hi
Here are what i consider negatives about Vanilla in general and planifoilia in particular.
First it MUST get very large to produce the small flowers
it must be pollinated by hand to produce the beans which require a lot of processing to get the spice.
In good conditions it will become very large..Planifolia is just plain lol There are several others that produce much higher quality flowers with stronger aroma and there are also varigated forms making the plant much more attractive.
In a family of spectacular flowers they are sort of the stepchildren lol
IMO the space they require is better utilized for other species.
They are easy to grow,but for vining types I much prefer Ludisia,Macodes these are fantastic in the same amount of space.
gary

Well, call me simplistic, but I love my Vanilla Planifola, and it's lush growth. I have mine growing in standard bark, but it is certainly vigorous. I've had it for over a year, it's about 3 feet tall, and no flowers yet. But it is huge and seems impervious to disease, so I'm looking to make it a vertical accent pot i can use in my house during the winter, and outside on the porch in the summer. It does seem to require as much sun as I get it.

So I'm in it for the plant - if I get flowers that will be a bonus. I've read what you have to do to turn the beans into something you can use, and I think I'll just continue to buy the beans in the store, and vacation in Mexico every couple of years so I can get high quality Vanilla extract.

A challenge to grow, but interesting and fun. I may have some info on my site that will help you:

www.sdahldtp.com

Check the vanilla pages.

Sharon

hey thanks. i had found the page for pollination on google.great info. thanks. i think i will give it a shot.still not sure if i should use potting soil.

I just received mine today and I am very excited about it. It's tiny, barely more than a cutting, but it looks healthy! I am wondering now about care specific to it. I have an uninterrupted East and maple-shaded West exposure, and a bunch of phals, one max and one paph. Who should I set it with? What is its culture?

i dunno the actual ranges but i live in the middle of the desert in CA both my planiflora and aphylla seem to love it. the ony problem ive had in the past is humidity. they love it.. or atleast theyre not yet showing signs of disliking it.

Gaston

i called the guy up yesterday night. the ctutting are about a year old.they have 10-15 leaves and lots of roots. i think im going for it.

I killed one. The second one seems to be doing well. It doubled it's height to about a foot since last Fall. I had the chance to visit the Fairchild Botanical Garden near Miami shortly after the first one died. On their trolley tour I recognized the vanilla climbing straight up to the top of a 60 foot palm before they pointed it out. If it could flourish there in full midday Miami sun, give your new plant as much light as you can. Mine seems quite content with the lower intensity of North Georgia full sun. Good luck.
Sherlene

Would anyone here happen to have a website through I could purchase a Vanilla planifolia plant or cutting? I live in Connecticut and have been trying to purchase a plant for the past few years now. Thanks.

-Stan

They are pretty much weeds if given the right conditions
If you get a chance to get to the everglades and canoe through the mangroves, wou wil notice lots of vanillas, a few different species

In the wild they climb on the mangrove trees but their roots grow very long and hang directly into the water and get their water and most of their nutrients that way, really a sight to see

I have my species of vanilla, planifolia, barbellata, and pompona potted in 14" pots in pure sphagnum with some nutricote time released fertilizer, becareful using osmocote, it releases too quickly
Nutricotwe is comercially sold as dynamite, use balanced 13-13-13

Flowers are the size of a midsized flowering Cattleya and the 3 I have have really nice and striking flowers with nice markings
Some planifolia varieties are extremely fragrant, while others have none. They need plenty of room to grow and wander
Mine grow about 10 - 15 feet per year, per lead. so you can see how they need room.
Good Luck
John