On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:50:17 GMT, Tracey wrote:
Not something I would recommend for an apartment. I have one that
I bought 3 years ago or so as a couple of small pieces rooted in
a 3 or 4 inch hanging pot. It has now propogated to two more
planters (for a total of 3 pots since I just kept cutting off
pieces from the original pot) and probably a good 50-75 feet of
vines of vanilla orchid spread out over and in and entwined around
various bushes and plants and dirt (and probably other things that
I don't want to know about) and still no flowers.

Somewhere I read that it doesn't/won't flower until it's 25 feet
in length so I've either missed the flowers or it has to be 25
feet in length in a straight line.

So, if you're wanting flowers, that's not a good way to go.

Tracey

Vanilla is a vine = string it along the wall above the window and let
it get 30 feet of vine. Just fold it back on itself when you wish or
as I once saw a vineing fig going around 3 sides of an apartment
livingroom. You need at least 25 feet and probably a bend downward.
In the vanilla fields I seen written up they grow up small trees and
the vines only fruit on the downward roll.

Every time you cut yours it starts over. This is total length not
accumulated pieces.

Vandas are very different. Some grow to be small hedge rows and
others are smaller. They demand a great deal of light to bloom. The
amount of light may be what keeps them from growing well in an apt.
Ascendas look like and are about 1/2 vanda, but gorw with a bit less
light and may bloom 2-3 times a year.

IF you have normal house light you would do better with a slipper
orchid or a Phal. Paphs and Phrags are slippers. Phrags require more
water and more light of the two.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php