PlantFiles: Vanilla Orchid
Vanilla planifolia

I purchased a small rooted cutting last summer and have had it down here in Houston ever since. I have it potted in a ceramic orchid pot with terrestrial orchid mix and a fernwood pole. I had to train the first two nodes to root to the fernwood but it has been deftly climbing the pole since.

Although the description says you should keep it damp and never let it dry out I have had good success letting it dry out completely before watering. From mid November through January it was too cold here to keep it outside so I put it in a bright (although it was dark most of the winter) window and barely touched it. I probably only soaked the pot and misted the climbing roots two or three times and it did just fine. The only noticable difference was, not surprisingly, its growth slowed significantly and once after about a month some of the oldest leaves began to lose their suppleness until the plant was watered.

Now that it is warm enough to keep it outside in the day I have returned it to its normal regimen. I still let the potting mix dry out between waterings but I lightly mist the whole plant on hot and drier days and every few days spray the fernwood post directly until water begins to trickle down it over the roots. It gets dappled sun throughout the day although mostly in the morning and early afternoon. I fertalize it just like my other orchids but with special attention to the post and areal roots. Overall I have found this to be a very easy and hardy plant to care for and a surprisingly fast grower.

I should note that the weather in Houston is regularly very humid (avg. min. %45 or so in winter and around 60-90% the rest of the year) with a very intense sun, particularly when it gets hot. Although these conditions have caused trouble for many of my more temperate and xeric plants, the vanilla does not seem to mind as long as it is shaded from the most intense direct sunlight.

I grow this indoors under glass. It's a curiosity, but not really suitable for a houseplant. I find mine does best with REALLY high humidity.

I brought my potted vanilla orchid with me from florida to the pacific northwest. It has done well for three years now. It is in wood chips, charcoal, etc in a wood planter. Ive set the planter on a platter with stones/water to help with humidity as its very dry here in the summer months and dry the rest of the year due to running the heater. It sits just off the side of my east window. I have never given it enough attention to get it to flower but may not have success anyway due to the dry conditions. It is a beautiful vine, though, w/thick shiny green leaves.

I grew my vanilla orchid on the east side inside screened porch. It attached itself to the screen and I took it down when expecting a hurricane. Unfortunatley, it then died.

Dr Manjunath dental surgeon by profession,an active
innovative farmer. Ihave been growing vanilla in my
garden since 8 yrs. I have taken support @shade
from arecanut plants. pruning and dry spells are given
during november . pollination done in feb &march.
Harvesting during oct. processing is done by bourbon
method. It is fun &lucarative to grow vailla.

Note on pollination of the flower:

from: [HYPERLINK@www.orchidsaustralia.com]

The flower opens in the morning and closes in the afternoon, never to reopen. If it is not pollinated, it will shed the next day. The optimum time for pollination is midmorning.

The Vanilla flower is self-fertile, but incapable of self-pollination without the aid of an outside agency to either transfer the pollen from the anther to the stigma or to lift the flap or rostellum, then press the anther against the stigma.

Most of the commercial vanilla crop relies on hand-pollination and it is said that this accounts for half the total labour cost in vanilla production.

Peak flowering is usually late winter or early spring.

I planted a small cutting about a year ago. I planted it against an avocado tree that is in my yard and part of my avocado grove. It is mostly in shade but does get some direct sun. I have just noticed what I believe is the beginning of a flower. I am interested in when the bean would appear or will appear. I have a large collection of different orchids and this one really has captured my interest. If anyone can tell me more about the bean I would much appreciate the information. My location in in the South end of Miami Florida. I have not sprayed this orchid too often and it seems to love where it is. I would amagine it is about twenty feet up into the tree. I want to start new plants after this one has had beans.

Mine's growing on a support pillar on my front porch. A year or so ago, the pot it was planted in had to be moved, so we just severed to vine. And, it turns out, the vine doesn't need terrestrial roots. Does fine just clinging to the post. Of interest, the post is painted; many vines will not cling to a painted surface but vanilla does, and through a horrific hurricane season this year as well. It has yet to bloom, however.

Natural vanilla stracts has been replaced for artificial vanilla flavored substances in the past years, but they can't really be compared (artificial vanilla tastes like plastic and sacarine).

The only commercial vanilla enterprise in Hawaii is located about 20 miles or so up the road from where I live. Beautiful, plump beans, even when dried.....

The Hawaiian Vanilla Company cultivates, propogates and manufactures all its products from Hawaiian-grown vanilla.

[HYPERLINK@starbulletin.com]

UPDATE-November 1, 2004.
My son planted several vanilla vines at the base of two guava trees, using the trunks of the trees as trellises. As the vines reach a height of about 5-6 ft, he then coaxes them back down so that the vines will reach the bottom again...after the growing end touches ground again, then he will start the growing end back up the tree....thus ensuring that the vines never get too high to pollinate and pick the beans once it blooms. They have not bloomed as yet, but we expect to have some this coming year.

UPDATE: January 2005
I got some vanilla bean pods from our friend up the road and made my own vanilla extract in mid-November 04 - I decanted a whole bottle of Myer's Rum into a glass carafe and added 10 vanilla beans - 5 of them split down the length of them and left 5 whole ones. I just tasted it a little while ago and it is one of the most aromatic vanilla extracts I have ever made. I will not touch it now until next December, when I will re-bottle in smaller glass bottles, add one bean, paste my own handpainted label and give as gifts in the gift baskets filled with all kinds of homemade goodies I give to several friends and neighbors.

UPDATE: May 2005
Message for happymi from Miami, FL
If your vine has grown that high up the tree, you can bend it down at about the 5 foot point and bring it back toward the ground. You can then cover a little piece of the vine with dirt and put a rock on it. Let it root again. You can then bring it back up the tree and go around the tree, up and down - to a comfortable pollinating and picking height of about 5 feet. Don't let it continue to grow so high up on the tree.

In January 2004 I purchased a speciman from the Ford-Edison museum complex in FL, and the culture tag on it said: needs partial sun, moisture (humidity) and is an "understory" plant in its natural habitat. It also 'warned' me that the plant would bloom when "mature," at approx. 40 feet! I was not amused that the three lengths of vine in the pot had been rooted AT BOTH ENDS and inserted into the soil to form inverted loops leaning against a wooden trellis. It is spending the summer outside here in coastal NJ and one of the loops has sent out two healthy new shoots and there are now a few new adventitious roots along all loops. I have several Phall. orchids and intend to duplicate their culture for the Vanilla to see if I get lucky. I'll update as needed.

Vanilla is the aroma of the planet. Though the available information and variability is very narrow, there is a lot of mystery waiting to be unravelled in this unique plant.

Vanilla cultivation is profitable because of the high cost of healthy, disease free cuttings, not to speak about the cost of processed beans (fruits), it being the second costliest spice in International market.

Vanilla research is luring, because of the vast areas of work that can be put in to improve and broaden the genetic base of the plant, helping in crop improvement programmes

This is the plant source for vanilla extract, created by placing the ripe pods in alcohol.

The bean pods produced on this tropical vine are second only to saffron in price per pound. It can be cultivated indoors or in a greenhouse. Under optimal conditions, the plant will produce pods when it reaches approximately 10 feet.

In its native habitat, it can reach upwards of 75 feet.