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Vanilla cultivation :
Vanilla is climbing vine of the orchid family which grows with the support of bark of trees. It is the second costliest spice after saffron. Vanilla is a perennial crop. It starts yielding from third year after planting and continues to give commercial yield for 12 to 15 years.
It is grown mainly as an inter crop in arecanut and coconut gardens and coffee plantations. Cultivation of vanilla as a pure crop under natural or artificial shade is also becoming popular now-a-days as it is a crop which can yield high returns.

Climate:
Vanilla grows better in areas with an annual rainfall of 150 to 300 cm and a temperature range of 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Areas which receive rains for 8 to 9 months and which have dry climate in the remaining 3 to 4 months are ideal for growing vanilla. It requires warm, moist conditions and strong wind breaks. Vanilla could be cultivated from sea level up to an altitude of 1500 meters above mean sea level. In India, vanilla cultivation is feasible in Karnataka, Tamilnadu, North East region, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands besides Kerala.

Soil:
Vanilla prefers loamy laterite soil with plenty of organic matter with proper drainage. Organic matter and decomposed mulch are the main source of nutrients for the plants. A thick layer of organic debris also helps to retain enough moisture and gives a loose soil structure for the roots to spread. Western Ghat areas in South India are well suited for cultivation of vanilla as the soil in these areas are rich in organic matter content and humus and drainage is good.

Propagation:
The crop is usually established by planting shoot cuttings. Propagation of vanilla through seeds is very difficult as the seeds are very small. As it is very easy to propagate the crop by using shoot cuttings, this method is used for commercial cultivation of vanilla.
Length of the shoot cutting used for propagation has a direct bearing on the growth of the vine and yield. Longer cuttings flower in the second year itself and yield pods. Shorter cuttings take at least three years to flower. However, longer cuttings do not grow as fast as shorter cuttings after planting. Hence, the length of the cuttings is to be adjusted depending on the availability of the planting material and the area to be planted.

Land Preparation:
Preparation of the soil for vanilla plantation must take into account the need to provide support to the vines to grow. The supports could be living like trees, plants, wooden stakes. Etc., or non0living like stone pillars, wooden stakes, galvanized iron pipes, etc.

Support Trees:
Vanilla thrives well under partial shade which can provide about 50 percent filtered light. It is also requires support for growing. A good support tree which can provide adequate shade to the plants should be grown well before planting vanilla cuttings in the main field.
Considering the need for providing adequate shade, support, branches for training the vines and leaf material for mulching, Glyricidia is perhaps the best support tree that can be grown.

Artificial Shade:
Vanilla can also be grown under artificial shade provided by spreading shade net above the plants. Shade net house of 3.0 to 3.5m height should be constructed with stone pillars or galvanized iron tubes or angles and shade net which provides 50 percent shade. If stone pillars are used for construction of shade net house, they should be erected at 2 to 2.5m interval in rows spaced at 3.0m.

More vanilla cuttings (2500 per acre) can be planted under artificial shade although the cost of fabrication and erection of shade house will be substantial. Besides, installation of micro sprinkler/ drip and fogging system will be easy under artificial shade.






 

Planting:
The ideal time for planting vanilla is when the weather is neither too rainy nor too dry. Planting in the month of August in hilly areas and from middle of September to October in coastal areas is ideal under South Indian conditions. In dry areas where vanilla is grown as an irrigated crop, planting can be done any time after the monsoon rains.
Cutting should be planted close to the base of the support tree. Under South Indian conditions, the cuttings should be planted on the North Eastern side of the support tree, so that bright sunlight does not fall directly on the vines during afternoon time.

 

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