Twice a year I drag in all my 100+ orchids, one by one, into the shower so I can flush through the growing media extra thoroughly. I usually rinse through the media with just clean water without any fertilizer every 4-6 weeks or so, in addition to this “big rinse”. It is important to do this as excess fertilizer, minerals and salts build up in the media over time and this can harm the roots. An added bonus of the vigorous showering is that it also cleans off and freshens up the foliage. Nice!!
So do you think your vanilla planifolia will produce pods, Karma? Or do they have to be a substantial size with the perfect conditions? I am kicking myself for not buying one at a past orchid show for five dollars a piece(ARGHHHH!)!
Oh, perhaps I will get a flower one day, but if not the vine is really pretty too. They do need to be quite large in order to do bloom (I heard something like 5 meters), but it has gotten quite large already so who knows? I think it has grown over 0,5 meters this summer alone! If you want a vanilla bean you have to pollinate the flower on the very first morning when it opens. If I get it to bloom one day, I will give it a try.