How to grow vanilla at home?

Vanilla is a pod of vanilla orchid, or flat-leaved vanilla. I just adore the aroma of this spice! And given that many flower growers successfully grow various types of orchids at home, I thought: it might be possible to grow vanilla in an apartment.

What is this culture

Found out that liana succulent vanilla flat-leaved reaches 30 m in length. Its flexible stems are covered with dark green leathery oblong leaves. Aerial roots grow along the shoots of this orchid. In nature, they cling to trees, and at home it is necessary to make a support for the plant in the form of a pipe made of a mesh filled with moss, pine bark, coconut fiber. You can also grow your orchid in a hanging planter.

Vanilla bloom

Under natural conditions, in the 3rd year after planting, inflorescences of 7-10 greenish-yellow waxy flowers appear on the liana. In the homeland of the vanilla orchid (in the Antilles, in Panama. Mexico) it is pollinated by a special genus of Mexican bees or hummingbirds. Therefore, in other countries growing vanilla (Zanzibar, Oceania. Indonesia, Seychelles. Madagascar), pollination is carried out manually. After 7 months, green oblong boxes, or, as we call them, pods, ripen on the liana.

See also: Myrtle and myrtle plants at home

How to make vanilla spice

So that vanilla halls appear in orchid pods, they are processed for a long time. Immersed in hot (90 °) water. Then they are wrapped in cloth and kept for one day at 60s. Then it is dried by spreading it out in a thin layer in the sun for 1.5 weeks. After that, they are dried in the shade until a whitish bloom appears on the pods. That's when the seed pods, which have become dark and wrinkled, take on a real vanilla aroma. And it is incomparable with the smell of artificially synthesized vanillin sold in sachets!

Breeding

I first wanted to grow an orchid from seeds I got from a vanilla pod I bought from a store. But the gardeners I know told me that to get seedlings you need a special florarium with a certain microclimate. And the seeds that are contained in the pods that have undergone heat treatment are not at all viable. It is much easier to plant a vanilla orchid using the cuttings method. And then, having written off with one woman-flower grower, who has an adult liana of a vanilla orchid, I bought a stalk in a pot from her.

Vanilla - care

As the florist said, caring for a vanilla orchid is simple. The plant must be placed near a light window, but a little further away, so that the sun does not fall on the orchid.

rays. Keep the temperature at least 20 ° all year round.Water it regularly (as the soil dries up and spray it. It is useful to bathe the orchid once a month in a bucket of water (if possible, thawed or rainwater, without lime), immersing it there along with the pot.

Soil requirements and vanilla pruning

The orchid requires loose soil, from leafy soil and pine bark (1: 2), or a substrate from sphagnum moss, pine bark and peat (1: 1: 1). The pot must have good drainage, as the plant can start to rot from stagnant water. Liana needs to be fed with complex fertilizers for orchids. To enhance the tillering of the shoots in the spring, cut them. The plant tolerates this procedure perfectly. He is not afraid of any local pests and diseases.

See also: Ginger at home - growing and care

And I also learned that in apartment conditions (far from tropical), vanilla liana does not bloom. In any case, none of the growers with whom I was able to communicate could boast of home-grown vanilla pods. But this discovery did not disappoint me too much, because I already fell in love with my orchid for its unpretentiousness and exotic appearance.

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Vanilla Orchid is a tropical plant that produces excellent spices. Vanilla is grown on an industrial scale on special plantations. This plant is suitable for indoor cultivation. Our compatriots learned how to use vanilla in pods around the fifteenth century. The spice came to "taste" and was initially supplied to the European continent in a ready-made form. Then the Europeans began to wonder whether it is possible to grow vanilla at home and then obtain this spice from the plant. Thanks to numerous experiments, breeders have bred varieties suitable for indoor cultivation. Further in the material, basic information about this amazing plant is presented. You can learn about the history of the discovery, methods of use in cooking, the subtleties of cultivation.

How vanilla grows (with photo)

Modern historians have managed to establish the exact date of the first tasting of vanilla by a European. It happened in September 1502. It was then that Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the state that was once located on the territory of Nicaragua, tasted hot chocolate flavored with vanilla. Then our compatriots saw how vanilla grows, what it is.

Vanilla was brought to Europe by the Spaniards as part of chocolate. At the beginning of the 17th century. the doctor of the Russian Empress Elizabeth recommended that bakers add spice to the dough to improve the smell and taste of baked goods. After some time, a fashion appeared in France to smoke tobacco mixed with vanilla powder.

In the centuries that followed, vanilla grew in popularity. The reason for this was the scientific research of B. Zimmermann, who described the healing properties of the spice, its tonic properties and the ability to heal stomach ulcers. In addition, the researcher spoke of vanilla as a remedy that can be used as an effective antidote.

Nowadays, vanilla is as popular in the world as it was many centuries ago.It has been calculated that today the total consumption of this spice is more than 2 thousand tons per year. However, natural vanilla as an expensive product is being replaced by its cheaper analogue - vanillin, obtained by a chemical method.

See how vanilla grows in the photo, where all forms of the plant are illustrated:

Description of the vanilla plant: what the fruit looks like (with photo)

The description of vanilla can begin with the fact that the life form of this unique orchid - the only orchid of such great importance in medicine and especially in the food industry - is liana. More precisely, a herbaceous vine with rather long stems climbing trees, which give rise to numerous aerial roots that absorb moisture from the tropical air saturated with water vapor.

Look at the vanilla orchid in the photo, which shows the main forms of the plant:

The succulent leaves of the vanilla plant have the shape of an elongated ellipse and arched venation.

Irregular yellowish-green flowers in clusters.

The perianth is composed of five oblong leaves; the sixth leaflet, forming the so-called lip, is rolled up into a tube and contains one stamen and a pistil. Such an arrangement makes pollination extremely difficult, therefore at home it - pollination - is carried out by certain species of Lepidoptera (butterflies), and when grown in culture, artificial pollination with a brush is practiced. The inferior ovary forms a narrow, long fruit upon completion of development.

What vanilla looks like can be seen in the numerous illustrations accompanying this material:

Freshly picked vanilla fruits contain the completely odorless glycoside glucovanillin. But during subsequent fermentation, it breaks down into glucose and the free aldehyde vanillin, which is precisely the carrier of a very pleasant aroma. The presence of anise alcohol, cinnamon esters and other aromatic substances in the essential oil makes the smell of vanilla even more pleasant. Vanilla as a plant is a parasitic form.

Vanilla fruits - juicy capsules - are harvested in an unripe state, then subjecting them to long ripening, fermentation, and drying.

The resulting raw material - narrow and long dark brown wrinkled boxes that gave the world the universally known name of "vanilla sticks" - has the very familiar characteristic smell, which is carried by vanillin, the excess of which is released on the surface of the boxes in the form of colorless crystals.

There are two botanical types of vanilla that are cultivated for spice production:

Vanilla planifolia

Vanilla pompona

The first produces several cultivars of better quality vanilla, with 20–25 cm long pods, the second produces short, lower quality pods.

Look at the vanilla plant in the photo, which shows separately the parts of the orchid and the fruits:

Mexico and Central America are considered the homeland. This spice is cultivated in many countries of the Caribbean (Jamaica, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique), in the tropical part of South America (especially in Guiana), in Ceylon, in Malaysia, in Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles, Comoros, on the island of Mauritius and in Polynesia - Tahiti and Hawaii. The main production of vanilla is currently concentrated on the islands of Reunion and Madagascar (50% of world production).

How to grow vanilla at home

Vanilla is a wonderful ornamental plant that can be grown in rooms. Its leaves - shiny, dense - remain on the plant for several years. The stem wraps around the support next to the pot. It blooms rarely. The fruit is a capsule that is plucked unripe so that it cannot open.

Before growing vanilla at home, it is advisable for lianas to create parameters of existence similar to those in nature, namely a warm, bright place, protected from drafts. The plant is very fond of moisture and rather not even watering, but spraying.Therefore, it is better to water it in moderation, but spray it 5 times a day.

In the summer months, vanilla is fed every ten days with a weak mullein solution (1:15).

Before growing vanilla, you need to prepare the optimal growing substrate - peat, leafy soil, shredded fern roots in equal parts. You can also plant the plant in a special mixture for epiphytic orchids from a mixture of peat and crushed bark.

The plant propagates by seed and stem cuttings. Cuttings should have 2-3 buds. Root them in sand or water.

In nature, there are 8-10 flowers in the inflorescence, 3-5 at home, blooming for only 1 day. It is practically impossible to get fruits at home. In order for the plant to grow to the desired size, it is very carefully cling to a special lattice and extremely carefully fixed on it, since the stem is very fragile.

Using vanilla and vanillin

Vanilla is the youngest of the classic spices. True, in Spain, Italy, Austria, it became known from the middle of the 16th century, but in the rest of Europe much later - at the beginning of the 19th century, and it was originally used only in an extremely narrow, refined circle. This is a true "aristocrat" even among the classic spices. In addition, the range of application of vanilla is limited to confectionery and sweet dishes, and here too, vanilla occupies a privileged position as a spice used to flavor the most expensive confectionery products: chocolate and cocoa-containing products, biscuits and biscuit dough products, creams, fillings, nut cookies.

The use of vanilla is also essential for the preparation of liqueurs. Much less often vanilla is added to other sweet dishes (compotes, jellies, mousses, soufflés, parfaits, puddings, curd pastes, some types of jams), although their aromatic qualities are significantly improved. In all these cases, they usually use not real vanilla, but vanilla.

Vanilla and vanillin are introduced into the product either immediately before heat treatment (into the dough), or (more often) immediately after it, into a still not cooled dish (in puddings, soufflés, compotes, jam, etc.), and into cold dishes ( e.g. curd spreads) after cooking. Biscuits, cakes are soaked in vanilla syrup after baking. The method of introducing vanilla into the product is as follows: a part of the vanilla stick is thoroughly ground in a porcelain mortar with powdered sugar, gradually adding sugar until all the vanilla is crumbled, and then this vanilla sugar is mixed into cream, paste or sprinkled on the finished product (dish ).

Vanilla consumption rates are relatively low: from one twentieth of a stick and more per serving or one fourth of a stick per 1 kg of food put into the dough. To make vanilla sugar, one stick of vanilla is enough for 0.5 kg of sugar. For sprinkling some confectionery products, you can prepare vanilla sugar of a lower concentration, for which it is enough just to store vanilla sticks together with powdered sugar in one jar: the sugar will be saturated with a rather strong vanilla smell.

How vanilla is made

If you are interested in learning about how vanilla is made, then you can get acquainted with this technology in brief. Before turning into a spice vanillin, vanilla pods undergo a rather long processing: they are picked unripe, when they are odorless, immersed in hot water (80-85 ° C) for 20 seconds, then fermented in woolen blankets at 60 ° C for a week C, causing the pods to acquire aroma and brown color; after that, from one to several months, the vanilla is dried in the open air, in the shade, until a white bloom appears on the pods. It is clear that in the process of processing the quality of vanilla can be improved or deteriorated, therefore in international trade it is customary to distinguish between eight varieties of vanilla, taking into account all combinations of its natural and acquired qualities (exquisite long,fine long, fine enough, good, fine short, etc.).

A decrease in the quality of vanilla can be caused by a number of factors: non-compliance with processing technology or storage conditions. The loss of the original properties of vanilla is evidenced by a change in the color and elasticity of the pod, its fragility and cracking.

What plant and how is vanilla obtained?

The capriciousness of vanilla as a culture, the need for its artificial pollination, as a result of which only 50% of the flowers give pods, as well as the duration of its processing, have led to the fact that vanilla remains one of the most expensive spices on the world market to this day. Therefore, the question of which plant is used to obtain vanilla is currently not so acute in determining the quality of the spice. In most cases, this is an artificial flavor.

The high cost of vanilla has prompted a number of countries to produce its artificial substitute, vanillin. However, this replacement is far from complete, since the delicate aroma of real vanilla depends not only on the presence of chemically pure vanillin, but also on a number of additional substances.

So, often fruits containing less vanillin smell nicer and stronger than fruits with a high percentage of vanillin. Apparently, the subtlety and persistence of the aroma of real vanilla are not associated with vanilla, but with a very aromatic oily substance contained in vanilla, the composition of which has not yet been studied.

But you still need to know how to get vanilla - suddenly it will be possible to purchase an orchid of this type for home cultivation. Finished vanilla pods (sticks), usually 10 to 20 cm long, should be soft, elastic, slightly curled, oily to the touch, dark brown, sometimes even black-brown in color. The pods of the best varieties are covered with a bloom of whitish crystals.

Light colored and open, cracked or brittle hard sticks mean the vanilla is of poor quality, half fizzled out due to improper preparation or storage.

The persistence of the scent of the finest varieties of real vanilla is astounding. There are cases when vanilla fruits fully retained their aroma (with proper storage) 36 years after production. At the same time, bad varieties of vanilla quickly deteriorate and lose their aroma, especially in unfavorable conditions. Some varieties of vanilla do not smell of vanilla, but of heliotrope, since in them piperonal (heliotropin) is the carrier of the aroma. These varieties are considered less valuable in the trade.

How to use pod vanilla

Vanilla pods are rich in a special substance - the aldehyde vanillin, which provides the specific aroma of the fruit of the plant. In addition, they contain balm, sugars, vegetable fat, resins, enzymes, tannins, anisic acid. There are many ways to use vanilla bean as a condiment, flavor, and medicine.

In folk medicine, vanilla is often used as a sedative, relaxing and astringent.

Dishes and preparations prepared with the addition of vanilla are indicated for diabetes mellitus, neurosis, insomnia, colitis, flatulence, gastritis with high acidity, menstrual irregularities.

Their use is recommended for those who suffer from vitamin deficiency, decreased immunity and anemia.

Vanilla essential oil is used in the complex therapy of diseases of the ear, throat and nose. Vanilla oil is a component of many therapeutic and prophylactic skin care products.

Vanilla is even more important in the food industry, where, however, it is often replaced by cheaper and less pleasant smelling synthetic vanilla.

Part 1 Creating a Tropical Environment

1. Build a tall greenhouse or greenhouse.

   Vanilla needs a tropical climate, so you need sunlight, warmth, space and humidity to grow it.If you live in the Southern United States, Australia, or other warm climates, you can grow vanilla without additional buildings.

   • The ambient temperature must reach 65 degrees (18 C) or more throughout the year in order to grow an orchid. The warmer the better.
2. 

   Try growing several types of orchids before you start growing vanilla. In this way, you can improve the climatic conditions in the greenhouse until they are ideal for this type of orchid, which requires warmth, moisture and partial shade.

3. Purchase a vanilla sprout.

   If there is no local florist or garden center in your area, then you will have to order shoots online. Make sure each shoot is at least 1 foot (30 cm) tall.

   • If you order shoots online, you should purchase a few to increase your chances of harvesting vanilla.
   • Shoots are usually taken from mature plants that are 20 feet (6 m) in length or more.

Part 2 Planting an orchid

1. Submerge the shoots completely in a tray of water for 10 minutes.

2. Remove the shoots from the water, but put the ends back in the tray.

   In this position, they must spend five days. Pay attention to which end of the shoot is the top and which is the bottom.

   • Add a dash of liquid fertilizer for better results.
   • The top is the direction in which the plant will grow. The leaves will point in the direction towards the bottom of the shoot.
3. 

   Prepare a space in your greenhouse or outdoor tropical air next to a tree or trellis. You will need shade in this place 50% of the time, as well as constant support for the growing vines of the plant. If you are using trellises, then you will need to create a shaded area above the plant.

4. Fill your orchid pot with potting soil.

   Lay the bottom two sets of the plant horizontally on top of the soil. The strings are the outgrowths of the plant.

   • Orchid soil usually consists of pine bark, perlite, and mulch.
5. 

   Cover these knots with 0.8 inches (2 cm) of orchid potting mix.

6. 

   Tie the rest of the plant to a trellis or post. It should grow vertically. You can purchase a clamp or clips online or at a garden store.

7. Leave the soil a little dry for the first month, but never let it dry completely.
8. 

   Water the plant regularly. Never let the soil dry out, and also never flood it, otherwise it may rot.

Part 3 Cultivation of vanilla

1. 

   Add mulch to the soil every few months. Mulch is food, so it should be rich in organic matter.

2. 

   Move the plant as needed for 9-12 months to make sure the plant is getting about 50% of the day's sunlight.

3. 

   Let the vanilla orchid grow and mature for several years. Aerial roots will pull up to the bindings for support, while others will pull toward the soil. It will take two to seven years for the plant to grow large enough to bloom.

4. Spray your orchid daily with soft water.

   This will stimulate the growth of the roots and the plant itself.

Part 4 Growing Vanilla Beans

1. Monitor the concentration of vanilla orchid flowers.

   It only blooms for six weeks a year and blooms for approximately one day.

   During this time, you need to pollinate the flower in order to grow the vanilla pods.

2. 

   Wear rubber gloves to avoid orchid juice problems. Talk to a local orchid grower who can help you manually pollinate your orchid for the first time. This is a pretty delicate process.

3. Press down on the boot.

   Squeeze out the pollen and hold it between your right thumb and forefinger. Use your middle finger to push the boot back and place your palm under it to act as a shield.

   • Place the pollen on the comb.Press the comb on the left side and pull the cover down.
   • Repeat with all colors.
   • Pollinate flowers in the morning. Some sources claim that 11 am is the best time.
4. 

   Watch to see if the stem turns down. If it starts to elongate, then pollination was successful.

5. 

   Continue caring for the plant and pollinate the flowers. The sprouts should appear within two months; however, they need nine months to mature.

6. 

   Tear off the pods when they are green and begin to turn yellow at the bottom.

7. Prepare your vanilla pods before using them.

   Spread the beans out on trays and place them in direct sunlight for three hours. Wrap them in a cloth so that they evaporate at night.

   • Repeat this every day until the pods are dark brown.
   • Hang them up or store them in a dryer for two to three weeks.

Warnings

• The juice found in the roots of the orchid and in the flowers can irritate the skin. Wear gloves and be careful when transplanting or pollinating the plant.

What do you need

• Greenhouse
• Vanilla orchid shoots
• Liquid fertilizer
• Mulch
• Water
• Wood / trellis
• Clips / clamp
• Spray

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Given that orchids have recently been breaking all records in popularity among indoor flowers, let's see if it is possible to grow vanilla orchids in the house.

Vanilla is obtained from the pods of vanilla orchid (or flat-leaved vanilla). It is rarely grown at home. And yet it does happen.

Vanilla orchid - what is it?

The plant is a succulent vine from the Orchid family, which in its natural habitat can grow up to 30 m in height. Its stems are very flexible, and the leaves are elongated and leathery. Aerial roots help the liana to "crawl" upwards.

When growing indoors for an orchid, it is worth making a support for which it would hold on to its roots. Also, the plant can be placed in hanging pots.

Vanillin is obtained from vanilla orchid seeds.

How to get vanilla in your house?

It should be noted right away that the seedsfound in the vanilla pods you bought from the store are completely unviable. They have undergone heat treatment, therefore they are suitable only for use in cooking. It is possible to find viable seeds on sale, but a florarium is needed to obtain viable seedlings.

In order for vanilla pods to acquire the unique aroma for which they are so appreciated, they undergo a special heat treatment. First, they are kept in hot water, and then in a cloth, after which they are dried in the sun (for almost two weeks) and in the shade (until a light bloom forms).

Vanilla pods acquire aroma only after special heat treatment

There is an easier way to propagate a vanilla orchid - grafting... Usually, flower growers who are actively involved in the cultivation of indoor flowers do not mind sharing cuttings in pots.

How to care for flat-leaved vanilla?

Interestingly, this exotic plant is not as whimsical as it seems at first glance. Vanilla orchid needs to be kept on a light windowsillbut protect from direct sunlight. Temperature she loves stable, so it is advisable to grow the plant at 20 ° C throughout the year.

To water liana is needed as the soil dries up - like most indoor plants. Loves vanilla orchid and spraying, therefore, you should not forget about them, especially in a hot period. And once a month a plant can even be batheby immersing it in water along with the container.

It is worth planting a vanilla orchid in a loose soil... It can be made from pine bark and leafy earth in a 2: 1 ratio. A mixture of pine bark and peat with sphagnum moss in equal proportions is also suitable for planting.Be sure to lay at the bottom of the pot drainage, since the plant is very afraid of stagnant moisture in the soil.

Do not forget about feeding... Suitable for this fertilizer for orchids. And in order for the plant to bush more than to grow long shoots, flat-leaved vanilla is recommended periodically prune.

What is especially pleasing when growing a vanilla orchid in a house is that the plant is not damaged by pests.

Vanilla orchid is not a very whimsical plant, but it's very difficult to get it to bloom

Blooming vanilla orchid

In nature, liana blooms in the 3rd year of life. Yellow-green flowers are collected in inflorescences of 7-10 pieces each. At home (Mexico, Panama, Antilles), this orchid is pollinated by hummingbirds or a certain type of bee. So in other countries where vanilla is grown for sale, flowers have to be manually pollinated. Seed boxes ripen in the 7th month.

In room culture, liana blooms well, very rarely. However, this should not disappoint a real grower, because any plant is dear to him, especially if it is an unpretentious and unusual exotic.