Thread: The vanilla farm

Originally Posted by afghanpicker

Originally Posted by IsaanAussie

Just had to be a "cunning plan" behind it all.
Can I get some starts from you or your helpfull member?

I am just hoping they stay alive at this point.

i dont know if i will have any left of ones they sent me will have to see after i get them planted but if i have some left not a problem but you would have to get your shade house ready pretty quick as they have been out of the ground for a week tue. but can go 14 days easy.

i spray them every day with bum gun and have kept them inside in aircon to prevent drying out.

You realize that aircon does dry things out right...

Originally Posted by Necron99

Originally Posted by afghanpicker

Originally Posted by IsaanAussie

Just had to be a "cunning plan" behind it all.
Can I get some starts from you or your helpfull member?

I am just hoping they stay alive at this point.

i dont know if i will have any left of ones they sent me will have to see after i get them planted but if i have some left not a problem but you would have to get your shade house ready pretty quick as they have been out of the ground for a week tue. but can go 14 days easy.

i spray them every day with bum gun and have kept them inside in aircon to prevent drying out.

You realize that aircon does dry things out right...

Thanks for pointing that out..

I thought better than leaving out side in 90+ heat

not a lot of progress yesterday had to strip all bark off of popular tree's being used for supports for vanilla vines.

got one support up rest finished today and vanilla going in

Will have pictures.

Ok it is finished and vanilla planted.

Two layer planting beds

First layer potting mix with mixed in leaves from forest next door.

Second layer coconut chips and fir

Poplar poles 2 1/2 miter peeled and sunk 1/2 miter in ground

Vanilla placed in potting soil and covered with chips and tied to pole

15 plants total

here is hopping they grow

sorry pictures not that good camera phone of friend

Oh ya i forgot

1 miter spacing on vanilla plants
Hopefully in a yr you will not be able to see support or cross supports because of wall of green

i thought you were gonna do two rai of it?

I thought better to see if it will actually grow before spending all the cash to do 2 rai.

Question when i bought shade cloth i got 60 percent..
now does that mean it keeps 60 percent light out or let 60 percent in?

60% blocked.

Originally Posted by Norton

60% blocked.

i hope so how did you find out?

Looks good, afghanpicker. A bit 'empty' but it's always like that at the start of a new garden/crop, before you know those vines will grow everywhere and needs to be tamed weekly.

Now the long wait for 'more and bigger' can start and I'm sure you will be looking daily to see whether there's any signs of new growth, be it the aerial roots or new leaves.

After that it will be another long wait for your first flower... 2, maybe 3 seasons and the first time (flowering in January) it will be only a few (clusters of) flowers but at least these will give you the possibility to practice the process of hand-pollination.

When then rewarded with some seedpods/beans you can have a go at the complex and long ritual of fermenting and drying the pods and turn them into the well-known and very much appreciated sticks...

All that waiting will give you enough time to take a nice piece of hardwood and a pen knife and carve yourself a little tool to place the pollen on the stigma... a veranda and a beer or two helps.

Ya i do keep looking to see some growth i will be happy if dont die.

And i am planing on going to a vanilla plantation in Malaysia to get a lesson on hand pollinating when they are doing there's

Her is a Question on a different note as i am putting in 40-50 banana plants

Anyone know what a rack of banana's is selling for?

That is the whole clump of banana's off the tree

Originally Posted by afghanpicker

Ya i do keep looking to see some growth i will be happy if dont die.

And i am planing on going to a vanilla plantation in Malaysia to get a lesson on hand pollinating when they are doing there's

Her is a Question on a different note as i am putting in 40-50 banana plants

Anyone know what a rack of banana's is selling for?

That is the whole clump of banana's off the tree

That's one of those location, location answers.
Not worth much out here, free really. You would need to transport them to a whole sale market, truck load.
Don't know how much you would get there, but it's not worth it for the locals out here to take a pick up truck into town to sell them. If it was I would be watching my banana trees. Jim

Originally Posted by afghanpicker

I wonder could termites be a danger to your project. There seem to be loads around. With your poles in the ground wouldn't they eventually go for them?

I wonder could termites be a danger to your project. There seem to be loads around. With your poles in the ground wouldn't they eventually go for them?[/QUOTE]


good point

You know that is something i never thought of

I hope not at least for a yr i can always replace the poles

just need the vanilla plants to grow.

Ok just a little up date .

I may be seeing things but i think i have a new leaf on on and others are showing signs of little white feeder roots coming out.

Will keep eye on it and update in about a week.

Even ones that looked like dying have a little new growth on them

I think

This is an awesome thread, just the other day after watching a travel channel about spices I suggested to my wife we should grow vanilla after the house is built. I will be watching your progress and hopefully learn something, you are certainly sharing great information. Thank you

Were you looking on doing on a large scale or just for personal use.

And i am glad a you like the thread

The vanilla i have going is a test to see if i can do on a large commercial scale.

Well just a little update.

Vanilla is growing three have put feeders into coconut husks and two have attached themselves to wooden supports.

A couple are looking a little weak but have a little new growth on them as well.

Will post pictures when i get a camera.

A little up date almost all have put feeders into the compost coconut mix and these two are putting out real growth of new leaves just waiting on others.
and this one is really going a week ago looked

Looking very promising. Any idea what is having a bit of a nibble on the leaves?

I havent seen anything on them and that one has been like that for a long time think broken or chipped in transplanting.

Yes, it might be the transport and/or rough handling but beware for some species of leaf feeding caterpillars and beetles, feeding on leaves and tender stems.

Then there's these ugly snails and slugs that feed and damage tender new shoots and leaves, especially in moist and shaded areas. They also shelter for rain and spend the night on the underside of the leaves. Check regularly early morning, handpicking them off or use a (homemade) snail trap.

Well a little update the two pictured above climbing the support poles with new leaves everyday. and a couple i thought were dead have put off new shoots and should start climbing there support poles pictures to follow