Growing Vanilla Beans

Question

I live in south Florida and have been growing a vanilla vine for the last 5 years. It got so large we moved it outside and I set up an area for it to grow (see Vanilla vine photo). It does bloom and I have been successful in getting beans but they tend to fall off the vine after a month. Last year I had 2 beans stay on the vine for 9 months and I probably had 50 or 60 beans.

Also, the beans have a triangular cross section and are small. The vanilla bean picture shows a 2.5 inch bean. It is probably not done growing yet but I have never had a bean larger than 6 inches and most are in the 3- to 4-inch range. I have not been all that diligent about fertilizing the last few years but am doing that now. I think it gets enough sun but I do have a 30% shade cloth over the vine and have some trees in the area. I also have a sprinkler system set up for those dry times. Can you think of anything else I can do to increase the number of beans that stay on the vine for the full 9 months?

Thanks
Mike

Answer 1

We did not receive the images.
Growing the Vanilla Orchid and it producing beans is no easy task, congratulations.
Increasing humidity to optimize it's growing conditions would help.
A regular fertilizer schedule is a must for your Orchid to develop the pods, along with proper pollination.
Here are some articles to refresh you on the care requirements.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/orchids/grow-vanilla-orchid.htm
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-plant-and-grow-vanilla-beans#b