- 1). In all except the warmest areas of the united stats (zones 10+) vanilla orchids will need to be grown in containers inside of the house. They can go outside in the summer although the humidity must be above 50% (preferably 60-80%) and the temperature must not get below 60F
- 2). If you live in a dry area, you can increase the humidity by misting the vanilla orchid and by placing it on a pebble tray filled with water to just below the top of the pebbles. I have a room to grow my tropical plants where I keep the temperature 75-80F ad 70-80% humidity (the cocoa / chocolate plants I also grow needs it at that temperature and humidity)
- 3). Vanilla orchids need to be partial to full sun. The quality of the light is very important for vanilla plants to grow inside. Plants need to be watered thoroughly when they are nearly dry. Root rot and low quality light are the two biggest reasons why vanilla orchids grown inside fail. The potting media needs to be airy. Sphagnum moss, orchid bark, or a mix of the two is best . An orchid container with holes on the sides are very good containers for vanilla orchids. Go easy on the fertilizer only feeding it with 1/2 tsp per gallon of a balance fertilizer (10-10-10) once every 1-2 months.
- 4). Vanilla orchid is a unique orchid in that it climbs getting to 75+' in the wild. Some container grown vanilla orchids also get very long. They can flower and produce beans in containers when they are about 10' long. They will need a stake or something to climb on
- 5). Vanilla orchids are easily propagated by cuttings especially since each node grows roots. Once it is growing, it doesn't even need terrestrial roots. Simply cut a piece with a couple of nodes and place in the potting media (Sphagnum / orchid bark / etc.)
- 6). Vanilla flowers need to be hand pollinated in order to grow vanilla beans and that will be a subject of a future article.
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