Growing vanilla
 

I will likely be moving to the mountains
of northern Georgia in the near future.

The average high in January is 49.8 deg F
(extreme high around 70 between 1949-2003), and
the average low 28.5 (extreme low around -10
between 1949-2003). The average high in
July is 89.3 (extreme 102), and the low 65.7
(extreme around 45). Avg total ppt: 57.9 inches/
year (min 3.6 in Aug, max 6.3 in Mar). Avg
snow: 1.9 inches/year (max 0.8 in Jan).

Are there any varieties of vanilla that
will grow in that climate?


billo

Growing vanilla
 

The publication available at http://www.actahort.org/books/132/132_2.htm

seems very helpful.

Dave

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...

I will likely be moving to the mountains
of northern Georgia in the near future.

The average high in January is 49.8 deg F
(extreme high around 70 between 1949-2003), and
the average low 28.5 (extreme low around -10
between 1949-2003). The average high in
July is 89.3 (extreme 102), and the low 65.7
(extreme around 45). Avg total ppt: 57.9 inches/
year (min 3.6 in Aug, max 6.3 in Mar). Avg
snow: 1.9 inches/year (max 0.8 in Jan).

Are there any varieties of vanilla that
will grow in that climate?


billo

Growing vanilla
 

it is a tropical orchid. not likely, unless it is inside a heated greenhouse

(Bill Oliver) wrote:


I will likely be moving to the mountains
of northern Georgia in the near future.

The average high in January is 49.8 deg F
(extreme high around 70 between 1949-2003), and
the average low 28.5 (extreme low around -10
between 1949-2003). The average high in
July is 89.3 (extreme 102), and the low 65.7
(extreme around 45). Avg total ppt: 57.9 inches/
year (min 3.6 in Aug, max 6.3 in Mar). Avg
snow: 1.9 inches/year (max 0.8 in Jan).

Are there any varieties of vanilla that
will grow in that climate?


billo



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endorsements or recommendations I make.

Growing vanilla
 

In article ,
wrote:
it is a tropical orchid. not likely, unless it is inside a heated greenhouse


Yeah, that's what my investigations are pointing to. I read
that there were North American vanilla plants, so I thought
maybe there was a chance -- but all the ones I have found live
only in Florida in the wild.

billo

Growing vanilla
 

Bill Oliver wrote:

I will likely be moving to the mountains
of northern Georgia in the near future.

The average high in January is 49.8 deg F
(extreme high around 70 between 1949-2003), and
the average low 28.5 (extreme low around -10
between 1949-2003). The average high in
July is 89.3 (extreme 102), and the low 65.7
(extreme around 45). Avg total ppt: 57.9 inches/
year (min 3.6 in Aug, max 6.3 in Mar). Avg
snow: 1.9 inches/year (max 0.8 in Jan).

Are there any varieties of vanilla that
will grow in that climate?

I have no idea but you might try posting to rec.gardens.orchids

I'd be interested in what you find out..
??
//
Jim

Growing vanilla
 

Not likely. The vanilla beans are the fruiting bodies of a tropical orchid from
Madagascar. It can take a dozen years in a special greenhouse with perfect
conditions to bring a plant to fruit. Thus, the high price for vanilla.

On 20 Aug 2003 15:47:13 GMT, (Bill Oliver) opined:


I will likely be moving to the mountains
of northern Georgia in the near future.

The average high in January is 49.8 deg F
(extreme high around 70 between 1949-2003), and
the average low 28.5 (extreme low around -10
between 1949-2003). The average high in
July is 89.3 (extreme 102), and the low 65.7
(extreme around 45). Avg total ppt: 57.9 inches/
year (min 3.6 in Aug, max 6.3 in Mar). Avg
snow: 1.9 inches/year (max 0.8 in Jan).

Are there any varieties of vanilla that
will grow in that climate?


billo

Growing vanilla
 

animaux wrote in
:

Not likely. The vanilla beans are the fruiting bodies of a tropical
orchid from Madagascar. It can take a dozen years in a special
greenhouse with perfect conditions to bring a plant to fruit. Thus,
the high price for vanilla.

I wonder how true this still is. Apparently until recently (I don't have
any idea how recent is recent), orchid growers had no idea that a symbiotic
relationship with a certain fungus was required for pollention/flowering or
some such. So formerly, orchids were exceedingly rare, but now everybody
and their momma can have one. Just wondering if vanilla prices are still
artifically inflated because nobody's the wiser.

-- Salty

Growing vanilla
 

Salty Thumb wrote in message ...

I wonder how true this still is. Apparently until recently (I don't have
any idea how recent is recent), orchid growers had no idea that a symbiotic
relationship with a certain fungus was required for pollention/flowering or
some such.

This is a little garbled. Fungal associations are not required for
flowering or pollination. Orchid seeds are basically naked embryos
without stored nutrients, so they depend on symbiotic fungi until they
grow true leaves and roots. Once the seedling has leaves and roots,
it is no longer compeletely dependent on fungi (although it may retain
mycorrhizal associations throughout its life).

Methods for germinating orchid seed on nutrient agar without fungi
were developed by Knudson in the early 1920's, and cloning of superior
orchids for the mass market was developed by Morel in 1960. Both
methods require skill at laboratory techniques and are not cheap.

So formerly, orchids were exceedingly rare, but now everybody
and their momma can have one. Just wondering if vanilla prices are still
artifically inflated because nobody's the wiser.

Vanilla flowers only last a day or so, and on commercial vanilla
plantations, each flower must be individually pollinated by hand. A
single vanilla "bean" is obtained from each flower, and the beans must
be carefully processed after harvesting. It is very labor intensive.

Vanilla orchids are epiphytic vines which typically must be quite
large before they flower. It is usually not worth the effort for a
grower with a hobby greenhouse to maintain that much vanilla biomass
just for a few seed capsules.

regards,

Nick

--

Growing vanilla
 

I know someone who has this vanilla orchid and it was 11 years before it
flowered. One plant occupies about 2/3 of the entire greenhouse, which is 40x40
feet. It's truly an amazing looking plant. Very basic.


On 21 Aug 2003 08:39:13 -0700, (Myrmecodia) opined:

Salty Thumb wrote in message ...

I wonder how true this still is. Apparently until recently (I don't have
any idea how recent is recent), orchid growers had no idea that a symbiotic
relationship with a certain fungus was required for pollention/flowering or
some such.

This is a little garbled. Fungal associations are not required for
flowering or pollination. Orchid seeds are basically naked embryos
without stored nutrients, so they depend on symbiotic fungi until they
grow true leaves and roots. Once the seedling has leaves and roots,
it is no longer compeletely dependent on fungi (although it may retain
mycorrhizal associations throughout its life).

Methods for germinating orchid seed on nutrient agar without fungi
were developed by Knudson in the early 1920's, and cloning of superior
orchids for the mass market was developed by Morel in 1960. Both
methods require skill at laboratory techniques and are not cheap.

So formerly, orchids were exceedingly rare, but now everybody
and their momma can have one. Just wondering if vanilla prices are still
artifically inflated because nobody's the wiser.

Vanilla flowers only last a day or so, and on commercial vanilla
plantations, each flower must be individually pollinated by hand. A
single vanilla "bean" is obtained from each flower, and the beans must
be carefully processed after harvesting. It is very labor intensive.

Vanilla orchids are epiphytic vines which typically must be quite
large before they flower. It is usually not worth the effort for a
grower with a hobby greenhouse to maintain that much vanilla biomass
just for a few seed capsules.

regards,

Nick

Growing vanilla
 

Just wondering if vanilla prices are still artifically
inflated because nobody's the wiser.

I'm fairly new to the whole orchid craze but, from what
I've gathered, the lowering costs of orchids is more from
the enhanced cloning/meristemming/whatever they do than
from finding better/easier ways to pollinate.

As far as the vanilla orchid itself, I have two and have
read a bit about it. IIRC, for vanilla to propagate in
the wild, the plant is usually *huge*. Long, at least,
with something like 25 feet being what I recall. It's
a pretty fast growing plant. I bought one a little over
a year ago in a six-inch hanging pot and ended up
moving most of it to a large, shallow pot about six
months ago. I built a cheap tripod thingy to place in
the pot for the plant to be vined around and up and
it's getting more and more difficult to find some place
to twine it already. A small piece that broke off when
I repotted it was placed back in the original six-inch
pot and is in need of repotting already because it's
outgrowing the space.

Another part of the high price for vanilla beans is the
process that is needed for it to be usable. My eyes crossed
about halfway through the discussion of the process so I
can't even begin to recount it, but it seemed so compli-
cated that I decided then and there to just enjoy any
blooms if/when they came and forget about trying to make
use of any beans that show up. :)

Tracey

Growing vanilla
 

Growing vanilla
 

In article ,
Ned Flanders wrote:


Hawai'i is growing them as a cash crop. And it is said to be the
finest in the world.


Thanks to you and the others for the responses!

billo

Growing vanilla
 

In article ,
wrote:

Not likely. The vanilla beans are the fruiting bodies of a tropical
orchid from
Madagascar.

Actually the plant originated in the American tropics.

Growing vanilla
 

Not so fast, Buckwheat.

There are Vanilla species native to and grown in Madagascar.


Bill Ranseen wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:

Not likely. The vanilla beans are the fruiting bodies of a tropical
orchid from
Madagascar.

Actually the plant originated in the American tropics.

Growing vanilla
 

In article ,
"Cereoid-UR12-" wrote:

Not so fast, Buckwheat.

There are Vanilla species native to and grown in Madagascar.


Bill Ranseen wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:

Not likely. The vanilla beans are the fruiting bodies of a tropical
orchid from
Madagascar.

Actually the plant originated in the American tropics.



Really? I was under the impression that Vanilla planifolia is the source
of most commercial vanilla, Mexican and Madagascan, with V. pompona a
secondary one. Both of these, and a few other Vanilla ssp. I've
understood to be from the American tropics. So what else is there?