How much does it cost to plant Dendrobium officinale

Dendrobium officinale has various benefits such as nourishing the stomach and intestines, clearing the lungs, moisturizing the skin, and most importantly, boosting human immunity. Cultivation is mainly carried out in greenhouses. The construction of the greenhouse must ensure ventilation, shade and rain protection, and insect-proof netting. And according to the growth habits of Dendrobium officinale, natural factors such as light, temperature, humidity, and ventilation of the site should be considered. Let's take a look at the planting cost of Dendrobium officinale together!

Dendrobium officinale planting environment

The growth temperature requirement is between 8-32°C. During the growing period, it is around 25°C. In the hot season, with good ventilation conditions, it can reach around 32°C, but it cannot last too long. In winter, it is required to be above 8°C, with a frost-free period of more than 250—300 days. The growth and development of Dendrobium officinale requires relatively high air humidity, but it is not tolerant of waterlogging. If the moisture around the roots is too heavy, the root system will rot. Generally, the water content around the roots should be around 30%. Dendrobium officinale planting should maintain good ventilation. Poor ventilation may lead to thin and weak stems and serious pests and diseases. Choosing a place with good ambient air quality, no mines nearby, and good ventilation plays an extremely important role in the growth and development of Dendrobium officinale. Planting Dendrobium officinale must satisfy the five major factors of “warmth”, “moisture”, “ventilation”, “air permeability”, and “drainage” to build an environment suitable for Dendrobium officinale planting.

Dendrobium officinale planting cycle

Although Dendrobium officinale is a perennial plant, like other orchid plants, its vegetative growth is completed within one growing season (within one year), which means the accumulation of its effective components can be completed in one year. In certain areas, such as Xishuangbanna in Yunnan and eastern Guangdong, due to high autumn temperatures and warm winters, autumn buds sprout, and these autumn buds will grow across the year, generally ending vegetative growth in October to November of the following year. In short, vegetative growth is always one growing season.

By February to June of the following year, new buds sprout again, and at the same time it flowers and fruits, that is, reproductive growth, and the fruit matures from October to December. At this point, the plant enters the death period. Therefore, theoretically speaking, Dendrobium officinale planting can harvest finished products in one year. However, due to differences in planting levels and the quality of tissue-cultured seedlings, in some places, one year of growth cannot form a yield and only serves to provide nutrients for the small buds that sprout the following year, so it must go through two or more growing seasons to form a certain yield.

Dendrobium officinale planting cost

1. Greenhouse construction: Steel-frame greenhouse construction requires materials: galvanized 50 pipe with a specification of 6 m long and 15 cm thick. Greenhouse anti-drip film, manual film winder, shade net, and other greenhouse construction accessories, labor costs, etc., total construction price 40 yuan per sq m, totaling 26640 yuan per mu.

2. Seedbed construction: Angle steel construction, including: 3X3 angle iron, 2 cm thick, geotextile separation net, shade net, labor costs totaling 20 yuan per sq m, totaling 13320 yuan per mu.

3. Tissue-cultured seedling planting: A bottle of seedlings averages 20 plants, and the current price is 3 yuan per bottle. The planting spacing is calculated at 10 cm×10 cm, with a planting standard of 3 plants per clump, 100 clumps per sq m, and an effective seedbed area of 450 sq m per mu, totaling 135000 plants planted per mu, requiring a total of 6750 bottles of seedlings. At the current price of 3 yuan per bottle, the total cost of bottle seedlings per mu is 20250 yuan.

4. Sprinkler irrigation equipment: Calculated according to high quality requirements, 8 yuan per sq m, totaling 5328 yuan per mu.

5. Sawdust: One mu requires 360 bags of sawdust, and the current market price is 12 yuan per bag, totaling 4320 yuan per mu.

6. Details such as disinfectants required for planting, water and electricity costs, and land rent (because prices vary greatly depending on location, they are not included in the budget) have not been calculated.

Total: Planting one mu of Dendrobium officinale requires greenhouse construction 26640 yuan + seedbed construction 13320 yuan + tissue-cultured seedlings 20250 yuan + sprinkler irrigation facilities 5328 yuan + sawdust 4320 yuan = 69858 yuan. An investment of about 70,000 yuan per mu can harvest for 6 to 7 years. In the second year, 200 kg can be harvested. From the 3rd to 5th year, 400 kg can be harvested. After the 6th year, the annual yield begins to decline. The current purchase price is around 300 per kg.