Growing a vanilla plant is not that easy. With the right tips, this project can still be implemented.
Is it even possible to propagate vanilla plants?
In general, it is possible to grow vanilla plants. However, it is not that simple. The best conditions for growing vanilla plants are:
- You need a he althy mother plant to get the seeds from.
- Alternatively, it is also possible to grow with cuttings
- Keeping the right pollination window is essential.
Growing vanilla plant from seeds
Getting the seed from the mother plant is a little more complicated. To do this, it must be he althy and bear fruit, because this is where the seed is. Proper maintenance of these is therefore essential in advance. However, in order for the plant to bear fruit at some point, you have to adjust the time window for pollination.
Correct Pollination
To be successful in breeding, it is important to know when pollination occurs. The time window is very tight and is only a few hours. For this, the vanilla bud must be open, which usually happens in the morning hours. However, by the evening of the same day, it dies off.
The best time for pollination is between 6am and 12pm. To do this, you need a toothpick and proceed as follows:
- The flower is slit open on the side with a toothpick. It contains yellowish pollen, which represents the male sex organs of the flower.
- These are now picked up with the toothpick and placed directly in the stamp below. This is how the flower is pollinated.
If pollination has worked, after about six to nine months the flower will develop into a long, green vanilla pod, from which the seeds can be obtained for further propagation.
Grow Seeds
One would think that the countless seeds inside the pod are enough to grow many vanilla plants. But far from it. For breeding, a special partner is necessary for germination:The so-called mycorizza fungus. The seed enters into a symbiosis with this and develops a corresponding plant.
What matters is that this fungus is inside the soil with which the vanilla seeds are to be grown. The substrate required for this is available from specialist retailers.
However, there is another obstacle to successful cultivation: The environment in which the plant is to germinate and grow must be completely sterile.
Help from the mother plant
In addition to the separate and germ-free variant, there is another alternative that is a little more promising. This consists of sowing the seed right next to the mother plant.
To do this, take the following steps:
- The seed is first placed on the substrate next to the mother plant.
- It should be scattered very generously, as this increases the success rate of breeding.
- Peat sand or vermiculite is sieved over this in a wafer-thin layer.
- The whole thing is finely sprayed with lime-free water.
- The pot is now placed in a bright place where it does not get too much sun. A temperature of no more than 28 degrees Celsius is ideal.
- After regular watering, the first seedlings should sprout after about six to 30 days.
- It is important not to fertilize the plant during this time.
Growing vanilla plants from cuttings
Another variant of vanilla cultivation is to breed from cuttings. They are either commercially available or can be taken from an existing plant. The best way to multiply them is as follows:
| Step | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | First, a head cutting is cut off the plant, which must be about 40 centimeters long. |
| Step 2 | The leaves on the lower side are removed. |
| Step 3 | The cutting is now planted in a pot with potting soil and tied to a trellis. |
| Step 4 | Then moisten the soil with a spray bottle of water. |
| Step 5 | Put a transparent pot or plastic lid over the plant to protect it. This creates a certain level of humidity in the cavity. A glass is also suitable. |
| Step 6 | Check substrate regularly for moisture and respray if necessary. At theit is best to spray the water on the leaves. |
| Step 7 | Set up in an ideal place that offers as little direct sunlight as possible. The ideal temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. |
Propagation is successful if, after a certain time, a separate shoot develops on the cutting. Because in this case the cutting has formed roots and can be continued.
When will the first vanilla pods grow on the new plant?
It takes several years to see the first vanilla pods on a vanilla plant that you have grown yourself. Of course, they only appear if the right care is followed and the plant has been pollinated regularly by hand.