A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat How to look after vanilla orchids?

I'm keeping a beady eye out for a vanilla orchid, before I obtain one I would like to know the following...

What sun do they like to be exposed to?
What type of soil do they like?
And anything I need to know about orchids before I obtain one...

P.S. It seems like I live in the right climate for vanillas

I've heard that they should never be left to totally drain/dry out...they should be 'constantly damp' and your humidity might just be the key :)

Exposure should be full shade, never full sun or else they'll burn

Apparently vanilla orchids only open for one day and wither the next day if they aren't fertilized, not like phals or dens.

Orchids are either epiphytic or terestial. Epi=on|Phytic (phyllum)=leaf. Terrestial=growing in the ground (these can take more water and some live in bogs. Vanilla orchids are 'epiphytic' orchids and will grow on something but not take nutrients from it (not a parasitic plant).

they cannot store much water because they don't have pseudobulbs (at least not that I remember) hence they need to be constantly damp. They will send out ariel roots to absorb water.

Thanks for the tips Kenny That info will help me a lot

Kenny is correct.