Vanilla planifolia synonyms:
Commercial Vanilla
The Flat Plane Leafed Vanilla
Myrobroma fragrans
Notylia planifolia
Notylia sativa
Notylia sylvestris
Vanilla aromatica
Vanilla bampsiana
Vanilla duckei
Vanilla fragrans
Vanilla hirsuta
Vanilla planifolia var. angusta
Vanilla sativa
Vanilla sylvestris
Vanilla tahitensis
Vanilla tiarei
Vanilla viridiflora
It is a species of the genus Vanilla. This species was described by Benjamin Daydon Jackson ex Henry Charles Andrews in 1808.
Vanilla planifolia is native to Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Central America. The original natural habitat was probably the evergreen tropical forests of eastern Mexico, and the Caribbean water department of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. They come from the New World tropical forests, but is now grown in tropical regions around the world as a spice with a characteristic aroma. In Guatemala, they grow from sea level to a height of 600 m, in marshes, savannas, in mixed forests, and their roots sink into the ground and grow around trees, climbing on them. Wild growing specimens of Vanilla planifolia are in danger of extinction in Mexico, where 30 pieces have survived. In Belize, these plants were found in the Columbia Forest Reserve in Toledo at an altitude of 750 m. In the province of Limn in Costa Rica, they are found near Cartago at an altitude of 700 m and in the vicinity of Talamanca, in Valle de la Estrella, at an altitude of 2-100 m. In Alajuela, in near San Ramon Monteverde, Cordillera de Tilaran and near Upala Llanura de Guatuso they grow at an altitude of 820-900 m. In Nicaragua they occur near the river San Juan at an altitude of 200 m. In Zelaya at an altitude of 0-350 m. In Colombia in the vicinity of Vichada, these plants are found at an altitude of 90 m. In Ecuador, they grow in the Esmeraldas area: in the areas of Rio Cayapa and Reserva Etnica Awa at an altitude of 100-300 m; near Bilsa at an altitude of 400-600 m, near Mataje at an altitude of 200 m, at the Rio Palenque Science Center near Los Rios at an altitude of 220 m. In Napo near San Jose de Payamino and near Tena at an altitude of 400 m; near Tena-Pto. Napo, at an altitude of 550 m. In Pichincha near Centinela at an altitude of 600 m. In the Peruvian Amazon forests, the plants are grown at an altitude of 185-240 m in the areas of Imaza and Loreto. In Venezuela, they grow up to 400 m in the provinces of Bolivar, Cojedes, Miranda, Táchira.
It is a large, warm to hot growing, scandent epiphyte, that is 3-30 m long.
The Vanilla planifolia flowers on short 5 to 7 cm long flower stems with multiple flowers that only bloom for 1 day. Flowering takes place throughout the year. Vanilla does not flower until the stem reaches a length of at least 3-4 m, but well-growing plants can produce flowers 3 years after planting the plant. Vanilla pods grow in bunches of 6-10 pieces. They are 12-25 cm long, they are yellow-green and have a banana shape.
Light:
Vanilla planifolia needs a light level of 25000-40000 lux. The plant can grow both in very bright light, filtered or scattered light, or even in partial shade (50% shading). If the plant has been grown in the shade, the amount of light should be gradually increased, otherwise the leaves may burn. Air movement around the leaves prevents diseases and sunburn.
Temperature:
It is a thermophilic plant. Throughout the year, the average day temperature is 28-29°C, and the average night temperature is 20-23°C, with a daily amplitude of 6-8°C.
Humidity:
The Flat Plane Leafed Vanilla needs the humidity of 85-90% for most of the year, for 2-3 winter months and early spring falls to about 80-85%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Vanilla planifolia are often placed in a mixture of peat and sand, but each substrate must have perfect drainage. It has heavy, climbing stems, therefore it requires bars, posts, props or other rigid supports. Tall wooden posts or live trees are recommended when conditions allow, but vertical position is not necessary to induce flowering and seed production. Therefore, they can grow horizontally, climbing along the edges, for example beams in a greenhouse.
Watering:
For most of the year, rainfall is abundant, and only in late winter and at the beginning of spring is a little drier, but it is never a complete drought. The plants should be watered abundantly during the period of intensive growth, but the outflow of water must be facilitated and the ground around the roots should always be open, with easy access of air. Growers say that when a mature plant is at least 3-4 m long, let it dry between watering for several weeks, because it often induces flowering. The dry period does not cause flowering in immature plants. In case of a small amount of light or at low temperatures, always reduce watering.
Fertilizer:
The plants should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. You can use fertilizer with equal proportions of NPK throughout the year, but you can also use a fertilizer with an increased amount of nitrogen during active growth.
Rest period:
For one month in late winter or early spring, when there is no active growth, the amount of water for Vanilla planifolia should be slightly reduced, but these plants should never completely dry up. Whenever the amount of water decreases, the fertilization must also be reduced or eliminated.