Growing Vanilla in Hydroponics

Ice cream would not be ice cream without Vanilla. I am fortunate to have the most famous Scottish ice cream parlor on my doorstep. Nardini’s in Largs, is an institution and draws people from across the world, even Chris Higgins has eaten here! They sell the best Vanilla and Scottish tablet ice cream. 

The active ingredient of Vanilla, Vanillin, is the most commonly used flavoring in the world, but did you know it is normally produced by a synthetic reaction that involves petrochemicals? Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe and should not stop you from eating your favorite ice cream.

The market for Vanilla is strong, and one pod will set you back nearly $5. Demand outstrips supply and there are limitations to the industrial process to manufacture it synthetically. On top of that, more and more consumers are now looking for natural products. The problem is that natural Vanilla production is restricted to a handful of hot, humid subtropical locations.

Can we use CEA to grow Vanilla?

There are new opportunities being developed to produce locally-grown Vanilla, which circumvent production issues. Researchers in Holland are pushing the boundaries in CEA, resulting in secure local production: Dutch growers are presently leading with greenhouse grown Vanilla cultivars. 

We like to combine Vanilla ice cream over hot rhubarb crumble. 

Ready to grow?

Vanilla is a shade-loving epiphyte vine, so it will require a trellis type support as it grows. It can be tricky but if you remember orchid conditions i.e. high humidity, roots in free draining bark, you can find success. It enjoys a humid environment where it can diffuse water and oxygen through air roots at optimal temperatures around 21-23oC. 

Substrate needs to be free-draining: a combination of orchid mix and humus-rich compost around pH 6-7 should suffice. Vanilla requires light for 6–8 hrs a day, but if you need to supplement with LEDs, we suggest a mix of blue and red wavelengths to support good growth and flowering. 

Vanilla orchid flowering. But one must be quick, – there is limited time to pollinate tricky orchid Vanilla flowers within a twelve-hour window. Over 600 hand-pollinated blossoms are needed to produce 1 kg of cured Vanilla beans. Vanilla Tahitensis (pictured) is a cross between Vanilla Planifolia and Vanilla Odorata. 

Janet Colston PhD is pharmacologist with an interest in growing ‘functional’ foods that have additional phytonutrients and display medicinal qualities that are beneficial to human health. She grows these using a range of techniques including plant tissue micropropagation and controlled environmental agriculture to ensure the highest quality control.