Vanilla bean orchid

[lepetitmartien]

I only get visitors on it during summer, they don't like the place enough to keep on and disappear (or die). As there's always days of stress when it's really hot, they must enjoy that time to crawl and suck. Never been able to catch the offenders.

If it stops growing (by lack of light/warmth), slow down the watering and let the pot dry a bit.

[Leafmite]

It seems like a rodent or deer ate it. Just once...down close to the dirt. It was outside. Whatever it was also munched the piper nigrum and patchouli...very odd choices as they shouldn't taste at all good. Whatever it was must have been convinced I had all horrible plants as it didn't try again!

[lepetitmartien]

Your garden is the local blackhole for herbivores. ^^

I can't tell for the others, but the vanilla leaves are fleshy and with a strong structure, not the best for a delicate stomach to feed on to.

[Leafmite]

At least the vanilla and patchouli are recovering. I had to buy a new piper.

[lepetitmartien]

Who controls the Spice controls the universe!

[Laserbeak]

The first vanilla plant I got was the variegated type, I guess that's meant to be more ornamental?

In any case, I bought a cutting from a true bean-producing vanilla plant and its leaves are all dark green and much bigger and the stem and roots are much thicker. It's a short cutting, but once it gets used to its environment it should start growing like a weed apparently. I'd love to bake something with my own vanilla! Even though I live in New York, i think it's getting plenty of light through a custom high intensity LED.

[Leafmite]

Don't worry, the varigated (merely a color mutation) also has the capability to produce beans if it is one of the species that do so. Vanilla planfolia is the one we typically use in our baking but there are many other types.