Orchid Vanilla is the only variety from the Orchid family that produces fruit. It belongs to lianas; during its growth, its stems twist, growing up to 30 m in length. In native tropical conditions it grows on trees, plant shoots are intertwined, thereby providing themselves with support. It is characterized by elongated leaves of a dark green hue. Along the entire stem, air roots are formed, which additionally fix the flower on the tree trunk, cliffs. Peduncles large green or lemon color. Flowers open during the day that bees or hummingbirds pollinate.
The main subspecies of the vanilla orchid
There are more than a hundred subspecies of the Vanilla Orchid. Of these, about 20 are bred at home.
Habitual conditions for the development of the vanilla orchid - tropics
Variegated Vanilla
Vanilla Planifolia Variegata is a plant with long stems forming a large number of aerial roots. Variegate orchid is characterized by oblong-epileptic succulent leaves, the flowers are ring-shaped lemon-colored irregularly shaped. They have five petals, the sixth forms a lip. Inside is one stamen and pestle, which makes pollination difficult. Only a special species of tropical butterflies can cope with this task, so they often resort to artificial pollination. The fruit is formed of a cylindrical trihedral shape, with a length of 10 to 30 cm.
Orchid Vanilla gives fruit in the form of cylindrical pods
Flat vanilla
The homeland of Vanilla is flat-lying is the West Indies, but today it is found in the tropics of Florida, Central America and the north of South America. It is characterized by elliptical oblong or ovoid leaves. The inflorescence has up to 6 flowers of green-white and yellow-green hue. It blooms in late spring and early summer.
For your information! After flowering, it gives the fruit - a cylindrical pod from which vanillin is extracted. The resulting pods contain up to 2% vanilla - the most valuable additive used in cooking, mainly when baking sweet products.
Vanilla is made from vanilla pods.
Other species
A few descriptions of the species of representatives of the Vanilla orchid:
- Vanilla Pompona is naturally grown only in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. Feels best at an altitude of 270-300 m above sea level. It does not belong to edible species, therefore, it is not used in cooking. Vanilla Pompona pods are used only for preparing vanilla extract of not very good quality;
- Vanilla Planifolia in narrow circles is known as Vanilla Bourbon. This is one of the most common species. Homeland is Central America;
- Vanilla Planifolia is the result of a cross between Vanilla Planifolia and Vanilla Pompona. Known as Vanilla Tahiti. There is still debate among breeders about the origin of this species: it was artificially or accidentally bred. Many consider her a subspecies of Vanilla Pompona. But this species is attributed to inedible representatives, while Tahiti is actively used in cooking.
Note! Do not confuse the Vanilla orchid with the decorative plant Anthurium Vanilla. This species has similar properties with respect to its habitat, but grows in the form of a bush, although it has aerial roots. Anthurium Vanilla has a popular name - "male happiness."
Home Care
Vanilla orchid belongs to climbing plants. Its shoots grow long, so you need to take care of it even at the planting stage. In order to properly form a plant and prevent stems from breaking, you need to think about a support for them: use a special pipe with a coconut coating, stands for decorative flowers or a cache-pot. In addition, caring for a vanilla orchid at home consists of following a few more rules.
When planting the Vanilla orchid, you need to think about the support for its stems
Temperature and humidity
Vanilla is a thermophilic orchid. He feels comfortable at a room temperature of 28-29 ° C in the daytime, and at night from 20 ° C to 23 ° C. The main task of gardeners is to care about the stability of indicators, to prevent sudden changes. Although an adult flower is able to withstand temperature changes within 3-4 degrees.
For your information! The optimal humidity for the existence and development of the vanilla orchid is 80-90%. This is due to the fact that the tropics are the native element for Vanilla.
To ensure the necessary parameters, you need to spray water near the plant, install a flower pot on a tray with moistened expanded clay.
Watering
Orchid Vanilla requires systematic watering. Drying of the topsoil in the pot should not be allowed. To moisturize it, use purified and warm water that does not contain calcium.
A positive effect on the development and condition of the flower is the holding of a weekly warm shower. Sometimes flower growers irrigate by immersing the container in water. After the flowering period ends, and the plant goes into a dormant state, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of watering. But be sure to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
Orchid Vanilla watered regularly, preventing the soil from drying out
Soil and fertilizing
Orchid Vanilla well perceives top dressing, so they must be done every 2-3 weeks. For this purpose, special fertilizers designed for orchids are used. Throughout the year, the concentration of introduced substances varies depending on the stage of development of the flower. Such data are indicated in the instructions on the packaging of the purchased product.
Important! Top dressing can be carried out both in the ground and by spraying the leaves.
Lighting
Vanilla from the Orchid family is a rather photophilous plant, but does not tolerate direct sunlight. Install a flower in the house is necessary in a place where diffused light will be provided throughout the day. In the winter season, the duration of daylight is reduced, so it is filled with artificial light.
Transfer
Over time, the soil in the pot becomes depleted, and it lacks nutrients for the plant, its roots do not fit into containers. Therefore, it is recommended from time to time to transplant Vanilla into a new pot. This usually happens once every three years. The favorable period for this procedure is spring.
When transplanted, the plant is extracted carefully, being careful not to damage the root system
To begin with, the plant is very carefully removed from the old tank, avoiding damage to the root system. If such a nuisance occurred, then with a new landing, the kinks are sprinkled with charcoal. This will prevent the appearance of rot. Next, the plant is placed in the tank a little larger than the previous pot and is covered with soil.
Important! Immediately after transplanting, the orchid is limited a little in watering and strong lighting. The increase in dose occurs gradually.
Breeding
Propagation of the vanilla orchid at home is carried out by cuttings. To grow a new instance, you will need segments of stems containing at least three nodes of aerial roots.
Important! To achieve positive results in germinating the cuttings, it is necessary to treat it with a growth stimulator.
After the treatment, the stalk is placed in a pot with moistened soil. Often sand is used instead. Then they provide a greenhouse effect, closing the tank with polyethylene. It is impossible to leave a greenhouse for a long time in such conditions. The plant needs air access, so from time to time the film is removed. As soon as the root appeared, the pot is opened completely.
After the stalk has taken root and three young leaves have appeared, it is planted on a substrate
After a while, the leaves will begin to appear on the handle. As soon as 2-3 young leaves grow, the shoot is planted in the substrate as an independent plant. The pot for this purpose is chosen transparent, small in size, but with a sufficient number of drainage holes. In addition, a support is immediately installed for the stems of the flower of the appropriate size.
Thus, vanilla orchid is a real exotic in Russian apartments. Having planted it once, the flower grower will not stop and will buy up all varieties of the variety. The flower is really unusual, beautiful, smells nice, besides it also bears fruit.
