Content
- Are vanilla seeds suitable for reproduction?
- That's why sowing vanilla seeds is so problematic
- Symbiotic sowing next to a mother plant promises success
- Tips
Each vanilla pod contains up to one million seeds
Are vanilla seeds suitable for reproduction?
If the masterpiece succeeded in making a vanilla orchid bloom and luring it a fruit hanging, the question of propagation through sowing is justified. A ripe vanilla bean contains countless black seeds, which provide the offspring in the wild. Outside the tropics, however, success is questionable.
That's why sowing vanilla seeds is so problematic
In contrast to other plant seeds, orchid seeds have no nutrient tissue. This nutrient tissue is responsible for supplying the sensitive embryo in the first phase of development. Therefore, one vanilla orchid produces up to 1,000,000 seeds per capsule fruit to compensate for this deficiency.
For an orchid embryo to get nutrients, the connection with a special symbiosis fungus is required. Only when this mycotic fungus is present in the growing substrate, it can come to germination. As a further prerequisite, a completely germ-free environment is indispensable for a successful course of sowing. In view of these imponderables, hobby gardeners refrain from the generative propagation of a vanilla orchid. There is, of course, a smart alternative.
Symbiotic sowing next to a mother plant promises success
The fact that only a few hobby gardeners have a germ-free workbench and suitable mycotic fungi for orchid sowing does not automatically imply that sowing vanilla seeds is impossible. The solution lies in a symbiotic sowing close to the mother plant. That is how it goes:
Since a high failure rate is to be expected in this non-sterile environment, please sprinkle the seeds close to each other. In a bright, not sunny spot - ideally in a 28 degree warm greenhouse - pour moderately and do not apply fertilizer at this stage. If the symbiotic fungus is present in the pot substrate, you can look forward to the first seedlings within 6 to 30 days.
Tips
Those who do not want to grapple with the problems of sowing orchid seeds choose the vegetative propagation of a vanilla with cuttings. To do this, cut non-blooming head cuttings in early summer to root them in peat-sand. A plastic bag that has been pushed over produces the required moist, warm microclimate.