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.