Vanilla planifolia cutting rotting & rootless

[aliceinwl]

I bought a 6 inch cutting with one root and one leaf a few months back that is taking off for me now. The cutting came in a piece of that green foam florists use about 1 inch square and 4 inches tall. The cutting was in a hole through the center with a two inch section with the one root and one leaf protruding from the top. The root grew down the length of the foam on the outside.

I got a 6 inch diameter clay pot, put a tree fern totem in the center and filled the pot with Repotme.com’s terrestrial mix. I took the cutting in the foam and wrapped a thin layer of sphagnum (1/4 inch thick) around the foam and tied the whole thing to the base of the totem on top of the substrate. I poured water down the foam and moss whenever the moss was dry and kept the substrate in the pot moist but not wet. As soon as the root grew into the substrate the leaf got much more turgid and after 3 months it pushed its first new growth which is growing rapidly. But, there was a lot of nothing for the first 2 months.

I’m growing it in a relatively warm room. Temperatures range from low 70s to 80s Fahrenheit. It’s in a south facing window but is shaded by other plants so it isn’t hit with direct sun. Humidity is low so the foam moss setup dries rapidly and I water every 2-3 days.

Hopefully Southpark will chime in. They have some Vanilla that they’re growing in scoria/ lava rock that are doing well for them with daily watering.

[aliceinwl]

Some good threads to check out:
Vanilla Orchid dying from roots up

Substrate for Vanilla planifolia

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

Hopefully Southpark will chime in. They have some Vanilla that they’re growing in scoria/ lava rock that are doing well for them with daily watering.

Hi aliceWL ! Thanks for the kind mention. The vanilla orchids over here, growing in the tropics at my place in north east Queensland - are still in their little pots of scoria - very airy medium and very well-drained little pots. They're strong and fast growers here. They'll do well, and unstoppable in medium light - in the shade - under a balcony. Natural gentle breezes just comes through at pretty much all times of the day and night.

We never get frost this far north of Australia, and orchids never encounter cold temperature effects like bruising etc. This all helps a lot.

The average humidity is approximately 70% over a year.

Totally with you Alice on the growing temperature side of things. Also great to read about your growing conditions, and your vanilla orchids are doing great too.

---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DragonFire1089

I think I'll give the sphagnum thing a try, but I have some pictures, so if any thoughts about its condition change I will reconsider. Sorry about the poor quality, it was getting dark out so I couldn't get a good shot.

The amount of vanilla orchid you still have appears to be in relatively good condition. It definitely wouldn't be surprising that - if you provide good growing temperature for this orchid, and good humidity (but maintain some gentle air-movement around the orchid ---- not still-air environment), and medium light conditions ----- this orchid should be able to sprout roots and really take off.