How much do Dendrobium officinale seedlings cost? A detailed guide to growing methods

Dendrobium officinale is also known as black-joint grass, Yunnan ironbark, ironbark dou, and so on. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Dendrobium in the orchid family. In China it is found in Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and other places, growing on semi-shaded, damp rocks in mountainous areas. As a medicinal herb it has the effects of promoting body fluid and nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and tonifying the kidneys, and improving eyesight and strengthening the lower back. Now let us take a look at Dendrobium officinale seedling prices and growing methods!

How much does one Dendrobium officinale seedling cost?

The price of Dendrobium officinale seedlings is about 3 to 5 yuan per plant, but prices vary considerably depending on seedling quality, place of origin and the market. When buying Dendrobium officinale seedlings, you should choose seedlings produced by manufacturers with reliable seed sources, pure varieties and solid technical standards. You must never choose seedlings with no specific name and an unknown seed source, and you should not focus solely on whether the seedlings are cheap, because in the production process a pure variety is the most critical thing.

Propagation methods for Dendrobium officinale

1. Seed propagation: Take unopened seed pods of Dendrobium officinale, remove the seeds and disinfect them first, place the seeds in a culture medium, then adjust to a suitable growing environment. After one to two weeks they will germinate into seedlings.

2. Tissue culture: Take part of a Dendrobium officinale root or stem as an explant, place it in a tissue culture dish and culture it for a period, then transfer it to a test tube bottle to become a test-tube plantlet, which is then obtained through procedures such as acclimatization and planting out.

3. Division propagation: Take robustly growing Dendrobium officinale with relatively many stems, cut off dead branches, broken branches, old branches and excessively long fibrous roots, split the clump and divide it into small clumps, each with 5 to 7 leafy stem plants, and then plant them.

4. Cutting propagation: Take one whole Dendrobium officinale plant and divide it into several independent single plants, plant them on a suitable substrate, and once the roots have grown to three to five millimeters, transplant the seedlings.

Growing conditions for Dendrobium officinale

1. Substrate: For growing Dendrobium officinale, a substrate with good air permeability and good water filtration should be used as the growing material. Generally a mixed material of wood shavings + bark + wood chunks is used for growing.

2. Temperature: Dendrobium officinale stops growing and begins dormancy below 5 degrees, and also stops growing when the temperature exceeds 35 degrees. The most suitable growing temperature is around 25 to 30 degrees.

3. Light: The native environment of Dendrobium officinale is generally under tree shade and in shaded places, with a light intensity of around 20,000 lux. When the sunlight is strong, shade it from direct sunlight, and a shade shed can be set up.

4. Humidity: For Dendrobium officinale it is best to keep humidity above 60%. In rainy weather, when humidity is above 90%, ventilation should be strengthened to prevent bacterial and fungal diseases.

Growing methods for Dendrobium officinale

1. Transplanting time: The best time for Dendrobium officinale is from mid-April to late June each year. During this period the temperature is 12 to 25°C and the air humidity is relatively high, so test-tube plantlets after being taken out of the bottle have a higher transplanting survival rate and a longer growing time. The next best time is from mid-September to late October.

2. Growing substrate: Large-scale production of Dendrobium officinale requires growing substrate materials that are easy to obtain and convenient to handle. In production, the main materials used are bark, sawdust, or a mixture of bark, sawdust, crushed stone and organic fertilizer, in which the bark is crushed into particles of 2 to 3 cm or less.

3. Growing conditions: Cultivation of Dendrobium officinale requires a greenhouse. The greenhouse must be built to be ventilated, shade-providing and rain-blocking, and equipped with insect-proof netting. According to the growth habits of Dendrobium officinale, natural factors such as light, temperature, humidity and ventilation of the site should be taken into account.

4. Host cultivation: Dendrobium officinale is an epiphytic plant, so under artificial breeding and cultivation conditions it can also be planted by simulating natural environmental conditions. According to the different characteristics of the host, artificial host cultivation of Dendrobium officinale can be divided into three forms: tree cultivation, stone cultivation and humus soil cultivation.

Cultivation management of Dendrobium officinale

1. Temperature management: The suitable temperature for Dendrobium officinale is 15 to 28°C. When the temperature is high in summer, ventilation and heat dissipation in the facility greenhouse must be strengthened. When the temperature is low in winter, the facility greenhouse should be sealed well, and when necessary the temperature inside the facility can be raised by heating to prevent the plants from freezing.

2. Light management: Dendrobium officinale prefers shade. When the seedlings have just been planted out, the greenhouse must be covered with shade netting of 70% shading or more. In summer and autumn with high temperatures and strong light, the greenhouse shade netting must be well and firmly covered. In winter, the shade shed should be properly opened to allow light through.

3. Water management: For newly transplanted Dendrobium officinale seedlings, the substrate moisture content should preferably be 60 to 70%. Within 7 days after transplanting, the air humidity should be kept at around 90%; after 7 days, the air humidity should be kept at 70 to 80%. In summer and autumn, the substrate moisture content should preferably be 40 to 50%, and in winter the substrate moisture content should be within 30%.

4. Overwintering management: Overwintering management of Dendrobium officinale is mainly about keeping warm. Measures include adding a second layer of film, using smoke for frost protection, and artificial heating. Before winter begins, Dendrobium officinale should undergo cold resistance training and the humidity should be appropriately lowered. Spray water once every 15 days, and the temperature should preferably be kept above 0 degrees.

Pest and disease control for Dendrobium officinale

1. Soft rot

[Harm] It is prone to occur in high-temperature and high-humidity environments and develops quickly. In severe cases the whole plant rots and disintegrates into a wet rot.

[Control] In the early stage of the disease, 77% Keshade 101 wettable powder at 2000 mg/kg has the best control effect.

2. Black spot

[Harm] It harms the leaves and causes them to wither, generally occurring from March to May.

[Control] Spray 2 to 3 times with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim.

3. Anthracnose

[Harm] It harms the leaves and fleshy stems. Affected leaves develop brown or black spots, generally occurring from January to May.

[Control] Spray 2 to 3 times with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim or a 1000-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl.

4. Snails

[Harm] They damage young stems, tender leaves, flower buds and young fruits.

[Control] They can be controlled by manual capture, poisoning with bait, or spreading lime or tea seed cake.

5. Pinnaspis-like scale insects

[Harm] They parasitize the edges or undersides of plant leaves and suck the sap. Late May is the peak hatching period of damage.

[Control] Spray to kill the insects with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or a 1000-fold dilution of 50% malathion.