Vanilla planifolia black and transparent stem sections

[duckhntr]

I have a newly purchased vanilla planifolia. It’s a decent sized plant. When purchased it was in a soil mix. I repotted it and left the soil mix but used orchida bark to fill the remainder of the pot. A few of the aerial roots died back but a lot of them are still alive. It has four main stems with a lot of roots. One stem is turning black on the bottom, another has a black section and all four seem to have small sections (1/4”-1/2”) that are more transparent. It is in a greenhouse, temp is 68-80. Humidifier is set to 65% and right beside the plant. The plant is getting around 800-1200 fc of light. Overall the plant still looks good and many of the aerial roots are still good and growing but I don’t know what’s wrong with these black sections or what to do. On a side note, we have 7 other small (8-10”) vanilla planifolia vines planted the same way in the same place that all seem to be doing well. Please advise.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

That's typical for Vanilla roots that spent time in low humidity conditions, like shipping. I would expect the plant to grow well in your conditions. They prefer much more light, however.

[duckhntr]

Thanks for the info!! So, even the black stem is normal? I was afraid of root rot but if it will recover, that’s great! What FC would be typical for vanilla? I placed them there just because that was what I read in one place - but would appreciate any help. I had a light meter I was checking with the other day - checked all areas of the greenhouse. It’s a glass house and with the sun coming directly in, the max i read was around 2200FC. In the summer, I know it will be much more but this time of year it’s tough - maybe some artificial light is needed??

[estación seca]

I haven't grown it under artificial light. In habitat it grows up out of the forest canopy and spreads out on treetops. Younger parts grow slowly in the shade.

[Mr.Fakename]

I was talking with someone who has a Vanilla old and big enough to bloom recently, and they said a cutting can take up to a year to get acclimated.

The plant doesn't get artificial lights, but is placed in a very bright spot with a very high humidity.

Yours will very likely recover, but they can grow several meters per year so your mounting setup will be too small soon!

[aliceinwl]

It looks like some type of rot. I only have a very small vanilla, but it also had a rot start from the base. It spread up the vine and I ended up cutting off the surviving vine above the level of the rot and re-rooting it. Your vine may still look okay if it’s running on reserves or the air roots are absorbing enough moisture, but I’d be concerned about the black stem.