Vanilla crop requires warm and humid conditions for its growth. This crop also requires a well distributed annual rainfall of 150 to 350 cm. A temperature range of 25 °C to 34°C is best for vanilla cultivation. Vanilla can be grown above mean sea level (MSL) of 1400 meters. Vanilla crop prefers more than 45% shade and grows well under filtered light. Area where these conditions are not met, vanilla cultivation can be taken in shade house / nets fitted with micro -sprinklers and foggers.

Vanilla crop grows well in loose and friable soils with any of loamy texture. However, it requires high organic matter content in the soil for better yield. Well-drained soils are important for vanilla cultivation and it prefers lands with gentle slope. The required soil pH range for Vanilla cultivation is 6.5 to 7.5. Western Ghats areas in India are best suited for vanilla cultivation as these soils are rich in organic matter and hums. These soils are also having an excellent drainage. For commercial cultivation of the vanilla plant it is advisable to do a soil test.

The soil needs to be given a couple of ploughings to bring it to a fine tilth stage and remove any weeds from previous crops. Soil should be prepared to drain out the water. In case of the soils which are not fertile, make sure to supplement the organic manure during land preparation. As vanilla vines need support to grow, any kind of living trees or rock pillars, iron pillars can be arranged for supporting the vanilla vines.

The vanilla crop is propagated by shoot cuttings or seeds. However, shoot cutting method is followed in commercial cultivation of vanilla crop. Thid is because the seed propagation method is very difficult to establish as the seeds are very small. When you select the planting material there are two options; one is longer cuttings and other is shorter cuttings. Longer cuttings start flowering in second year itself where as short cuttings takes 3 years to flower. However, longer cuttings have slow growth when compared to shorter ones. It’s up to you judge the cutting length depending on the availability of material and the area to be planted. Strong, healthy and actively growing vines should be selected as planting material in vanilla cultivation. Shoot cuttings preferably having 8 to 10 inter nodes should be selected as planting material as these flower earlier than the shorter cuttings.

The ideal planting time for vanilla orchard is when there is moisture present in the weather which is not too rainy or dry conditions. Cuttings should be close to the base of the support. Make sure that the vines are not directly exposed to sun in the afternoon by planting the cuttings in North East direction.

As vanilla vines needs support to grow, provide any support such as living trees, wooden stakes, stone pillars or any iron pipes. Vanilla cuttings should be planted in the soils which has medium in organic content. Well decomposed organic manure or vermi-compost should be filled in the trenches made at a spacing of 8 ft. in these trenches support pillars of 7 ft long should be placed at a spacing of 6 ft. Two cuttings of each should be planted around one pole. As per this spacing, the vanilla plant density would be around 2400 to 2500 vines per acre. These vines should be trained on GI wires tied between the pillars at 5 ft height

Vanilla plants produce better yields in controlled environment like greenhouse and shade nets. In this environment, the required humidity, light and temperatures can be maintained which is very essential for commercial cultivation of vanilla. Any net providing 60% of shade can be considered and support of 12 feet pillars can be used to provide required shade. For proper irrigation and humidity requirement, micro-sprinklers with both irrigation and misting/ fogging facility should be installed in the shade net house.

Usually, Vanilla plants start flowering from third year of planting during January and February. Irrigation should be stopped during the month of December and the tips of the vines should be pruned. During this stage abundant irrigation should be provided to induce more flowers. Natural self-pollination is not possible in India because of absence of specific pollinating agents. However, artificial pollination should be carried out by hand with the help of a pointed bamboo splinter a stiff grass or a sharpened toothpick to get fruit set. The best time for pollination is 7 am to 12 p.m. On an average, a skilled worker can pollinate 1000-2000 flowers/day. It is preferred to pollinate only the first formed 7-10 flowers on the lower side of the inflorescence. It is also recommended to maintain only 10-12 inflorescences per each vine in order to get beans with maximum length and girth and of high quality standards. The flowering is spread over a period of 3 weeks.

Intercultural Operations in Vanilla Cultivation:- Mulching, irrigation, shade management and trailing are main intercultural activities in vanilla plantation.

Mulching in Vanilla Cultivation: Dried leaves or coconut leaves or husks can be used as mulch material to protect the soil from erosion, moisture loss. Mulching also helps in weed control and enriches the soil fertility.

Manures and Fertilizers in Vanilla Cultivation : Vanilla crop responds very well to organic manure. Well-decomposed farm yard manure (FMY) like cow-dung or vermi compost or organic inputs such as neem cake can be applied as manures in vanilla cultivation. Apply 125 grams of Nitrogen (N) in the farm of leaf mould in 2 split doses in June-July and Sept-Oct months. To spread the vanilla plant roots, loose soil structure is essential which can be achieved through organic debris. Spraying vermi-wash to the foliage will result in good growth and yield.

Irrigation in Vanilla Cultivation: Irrigation plays major role to achieve high yields. First 2 to 3 years after planting the vanilla seedlings, regular watering is required especially during dry and hot summer seasons. It requires the irrigation once in 2 days. Sprinkler irrigation is ideals for vanilla cultivation as it is best suited for micro-climate (absorption of moisture from atmosphere). One can opt for micro irrigation or drip irrigation as well. Water stagnation or flooding should be avoided as this crop is very sensitive to these conditions.

Trailing in Vanilla Cultivation: In order to limit the growth of the plant, trailing operation should be carried out. In vanilla orchard, vine growth should be limited to 150-160 cm height to facilitate easy manual pollination. The vanilla vines should be trailed by coiling them around the branches of the support pillars or on horizontal support without allowing the vines to touch ground.