How to propagate and cultivate Dendrobium officinale?

Dendrobium officinale is a good health product. It can be used for viewing and eating. It has high medicinal value and many people want to plant it. So how to propagate and cultivate Dendrobium officinale ? Let’s learn the method below.

1. Selection of slotting machine

The planting bed should be in a well-ventilated, sunny, flat area with good drainage and irrigation. For making the slotting bed, loose, breathable and water-permeable fresh bamboo sawdust powder or wood sawdust powder is used as the matrix. The substrate must not contain pests, diseased seedlings, or uncomposted organic matter, and can be disinfected with 5%-10% potassium permanganate.

2. Cutting selection

The mother plant for collecting buds should be of good quality, strong and healthy, free of diseases and insect pests, and the branches should be 1-2 years old, facing the sun with short and thick nodes and full bud tips. The middle part or above can be used for cuttings, but do not use flowering branches or young branches. Place the harvested ears in a cool and ventilated place, expose them to light gradually after 15 days, and then use them.

3. Cuttings

When cutting, the lower incision should be 0.2-0.5 cm below the node or petiole, and 1-2 bud nodes should be retained upwards. The incision should be smooth, the wound should be small, and the cuttings should include some leaves. The cuttings should be 3-5 cm long. The cuttings cut on a cloudy day or in the early morning have sufficient water content in the branches, the wounds are easy to heal after insertion, and they are easy to root, with a higher survival rate.

4. Cuttings processing

Soak the cut cuttings in 0.3% potassium permanganate solution for 5 minutes to disinfect and sterilize. After soaking for 5 minutes, take them out, wash them with clean water, and soak the cut surface in rooting agent solution for 1-2 seconds. The rooting agent or indolebutyric acid solution should not reach the axillary buds of the cuttings, and the concentration should not be too high to avoid inhibiting the germination of the buds.

5. Cutting method

March to October is the best time, when axillary buds begin to sprout. Cut the sprouted buds according to 1-2 nodes, soak them in 0.3% potassium permanganate solution for 5 minutes for disinfection, then dry them in the sun until the wound turns white, and insert them into the sterilized seedling bed covered with matrix. The density should not overlap each other. Keep the temperature at 20-25 degrees, the humidity at 80%-90%, use a shade net with 80% shading, and strengthen water management and pest and disease control.

6. Post-insertion management

The moisture content of the cutting medium should be maintained at around 60%, and the relative humidity should be maintained at 80%-90%. Water should be added in time. Water thoroughly once immediately after planting, keep the temperature 3-6℃ lower than the substrate temperature, use film or shade net to cool and retain moisture. Generally, the temperature for rooting of cuttings should be 20-25℃.

After planting, spray 50% carbendazim 800 times diluted or 65% mancozeb once every 5 days, especially after rain. After the cuttings take root, the number of spraying can be appropriately reduced. Since Dendrobium has aerial roots, it is necessary to apply appropriate nutrient solutions such as Jiamei Hongli, Melatonin, and Golden Dot to provide the plant with sufficient nutrients and facilitate early rooting and sprouting.

7. Transplanting

After the cuttings have grown on the bed for 6 months, they can be transplanted in spring or autumn when they grow to 15-20 cm. In spring from February to May and in autumn from September to October, choose a place with a shade density of 60%-70%, water source, and stone with moss to increase the survival rate.

That’s it