Potted Dendrobium at home is very popular among Dendrobium lovers.
However, many friends who are new to Dendrobium or have no planting experience often complain that Dendrobium is difficult to grow and cannot survive. Therefore, I have sorted out some basic techniques and operations for potted Dendrobium for reference by novices.
- Choose varieties
Dendrobiums with good medicinal value as bonsai mainly include Huoshan Dendrobium and Officinale Dendrobium. Officinale Dendrobium has soft feet and hard feet. In terms of medicinal function, Huoshan Dendrobium is greater than soft-footed Dendrobium Officinale and greater than hard-footed Dendrobium Officinale.
There are also many friends who like to grow Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium drumstick, Dendrobium ball flower, Dendrobium dense flower, Dendrobium tiangong, Dendrobium crystal cap, Dendrobium cup sheath, Dendrobium beautification, etc.
1.1. How to handle the substrate and carrier
The substrate selected for home planting of Dendrobium officinale is bark as the first choice, followed by sawdust. No matter which one is used, it should be crushed, sterilized, and fermented before use. The usual practice is to mix several materials and substrates of different coarseness and fineness.
Many friends choose board planting. You can choose snake wood board and put some sphagnum moss appropriately according to the climatic conditions of the day.
The specific methods are as follows:
- Crush the bark into corn-sized particles or small blocks;
- Boil the substrate with boiling water for more than 1 hour, remove and dry;
- Use fungicide (usually carbendazim) to make disinfectant with water (ratio 1:1500-1:2000);
- Soak the substrate in the prepared disinfectant for disinfection for about 3 days, remove and dry.
After the above treatments, the substrate can be used.
- Choose seedlings
There are two types of seedlings, bottle seedlings and domesticated seedlings. If bottle seedlings are used, the process will be more complicated and tedious, and the survival rate is also lower than that of domesticated seedlings, but the cost of seedlings will be lower. For beginners, it is recommended to use domesticated seedlings.
- Bottle seedling processing:
- Seedling washing: Take the seedlings out of the bottle and wash the culture medium at the roots with clean water. Be careful to avoid damaging the seedlings during the washing process;
- Disinfection: Put the washed seedlings into the disinfectant and rinse and soak for a few minutes before taking them out;
- Seedling hardening: Cool the washed and disinfected seedlings in the pergola until the roots turn white and can be planted. This process is called seedling hardening.
- Planting method
Before planting, put a small layer of gravel at the bottom of the pot, so that water seepage and air permeability are better. When planting, the roots of the seedlings need to be spread out, and the roots need to be placed on the substrate in the pot, and then the roots can be covered with the substrate.
Remember not to bury the roots too deep, because Dendrobium candidum is an aerial root plant, and too deep will affect the development and growth of the roots.
Finally, water it (note: if the water is tap water, it is best to expose it to the sun for a while to evaporate the chlorine).
- Dendrobium maintenance
5.1. Sunlight
Be sure to choose a shaded place. Because the plant of Dendrobium does not like places with plenty of sunshine, but semi-shaded places.
If there is plenty of sunshine in spring and summer, let it shade about 60% to 70%
If it is in winter, it also needs some sunlight. At this time, it can be shaded between 20% and 30%, or it can be left without shade.
5.2. Spraying water
The purpose of doing this is to increase the humidity of the air.
Dendrobium officinale likes an environment with more water, but the degree must be controlled. If the temperature is too high, it will also affect its growth, and too much humidity will cause root rot, so it must be sprayed with water moderately.
5.3. Fertilization
Generally, it is enough to fertilize once every seven to ten days. If it is dormant, you can also not fertilize.
According to the principle of “thin fertilizer, frequent application, and appropriate increase”, it is better to use Fajia biological organic fertilizer as fertilizer. Just sprinkle a layer on the surface of the substrate. It is not necessary to bury it in the roots to avoid damaging the roots.
Insufficient ventilation and insufficient nutrition are prone to yellow leaves.
5.4 Watering
Because the regions are different, the ambient temperature and climate in each place are different. It is not necessary to water according to specific methods. Controlling humidity requires watering.
Generally speaking, in the south, water is applied once a day in summer, once every 3-4 days in spring and autumn, no watering on rainy days, and dormant in winter, and water is cut off.
5.5 Insulation
Plants like a cool and humid environment. The night temperature is around ten degrees Celsius or lower. Generally, it is around ten to fifteen degrees Celsius. If the temperature difference is small, it will affect its growth and eventually affect its flowering effect.
5.6. Transplanting and repotting
- Before transplanting, you should first choose a flower pot. The flower pot should be large in diameter or have holes around it to ensure the ventilation of the potted plant. The bottom of the pot should be filled with gravel and other drainage materials;
- The Dendrobium officinale plant needs to be placed in the center of the flower pot. During the placement process, be careful not to damage the new buds or new roots;
- Sprinkle some other substrates in the flower pot to ensure that the plant will not loosen.
- Problem prevention
6.1. Pest control
When maintaining Dendrobium officinale at home, pests often occur. As long as pests occur, they must be eliminated immediately. The most common one is Dendrobium officinale Philippine shield mosquito.
It is best to use 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate, diluted 1000 times with water and spray the plant. Or spray with lime sulfur mixture, the effect is also very good.
6.2. Disease prevention
The most common diseases of Dendrobium officinale are black spot, sooty mold and anthracnose.
Black spot can be treated by diluting 1:150 Bordeaux mixture with water and spraying the plants. The latter two can be treated by diluting carbendazim with 1000 times water and spraying the plants.
