HORTICULTURE OF VANILLA

Vanilla is the common term for the alcoholic extract of the vanilla bean. The vanilla bean is actually the fruit of a thick, tropical orchid vine. Of the 35,000 or more species in the orchid family, Orchidacae, the vanilla orchids produce the only edible fruit. There are over 50 vanilla orchid species, of which only two are of commercial use. Vanilla planifolia Andrews (also known as Vanilla fragrans (Salisbury) Ames) is the species responsible for 99% of the vanilla imported into the United States.


The other species, Vanilla tahitensis (Tahitian Vanilla) grows on the French Pacific Islands and is visually quite different. The tahitensis pods are shorter, have a thicker skin, less seeds, and are much broader than the planifolia beans. Tahitian vanilla beans are primarily exported to France and Europe, although roughly nine tons are imported into the United States.

Vanilla pompona is frequently cited as a third commercial species of vanilla orchid used in perfumes. Today, this species is rarely seen and is mostly a curiosity. Visually, the pods resemble small bananas. 

Vanilla planifolia is indigenous to southeastern Mexico, the West Indies, Central America and the northern part of South America. Vanilla vines will grow between 25° north and south of the equator; in hot, moist tropical climates; in a 50/50 mixture of sun and shade; from sea level to 2,000 ft. altitude; in areas with frequent moderate rainfall and no extended droughts or high winds; and with gentle slopes for drainage. For commercial production of vanilla beans, it is optimum to have the rainfall evenly distributed throughout 10 months of the year followed by a two-month dry spell to check vegetative growth and spur flower formation. These conditions describe a typical tropical island climate. 

Today, virtually all vanilla beans are grown on islands such as Madagascar and the Indonesian Islands, where temperatures range between 70-9O0F, with 80-100 in. of rain per year. Vanilla planifolia has smooth, succulent bright green leaves and aerial roots which cling to some type of support. If left untended, vanilla vines will grow 75 ft to the tree tops. On vanilla plantations they are pruned or bent downward to keep the flowers and beans in reach of the workers for pollination and harvest. The pruning and bending also seems to increase flowering.

Commercially, vanilla is propagated entirely by means of 3 ft cuttings, 8 to 12 nodes in length. Longer cuttings usually bring the vines into early production. Vanilla is very difficult to grow from seeds.