Vanilla is one of the tastiest spices on earth, which is why it should not be missing in any kitchen. Read here how you should best care for your vanilla plants.
This exotic plant, which will also flower beautifully in yellow after a few years, is ideal for a conservatory or greenhouse where it can enjoy sufficient sunlight - preferably half-shade. A variable shading system would therefore be an advantage! Vanilla plants belong to the climbing plants and therefore need a lot of space in height and width. This in turn speaks again for an attitude in the conservatory. So that your vanilla plants thrive, here are a few care tips that you should definitely heed.
Vanilla plants - 7 tips for care
» Tip 1:
Vanilla plants (potted plants) largely belong to the orchids, which is why you put them in special orchid soil and orchid fertilizer (moderate fertilizing approx. 1 times a month) should supply. However, they are generally far easier to keep and care for.
» Tip 2:
In principle you should support your luxuriant growth - up to 1 meter per year - with climbing aids. You can also plant small offshoots (cuttings) in hanging baskets, from where they will grow downwards.
» Tip 3:
Vanilla is only conditionally suitable for outdoor keeping in the warm summer months - you should therefore not place the vanilla in direct sunlight. Otherwise, the room temperature should not fall below approx. 20 degrees (in the winter months) to 25 degrees all year round.
» Tip 4:
Vanilla plants also love very high humidity (approx. 70 percent). You can achieve this high level of humidity with the help of a water atomizer - simply spray the plants with it several times a day.
» Tip 5:
When watering with warm, if possible decalcified water (e.g. rainwater), care must be taken that vanilla plants receive plenty of water, however no waterlogging should form in the pots. Otherwise there is a risk of root rot, as is also the case with orchids.
» Tip 6:
A vanillaIndoor plants can easily bear fruit (vanilla pods) if you pollinate them by hand with a brush. And the real vanilla (vanilla fragans) even exudes its pleasant scent throughout the room.
» Tip 7:
You can harvest the vanilla pods, which are actually green, at the latest when they slowly turn yellowish. Overripeness, however, leads to splitting of the pods, which you should definitely avoid.
After harvesting, the vanilla pod must be dried in a damp, warm place for several weeks (up to 4 months), during which it retains its blackish discoloration before it can be used as a spice.