New plant acquired: Vanilla imperialis - Orchid Board

Mr. Tech · #1 10-02-2012, 05:57 PM

Here it is:

How long does it take to flower?

I saw a blog here:

Species Identification Task Force Submissions: Vanilla imperialis

....if you scroll all the way down you can see a small specimen in flower. The rule of thumb that species in the Vanilla genus should grow several meters long in order to flower. Is this species an except? I'm confused now. Does it require some special things when growing different than other vanillas?

Magnus A · #2 10-02-2012, 06:35 PM

Your cutting and the one in the blog is matured and could flower. I though think you need to give it excelent conditions to intitiate flower in a cuttings that short!
Most Vanilla planifolia, that is bought young, is grown under less good conditions and gets really long before the stem gets thick enough that the plant can set flowers. It is from this you get the statement that Vanillas need to be several meters before flowering!

/M

BradGC · #3 10-02-2012, 07:51 PM

Usually 2 years to get flowers and if the flower is pollinated within 8 hours of flowering, you'll get a bean which will take another 9 months to grow

Magnus A · #4 10-02-2012, 08:14 PM

And your blog link. It is most likely that that cuttings has been rooted before the cut was made and possibly also that that it was setting buds before it was cut!

BradGC · #5 10-02-2012, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magnus A

And your blog link. It is most likely that that cuttings has been rooted before the cut was made and possibly also that that it was setting buds before it was cut!

Yea, I was thinking the same thing.
I hear the vine gets to about 8 foot when it's ready to flower.
To make the flowers more accessable when growing, you can wind it around something or lead it up and down .

Mr. Tech · #6 10-03-2012, 04:32 AM

I also have a planifolia which is several meters long but I couldn't get any flower. I will take a photo of it.

Magnus A · #7 10-03-2012, 08:25 AM

I do not know your growing conditions but Vanilla need ALOT of light to flower. Usually this is a problem with Vanilla that do not flower and it is hard to give them enough light if you do not have a greenhouse.

Mr. Tech · #8 10-03-2012, 09:39 AM

I have southwest windows. I put the planifolia around 1.5 m far from the window. That window gets unfiltered direct sun from 1 PM to sunset (in summer the sun sets around 9 PM in my latitude). So should I put it closer to the window? Does it need several hours of direct sun like a Grammatophyllum?

Magnus A · #9 10-03-2012, 10:51 AM

The vanilla plants I have seen in flower have been grown in full sun in warm greenhouses at botanical gardens. I do not grow Vanilla myself but regularly hear people having problems with them.
It is a pretty common plant sold in Sweden. The plants are small and young and sold as you can grow your own vanilla, which you in theory can, but you do not flower them as a regular multi hybrid phal.

lepetitmartien · #10 10-03-2012, 02:29 PM

The imperialis I know of flower and are 5-7 meters long, in greenhouse, high set, full sun. (At AM Ochidées a producer/shop east of Paris see here on a french forum A.m Orchidées - Forums Orchidees.fr - Page 3

(in case you wonder, it's not viruses on the flowers)