How To Grow Vanilla Beans Indoors

Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices; it is also one of the most popular spices, particularly for sweet treats. Many people enjoy the smooth and light flavor that vanilla beans impart to foods. Gardeners with a flair for the unusual may find it interesting to grow vanilla beans indoors in a container. As long as you can provide the vanilla bean plant with plenty of humidity and sunshine, your vanilla bean plant will thrive.

Step 1

Prepare the small vase or container for rooting the cutting. Fill it with water and add approximately ½ tsp. of the fertilizer to the water. Stir the water and fertilizer to incorporate them.

Step 2

Run water and place the bottom of the cutting under the stream of water. Use the paring knife to cut off the end of the cutting at a 45-degree angle while you hold it under the running water.

Step 3

Place the cut end of the stem into the prepared water. Leave the cutting in the water for approximately 10 days.

Step 4

Check the root development after 10 days. As long as you can see roots growing, the vanilla plant cutting is ready to plant.

Step 5

Prepare the planting container by mixing equal parts of potting soil and compost in the container.

Step 6

Make a planting hole for the cutting that is deep enough and wide enough to accommodate the new roots. Plant the cutting so that approximately one-third is beneath the soil.

Step 7

Insert a stake 2 inches from the cutting and gently tie the cutting to the stake. Firm the soil gently around both the cutting and the stake with your hands.

Step 8

Water the newly planted vanilla cutting to saturate the soil in the container. Keep the soil evenly moist at all times.

Step 9

Place the container in a humid bathroom with natural sunlight. If you do not have natural sunlight in your bathroom, consider using a grow light. Vanilla plants need bright, yet indirect, light.

Step 10

Pollinate the vanilla plant flowers when they blossom. Use the tip of a cotton swab to remove the pollen from a flower and rub the pollen onto the stigma of a different flower. Perform the pollination process as many times as you can with the available flowers. Watch for vanilla beans to begin forming within one to two weeks after pollination.