Vanilla Orchid Care Guide

True vanilla has a fragrance and taste unmatched by cheaper extracts and is the product of a fruit or orchid pod.

There are 100 species of vanilla orchids, a vine that can reach 91 meters in length. Vanilla planifola is the scientific name for this perfume that originated in Mexico.

Caring for the vanilla orchid is very specific and each requirement must be met exactly for the vine to bear fruit.

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While it's challenging to get this plant to flower and produce the seeds that vanilla is harvested from, the bright green vine is an attractive plant in its own right.

Learn how to grow vanilla orchids inside your garden:

Can I grow a Vanilla Orchid?

The home grower can certainly grow a vanilla orchid. The easiest way to create an orchid is to use a greenhouse or a room with carefully controlled light and heat.

Unfortunately, even the best care often does not result in the pods, which are the source of the vanilla flavor.

The bright green vine will even add an attractive touch to your home.

Planting

Good orchid growers know that correctly planting vanilla orchids is the first step to a healthy plant. Choose an orchid pot with good drainage holes and partially fill it with fir bark and ground orchid mix.

Cut off a lower third of the roots with a sanitized knife. Place the vanilla plant in the pot and fill the rest of the way with the fir bark mixture.

You will need a stake or stick to train the vine.

Conditions for growing

The orchid is a potentially large vine, but in-home cultivation, the plant is likely to only grow to a fraction of its potential.

The plant still needs special conditions to thrive. Provides temperatures of 86 degrees F. (30 C.) during the day and 50 degrees F. (10 C.) at night.

Growing vanilla orchids in a greenhouse is ideal, but you need to add extra moisture and air circulation. The bathroom in a house is a good place for humidity and heat, as long as there is a fan for air circulation.

Medium to partially shaded lighting areas provided the best situation for vanilla orchid care.

How to grow

If you're very lucky, your vanilla vine can give you large greenish-yellow flowers that grow into six-inch pods in eight to nine months. To achieve this, the plant needs food.

Fertilize the orchid every two weeks with diluted orchid fertilizer. Water the plant constantly to keep it evenly moist, but allow the top 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) to dry out between waterings.

Caring for the vanilla orchid requires vigilance for mites and scale insects. The high humidity of the orchid must open up to become a victim of root rot, so the plant must be replanted annually and the roots examined.

Growing vanilla orchids is a fun and challenging hobby.