Vanilla II

There are a few reasons why vanilla is so expensive. Perhaps the absolutely largest reason is that vanilla orchids are hand pollinated. When the flowers bloom you have a 12 hour window in which you can pollinate. Take any longer than that and the bloom will wilt and die. Part of the reason for hand pollination is that the only pollinator for the flower is native to only Mexico. Even then, the bee only pollinates about 1 in 100 flowers, so to keep production up, you need to hand pollinate. Another reason is that a vine typically only produces about 100 beans per growing cycle. The fruits take about 7-8 months to fully mature plus another 7 or so months to cure the bean. These factors really drive the price up.

So, maybe it's time to grow your own? Well, perhaps so. Unlike my adventures with wasabi, vanilla has proven itself as one of the most robust and quick growing orchids I have ever had the pleasure of growing. The initial investment is high due to the demand for this plant, so expect to pay about $30-40 for it, probably plus another $10-20 for shipping. I have two plants, both Vanilla planifolia (which isn't the only type of vanilla, but is the most common variety in production), one of them being a 'variegata'. The variegata has light green to white stripes down it's leaves, as opposed to the solid green of the more commonly grown commercial variety. The variegata arrived at the beginning of summer, started off at the height of about 1.5 feet and over the course of the last 3 months has put on over 2 feet of growth! I was completely thrown by this. All of the orchids that I've ever grown grow slowly. Putting on a new leaf over the course of a month. Slow and steady. The vanilla orchid puts on nearly a centimeter a day! I'm not fertilizing it either! I am just completely amazed by it's growth.

So, lots of vegetative growth is great, but what about the flowers? Well, vanillas tend to flower in the spring, and although their native climate and habitat of Mexico is different from Oregon, it still has a seasonal variance, so I have a feeling if I can get it to flower, it'll be after the decrease in light and cooler temperatures of winter. So definitely keep your eyes open for more posts about vanilla in the future.

So here are my recommendations for growing vanilla in the home (based on personal experience and research):

Vanilla likes lots of bright indirect light and/or dappled light. I have it in a west facing window that gets between 4-7 hours of direct sun a day (depending on the time of day). If I'm home during the day I leave the blinds open for direct light and then close them to let in slits of light as the direct sunlight starts coming in the window.

For water, I follow the same watering system as I do for my other orchids. When the soil is mostly dry (use your fingers to touch and see) get it watered and soaked. Make sure that you allow the water to drain out fully. If you have a shallow tray underneath the pot, you can leave some water, but be very careful about having too much. Orchids like humidity, but if you keep their root system too wet it can lead to fungal infections. That being said, the roots of vanilla orchid grow out of the stem, they use them as holdfasts to whatever plant or structure you have set up for them. I tend to spritz them with a spray bottle a couple times a day. This helps keep them hydrated, and since this water evaporates quickly it's not water-logging them.

You'll need to give them a structure to climb. Vanilla cannot support it's own weight and grows benignly up the sides of a host tree in nature. I have bamboo poles that I have scoured with a table knife to allow the roots to more easily attach to them. They're 1cm in diameter and about 6 feet tall. Vanilla will grow to 15 feet and up if you let it, but you can come up with creative ways to grow it to mitigate it's size. Keep this in mind if you plan on growing it. My oldest is currently about 4.5 feet tall, but as the days are getting shorter it's growth is slowing.

For soil I have a mix of orchid potting bark, orchid potting soil mix, and sphagnum peat moss. I tend to be somewhat inexact while I mix, but if I were to be nailed down for a ratio I'd say 2:2:1 bark:soil:sphagnum peat. Mix them thoroughly.

Vanilla isn't too hard to care for, but it's size can make it a tad difficult. Also keep in mind that orchids can be alittle finicky when it comes to light and water.

There are several nurseries with online storefronts that sell vanilla; my personal recommendation would be to hop on Google and search for “Vanilla Planifolia”. They aren't too hard to find, but like I mentioned earlier, expect to drop about $60 when everything is said and done for a plant.

Next week: Ginger

Week after that: My opinion on Oregon's Measure 80; The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act