Vanilla Rooting Made Simple: Two Easy Methods
1. The Potting Method
- Container: Use a transparent plastic pot for easy monitoring of the roots and growing media.
- Potting Media Options: You have many choices! Recently, I’ve been using grow cubes, but these also work well:
- 80% general potting soil + 20% perlite
- 100% potting soil
- 100% perlite
- 100% coco chips
- 100% small pine bark
- 100% medium pine bark
(All tested and effective!)
- Planting Steps:
- Place the vine in the potting mix, ensuring the bottom end is inside the pot.
- Bury the vine so that at least the first node (where the leaf grows) is under the surface. (No need to remove the buried leaf!)
- Keep the pot in a warm, shaded spot — no direct sunlight! (Artificial light is fine.)
- Maintain damp (not soggy) soil.
- Growth Timeline:
- Roots typically appear in a few days.
- New growth starts in a few weeks.
- Be patient! If the plant looks healthy but isn’t sprouting, the new growth might be developing from the buried node and will take time to emerge.
2. The Quick & Lazy Method
- Setup:
- Place the vine on a moist sphagnum moss bed inside a large bowl.
- Keep the bowl in a warm, shaded area (again, no direct sun — artificial light works well).
- Ensure the moss stays moist but not waterlogged.
- Results:
- Roots develop in days to weeks, depending on the Vanilla species.
Best Growing Conditions
For thriving vanilla plants, provide:
- Warmth (25-28 °C)
- High humidity (80%)