Land Preparation

• Clear the land of jungle growth and prepare for planting.
• Being a creeper, the plant requires support up to a height of about 130- 135 cm.
• Cuttings of Plumaria alba, Erythrina lithosperma, Jatropha carcas and Glyricidia maculata are suitable as live supports.
• The growth of live standard is to be adjusted to make them branch at a height of 120-150 cm to facilitate trailing of the vines and artificial hand pollination.

Time and method of planting

• Vanilla is propagated by planting shoot cuttings in situ.
• Plant cuttings of 60 cm length.
• Longer cuttings bear earlier than shorter cuttings.
• Rooted cuttings as well as tissue culture derived plants can also be used for planting.
• Plant the cutting with the onset of monsoon rains.
• Set out the cutting at a spacing of 2.7 m between plants and 1.8 m between rows in pits of size 40 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm.
• Trail the vines on the live supports and when they attain a height of 135 cm. Trail them horizontally on bamboo poles tied to vertical supports or branches of support plants in loops touching the ground.

Planting materials

• Vanilla is propagated by stem cuttings.
• Stem cuttings of one-meter length or less can be used for planting.
• It is ideal to have a minimum of 10- 12 internodes in each cutting.
• Any part of the vine can be selected for stem cutting, but vines of current year's growth, which are in vegetative phase excluding the tender shoots at the tip, are most ideal.

Rooted cuttings:

• Smaller cuttings with at least 2-3 nodes can be used for generating rooted cuttings by planting them in polythene bags [15 cm x 15 cm and 100 - 150 gauge].
• The poly bags should have five or six holes at the base to avoid water stagnation.
• The potting mixture may be prepared by mixing fertile top soil, dried cow dung and sand in the ratio 1:1:1. Vermi compost can also be mixed with potting mixture.
• The cuttings should be kept in shade for one week before planting in the poly bags.
• Only one cutting should be planted in each polybag and it should be tied to a support made by placing a small twig or stick or split bamboo in the poly bag.
• The planted cuttings should be provided with shade and watering should be done once in two days.
• Bio agents like Trichoderma, Pseudomonas and Bacillus may be applied to the polybags at the rate of 5 - 10 g as a prophylactic measure against fungal attack and for good growth.
• The cuttings will usually take root and grow to a height of about 50 - 75 cm in six months’ time.