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Clarence's Bourbon Vanilla Grow Update and Grow Guide (post #75)

Mikell

Dipshit Know-Nothing
ICMag Donor
Veteran
What an interesting grow report. I appreciate the detail and look forward to seeing more.
 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
So here's a sneak peak at the pods after almost 24hrs of sweating. Changing colour nicely. The picture makes them look a lot darker than they actually are. The aroma is gently increasing.



Cheers C:tiphat:
 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
So here is my setup I'm using for the sunning and sweating now. Bay6 tent (75 × 75 × 130). 400w sunmaster on digital ballast in a coolshade. The cool shade extractor fan is hooked up to a temperature controller on the cooling setting to keep the temp at 50°C. Theres a tower fan to give some air movement also. The pods are laid on a clean black blanket and sunned for 3 hrs then returned to the sweating box each day for the next 10 - 14 days.



Bio Green Thermo 2 temperature controller.



Pods laid out sunning away. I turn them over after 1.5 hours of sunning.

 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
Definitely some creme anglais (custard). Ice cream for sure. A chef friend tells me that carrot and vanilla soups good so will try that.

This is some serious horticultural bizniz!

Thanks for all the detail here, superb piece of work Clarence.

Have you got some recipes in mind when you are finished up on the pods?
 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
Vanilla now will spend up to 35 days in this Germanus humidor. This will keep them at an RH of 70%. Should be kept at around 35°C. This is the slow drying stage. On completion of slow drying the pods get heavy longitudinal wrinkles, turn lustrous with a brownish black colour whilst become supple. They can be rolled around finger easy and on release spring back straight. The moisture content should be somewhere between 30 - 35%.



 

MrBungle

Active member
Beauty Clarence... so many possibilities with vanilla! I didn't know the process of curing it was so involved!
 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
First time I've done it so it's all new and eye opening to me too. Fortunately I had around six years of growing the vanilla vine to investigate before I got my first flowers. Thankfully it's all worked out well so far.
 

Badfishy1

Active member
Awesome thread m8! Have over 150 orchids scattered around with at least 10 vanilla. (Also have about 10 vials of flasked seeds sitting in fridge) So tough catching the flowers during the 6 hours when open, but very fun to pollinate when I catch them open... my mother in law takes care of all the curing as I don’t have the patience for the process! Nice to see somebody else interested in vanilla. Very detailed grow and cure report so far. Not only the only fruiting orchid but also the only vine orchid. The process of hand pollinating (I think only 1 specific bee will pollinate in wild) along with the cure process is the reason real Vanilla is so expensive... almost impossible to do on a commercial scale. Nice work lad!
 

Badfishy1

Active member
That’s the one. Growing conditions where I am are tie to tree and pay no attention until flower pods appear. Lucky in that way
 

Clarence

FUZZY WUZZY
Veteran
Here is my curing chest in progress. Has a heat bar, thermostat, fan, mister and a hygrostat. Just waiting on some trays to use as shelving. Vanilla is currently sitting at 70% RH and 34°C. After 24hrs the difference in aroma is incredible.


 
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