature plant, or the new shoots growing from the mother plant after its top is removed, with a knife, and plant them separately; or cut off the upper part of the stem with more than 3 aerial roots and plant it in a new pot.

II. Cuttings

The remaining stem part will grow new shoots after a period of time, and once the new shoots have grown longer, they can be used as cutting material. Cuttings are best done in spring and autumn or after flowering.

Renanthera pictures Renanthera cultivation methods

Renanthera is a member of the Orchidaceae family and is also one of the most ornamental and precious varieties among orchids. Many people usually want to grow Renanthera, but they do not know much about its cultivation methods and always fail to grow it well. Today I will write out in detail how to cultivate Renanthera for everyone; friends who want to grow Renanthera can focus on learning about it.

Renanthera

1. Temperature for cultivating Renanthera

When cultivating Renanthera normally, pay attention to temperature regulation. It likes a high-temperature environment. When the outside temperature is between 18 and 35 degrees, it grows fastest. In addition, this plant has poor cold tolerance, so after winter begins it needs to be placed in a medium-temperature or high-temperature indoor space to overwinter. As long as a suitable temperature can be maintained, Renanthera will not enter dormancy all year round.

2. Light

When cultivating Renanthera, everyone must know that it is a light-loving plant. During normal growth it needs strong light exposure. If it cannot absorb sufficient sunlight, its leaves will turn yellow and its flowering period will be delayed. Therefore, when cultivating Renanthera normally, it is best to place it in an environment with sufficient sunlight.

3. Water for cultivation

Renanthera is a water-loving plant. During its peak growing season, it should be watered once every two days, but there must be no standing water in the flowerpot. When the outside temperature is too low, watering should be stopped, or it should be watered once every ten days. In addition, during the peak growing season, water should also be sprayed on its leaves in time to increase air humidity, so that Renanthera can grow healthily.

Introduction to Renanthera Cultivation methods and variety classification of Renanthera

Renanthera is a type of orchid with extremely beautiful flower form and is a category of rare tropical orchids with extremely high ornamental value among Orchidaceae plants, with high horticultural application value. Many people do not know much about Renanthera. Below, the editor of wed114 wedding website brings you a detailed introduction to Renanthera. Let us learn about Renanthera cultivation methods and what variety classifications there are.

Introduction to Renanthera

Renanthera, with climbing stems, robust, hard in texture, cylindrical, leaves two-ranked, slanting upward or extending nearly horizontally, tongue-shaped or oblong, inflorescences opposite the leaves, usually 3—4, robust and hard, with 3––4 short sheaths at the base, up to 1 m long, usually with several branches, panicles or racemes loosely bearing many flowers, flowers fiery red, spreading; dorsal sepal narrowly spoon-shaped, petals similar to the dorsal sepal but smaller, apex nearly rounded, inner side of the margin with orange-yellow spots, flowering period April––June, produced in Hainan (Sanya City, Lingshui, Baoting, Ledong, Danxian, Qiongzhong), Guangxi (Ziyuan), at altitudes up to 1400 m, climbing on tree trunks and rocks at the edges of forests by ditches and in open forests, distributed in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam. Type specimen collected from Vietnam.

Renanthera has brightly colored flowers and looks like a brilliant flame from a distance. It is a category of rare tropical orchids with extremely high ornamental value among Orchidaceae plants and is currently deeply loved abroad. This genus has 15 species, distributed from Southeast Asia to the Himalayan region, and is also distributed in South China. The two Renanthera species produced in China have bright red flowers and vigorous growth, with high horticultural application value and breeding utilization value. Their growing environment is tropical and subtropical, suitable for cultivation in the Guangzhou area. In the future, it is hoped that breeding and production bases can be established in South China, forming an industry similar to that of Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium.

I. Morphological characteristics Stem

Stem climbing, robust, hard in texture, cylindrical, more than 1 m long, about 1.5 cm thick, usually unbranched, internodes 3-4 cm long.

Leaves: leaves two-ranked, slanting upward or extending nearly horizontally, tongue-shaped or oblong, 7-8 cm long, 1.5-3.3 cm wide, apex slightly unequally 2-lobed, base stem-clasping and decurrent into a stem-clasping sheath.

Flowers: Renanthera inflorescences opposite the leaves, usually 3—4, robust and hard, with 3–4 short sheaths at the base, up to 1 m long, usually with several branches, panicles or racemes loosely bearing many flowers; bracts small, broadly ovate-triangular, about 3 mm long, apex acute; pedicel and ovary 2.5—3 cm long; flowers fiery red, spreading; dorsal sepal narrowly spoon-shaped, 2—3 cm long, 4.5-6 mm wide, apex obtuse, with 4 main veins, margin slightly wavy and its inner side with orange-yellow spots; lateral sepals oblong, 2.5—3.5 cm long, 0.8—1.2 cm wide, apex obtuse, with 5 main veins, base narrowed into a claw, margin obviously wavy; petals similar to the dorsal sepal but smaller, apex nearly rounded, inner side of the margin with orange-yellow spots; lip 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, not higher than the column, nearly semicircular or square, about 3 mm long, 4 mm wide, apex nearly rounded, base with a pair of fleshy, entire semicircular calli; mid-lobe ovate, 5 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, apex acute, curved downward from the middle; spur conical, about 4 mm long; column nearly cylindrical, about 5 mm long; anther cap hemispherical, front end slightly elongated and narrowed, apex truncate and broadly emarginate; viscidium stalk about 2 mm long, somewhat geniculate in the middle.

Emerging from the verdant leaf clusters, flowers funnel-shaped, orange-red; horticultural varieties include red, orange and yellow.

Flowering period: Renanthera flowering period April–June.

II. Ecological habits

Renanthera likes sufficient sunlight and is cold-tolerant; in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, its corms can overwinter in the open ground. It is suitable for growing in well-drained, loose and fertile sandy loam, and during the growing period the soil is required to have sufficient moisture.

Renanthera generally grows at altitudes up to 1400 m, climbing on tree trunks and rocks at the edges of forests by ditches and in open forests, distributed in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam. Type specimen collected from Vietnam.

Renanthera generally climbs on tree trunks and rocks at the edges of forests by ditches and in open forests, growing at altitudes of 550—1400 m. Its characteristic is that the lip located at the center is small, while the lower 2 sepals are relatively large. The plant is 30—150 cm, flower diameter about 4.5—5.5 cm, generally with dozens of flowers blooming, very beautiful. Flower colors are mostly red and orange, and the flowering period spans spring and summer, generally blooming for 25—30 days. It is a type of orchid with extremely beautiful flower form.

Cultivation methods of Renanthera

Because of the elongated growth of the stolons of Renanthera, the plant has a strong trailing growth capacity. Before planting, the soil should be thoroughly plowed, sufficient base fertilizer applied, and high beds formed. The planting depth is 3~5 cm. Corms. Generally, corms bloom in June~August of the same year, while small corms can only bloom the following year.

I. Key cultivation points

1. Temperature

It likes a high-temperature environment, and the suitable growth temperature is 18~35°C. It is not cold-tolerant, and in winter it needs to overwinter in a medium-temperature or high-temperature greenhouse. Under conditions of maintaining a suitable temperature, the plant has no dormancy period.

2. Light

It is a relatively light-loving type among orchids and needs strong light. However, when attached to trees it cannot accept exposure to intense sunlight, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow.

3. Watering

It has no dormancy period and likes relatively sufficient water throughout the entire growth period. Water should be supplied fully to keep the potting soil moist.

4. Environmental humidity

It likes relatively high relative air humidity. Water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface to maintain relative air humidity at 70%〜80%, otherwise plant growth will be affected.

5. Fertilization

When planting, attention should be paid to applying base fertilizer, and during the growing season a fertilizer should be applied once every half month. As flowering approaches, attention should be paid to increasing the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

6. Substrate

It can be prepared with materials such as fern roots, charcoal, bark pieces and coconut shell.

II. Propagation methods of Renanthera

Renanthera is generally propagated by division or cuttings.

1. Propagation by division

Carry it out after Renanthera flowering or in spring and autumn. Cut off the new shoots naturally sprouting from the mature plant, or the new shoots growing from the mother plant after its top is removed, with a knife, and plant them separately; or cut off the upper part of the stem with more than 3 aerial roots and plant it in a new pot.

2. Propagation by cuttings

The remaining stem part after cutting Renanthera will grow new shoots after a period of time, and once the new shoots have grown longer, they can be used as cutting material. Cuttings are best done in spring and autumn or after flowering.

3. Propagation experiments

At present, domestic research units conducting germplasm conservation of Renanthera all adopt the method of field collection, then multiplication by asexual propagation such as cutting stem segments or new shoots. The multiplication rate is very low, the number of preserved plants is small, and it is difficult to meet the requirements of scientific research and protection; test-tube technology is the most effective method for modern seedling breeding, and currently most orchid seedlings are produced through sterile sowing and tissue culture.

At present, our research group is actively carrying out germplasm collection, tissue culture and crossbreeding research on Renanthera plants. We have conducted selfing and crossbreeding experiments on the native species already collected, including the two native to China, and have achieved success, and through test-tube sowing technology have obtained a large number of progeny protocorms and cultivated seedlings. The test-tube propagation technology of Renanthera has not been reported domestically, and only a small amount has been reported abroad. This marks that our research in this area has stepped into the international advanced ranks.

III. Disease control of Renanthera

The disease of Renanthera includes mosaic disease.

Distribution and harm

This disease is relatively common in the Inner Mongolia region, but the damage is not serious.

Symptoms: small, inconspicuous elongated chlorotic areas appear on new leaves. Symptoms are mostly confined to one side of the leaf midrib. After a few days the spots and streaks become clear, and within 1~3 weeks the diseased area expands to grayish white, occasionally with darker fine streaks, and the contrast between light green areas and dark green areas is obvious. Black spots and streaks appear on the back of old diseased leaves, tender leaves become necrotic, and in severe cases diseased leaves may fall early.

Pathogen: the pathogen is Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV), the most widespread orchid virus in the world. Virus particles are rod-shaped.

Occurrence pattern: diseased plants can serve as propagation material. Sap contact can transmit the disease.

Control methods: select propagation material from disease-free stock plants. Diseased plants found should be promptly removed and centrally burned. During horticultural operations, avoid sap contact transmission. This virus has a wide host range, and attention should be paid to preventing mutual infection.

Variety classification of Renanthera

This genus has 15 species, distributed from Southeast Asia to the Himalayan region, and is also distributed in South China.

China is native to two species: Renanthera coccinea and Yunnan Renanthera Renanthera imshootiana.

Among them, Yunnan Renanthera (R. imshootiana) is a protected plant in CITS Appendix 1, very precious, and can be called the giant panda among plants. It is on the verge of extinction and urgently needs protection. The two Renanthera species produced in China have bright red flowers and vigorous growth, with high horticultural application value and breeding utilization value. Their growing environment is tropical and subtropical, suitable for cultivation in the Guangzhou area. In the future, it is hoped that breeding and production bases can be established in South China, forming an industry similar to that of Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium.

Common ornamental species in the same genus

1. Yunnan Renanthera (R. imschooiiana)

Stem relatively long, with aerial roots at the nodes. Leaves 2-ranked and alternate, oblong, hard leathery, apex with oblique 2-rounded lobes. Flowers in May~June, racemes or panicles axillary, with about more than 20 flowers, flowers orange-red, lip small, dark red.

2. Philippine Renanthera (R. philippinensis)

Stem climbing in growth. Leaves 2-ranked and alternate, apex concave. Flowers in summer and autumn, raceme, with several tens of flowers, dark red.

3. Thailand Renanthera (R. monachia)

Stem up to 1 m long, epiphytic. Leaves 2-ranked, hard leathery, short rectangular, apex appearing oblique. Flowers in summer, panicle branched, with more than 10 flowers, red, with many yellow spots on them, lip red.