South American Plants – Vanilla Orchid

Name - The Vanilla Orchid (Vanilla planifolia) grows wild on the edges of tropical forests, it’s called the vanilla orchid because – guess what – it’s our only source of vanilla!

Description - It has thick, fleshy stems and small, greenish flowers which open early in the morning ready to be pollinated by insects and bees. The flowers have only a slight scent, with no element of the vanilla flavour or aroma. Once pollinated, the ovaries swell and develop into fruits called ‘pods’ similar to long, thin runner beans which hold thousands of tiny black seeds. The pods develop in around a month to five weeks and can then be harvested.

Origins – Because it comes from tropical forests, The Vanilla Orchid needs to be in a greenhouse and will have to be hand-pollinated in order to produce pods – because the insects that live to do the job aren’t available outside the eco-system in which the plant plays a part - but once conditions are right, it should be harvestable every year. Because it’s a vine-like plant, you need to give it enough wall space to grow too. It needs to be planted in orchid medium. There are many different types of orchid potting medium of which the most common is osmunda fibre, which is a fibre from the roots of the osmunda fern. Fresh pine bark is also used. Both materials are mixed with peat and vermiculite because most orchids have a root system that is designed to cope with exposure to air and harsh conditions, but cannot tolerate being wet for more than a day or two. Orchids grow slowly compared to houseplants and only need to be re-potted every two years. When the plant outgrows the pot by extending the new shoots over the edge, it is time to re-pot. Young vanilla orchids need extra phosphorus to encourage good root development. Look for a fertilizer that has phosphorus, listed as ‘P’ as second number on the bag – this gives you the right mix. Apply the recommended amount for plant in the soil at time of planting and do not ever use water soluble fertilisers.

South American Vanilla Orchid photograph by dSLRartist, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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