Vanilla planifolia - Orchid Board

vanda · #1 07-01-2007, 08:08 PM

Vanilla planifolia. Before I run out and buy one, which i am about to do I wanted to check if anyone who has one of these plants has any advice on their needs. (I aleady know they get large and I know getting pods involves several things, including pollonation by hand).

Dorothy · #2 07-01-2007, 09:12 PM

Vanda - enter 'vanilla' in the search option. There are quite a few posts on vanilla planifolia.

Have fun reading!

allaKAZAAM · #3 07-01-2007, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanda

Vanilla planifolia. Before I run out and buy one, which i am about to do I wanted to check if anyone who has one of these plants has any advice on their needs. (I aleady know they get large and I know getting pods involves several things, including pollonation by hand).

As Dorothy has said there are a few threads on this Orchid. Here is the link to the best one (in my opinion). Lots of great advice and so nice growing tricks for those of us with very little growing space.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-question.html

I bought my Vanilla Planifolia in April, and re-potted it not long after getting it. The pot was a plastic one and I prefer to use clay (more "organic"). It was about 18" high...now it is over 36" and most of that growing happened in the last month!
Here's a photo I found on the net of Planifolia in bloom.

Mark

Mahon · #4 07-02-2007, 03:41 AM

This species is VERY easy to grow. They like shade or full sun, they like lots of water or small amounts of water. They're overall; adaptable. Some say it takes over 12 feet for the vine to bloom, which is not true. A vine will only bloom when it is mature and ready. It can be even 5ft. when it blooms. Also, the vines don't have to hang down to initiate blooming, though it is common place because of its climbing habit. Lastly, the vine does not have to reach sunlight to initiate blooming, though that too is commonplace.

Here is my plant, not all that old.
Vanilla planifolia specimen

...and here's the flower from last month (was it? It blooms continuously)
Vanilla planifolia

-Pat

BTW, the vine is growing on an old "shadehouse" that was destroyed a long time ago...

vanda · #5 07-02-2007, 09:24 AM

Thanks for the info Mahon, I didn't know I could grow them in full sun, that is great. I did spend about half an hr reading searched items before posting this but there was so many posts, lots of them with not much direct info that I gave up in the end. I have gone back and read some more of the recomended post and it has good info too, thanks.

luckygrower · #6 07-03-2007, 01:51 AM

Hi, I've found this forum by accident but I'm glad I did. I have a vanilla planifolia that I purchased on E-BAY 6 months ago at 12" long, it is now about 5' tall, I must be a lucky grower, it is in my sun room by a north facing window and gets bright light all day, it is potted in aussie gold orchid mix. I have one question I just noticed that it has 1 air root that is about 18" long is that normal? the root is green and alive.

flhiker · #7 07-03-2007, 07:31 PM

Hi Luckygrower, I have a vanilla with one of the roots that is a lot longer then the others and the ones I see in the wild have roots that are long then others as well. So just by observation I believe it is normal (but I am far from being a expert)

Hope this helps or someone who knows better will chimes in. How long did it take to get that long? Mine has growen about 3 to 4 inchs a month.

gixrj18 · #8 07-03-2007, 11:13 PM

You don't have to pot it ,either, mine is just hanging on a stick on my back screened porch. I mist it with a spray bottle and it is rooting out of every leaf node vigorously.

Don Perusse · #9 07-07-2007, 11:13 PM

You lucky Floridians! I live in SW GA and too cold to grow outside and too BIG for my little greenhouse. They are difficult to pollinate......takes a good eye, steady hand and timing as blooms only last one day. Has anyone every gotten one to produce a bean???? Hope you do.

savor · #10 07-09-2007, 06:48 PM

About three years ago I purchased a specimen size Vanilla planifolia which had been grown draped around a 4 ft heavy t-shaped branch. Incredibly it is a bout 75 (?)ft long looped around and around. It is set in a 39 gallon pot of a fine bark mix which probably needs to be replaced. That mix mostly seems to be anchoring the branch. Every month or two I pry the reaching 'ropes' off what they are clinging to and just loop them around again. This actually prompts blooming. If the plant is allowed to reach further upward it tends to spend little energy blooming. I keep it in a bright area with the cattleyas.
Here on the coast at the border of GA/SC it has bloomed three years during mid-March. Inflorecences about the size of a small pine cone develop close to the vine and bloom one at a time. Last year I made it a point to check for opening blooms about 10:00am and self pollinated each one. By mid afterrnoon it can be too late. After a few times you develop a method. The bloom's long throat can be a bit hard to negotiate. It is not necessary to keep the bloom intake. You can remove what is convenient to expose the pollinia and stigma. Of course you need to be careful not to damage the column. The sepals, petals and the lip are really no longer needed. However I preferred to place the pollinia into the stigma with as little disturbance of the bloom as possible. Done delicately or tearing back the bloom produced the same result. About half of my efforts became seed capsules. The 'beans' reach full length in about a month or so. I don't remember how long I waited to pick them. There is an excellent site at VANILLA
Happy growing!