ceciliaL

[ceciliaL]

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a quite large vanilla planifola. It is in a hanging pot
and I was told that it should bloom within a year. The problem is that the pot it is in is quite small pot and I am really having a problem getting water to it. The plant appears to be health and is putting on new growth. Should I repot in a larger pot and will it set it back and possible provent it from blooming this springif I do? I would appreciatean advise.

Thanks

Cecilia

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Vanilla planifolia needs to have about 20' of vine I am told. I think the one I had years ago probably had 10' or 15' of vine when it bloomed. Vanilla planifolia can be kept on the wet side, so a bigger pot is probably a good idea. I would expect that if you are carefull not to break any roots while repotting, you will be alright. Pull the root ball out of the pot, and see if it looks like you can get the old mix out without damage to the roots. Growing this in a home might be difficult, because they have arial roots all along the length of the vine, and I am not sure how criticle humidity is. I used to have trouble with lots of stops and starts of my old planifolia, and thought it might be a problem with undependable humidity. But I found out recently that the plant was virused. Now I note that the replacement plant doesn't seem to have the same problem.

[jerrymeola]

Vanilla is grown here in Florida outdoors in trees, especially oaks. They can get quite large.

It is interesting to note that most vanilla flowers last only one day and you will never get vanilla beans unless you hand pollinate. Vanilla does not have an insect capable of pollinating the plant in the United States.

I love the look of them in a hanging pot and will be planting a few that way this spring.