Asexual Propagation Methods and Key Technical Points for Gastrodia elata

It should be divided into the following steps:

(1) For seed tubers, select fresh, intact white tubers or small tubers that are disease-free, frostbite-free, and rot-free. The planting period is from October each year to May of the following year. In April of the following year, when the ground temperature rises and Gastrodia elata begins to grow (10-15°C), Armillaria mellea (which begins to grow at 6-8°C) can already supply nutrients to Gastrodia elata.

(2) Fixed fungus bed cultivation method. This is carried out in the original fungus wood cultivation pit. First, scrape open the covering of the pit with the fixed fungus wood, take out the upper layer of fungus wood, and then scrape open the filler on the fixed fungus wood. After the bottom layer of fixed fungus wood is exposed, do not move the fungus wood. Scrape open the soil and other filler on both sides of the fungus wood so that the lower sides on both sides of the fungus wood are exposed. When sowing, place 1 seed tuber lengthwise close against the fungus wood at intervals of 13 cm on the lower sides of both sides of the fungus wood, place 1 at each end of the fungus wood, and place 8-10 seed tubers per fungus wood. After the seed tubers are placed, add fresh wood segments and roots between the two fungus woods, then fill with covering material (such as oak leaves, rice husks, sand, humus soil, etc.) until the fungus wood is no longer visible. After the first layer is planted, cultivate the second layer in the same way as above, cover with 7 cm of soil between the upper and lower layers of fungus wood, then cover with a layer of leaves, and then cover the pit with 10-20 cm of soil. Seed tuber quantity for single-layer cultivation: 0.5 kg per pit; seed tuber quantity for double-layer cultivation: 0.75 kg.

(3) Management. Frequently check the temperature and humidity in the pit. Before winter, thicken the cover and add leaves to prevent freezing; in summer, add leaves and branches over the pit, water appropriately, and lower the temperature in the pit; in the rainy season, clear the trenches and drain water to prevent rain erosion. In the dry season, water appropriately to keep the soil moist; in spring and autumn, increase light exposure and raise the pit temperature to benefit the growth of Gastrodia elata.