On Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:53:08 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:40:22 -1000, pure kona >
>wrote:
>>
>
>It turned out she knows that already, but she's checking the link
>anyway.
>
>I'd noticed an orchid in her kitchen window, but never commented.
>Turns out it's a vanilla orchid. Her husband's cousin used to be the
>editor of Orchid magazine and he's a well known orchid horticulturist,
>so she knows about the hand pollination part... but hasn't seen any
>flowers to pollinate in two years. I'll let her know about your 10
>year sojourn. Darn. Up to this point, I was thinking it might be fun
>to cultivate a vanilla orchid.

Well likely she has a better chance than I. Perhaps she should
practice on her kitchen vanilla. The rules, as I remember them, are
the day the flower opens, you have between 10 am and noon, to get it
pollinated.

I did want people to be cautious because I have seen 2 large vanilla
orchid "farms" of friends, go to weeds here in Kona. Sounds easy and
vanilla grows so well here- circling all of my tree ferns and just so
healthy, but despite the health and adequate flowers-through my
attempts and that of a friend- no pod ever.

BTW we have the Tahitian vanilla growing here and it has its special
moth in Tahiti.

aloha,
Cea