Polinating the Vanilla Orchid

[Don Perusse]

I was wondering if anyone had or know where I can find a culture sheet on polinating a vanilla orchid. My dear frient has a vanilla in his greenhous that is about 8' tall. It is now blooming with many, many buds. We would like to polinate to see if we can get a seed pod. (vanilla bean) Thanks!

[Royal]

It shouldn't be vastly different than pollinating any orchid, right? Pull the pollinia out of the anther cap and place them on the stigmatic surface. The anther cap is usually on the tip of the column, and sometimes has a little 'tag' that you can pull with tweezers. Sometimes, pollinia pop out, so be careful. The stigmatic surface is usually on the underside of the column, behind the anther cap/stamenoid.

[Dorothy]

Hopefully this link will help - Pollinating a vanilla flower
and then this one after they are pollinated - Vanilla planifolia

[Don Perusse]

Dorothy - thank you so much. That is exactly what we needed. It's one thing to talk one thru it but it's another to actually see. The pictures are great. We will take pictures for future showing.

[Dorothy]

You are welcome
I look forward to those photos

[MothLover]

I've been looking into pollination, but I'm sure I still have alot to learn. The only catch that I saw on some other sites about the vanilla flower was that it was recommended to use a flower first day that it is open. I'm not sure if that's for all orchids or not.

[Don Perusse]

Hi Mothlover - No it doesn't pertain to ALL orchids. The Vanilla Orchid (and there may be others) bloom only for one (1) day so you can see the importance of getting it early in the day. I think it may be another reason it is more difficult to pollinate.

[Royal]

To avoid self-pollination, some species have reproductive parts that mature at different rates. Generally, the pollen is longer lived and is at it's optimal condition a little later that the stigma of the same flower. Pollen can be taken from a more mature flower, but it is usually best to put that pollen on a young stigma (newly opened flower).

[Mahon]

Originally Posted by MothLover

I've been looking into pollination, but I'm sure I still have alot to learn. The only catch that I saw on some other sites about the vanilla flower was that it was recommended to use a flower first day that it is open. I'm not sure if that's for all orchids or not.

MothLover,

The blooms for Vanilla planifolia typically last for 5-7 hours. They will start opening JUST before sunrise, so being early is never too late! Other species will typically have a longer flower life, such as V. madagascariensis (leafless, 3-4 days)...

The unusual fact about this primitive genus is that it is receptive of its own pollinia. The pollinia is much more granular (primitive), but placing any amount on the stigmatic surface should prove good. The reason for placing as much as you can on the stigmatic surface is to ensure definite reception and successful pollination.

Vanilla planifolia


-Pat

[maitaman]

There are a number of Vanilla species here. V. planifolia seems to "take" far better if pollinated within the first hour of the flower opening. As the day proceeds the "take" is rapidly less.