Cultural Care for Vanilla Orchid Plants

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Kyle Lanning
Writing out of Hamden, Conn., Kyle Lanning is a full-time student who has een writing at the
collegiate le!el for the "ast fi!e years and has een "ulished e#tensi!ely on eHow. Lanning
currently holds a $.%. in usiness management from Clar&son 'ni!ersity and is "ursuing a (.). at
*uinni"iac 'ni!ersity %chool of Law.
$y Kyle Lanning, eHow Contriutor
Cultural Care for Vanilla Orchid Plants thumnail Who doesn+t lo!e !anilla,
-he !anilla orchid is one of the most eautiful and commerciali.ed "lants in the orchid family.
/enowned for its aility to "roduce the !anilla e#tract used in a&ing and food "rocessing, the
!anilla orchid has ecome a fa!orite around the world after its initial disco!ery y the 0.tec
1ndians around the 23th or 24th century. 0 true e"i"hyte, or air "lant, the !anilla orchid lo!es the
high humidity of the %outh 0merican rain forest, where it grows ram"antly as a !ine. -han&s to
ad!ancements in horticulture, e!eryday gardeners and orchid enthusiasts can en5oy growing their
own !anilla orchid in their home
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1nstructions
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Pro!ide your !anilla orchid with "lenty of humidity and heat. -em"eratures should e
etween @> to @3 degrees Aahrenheit during the day and 4> to 43 degrees at night.
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Pre"are a "ro"er soil medium for your !anilla orchid. /ememer, the !anilla orchid is an
air "lant so it does not reBuire, nor does it li&e, to e "lanted in a dense soil medium. -he "lant
has a !ine-li&e growth hait and, once estalished, will grow aerial roots to su""ort itself.
Purchase an orchid "otting medium or, if you are "re"aring your own, ac&yardgardener.com
suggests mi#ing three "arts dust-free, medium-grade ar&C one "art coarse grit or "erliteC one
"art charcoalC and one "art "eat moss.
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= <
Aill your orchid "ot with your orchid "otting medium. Eou can ma&e your own orchid "ot y ta&ing
a thin-walled "lastic "ot and cutting !ertical slits in the side. -hen, hold the orchid in your hand so
that the crown is 5ust elow the rim of the "ot and fill in your orchid "otting medium. Lightly tam"
the medium in "lace around the !anilla orchid.
= ;
Place an a""ro"riately si.ed wooden sta&e or trellis for the orchid to act as a sta&e. -his is
es"ecially im"ortant for orchid "lants with long flower stal&s. 0dditionally, sta&ing is est to do
when the "lant is growing, efore the uds o"en.
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Water the orchid two to three times a wee&. Howe!er, &ee" in mind that the !anilla orchid+s roots
need "ro"er air circulation or they can de!elo" root rot. With time, you will e ale to tell whether
your orchid is waterlogged or in need of a drin&.
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Pro!ide a full-sun to "art-shade en!ironment. Pro!ide the "lant with si# to eight hours of direct
sunlight and it will reward you with great growth.
= D
Aeed your !anilla orchid with 28: ts". of urea-free :>-2>-:> fertili.er e!ery two wee&s.
= @
Prune the ti" of the !ine when the "lant is almost < years old if you want it to flower. Vanilla
orchids will not flower until the third year of their life, and "runing the ti" slightly efore that
milestone ensures that it will "roduce flowers.
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1nstructions
2.
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Place your !anilla orchid in right light ut away from direct heat. 0ny conditions that
ma&e the home en!ironment dry are detrimental to this "lant. -hat includes furnaces, wood
sto!es and direct sun e#"osure Ge#ce"t for mornings y a south windowH. Consider running a
humidifier in the same room where you &ee" your orchid "lant.
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1nsert a "ole into the "otting soil to gi!e your !anilla orchid a climing su""ort. 0nother
o"tion is to install a flat trellis on the wall closest to your "lanter. -hen, train the orchid to clim it.
Li&ewise, if you ha!e stairs with handrails at home--and the light is right in the location--let your
!anilla orchid+s thic& ranches and succulent foliage decorate it.
?
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o Vaseline 0ma.ing %&in
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Jrow your !anilla orchid in a warm room. -he ideal day tem"erature range for this "lant is
@> to K> degrees A. 0t night, the area needs to stay well ao!e free.ing at around D> degrees A.
? ;
Aeed your !anilla orchid L teas"oon of a urea-free :>-2>-:> fertili.er once e!ery two
wee&s during the growing season.
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1rrigate !anilla orchids once a wee& y gi!ing them a dee" soa&ing. $ut !erify that the
water drains Buic&ly, as these "lants don+t do well in soggy conditions. /educe watering in the fall,
ut continue to &ee" the "lant in a humid en!ironment.
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Prune three-year-old !anilla orchids. 1t ta&es that long for them to egin to flower, and
trimming the !ine+s ti" encourages loom "roduction. $ut if your growing s"ace is restricted,
"rune your "lant whene!er it starts e#"anding out of ounds.
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