On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:31:45 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:14:09 -0600, "gloria.p" >
>wrote:
>
>> A friend works for an orchid grower on the big island (Hawaii) and
>> gave us a great tour and information about how one species does better
>> at sea level near the ocean,where others do better "inland and uphill"
>> just a little bit.
>>
>> There's a vanilla farm in Paauilo, HI. http://www.hawaiianvanilla.com/
>
>My friend is talking about retiring to Hawaii and buying a farm there.
>I'll send the vanilla farm idea to her.

Vanilla in Hawaii is harder than you think. We do not have the insect
that pollinates the flower that results in a vanilla pod. Before you
encourage your friend to begin a vanilla farm, she better learn how to
hand pollinate.

That vanilla farm in Pauuilo has an expert pollinator or two, a family
of children who are home schooled and help with the farm (other
workers too, I think)and also, they have a restaurant where I think
they make a bit of their $. I have visited that vanilla farm.

I have tried to hand pollinate our happy vanilla orchid but have been
totally unsuccessful for over 10 years. Not one resulting vanilla pod!
Granted I haven't totally studied it, but I have tried.

Growing vanilla and having to hand pollinate each flower is not easy.

aloha,
Cea, coffee farmer