The Vanilla genus has roughly 100 species, but the one most often used in the commercial production of vanilla is the Vanillaplanifolia. A beautifully decorative indoor vine for southern gardeners or small vine for those in tropical or subtropical climates, this curio is a must for the plant collector, edible gardener or indoor plant enthusiast. Vanilla Orchids: Natural History and Cultivation. produces one of the worlds most expensive spice ( next to saffron & cardamom) vanilla orchid grown as a vine and can reach lenght of 70-100ft. A greenhouse is also highly desirable, especially for gardeners who don't live in a frost-free climate.. 3. Remember that the orchid grows naturally in a rainforest so humidity and warmth are musts Vanilla orchids don’t bloom until they get to be about 10 feet tall, but I didn’t want to create a ten foot tall cage, so I made mine modular, and figure the vine will wrap around, adding length without too much verticality. ", "This is great. All of these materials are available at garden shops and home improvement stores. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Most likely if you purchase a Vanilla bean plant, you will be buying a rooted cutting. In pots, it’s grown in a typical orchid bark medium and trained to some kind of trellis. Vanilla Orchids Bean – Vanilla planifolia Plant Care. When your Vanilla Orchid arrives: 1. As I understand ,the flowering and harvesting will be quick. Plant your cuttings in an orchid pot using substrate, coconut fiber or coco peat as medium. 1. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. Unless you have many plants and experience, I would not expect significant income from vanilla growing. Vanilla beans actually grow on orchids of the Vanilla genus. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Vanilla can be grown as part of an orchid collection but usually fanciers forego this sprawling, difficult to contain plant for more showy specimens. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The beans will sweat out moisture due to the heat, helping them to dry out. Last Updated: March 3, 2020 In this case, 99% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Provide lots of bright light but not the direct sun which could burn the leaves. If you live in a tropical climate, you may be able to cultivate vanilla outside. These vanilla orchids grow as vines in south Florida, USDA Hardiness zones 10a to 11a. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. The leaves will point down toward the bottom of the cutting. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. WATERING. At 5 feet, loosen whatever has grown higher and bring it down to touch the ground. At the same time, good air circulation is required to prevent fungal rot.. If growing under cover due to high rainfall, what would you consider an ideal interior height for the trellis? Growing vanilla at home does require some time and effort, but it’s worth the reward of fragrant and delicious vanilla beans! Approved. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. After that, it takes months from pollination to harvest, usually 8-10, as described in the article. Can I replant it with small vine cuttings? The curing process is labor-intensive and involves sweating and drying, which contributes to the premium price of vanilla beans sold in markets. Vanilla bean orchid prefers bright shade and will tolerate short periods of morning sun. Did you know that Vanilla comes from an orchid? Learn how to grow vanilla orchid in the home interior. Small green pods will form within a week, eventually elongating into 6-inch pods that will be ready to harvest in nine to 10 months. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Sharing strange, amazing & useful facts about the Vanilla orchid...OH AND MY VANILLA BLOOMED FOR THE FIRST TIME! Carefully remove all potting media from the orchid’s roots. Vanilla orchids prefer a partially shaded location. General care and maintenance Vanilla should be managed to keep the vines at a manageable height as left unchecked they will continue to grow to the crowns of the supporting trees. The Vanilla Orchid . Free Shipping! This way, more yielding area will be reachable. Flowering and harvesting are not quick. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Vanilla needs to be grown in a tropical climate. Vanilla Orchid Plant Growing Vanilla Bean Plants. After 6-8 months, the root ball should be large & healthy. it for, Climate seems right so I may delve in further, great information, if I proceed would be interested in supplying regular updates etc. Patience is a requirement for those who wish to harvest vanilla pods, as the plants take anywhere from three to five years to mature from cuttings to flower production. Start your vanilla orchid in a mixture of half bark and half potting mix. Vanilla orchid care is very specific and each requirement must be met exactly in order for the vine to produce fruit. You can store the cured beans in an airtight container indefinitely. Cut and plant one meter long cuttings to make new plants. in cultivation it is mostly grown on pole for support. You might want to establish yourself at the selling point (local market, online, etc.) Vanilla bean orchid is grown as a houseplant by serious enthusiasts who can handle the high demands of a plant that requires carefully controlled conditions and must be pollinated by hand in order to produce seeds. Guide the long roots toward the media to help anchor the Insert a plant stake into the pot and secure the cutting to it with ties. A cutting of the vanilla orchid (tropical orchid species from which vanilla extract is produced). Can a dehydrator be used to cure the vanilla beans in the final step? The flowers are large creamy, yellow, fragrant blooms on mature plants. Contrary to most orchid—well, the ones that I write about—the Vanilla orchid doesn’t start off as an epiphyte (growing to trees.) Within a day, flowers that have pollinated will wither on the vine rather than falling off. They can by a particular insect, but that is too rare. This plant is normally propagated through cuttings: If pollination is successful, your three-year-old vanilla orchid will produce green bean-like pods from October through March. They are found climbing up host trees and flowering in the branches. Vanilla bean orchid (Vanilla plantifolia) is often known simply as "vanilla" because the seed pods from this plant are the source of the natural vanilla flavoring used widely in desserts and beverages. If it is, plant the vanilla cutting in the pot, mist it daily, and fertilize it weekly. ", "This has given me basic information about how to grow vanilla and has meaningful input. Light but regular fertilization is recommended. They are best grown in a warm, humid position, with the facility to grow it up a branch, trellis or moss pole. These orchids grow in a vinelike manner and begin producing fruit (vanilla beans) when they are 15-20 feet long. Keep the growing medium constantly damp for four to six weeks, until new growth appears. Once the cutting begins to vine, you can train the new plant on a larger trellis. This place isn’t quite a … $29.99. Mar 17, 2016 - I never believed I could grow a vanilla orchid without a greenhouse- credit the Botanic Garden (again- I’m a little obsessed with the place). A Vanilla orchid requires bright natural light. It will take quite a while for your vanilla orchid to mature and begin producing flowers—usually about four years. Orchids from the Vanilla genus grow monopodially as vines, making them unusual among orchids! Going to start building soon.". Vanilla Bean Orchid Plants in a 5 1/2" square pot (2 plants per pot) on an 18" U Trellis $50.00. Each blooming branch will bear one to two dozen creamy blooms, for a total of several hundred flowers on a mature vine. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Unpack the vanilla cuttings package after receiving delivery from courier. There are 100 species of vanilla orchid, a vine which can get up to 300 feet in length. Vanilla bean orchids can be susceptible to root rot in the high-humidity environment they require. before you go there selling a tropical plant at reasonably high prices. For example, here is a vanilla bean plant growing indoors on a wooden support: Some previous success with orchid growing is beneficial. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Following this sweating process, you should dry the now brown and shriveled pods in a dark, dry place for an additional three months. VANILLA ORCHID: Vanilla planifolia: Member $9.95 Non-Member $12.95. They are native to Central America and the West Indies. This reduces transplant shock while the orchid gets established on the mount. You can purchase ties or clips online or at a gardening store. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 244,703 times. Vanilla is a vining epiphyte that must be grown against a trellis or similar upright support. Training the vine laterally instead of vertically allows you to grow more vine in a smaller space. It must be pretty tall. 3. The leaves are oval shaped, bright green, and range in length from 3 to 24 inches. Like many orchids, vanilla bean orchid is a tropical species that requires high temperatures and humidity to thrive. ", Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow, http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/12993/the-vanilla-bean-orchid, http://www.orchidsmadeeasy.com/vanilla-orchid/, https://www.maximumyield.com/maintaining-control-in-the-greenhouse/2/949, https://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/plant-index/herb-plants/vanilla/, http://www.orchidsmadeeasy.com/how-to-care-for-orchids/, http://www.aos.org/orchids/additional-resources/pollinating-the-vanilla-flower.aspx, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Fill a small flower pot with either moist sphagnum moss or a mixture of equal parts orchid bark, peat moss, and perlite. X Research source You can purchase ties or clips online or at a gardening store. 2. If you live in the United States and are unsure if growing orchids outdoors is a good option for you where you live, you can visit the USDA’s website, enter your zip code, and look at the plant hardiness zone map. The Vanilla orchid’s blooms are large and can be white, cream, greenish-yellow, or light green in color. You may want to try growing other types of orchids before you attempt to grow a vanilla orchid, as they are difficult to maintain. Watering a vanilla bean orchid means keeping both the growing medium and the wooden trellis structure damp, because the plant is developing "air roots" that draw moisture from the air. During the day, place the beans on trays in the sun, or under a heat lamp indoors. Bury the plant cutting into the growing medium, covering the lower nodes, press the medium tightly around the base of the cutting. Snip a segment of vine that has at least six growing nodes on it. in tropical climates it clings to trees. Remove pollen from the stamen of one flower and place it on the stigma of another flower. The vine clambers up to the treetops in a zigzag fashion, exhibiting long succulent lance-shaped leaves. Grow your own vanilla pods! Support wikiHow by The plant has long leaves in lance shape that will climb up to the tree top in its growing state. Vanilla planifolia is likely the most popular orchid, and many people don't even realize it IS an orchid! Today, vanilla is grown commercially in Madagascar, Caribbean, Mexico, Comoro Islands, Indonesia, Hawaii, and Tahiti. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. The plants can also be susceptible to spider mites and mealybugs. Horticultural oil sprays are the best way to deal with these pests. For advice from our Horticulturist reviewer on preparing the beans, keep reading! Vanilla planifola is the scientific name for this flavoring that originated in Mexico. Consider asking a local orchid grower to help you hand-pollinate the first few times as it is a very delicate process. Remove the two lowest leaves on the cutting. After the vine develops its epiphytic roots, it will no longer depend on the roots in the potting mix. Vanilla orchid plants produce many aerial roots. So, for many years this was the single resource for vanilla beans. What are the best weather conditions for growing vanilla? Don’t bother with fancy latticework; a simple lumber structure is stronger and will soon be obscured by the vine. This article has been viewed 244,703 times. During this time, water and fertilize the vanilla orchid as before. These plants are not frost-tolerant, which means those who don't live in a tropical climate must grow them in a greenhouse., Mist your plant regularly and make every effort to keep an 80 percent humidity level. Timber Press, 2012, Orchids: Problems. Free Shipping! "I live in Aceh Indonesia, I have a couple of hectares of volcanic soil, been wondering for years what to best use, "To critically understand nature's delicacy in growing and developing wonderful and amazing flavours for our senses! There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. I went home and promptly ordered a vanilla orchid plant from eBay, then set about designing my own humidity trellis. This article has been viewed 244,703 times. Soak the orchid in water for 20 minutes to make its roots pliable. However, you can keep your vine to a manageable 8 to 10 feet in greenhouse conditions. This is slightly more dense and heavy than most orchid growing media. Is it profitable for us to transplant a 2-3 year old cutting? It is better to do it by hand and be sure. A 2-3 year old cutting can easily take 2-5 more years to establish itself enough to bloom, and even then needs proper conditions or it may never flower. There are about 60 species but the one used for commercial purposes is Vanilla planifolia (formerly known as Vanilla fragrans). Then, fill a small pot with an orchid potting soil and make sure its pH is between 6.6 and 7.5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/de\/Grow-Vanilla-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Vanilla-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/de\/Grow-Vanilla-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid4021038-v4-728px-Grow-Vanilla-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"